The Supply Chain May 31, 2008

You should have been there with me, sitting in the office of yet another temp agency with my tired corporate suit and upswept hair. Trying to look the part, because I needed the part. I needed this job. There was no reason why they shouldn’t choose me. I am experienced. I am professional. I am smart. And did I mention, I need the job? Ms. Collier calls my name. She’s ready for me. I clutch my faux leather attaché and walk into another rejection. Why? Because I was desperate. I had made the cardinal mistake for anybody wanting anything, I fixated on a channel and considered it to be my source.

You’re in your car and the gas gage has been flashing E for about 10 miles. There’s a nervousness in the air. “Why didn’t I stop at the last station?” you wonder as you look ahead hoping that you make it. To the right, an empty Chevron. You pull right in and go to the first available pump. You pay and start pumping your gas. But nothing comes out. You pause for a second. There must be something wrong. You check, everything looks in order. You press the nozzle again. No gas. You check again. No gas. What do you do?

Theme Song assignment May 16, 2008

The Mocha Moms held their first southwest regional conference on April 26, 2008 and the day opened with a fun workshop, Finding Your Theme Song! So, here is a follow up exercise for those still searching for their Power Theme Song.

1. Think about a challenge in your life. This is an area that you want to see greater positive results.
2. What’s holding you back? Which behavior, environmental element, habit are you resisting to modify?
3. How would it feel to have a breakthrough in that area?
4. Write down that feeling. And this week, listen to music intentionally looking for a song that evokes that new feeling.
5. Share with us. Comment on the blog.

May you all courageously walk into season.

Be well,

Sheree

Better than you thought May 12, 2008

I’m a member of Toastmasters Inc. It’s an organization that helps you build leadership and public speaking skills. I’ve been a member for over a year and I honestly don’t know why it took this long for someone to drag me into this organization. It’s all about talking! And I love to talk. In my club, I’m a bit of a celebrity…if 20 people adoring you qualifies as celeb-status. They think I’m funny. They think I deliver great speeches. They think I have a special quality. Want to know what I think? I think that I need to prepare more. I think that I speak too fast. I think that I still haven’t delivered a good, well-rehearsed speech. So I feel like I’m cheating at something when they pour on the praise.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that I have the gift of gab. And thankfully, I’m intelligent and intuitive and am put on this Earth to help other people see and realize their greatness. So with that mission, can you see how it doesn’t work for me to feel like a fraud in the one place that’s all about growing as a speaker?

Have you ever realized that you’re better at something than you thought?

I hate ‘Baby Mama’ May 5, 2008

The first blog…oooh the pressure. I have a list of worthy topics (that I’m not sharing because you’ll see them soon enough) to choose from. But every since they started running trailers for the movie, Baby Mama, I can’t get the song of the same name by Fantasia out of my mind.

Now don’t get me wrong, the song is inspiring. But some things you just can’t make right. ‘Baby mama’ and ‘baby daddy’ bring up all that needs to change with single parenting. And it’s no coincidence that ‘baby mama’ is usually followed by ‘drama.’ And why wouldn’t there be drama? Two people are together (if only for one night), get pregnant and break up. Now, you can break up with someone and never see them again. But when you have a child or children together, the relationship never ends. No matter how bitter. No matter how much hurt. Folks who divorce and go through counseling at least have a shot at resolving some of their issues. But single parents just have to work it out as best they can.

That usually means that two people who probably didn’t agree on very much in life now have to make a ton of decisions together. So with no guidance, they fall right into the baby mama/baby daddy stereotypes. The mother bitches. The father evades. The child becomes a pawn in the power struggle.

How do you break the cycle? We’ll talk about that. We’ll also talk about how to have it all–whatever ‘all’ is to you.