Entreprenyear

Queen of Atrophy Fights Back

Doing a big-time happy dance today. Achieved last week's goal of five 30-minute workouts, my first "full" week of fitness since "the incident" in July (AKA my back injury). My injury happened immediately following my declaration to design my ideal body, business, and bliss this year, rendering me mostly immobile for 2 months, then only barely functional for 2 months after that.

That little escapade threw a bit of a wrench (or power tool...or construction crane) into all three of my EntreprenYear focus areas, but especially the "ideal body" portion of our program, since my primary form of exercises were writhing in pain (though I must admit that it's amazing how much you can sweat when you do that) and hiking hither and yon to different medical appointments.

But as of last week, watch out, baby...I'm BAAAACK.

I walked 3 days, did gentle yoga twice, and even dabbled a bit on my rebounder. I feel like I have a new lease on life. Or at least a month-to-month contract with optional long-term lease. Now, it's true that I could barely lift a refreshing glass of water to my lips after my first yoga session, but that's what we have family members for, right?  Call me "Queen of Atrophy" if you wish, but not for long.  The fact is I'm moving again and it feels great. Well, mostly great.

And yes, there's even PROGRESS to report. I've lost 3 of the 15 pounds I gained during my "physical activity hiatus" and (drumroll, please) 2 1/2 inches off my waist.  All in about 10 days. Now, my pants don't feel like a tourniquet anymore, which is a real plus, because I value the use of my legs, which have been greatly deprived of life-giving blood flow for quite some time now. 

I'm remembering what it feels like to be "whole." And I like it. What a blessing to have nearly full use of my body again. Welcome back, my friend, you've been missed!

 

The First Big Arrrgggghhhh

OK, so this is the first arrrrgggghhhh of the year, and it's a BIG one.

Yes, it's part of life, but DANG health issues can get in the way of the best of intentions...and actions, for that matter.  Shortly after I launched this year-long blog, I had the unfortunate opportunity to "re-experience" a back injury that I'd suffered last fall.  The medical terms "bulging disk, stenosis, arthritic-whatever-the-heck-itis" were thrown about, and my life became a myriad of MRIs and medications, and an alphabet soup of appointments:

• A stands for acupuncture
• C stands for chiropractic
• G stands for general practitioner
• M stands for massage
• P stands for physical therapy and physiatrist for pain management

Finally, the all-important "W" stands for "WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO NOW that my body, business, balance, and bliss (the four focus areas of this blog) are swirling the drain big time because I CAN'T MOVE, MUCH LESS WRITE SPIRITED BLOGS ABOUT HOW FABULOUSLY I'M GROWING AND EVOLVING!  My "year of living changerously" seemed to be starting off with changes I could readily do without.  Big time.

So I sulked for a while.  And faked "OK-ness" for a while.  And tried to power through it for a while.  And decided to completely give up my hopes and dreams for a while.  And none of these things made anything better in the slightest.  Go figure.

And then I finally listened.  REALLY listened.  Not just to my healthcare providers, because I'd been doing that all along.  And not just to my family and friends, who had been imploring me to pull back completely from my commitments so that I could truly rest and fully heal.  And not to the books that I've written and the massive research I've done to create them (though I've got to admit, there's really good stuff there!).

What worked?  I finally listened TO MYSELF.  To my body.  To my emotions.  To my "inner knowing," all of which had been gently nudging me, then softly alerting me, then painstakingly begging me, then finally SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF ITS ENERGY-BASED LUNGS AT ME.  To listen.  And more importantly to hear.

• I needed to hear that rest was required not only to recover but also to revive (actually "vive" means to live). 
• I needed to hear that I would have to detach from my expectations of how healing should happen in order to allow healing to naturally unfold. 
• I needed to hear that I had the choice to disengage from activity and interaction long enough to to know how to fully engage in ways that accommodate well-being at all levels. 
• And, I needed to gift myself the time and opportunity to truly feel healthy and whole again.  In fact, I was reminded that the origin of the word "health" is actually "whole."

So YES I missed some opportunities, and YES I spent the first couple months of my EntreprenYEAR primarily bedridden.  And YES, it was unfortunate and uncomfortable and unbearable at times.  At the same time, though, maybe that's exactly what this evolution is supposed to be about.  After all, it is the year of living changerously.  I didn't really know what that would mean when I began this journey, but I think I'm getting it now.

Mint.com--My Minty-fresh New Financial Solution

Ok, so I've been hearing about the website Mint.com for months now.  It's a free website that magazines and colleagues just rave about.  It's a free (yep, you read that correctly) free online financial management software program that FLIPPIN' ROCKS MY WORLD.

Since one aspect of my Entreprenyear journey is to not only enhance my business, but also to improve balance and bliss, I'm sure it's sort of implied that finances will factor in here on a number of levels.  I'm charting a pretty challenging course to make sure that financial issues are addressed thoughtfully and systematically.

Systematically...there's the word.  This year I'm looking for the best of the best systems to make reaching my goals easier, changing my habits (and my life) more efficient, and maintaining momentum a given.  There's only so much time and willpower to be devoted to all of our priorities in life, so I'm looking for every solution I can find to put "on autopilot" the things that don't require my focused attention and creative input so I can turn my attention toward what I do best and enjoy most.

Enter Mint.com, my first autopilot experiment.  From my first tour of the site I find it really easy to navigate, super intuitive to use, and WAYYYYYYYYYY more comprehensive than I imagined it would be.  It stores all of your different bank account and credit card information (super securely, I might add), and allows you to automatically update ALL of your account balances and transactions IN THE CLICK OF A BUTTON! (Insert dramatic music and hand flourish here).  You can easily create and track budgets, investments, real-estate, financial goals...you name it.  And here's the cool part...it will email you when bank balances are low and will send you summaries of how you're spending your money.  In fact, it will also help you find ways to SAVE money, too.  And, there are mobile apps available for Droid and IPhone.  I sort of feel like it does pretty much everything other than printing new cash for you.  But who knows what the future holds?

I've just started using it, so I'll admit this might be my honeymoon stage.  But who doesn't love a rip-roarin' good time on their honeymoon, with all of the fun and excitement it provides?  And, I'm thinking that a truly memorable honeymoon could set the stage for some good stuff in the future, right?  I'll keep you posted on how it's working for me and the benefits that I (sincerely hope!) will be forthcoming.  More soon...

The A-Team (aka "The Amen" Team)

It's been kind of like holding your breath under water for too long and then finally coming to the surface and gulping a huge, life-giving breath of oxygen. Air. Oh, yeah, it can be nice to breathe.

For about 7 months we were almost entirely (but not by choice) "administrative support-free" for the business for a variety of reasons.  Anyway, our wonderful Leah left us in November to go start her new life as a CPA, first-time home-owner, and life partner with who sounds like her soon-to-be husband. No problem. Go ahead and live the life of your dreams, Leah.  We support it.  Really we do. Sniff, sniff.  (We actually do support her with our whole hearts but DANG it's hard to lose someone so utterly fabulous AND who brings you homemade treats nearly every Friday.  It was a double hit, to be sure).

Back to the story.  She moved on the very day last fall when I first injured my back and spent a month in bed. Tough time to hire and train. Then there was the whole "recover from the economic downturn right after you built your home" issue.  Tough time to hire and train. Then there was the whole "we're (thankfully) booked solid for about four months thing.  Tough time to hire and train. Oh, and there's my "nearly impossibly high standards for finding the right person" factor, too.  Sensing a pattern?

On that final remark, it's true that I have high standards...I'm a "skills plus soul" elitist, you might say. I want the near-perfect combo of someone who is:

• passionate about their life and their work
• utterly self-sufficient as well as fiercely team-oriented
• extremely brilliant at their job
• a pleasure to work with
• committed to always going above and beyond
• confident and compassionate
• full of great ideas and powerful insights
• able to recover from inevitable errors and setbacks with grace and new plans for "next time"
• at home in her/his great sense of humor and appreciative of ours
• always looking for ways to learn and grow (personally, professionally, and on behalf of our business)
• nice...and I mean really  nice...to our clients, customers, kids, and colleagues...oh, and us
• open to new ideas and win-win outcomes
• blessed with a fantastic personality
• clear about the extraordinary strengths and gifts they bring to us, especially in the areas where I'm, how to put this, less proficient
• willing to consider bringing treats to us on a regular basis (which I will gladly reciprocate)

IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK?  I think not.  Because I got to thinking that I am now, mostly by design and honestly a little by serendipity, surrounded my my very own A-Team (aka "Amen Team").  "I pity the fool who misses those opportunities."

Sometimes you  do need a little patience and it's best to WAIT for the right timing, but sometimes you have to just find a way to MAKE the timing happen to build a great team.  Sometimes you need to seek out what you want and need, and sometimes (and I really love this part) the ideal person simply shows up unannounced and ready to help.  But mark my words you have to be ready to recognize her/him when this happens and be prepared to seize the perfect opportunity to hire the perfect person, even if it's not the ideal time...or financial landscape...or whatever.

I sit here this morning realizing that I am now actually able to spend a large--I mean REALLY large--percentage of my time doing what I do best and using my gifts in the most powerful ways for our company, which I haven't done for a very long time.  Because I've also been the bill payer. And sales person. And marketing executive. And tech guru (heaven forbid). And event coordinator. And transcriptionist.  And...and...and...

Now, with Katie and Karen staffing business development and operations, and our partners contributing expertise in brilliant ways to our various efforts, I actually spend most of my time writing books, speaking to audiences, creating new products, coaching and consulting for clients, and meeting with the people who can support our vision and whose vision we, too, can support. 

AND I WAKE UP EVERY FREAKIN' DAY ENERGIZED AND EXCITED, PASSIONATE AND PRODUCTIVE. 

Oh, man, it feels good.  The A-Team is a turning point for me personally and for our business.  I didn't realize how the weight of doing everything I'm either not good at or not interested in was weighing me down like an anchor in a sea of water.  But now  the anchor's gone and I'm at the surface, thrilled to not be gasping for air during perhaps the busiest and most important time of our business.

I'm just breathing steadily, peacefully treading water with my A-team for a few minutes while we get our bearings.  And then we're getting ready to swim like heck toward a really nice looking beach.  On your marks...get set...GO!

Here I Go...365 Days and Counting

So, I've been trying to get around to starting this blog for exactly 6 weeks now.  Along with trying to get around to posting on my other two public blogs and one private blog for my membership-only community.  And along with trying to get around to managing my business more effectively.  And maintaining my health more effectively.  And nurturing my relationships more effectively.  And...you get the picture.

But life gets in the way, right?  Not any more.  Starting today, life is a priority.  Life the way I trully want to live it, that is.  It's what in my books and retreats I always refer to as "living my ideal life on my own terms starting NOW."  Because I always, without fail, practice what I teach (though I'll admit sometimes I need a lot more practice than some of my audience members do!), so I figured that now would be as good a time as any to chart my progress toward my four foundations for my ideal life...business, balance, body, and bliss. 

I call it "The Entreprenyear...My Year of Living Changerously."  I'm looking for every possible strategy and system, tip and tactic, resource and rump-kicking I can benefit from in the next 52 weeks to rock my own world.  And hopefully in the process I'll run across a few things that will help you rock your own world, too.  Why Entreprenyear?  Because I want to go about this whole endeavor with an entrepreneurial spirit.

en·tre·pre·neur:  äⁿn-trə-p(r)ə-ˈnər, -ˈn(y)u̇r\

Etymology: French, from Old French, from entreprendre to undertake — more at enterprise

Definition: one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise

I'm undertaking the enterprise of ME.  My life.  Who I want to be.  How I want to feel.  Why I want to create this ideal life.  And What I want to do to leave a legacy...to impact this world in a positive way.  But I've got a confession to make.  I'm almost hesitant to admit it, but I've got a really great life already.  I do.  I'm actually a somewhat irritatingly happy and fulfilled person doing what she loves surrounded by people she loves and, with a few exceptions such as addictive behaviors regarding chocolate and cheese, which are well-documented in all of my books, I'm fairly healthy, too. 

I've sensed, though, for a while now that there are ways to "take back" parts of my life that I've outsourced to someone or somewhere or something other than myself.  It's been a tough couple of years for everyone, myself included, on a number of levels.  I'm not going to share my whiny version about how the economic downturn messed up my financial mojo or share some stunning array of emotional or physical traumas that have pummeled me as of late.  Dang, you've got enough of your own to sift through, I'm sure. 

What I DO want to do, though, is really embrace and explore the change process--what it looks like and what it  feels like to grow in ways you really want to in those four areas of business, balance, body, and bliss.  I want to broadcast what works and dissect what doesn't.  And I want to listen to what sends my heart racing from joy or fear or anticipation (or all three) and share those things with you to see if any of them do the same for you.

I want to be truly IN this moment of my life, with a clear sense of purpose and a serious sense of humor to see what 365 days can produce for me.  And ideally, for you, too.  Here's to a year of living changerously.