I just returned home from a brilliant women’s power luncheon at my Alma Mater, McGill University. It was a round table discussion with rotating mentors sharing advice on career, success and motherhood. Today I sat as an invited guest, and not as a mentor. I wanted to pass on some simple words of advice that arose during the luncheon that truly resonated.
And then one that didn’t.
And then get your feedback.
I don’t know about you, but it feels good to welcome the end of another school year. I’m kind of done with homework, making lunches, projects and sharpened pencils. Perhaps some of you have children graduating. If you do, I have the PERFECT graduation gift idea for you. Microsoft just launched a new campaign recently called “Chip-In.” In a nutshell, it’s a cool new crowd-funding program that helps students get a new Windows 8 PC with Office 365 University just in time for back to school.
“A helicopter parent is a colloquial, early 21st-century term for a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child’s or children’s experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions. Helicopter parents are so named because, like helicopters, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether their children need them or not. In Scandinavia, this phenomenon is known as curling parenthood and describes parents who attempt to sweep all obstacles out of the paths of their children. Parents try to resolve their child’s problems, and try to stop them coming to harm by keeping them out of dangerous situations. (Wikipedia)”
A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience.
As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question.
Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”
So, I have received three requests in the past 2 weeks to speak for free. I often do speak for free if it’s a cause I believe in, if it’s in Montreal, if I’m helping out a friend, yada yada yada. And I speak for free at different times because I simply love connecting with the women at these conferences and sharing my strategies and tactics. To walk through the audience at the end and hear the women’s issues and help get them on their feet right then and there, is a wonderful feeling. Yes, I love speaking.
This week’s Global parenting segment was on one of my favorite topics – food! Food glorious food! Actually, not so glorious when your kids complain that they don’t like what you’re serving, and then they ask for grilled cheese. Yes, many of you have stated that you make one family meal, and if the kids don’t like what you’re serving, they go to bed hungry. I’m just not there yet, ladies. Don’t judge.
It was this morning that I awoke and decided to verify how many people have actually viewed our inspirational video for the new Get OFF The Fence Movement. 52,780!!! Over 50,000 views in just a few short weeks.
The media icon for the woman living in the 1950’s was a domesticated housewife and mother who cooked, laundered, cleaned and sewed all the while looking fashionable with a big, happy grin on her face. Fast forward to today. The media icon today in an entirely different woman. Who do you see in the latest Glamour and Vogues magazines? You see a tall, confident woman, designer clothes, wearing her role as a career woman, mother, wife and domestic goddess, with that “I can have it all” look to her. So what’s the difference between then and now? While both may be illusions of perfection, the real career woman and mom today is mostly exhausted, completely overwhelmed with the second shift at home, and struggling with guilt and stress.
Insomnia is a very real public epidemic. If you have trouble sleeping ladies, you are not alone. An estimated 3.3 million Canadians aged 15 or older, or about one in every seven, have problems going to sleep or staying asleep, and thus are considered to have insomnia, according to a study in Health Reports. To further that, a link correlated between obesity and insomnia has been found. (Stats Canada)
Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for: Heart disease, Heart attack, Heart failure, Irregular heartbeat, High blood pressure, Stroke, Diabetes, Depression, Aging Skin, Increased Weight Gain, Decreased Sex Drive, Forgetfulness and many more. (Via WebMD)
I was chatting with some moms last week and it took me back to something that happened a couple of years ago. I remember it clearly – at the time, I was grabbing a salad for the road and on the way to my son’s school to serve hot lunch to 650 students. Never one to skip a meal, I was waiting for my salad, when I bumped into an old friend’s sister. I actually found out on Facebook that this old high school friend had recently separated from her husband. Unfortunately, they also had two young children. I proceeded to ask the sister, “How is your sister doing?” To which she replied, “My sister seems much happier and he seems much happier, so I guess good for them, but I’m not so sure about the kids. I have a different point of view than her. Who’s happy? Who is living in marital bliss? Sometimes you have to suck it up, and stay for the sake of the kids.”
I help busy women (like you!) prioritize self-care so you can experience less stress, more calm and greater joy every day!
