Last week, the Women’s Club in my community celebrated men and women over the age of 90 by hosting a dinner and entertainment event in their honor. I read about this event in the local paper and was struck by one interview with a woman who was born in 1912 (she’s 96!). Her photo depicted a woman who was attractive, energetic, and happy. When asked what the secret is to living a life of good health, longevity, and happiness, she replied with one simple word: Attitude.

Attitude. It’s a simple word that can take on many meanings. We have all heard the phrase, “she’s got a good attitude about life.” We have also heard the phrases, “she’s got a bad attitude”, or “she needs an attitude adjustment.” The word is thrown out loosely. It’s true that a positive attitude can make a big difference in the outcome of our lives. I happen to think that it takes something more than this to live a life full of energy, passion, and purpose. (more…)

Last Friday, my children and I went to an Eco-Fest at my son’s school. It offered creative ways to think about living organically and sustaining our planet. At one point my 5 year old daughter Jenna wandered to a booth a few feet away from me, and I noticed that she became very focused on what they were doing. Minutes later, she appeared with something wrapped inside recycled paper that she was carrying very carefully. “Look Mom, I’ve made a pumpkin plant. All we have to do is plant it when we get home and it will grow a pumpkin.” Jenna carried that recycled paper containing dirt and pumpkin seeds with such care for the rest of the afternoon. She was so proud and excited about what she had created, as well as the future when the seeds grow into an actual pumpkin. This got me thinking about women in the world who are carrying their big ideas, dreams, and goals with them—-have you planted them so they will grow, or do you continue to carry them around—possibly in recycled paper, or maybe in your mind?

There are ideas and dreams that we all get excited about, but we never plant the seed or grow the idea. Why? What happens? Life happens. We get busy doing our “to do” list in life. Some of the “to do” list is vital and important and some of it is just plain filler that keeps us from living a life full of energy, passion, and purpose where we are realizing our big ideas and dreams. How do I know this? My daughter Jenna carefully carried her seeds wrapped loosely in paper all afternoon through the event and then home. She put it on the kitchen counter and asked me, “Mom, when will we plant the pumpkin seeds so I can grow a pumpkin?” Do you notice how she said that? She was already realizing her idea before it had occurred. Not only will she plant the seed but it will grow! (more…)

One morning not long ago, I was driving to the Inn at Playa del Rey for one of my Women’s Success Circles. It was a beautiful day in Pacific Palisades—blue skies, sun shining—glorious. What a great day this was going to be! My mind turned to possibilities for the day. As I made my way down to the beach and through Santa Monica, the weather began to change. It became quite foggy. I could barely see the car in front of me. I had to turn my headlights on. I noticed that my thinking had shifted a bit. Some of the possibility thinking had diminished. The “possibilities for the day” began to fade. Why? What had changed?

Two things: The climate and my attitude. It occurred to me that the outcome of my day, and really on a larger scale my life, is directly related to my environment and my own attitude. When I was a young girl, my grandfather, “Pop” as we used to call him, would say, “No matter where you go, there you are.” I was reminded of this as I began to navigate the foggy streets to arrive at my Women’s Success Circle. In essence, you are in charge of how your day, and how your life will unfold. This can be good news for some and bad news for others. If you are a positive woman who always sees the glass is half full, you are smiling and nodding right now. If you are a woman who finds herself sometimes seeing the glass as half-empty and unable to find the “possibilities for the day,” you may not agree just yet. (more…)