Spring is around the corner! And keeping in line with our spring cleaning week on WomenOnTheFence.com, I wanted to share how Microsoft Office can help you in your spring cleanup and organization!
Spring is around the corner! And keeping in line with our spring cleaning week on WomenOnTheFence.com, I wanted to share how Microsoft Office can help you in your spring cleanup and organization!
By Guest Blogger Dana Kobernick
As I slide into my fiftieth birthday with all the grace and composure of a train half off the rails, I can’t help but go through the typical machinations of a woman approaching – or past – middle age. Until now, I have led a fulfilled life. I recognize my fortune that manifests primarily through my rich relationships with family members and friends. I have had a productive career, indulged my passion for travel and been active in community initiatives.
Still, there are regrets.
have always prided myself on being a strong, independent, courageous woman. It was the way I was raised. Or rather, it is the direct result of practically raising myself, with parents who were too busy “surviving,” to really pay attention. Either way, my two sisters and I only know from hard work and trudging along, and have all as a result, ended up fairly well off because of it.
We all started working at a very young age. I started at the age of 11 years old, delivering The Gazette newspaper on my street and babysitting in my neighborhood. I only stopped working for a short time in my life (4 ½ years to be exact) after I got married, when my doctor put me on bed rest for my second or third pregnancy (I lost count). Unfortunately, in the first few years of my marriage, I had several pregnancies that ended in miscarriage before I was blessed enough to go full term with my miracle son Louis, who is now 8 years old. I felt so grateful everyday to have him, that I didn’t want to go back to work until he was ready for full-time preschool at age 4.
Spring is in the air! Springtime is about renewal and rebirth, and therefore a perfect to take stock of your life, and take charge of your finances. It’s time to spring clean your finances, ladies!
1. No Blame, No Shame
The foundation of a financial fresh start actually has nothing to do with money or specific financial dos and don’ts. The first, and most difficult, step is to absolve yourself and your spouse or partner of any guilt. So you need to make a promise to me. I need you to agree that the past is past, and we are going to focus on the future. Whatever mistakes you feel you have made with money, whatever moves you wish you had or hadn’t made, are irrelevant. We are free to move forward only when we remove the emotional shackles of regret. This cleansing step is especially important for couples. You are in this together, so no finger-pointing or arguing about any past decisions. Do we have a deal? Deep breath, everyone. Exhale. Now you are ready to put your financial house in order.
If you haven’t read Google CFO Patrick Pichette’s retirement announcement on Google+ this week, please allow me to draw your attention to something quite beautiful and special.
Patrick Pichette, Google’s CFO for nearly seven years, has decided to change course. And he actually goes on and on for us about why he’s doing it. It’s insightful, candid, honest and thought provoking. He credits the leave in search of greater work/life balance (and well maybe, a mid life crisis of some sort).
Why do I feel like this topic is so beaten to death, but yet still never more relevant?
Read this, ladies.
Since Monday is a great day to implement and start new regimes in your life, I wanted to reach out to all our mommy readers today. On last week’s Global TV segment, I talked about the ins and out of chores and our kids. Age appropriate chores by age, how to engage and involve them, get them started, etc.
Here we go…
I was thrilled to be able to showcase five exceptional women on Global TV last #IWD, who are paving the way for others. These five trailblazing and inspiring women make me want to up my game, and truly make a difference in this world. This Sunday, March 8th, marks the 104th anniversary of International Women’s Day, a day that honors the fight for our rights as women– to end hunger, end poverty, end domestic violence, fight for gender equality and rally around each other as women.
In cased you missed it last year, here are five remarkable women paving the way in their communities and around the world. I urge you to watch these shining stars.
Happy #MotivationMonday, ladies!
My fifth episode of the #OWNSHOW on OWN TV aired live at 7am this morning. The topic was on some less well-known happiness boosters.
Here is this week’s episode on Oprah Winfrey Network TV.
For other happiness boosters to incorporate into your life immediately, visit this article.
Once we’re on the topic on happiness, I also wanted to share an info-graphic on success. I thought this was quite interesting, and I would love to hear your thoughts. I think if we look closely here, we can all own traits of both success and unsuccess.
Here is the research out of Stanford. As if we didn’t already know how incredible it feels to be with our girlfriends, a study out of Stanford explained just how “healthy” these female friendships are:
In an evening class at Stanford, the last lecture was on the mind-body connection – the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.
Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences.
I watched this last night, and it changed me. It changed my entire perceptive on everything I’ve built and am currently trying to build right now. It helped reshift my mindset about the speed at which things move and my frustration at times with that speed. I helped me see the creative process in a new light.
If you are a creator in any capacity, Ira Glass, host of the radio show This American Life has some words of wisdom for you.
I help busy women (like you!) prioritize self-care so you can experience less stress, more calm and greater joy every day!
