“It isn’t where you came from it’s where you’re going that counts.”

                                                                        Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald was “the first lady of song” for half a century.  She has been a favorite singer of mine since I was a teenager. Ella’s early years were rough. At one point she landed in a reformatory.  Later in life, Ella reflected back and said, “these years helped her to mature. She used the memories of her youth to motivate her emotions for performance, and felt she was more grateful for her success because she knew what it was like to struggle in life.”  Her ability to let go of her past and create a new life for herself is inspiring.  Ella’s life experience teaches us that no matter what has happened we can move forward.

For a more detailed of how to let go of the past, please visit my blog on Thursday, March 10, 2011.

Do you allow your vision to grow and bloom? 

How do you truly create the life of your dreams? 

First you must get out of your head and into your heart (faith).  Let yourself dream, feel, see, and hear your vision(s). 

Ask yourself the following questions: 

1. Are your dreams truly bigger than what you have today?  
2. Have you given up on them? 
3. Are you allowing yourself to RECEIVE your vision, or have your old thoughts and habits gotten in the way? 

Since 87% of our thoughts are negative, most people truly do not believe they can have what they want.  They do not understand the concept that your thoughts are the doorway to your desires.  Are you willing to work on your thoughts and habits to create your dreams?  If so, then you can create an inner knowing that all is well and all will happen.  Become willing to become willing to live from your inner knowing.  Do everything it takes to break down the negativity and bitterness within your heart and life will become worth living.

Have a great week and Stand Strong!

The beauty of Valentine’s Day is we stop for a moment and feel love for those in our lives who are meaningful.  It’s not just about Romantic Relationships.  Remember love starts with us, the more we can love ourselves, the more we can love others.  If you believe in the “law of attraction” then you understand that the love you give out, will return to you tenfold.

My heart today is full of love and I send it to all who are receiving this.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

As a member of a “girls” group for the past nine years, I can vouch for this. The love and support is beyond anything you can imagine.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”   – Margaret Mead

“They Teach It at Stanford

I just finished taking 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. Physically this quality “girlfriend time” helps us to create more serotonin – a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely. 

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There’s a tendency to think that when we are “exercising” we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged—not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let’s toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it’s very good for our health.”

by Susan Boyd

Studies show that Mastermind Groups increase one’s ability to be more productive and accountable. I’m proud to announce that starting February 16th, I will be doing a brand new 6 month coaching program, Women Standing Strong: Creating Life and Business Success. This is for professional women who are ready to stand on their own and reach the success they have always desired.

Accountability Masterminds for groups of “4″ will be a part of this program.

Alan Weiss tells us, “the best way to learn something is to make an effort to do it. You can read all the books you like and take all the courses you want, but they are theoretical until you try it”. This program is not about talk and lectures. It is about my supporting professional women in implementing change in their habits, attitudes and behaviors. This is about “doing” not listening. It is about learning to be accountable, changing your confidence levels and exhibiting your power in work and life.

To learn more and register, please click on this link: Women Standing Strong: Creating Life & Business Success

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”

                    Ralph Waldo Emerson

Being a business coach who concentrates on personal and professional development, I have learned a thing or two during my 18 year journey. Most important, is that I allow myself to see the specialness of each day and all that happens to me. When I forget, and see the day as ordinary, life becomes cloudy and stressful. When I remember to view the day with positive thoughts and eyes, I experience life as extraordinary.

“Allow your vision to grow and bloom”

                          RP

 
Most of us are busy working on finishing up our goals for 2011. During my years of coaching, and mentoring executives and business owners, on leadership skills, I have taught them that visions do not happen overnight. After visions are created, goals need to be set, and viewed as the seeds, for the vision to grow into reality. Like all seeds, before they blossom and burst forth, they must be nurtured, watered, fed, and only then, can they birth into existence.