A few days each week I exercise with a few Smart Women in a park near my home that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It’s a beautiful setting that lends itself to taking your mind off the muscle pain and exhaustion from the workout! We are surrounded by magnificent sycamore and oak trees that stand strong and tall. The trees were planted and spaced apart in a very methodical way; however over time, they grew into their own independent and unique natural form with branches and limbs flowing in many different directions. This got me thinking about how Smart Women have the opportunity to stand tall and strong. You are independently unique from every other living thing on the planet; but are you making de cisions and choices that reflect the independent you?
We are “reminded” on a daily basis about who we “should” be. The covers of various magazines remind us that we should look thin and trim at all times. Our family, friends, and colleagues have their ideas of who we “should” be as well.
There have been times in my life when I wanted to be more of someone else and less of who I was. In my 20’s, I was really into fashion and fitness. I wanted to look and dress like many of the women I saw on the cover of the most popular magazines. In my 30’s, when I would meet a successful person in the business world, I wanted to emulate a lot of who they were being as I had a strong desire to be a successful entrepreneur. In my 40’s, I’m still interested in discovering effective ways of living in the world and being successful as an entrepreneur. The difference for me today in my late 40’s is that I know it’s essential to take what works for me and weave that into who I am at my core–my authentic self.
Although I encourage women to have a well thought out plan, sometimes just taking that initial step forward is what you need to make it happen. I had a mentor once who used to say, “Mindset first; details later.” 
hockey, tennis, music, art, drama, playing at the park. The baseball league, in particular, is quite popular. They have a well thought out program in place with an Opening Day celebration, an organized season, and Closing Ceremonies to honor the players. Our family attended the closing ceremonies last weekend and this got me thinking about how Smart Women could learn a lot from the local Pacific Palisades Baseball Association.
with my good friend and Smart Woman, Debra. I’ve hiked many times in the mountains but I’d never been out in the desert mountains. This was quite a different experience for me. I highly recommend it as a way to get some exercise and see new forms of nature.
Let me ask you a question: How are you getting your message out to your ideal client? Are you sitting in your office waiting for the phone to ring or watching your inbox to see if you receive any emails from people needing your product or service? In my work, I often notice there are one or two marketing tools that women use to build their business. Usually they have a business card ready to give away to anyone who would like one. And sometimes they will have a web site listed on the business card so that their ideal client can take a look online at their services. It’s possible that they may occasionally attend some networking events.
