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Here's a Passion Fruit Writing exercise for you to play with. So much of inviting more prosperity in your life has more to do with letting go of things, than it is adding more things to do. I mean that' the problem so many of us face -- TOO much to do in too little time! It's hard to see sometimes what it is you can STOP doing. Living in a perpetual state of overwhelm is a symptom, not the cause of your frustration. This exercise is about letting go. While there can be a certain comfort to living in crisis mode, ultimately you burn out to a crisp. Here's a simple exercise for your journal:

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According to research, women talk more than men. Women also earn less money than men and are weaker negotiators. I'm not writing about discrimination or victimization here; I point this out to remind you that being comfortable talking, or having the gift of the gab, doesn't necessary mean you're using communication to move your career or business forward. Actually, introverts are better sales professionals than extroverts.  Read more »

Ask teachers what their least favorite task is and I'll bet you hear about "giving grades." Once a teacher starts returning grades to the students, the honeymoon phase of the relationship is over for those who want A's and don't have them. To get the best grades, a student must consistently deliver to the teacher what that teacher asks for, in the shape and form the teacher prefers: usually it's a matter of getting the "correct" answer. Students who choose to take the most challenging courses are penalized in the form of lower grades. Problem is....in living a juicy life, there are plenty of right answers and wonderful solutions. You simply have to fail until you find them. Read more »

Notice how often things in life don't turn out the way they're supposed to? Like buying Wachovia stock. Who would think that bastion of convservative banking would get involved in dubious real-estate deals in Nevada?  (Of course, they were not the only ones.) And who would think that something so childlike as a "magic money" list would actually serve a useful and lucrative purpose? Who would have thunk?

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If you haven't been videotaped yet, and I mean professionally, you soon will be. Rumor has it that making your own DVD is the new resume and business card. So get ready! If you study this photo carefully, you will see a small patch of green on the right side, it's my shoulder peeking out from a colleague's head and shoulder. As soon as the video is ready, I'll put it up for you to see. It's being put together by the Lowcountry Business Network and I was called in at the last minute to replace someone. I was there representing ECEW, East Cooper Entrepreneurial Women. It was an incredible experience and here's what you need to know to be ready for your turn... Read more »

If you think about your life as it is currently constructed, you probably know that it's fine, and that it would be so much better if......(fill in the blank.) If you felt more confident, if you had more clients, if you didn't have to make that presentation, if your bank account were fatter, if you were thinner, if your mother would just accept you. It's always something. And that is, my dear, a most wonderful thing about your life. Your problems are there for you to solve them.

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Isn't it amazing how fast we forget all the good things we've actually accomplished? Taking inventory right now of all the things you did or accomplished or made progress on helps keep your confidence high -- IMHO. Make absolutely for sure that you count all actions toward your goals as SUCCESSES, even if they didn't turn out the way you wanted. Read more »

I haven't even seen a single episode of Mad Men, but I'm delighted with how it's raising the bar for sophistication. it's not that anyone wants to turn down the clock, this is about living better right now. Dressing down is nice and comfy, but don't you agree some people are dressing down to the extent that it brings them down. It's like students who come to class in their pajamas. They're there, but not really.  Read more »

You all know how fabulous it is to really be yourself and live creatively. You make money doing what you love and create a path for your life of delight, where there was none. Until you hit a wall, it's all great. The thing is, once you commit to creating something new, whether it's a painting, a new type of architecture or a new way of growing a business, you're going to where there is no beaten path for you to follow. Or as a client put it to me, "There is no role model out there for me." Like my client, not having a role model makes you by default the leader...with no nice HR manual for support. Read more »