"We make
no apologies for setting high standards."
~ Nancy Zimpher
Fireside Chat - a personal
note from Teresia & Sonia
Hello Sassy and Savvy
Women!
It seems like we were just talking about
holidays and New Year's resolutions, and
yet here we are, closing in on the end of
February! Right about this time of year,
a lot of people start to lose their enthusiasm
for resolutions and 2007 goals, so if you're
feeling a little low, take heart... you're
about to get your second wind.
In January we talked about Tolerations,
those little nagging things that slowly
drain your energy, and how to craft your
life into a toleration-free zone. This month,
we're taking that process one step further.
A life without tolerations is held in place
by high standards.
Have you ever taken time out to think about
the standards you keep? And the effects
they create in your life? Well, this month
you will... and life may never look the
same again.
Don't miss out on this month's 'Savvy
Conversation,' a *fre'e* conference
call that will help you learn and utilize
powerful tools for your own business. JOIN
US and other like-minded business women
on March 22nd at 8 AM PST to dig into the
details of how to build a thriving business
with all the support you need. Get
more details and register!
Your Sassy Catalysts
Teresia LaRocque & Sonia Stringer
SassyandSavvyWomen.com
In this issue:
feature
article
Take a Stand for Higher
Standards
Take a minute to sit back and search your
mind for a woman you admire. It could be
a friend or relative, a teacher or mentor,
even a stranger or someone from the distant
past. Ask yourself: What makes her so admirable,
so inspiring to me? What are some of her
qualities and natural behaviors that I find
attractive?
Most of the people we admire hold themselves
to high standards. Personal standards refer
to the behavior and actions that you hold
yourself to - how you choose to 'show up'
in life. For example, we have standards
around our finances ('I always pay my bills
on time'), the way we relate to each other
(manners, physical space, etc.), and just
about everything else.
The important thing to remember is that
each person determines their own standards.
You can adjust yours in a way that makes
life really click.
Here's a good rule of thumb to remember:
the higher your standards, the better your
life. They're a shortcut to an easier, more
focused, less-hassled life. When a person
keeps high standards, they feel very good
about themselves and others. They naturally
attract high-quality people and avoid people
and situations that cause problems.
When a person's standards are too low,
their self esteem and sense of worth sinks.
They are emotionally drained. People walk
all over them. They waste their time and
energy. They end up tolerating a lot in
their life!
Here's the bottom line: It's time to look
at the standards you've set for your life,
and where to make adjustments. This one
process can easily and dramatically improve
your quality of life and the results you
create.
Ready to get started?
A
Sassy Breakthrough - Sandi Amorim
|
As an accomplished coach, Sandi has the
tools and skills to really make life work.
But at the end of last year, her life
wasn't working so well; in fact, it had
fallen way out of balance. She was putting
in long hours to prepare for the launch
of a big program, and the closer her deadline
came, the more stressed and overwhelmed
she felt. Her self care regime fell by
the wayside, and her social life quickly
followed suit.
'When I've been
pushing too hard, my body knows how
to slow me down. In one month, I had
a bout of food poisoning, trouble sleeping
and a two-week stretch with laryngitis...and
I was the one who used to say 'I never
get sick!'
'I couldn't ignore
the signs any longer; I was shutting
down. What could I be doing differently?
What am I not doing? How am I taking
care of myself - or not? When I sat
down long enough to answer these questions,
I realized that my personal priorities
had slipped way down on the scale; something
had to change.'
As Sandi laid out a plan to turn things
around, her personal standards for taking
care of herself were the first place
she looked. In order to realign her
actions with her priorities her first
step was to recommit to:
-
Blocking
out time every week for self-care
activities (working out, massages,
spa dates with friends, etc.)
-
Shopping
for and preparing fresh food at
home
-
Morning
meditation before work
'It used to be
automatic for me to think that because
I'm a coach, I should have known better
than to let myself get into such a state.
The learning from this experience was
that I could be as compassionate with
myself as I am with others. It feels
good to know that if I slip in the future,
all I have to do is recommit to my standards.'
Have you had
a Sassy Breakthrough? We want to hear
from you! You are officially invited to
share your experiences with other women
who are also working to build an ideal
business and life, and offer them a few
bits of your hard-earned wisdom. We are
specifically looking for 'brags and wins'
in the following areas: tolerations, standards,
hiring help, delegating, dealing with
something that held you back, plugging
energy drains, and setting boundaries.
Send us an e-mail with the details of
your challenge, the savvy steps you took,
and the results of your effort, and we'll
be in touch! |
Savvy
Steps: Hitch up your pantyhose and get moving!
Your coaching assignment is to
identify 10+ standards that you want to upgrade.
This can be a little intangible, so we're
going to give you lots of examples to help
you get going. Look for standards...
In your physical environment:
- Email - amount of time
spent on it, getting it organized, upgrading
software
Higher standard: I spend only 30 minutes
a day on e-mail and invest in a better
spam blocker.
- Clutter - messy desk,
house and/or car; unfiled paperwork
Higher standard: I always straighten
my desk at the end of the day and file
documents immediately
With yourself:
- Overwhelm and lack of
focus - inefficiency, low enthusiasm for
work, distractions
Higher standard:
At the end of each day, I get clear on
top 3 priorities for the next day.
- Procrastination - on
projects, tasks, commitments, etc,
Higher standard:
I schedule time to complete what's on
my task list and return all calls within
24 hours.
In relationships:
- Putting up with conversations
that drain your energy - complainers,
gossipers, shouters
Higher standard:
I consistently redirect conversations
that feel off-key.
- Tolerating disrespectful
behavior from others - chronic lateness,
combativeness, etc.
Higher standard:
I expect a baseline level of respect and
I communicate my standards.
As you look around your life for places
to raise the bar, keep an eye out for ongoing
tolerations, frustrations, or places that
you feel out of integrity. These are a red
flag, a place to raise a standard.
Once you've identified the standards to
raise, write them down and share them with
others to help you stay committed to a new
way of doing things. Remember, this isn't
about living up to a standard of perfection...
it's about living up to whatever standard
you consciously choose. It's your ideal
life!
Featured
Tools & Resources
 Are
you ready to find more support your business,
but you're not sure about the next steps?
Relax... we have just what you need to find
the right people, get them up to speed,
and experience a new level of success. Building
a Hire Vision: How to Find, Hire and Empower
Exceptional People will answer all your
questions about the hiring process - even
the ones you didn't know you had! Complete
with forms, step-by-step instructions, and
the voice of experience, it's the only book
you'll need.
Thursday Mastermind
calls. Every Thursday
at 9:00am Pacific Time is your time
to get Sassy and Savvy support, either through
the Savvy Conversation (8am) or the Savvy
Mastermind Group (9am). Dial-in#: 712-432-3900
Passcode: 5077473. Make
this a regular part of your professional
development. The next calls are on
Thursday, March 8th and 15th.
Savvy
Conversation - March 22
If you'd like to explore this topic in
more depth, get coached, and experience
the momentum of other like-minded women
who are building support in their lives,
join us on March 22nd at 8 AM PST / 11 AM
EST for the latest Savvy
Conversations Coaching Call.
In this *fre'e* teleconference, we'll be
exploring the challenges, secrets and shortcuts
to finding and hiring a phenomenal support
person. In this candid discussion, you learn
about some of the most effective ways to
find the right people and integrate them
into your business. We'll 'see' you there!
Watch for more upcoming
developments from the Sassy and Savvy Women!
We are building one amazing community, full
of top-notch resources and high-caliber
guidance for the self-employed woman. And
we're burning the midnight oil to wrap up
our book: Sassy and Savvy Self-Employed
Women: The Ultimate Guide to Leverage Your
Business and Love Your Life. If you'd like
to preview a chapter, click here!
© Copyright
2007 Sassy and Savvy Women
Contact Us At support@sassyandsavvywomen.com
Canadian
Office : PO Box 60514 * Granville Park * Vancouver,
BC V6H 4B9 * Ph: 604 473 9884
US Office: 1049 Camino Del Mar *Suite 4C*
Del Mar, Ca 92014 * Ph: 858 350 0015
|
