Starting Over: Discover and Live Your Passion

Is your new year is off to a fantastic start? I hope so! And I hope you took some time to consider the questions from my previous blog post. I say this, not because I want you to dwell on the past, but because it’s important to have a clear picture of where you want to go and to understand what may be standing in your way. One way to break through success barriers is to be certain that your passion and purpose are in alignment with your goals. If they aren’t, you may want to reevaluate those goals. Read more

2009 in Review

One of my New Year’s traditions (aside from eating black-eyed peas and watching movies with my family) is buying a fresh journal—even if all the pages aren’t filled in my previous journal.

For me, a new journal signifies a fresh start. Read more

Save Money Enjoying an Evening with Friends

Dinner out is, well… out. Throw a fun, inexpensive dinner party instead.

The doorbell rings, and a smile sweeps across your face. Music is playing, candles are flickering, the table is set and your home smells wonderful. You open the door to let your friends in, relaxed and ready to enjoy a delicious dinner and an evening of fun.

OK, so maybe you haven’t thrown a dinner party in years. (Does watching Food Network in your sweat pants count?) But even if your life is consumed by a busy schedule, throwing a fabulous dinner party can be a reality. Read more

Who Says You Can’t?

Author writes about go-getting women

Susan Casey’s list of “friends” is extensive. Some were born in the 1800s, while others haven’t graduated from high school yet. And many, she never met. But an avid researcher and lover of “detective work,” as she calls it, Casey combed through libraries across the country, hungry to meet women inventors. She now knows so much about them that she calls most—dead or alive—friends. “I feel like I know them,” she says.

Her far-reaching memory harkens back to a “brilliant” woman who came to the United States in the 1920s and built the first solar-heated house. She jumps to the story of the hardworking secretary Bette Graham, who secretly invented Liquid Paper in the 1950s to cover up her typewriting mistakes. Casey’s research was published in Women Invent!, a book about female pioneers of their time.

“These women were pursuing their interests in a very intelligent way—and following through,” Casey says. “They say, I’ll figure out a way to do it. I’m gonna make this happen. It’s inspiring.”

Casey talks about her favorite women inventors, unable to pick just one. She tells the story of Rose Totino, of the famous brand of frozen pizzas, like she’s a long-lost friend: “Rose settled in Minneapolis, and nobody there knew a thing about pizza,” she explains. “Rose would take pizza to the PTA when they were asked to do a potluck. And people thought, Wow, this is great! And it caught on!”

Casey’s book was published in 1997—just before the advent of the Internet and online search engines. She spent nearly 18 months in a Los Angeles library, “zipping” through microfiche and making notes for her book. “It was really fun. For a lot of these women, I had to search in books and call historical societies to find anything about them,” she says. “Now, I Google their name and five biographies pop up.”

Still, the lengthy research process is what Casey found fascinating. “Spending several years talking and researching about optimistic people is inspiring,” she says. “There’s a model of every kind of person in this book: chemists, balloonists, secretaries. When I speak, I teach girls and boys that anyone can use their ideas and create something terrific.”

The Secret to Success—Anytime, Anywhere

When you think of success, what comes to mind? Do you think of living in a huge mansion on a hill, with more money than you could ever spend? Or do you think of days filled with happiness and a career that you find personally satisfying? Whatever your idea of success is, you can rest easy knowing it’s only a few small steps away.

Surprised? Most people are. It’s far too easy to become buried in the avalanche of responsibility that comes with adulthood, leaving us feeling like it would be easier to climb Mt. Everest in a snowstorm wearing a mini-skirt and stiletto heels than to achieve our dreams. Read more

Just Who Will You Be?

Maria Shriver discovered it’s not what you do, but who you are that matters.

Children are asked quite often, what do you want to be when you grow up? As teenagers, they’re sent off to college to prepare for their chosen profession. And, after spending between $25,000 and $50,000 (or more) on a bachelor’s degree, many of these young men and women go into a career that has nothing to do with their education.
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