My Work.

Today is Social Media Monday. It is the day where I sit down at my computer at 10a and then look up, and it is 7p. I have no Movie Motivation for today because I had a busy weekend of traveling and recovering from travel. The only movie I saw at the theater was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. No inspiration to speak of. I have Streetcar Named Desire from Netflix waiting on me to catch up on my work. Maybe it will provide me with some lessons to share on Facebook.

So there was a request from a follower that I share my work. What does the schedule of a stay-at-home mom transitioning back to career mom look like? Since I am an awesome life coach it is filled with a lot of 'me time.' I recommend the same for any followers. If you have ever wondered "what is it like to work with a life coach," I will break it down.


Identification is first. Identify those areas in your life that you want to see improvement, success, or to feel like a winner. I am presently working on the following areas: Finance, Relationships, Education, Career, Self-care, and Service.


Clarity is second. How will you know you have reached success. What will it look like? I will have success in Finance when I have a payment plan worked out with the IRS. I will have success in Relationships when my whole tribe is all together again making new memories. I will have Education success when I get an A in my next class at Harvard. I will have Career success when I recoup the investment I made to self-publish my book, and my residual checks cover my expenses. I will have Self-care success when I can buy clothes in the single digits. I will have Service success when I am making a positive difference in the life of someone else.


Awareness is step 3. You know the sign that says, "you are here," well it helps to know how far away one is from their success to limit frustration. After that, you will know whether to set short term goals or long term goals.


In the Finance area, I am waiting on the accountant to file my taxes who is waiting on Gregory to go through his deductions. We need to finalize the taxes so we will know how much we owe. In Relationships I have spent time with everyone in my tribe recently except for Zack, but I know he is doing well because he is in love and got a raise at work. I am behind already on my Education goal because today is the first day of registration for Fall classes, and I did not do that first on my computer today. My Career area needs structure. I joined social media and am too fascinated to focus. My Service area is on auto-pilot right now. I am donating money to churches and charity, and I am donating unused items to Goodwill, but I am not putting in any face to face time with anyone in need. I have attended a few charity events, but I want to do more. The last area I am focusing on is Self-Care. I am down to 209lbs, and I want to be under 200 by the end of August.


Goals and Action Steps are the last two phases. So my goals and steps for August are the following:


Finance: Goal #1 Get Greg to finish his part so we can file 2014 taxes.
              Action Step #1 Wear low cut shirts and short shorts to motivate him.


Relationships: Goal #1. Make plans to be together during the holiday.
                        Action Step #1 Call and get work schedules for Jordy & Zack.
                       Action Step #2 Put kids school vacation days on the family calendar.


Education: Goal #1 Get an A in Expo E-25.
                  Action Step #1 Register for class. #2 Buy books. #3 Write excellent essays.


                  Goal #2 Get Smooches registered for her Fall class.
                  Action Step #1 Call and remind her to pick up the check for class.


Career: Goal #1 Set a date for book signing and launch party.
             Action Step #1 Open bookmarks, business cards, and posters that came in the mail.
             Action Step #2 Sign off and give approval for press release. Get a copy.
             Action Step #3 Tweet about my placement in the Balboa Press Summer Catalog.
             Action Step #4 Update Blog. Decide about SLPA event for networking (attend or not).
             Mail eBook Stubs to Literary Agents.


Self-care: Goal #1 Release 10lbs in August.
                Action Step #1 Decide about Shape Diva Dash (attend or not).
                Action Step #2 Ride bike instead of driving for anything under 10 miles.
               Action Step #3 Get a massage every week.


Service: Goal #1 Complete documents on Legal Zoom for 501(c) 3 paperwork.
             Action Step #1 Sign paperwork as Director of my non-profit.
             Action Step #2 Go to Legal Zoom site and finish questionnaire.
             Action Step #3 Call Andrea with any questions I may have about the questionnaire
             process.


This is how Life mastery is acquired. Yes most people are juggling work, home, relationships, and life in general. However, when one works with a life coach one is better able to get to new heights. The last thing Life Coaches do is to support their clients in the Removal phase. Most times there are obstacles physically or mentally keeping us away from our BEST LIFE. Life Coaches support their clients in removing these barriers to success with ease.


My list of Removals include:
Late night TV watching during the week.
Social media that is not career related during the week.
Fast food restaurants.
Caffeine after 2p.
Procrastinating. Go to Harvard website after I post this blog (no editing or posting on Facebook).


Those Removals will help with physical blocks. I will get enough sleep, lower my calorie intake, stop wasting time, and just do it when it comes to the class. But what about mental blocks? For mental barriers I find we usually need to add some things to crowd out the unhelpful mental chatter that can sabotage a good goal.


My list of Additions include:
Twice Daily Meditations (Once in the morning and the 2nd with my "Take a Break" app)
Joel Osteen's audio book, "Break Out."
Dr. Oz says to add purple foods, walnuts, and raw honey to my diet.
More talks and sex with Gregory.
Daily 10 minute nap.


So that is a snapshot of Life Mastery. I will give a progress report on this specific post in September to see if I reached my goals, experienced any setbacks, and enjoyed myself along the way. Happy August. (Maybe I will get the movie August Rush on Netflix to watch with the boys before school starts).


I am off to register for class.
Take care of you,
Mogul Mom

B-day Blog

Happy Birthday to me!

     I entered the world 42 years ago in an apartment on Chicago's Southwest side on a Sunday morning. I was born on a sofa and delivered by my uncle. How unorthodox and such is the way of my life.
     I have been exponentially blessed in this lifetime. No one makes it out of this life alive. The hope is that you make it out and have lived; I certainly have. "Life is a banquet, and some poor suckers are starving to death" says Rosalind Russell in my favorite version of the movie, Auntie Mame.

     This summer my boys and I have been going to the library for their awesome events. They have seen weather demonstrations, great folk music (a family tradition), reptiles, and creepy critters, all in the library.

     Sometimes I have joined them, sometimes not. We all know I am never voluntarily going to be in the same room as a rat. I usually sit with the parents in the chairs while the kids cop a squat on the floor around the activities. I have a writer's point of view of the action. So today on my birthday I will rant about two irritations that caught my writer's POV.

     During one of the science demonstrations there was a kid sitting in front of me in a chair and not on the floor. She kept raising her hand and answering the questions correctly when the presenter called on her. After awhile her female caretaker (maybe mom, maybe not) told her to put her hand down and keep quiet. It reminded me of being in school and being told by my own favorite teacher to put my hand down after answering several questions correctly.

     I realized that people, especially women, definitely get their hang-ups and issues during their developmental years. Why can't girls Shine, Lean In, and Run The World? Well they can if we push past these interruptions to our progress as a species. Ladies we have to push back on these antiquated rules that say women and girls have to take a back seat in life. Raising your hand the most is not rude, telling someone the best way to do something is not bossy, and tooting your own horn is not obnoxious. Maya Angelou said, "Timidity makes a person modest. It makes him or her say, 'I'm not worthy of being written up in the record of deeds in heaven or on earth.' Timidity keeps people from their good. They are afraid to say, 'Yes, I deserve it.'"

     On another day, I witnessed a whole other scene. I was going to the restroom, which I do a lot in my forties (ladies do your kegel exercises). As I approached the door it swung open and a little girl and her female caretaker (maybe mom, maybe not) exited. As the little girl passed me she said , "sorry (saw-ree)". In my mind I thought, wow we start them young in these parts. This adorable little miss was all of 3, and already she has the unnecessary habit of over apologizing. I recently told my own little princess to lose the habit. A week or so later she sent me an article that told me she heard me and got confirmation from The Universe that mommy knows of what she speaks.

     We are on the verge of having a very qualified woman become President of The United States. The media outlets are about to tear her apart when they put her through the wringer while she campaigns. We can all graduate our thinking when this happens not by saying they are picking on her because she's a woman but instead saying they are treating her the way they treat all the candidates. She's a woman; she can handle it.
     Hillary Clinton will make a great president if she doesn't wait her turn to speak, tells them how to do it well, and she pats herself on the back when she gets it right. If she does this, she will get my Republican vote and create a better free world for Chelsea's future kids.
     Naomi Wolfe says, "A Mother who radiates self-love and self-acceptance actually VACCINATES her daughter against low self-esteem." May I just say that my little princess is on her way to being a Q.U.E.E.N. just like her mommy. Now that is a great gift.