2009 - Events & Classes

January Events

Your Personal Growth Teleclass

Join us for this 5 week personal growth course that begins in January. During this 5 week journey we will cover the following topics:

Getting Started - Raising awareness of ourselves

Energy Drains - Identifying things that drain our energy and we tolerate, how to eliminate that which holds us back

Moving Forward from Your Past - Addressing unresolved matteres such as bad habits, an incomplete project, etc

Establishing Daily Habits - Creating daily routines that keep us focused and motivated

Simplify Dramatically - Examining your life and seeing where you are just doing too much, eliminating the excess

Dates:

Wednesday's, January: 14, 21, 28

Wednesday's, February: 4,18

Times: 12pm to 1 pm central or 7pm to 8pm centralInvestment: $65

Register for Your Personal Growth Teleclass Your Best Year Yet Workshop at The Center For Mind, Body, Spirit January 26th 10am to 1pm (St. Louis, MO) Investment: $45 Register for Your Best Year Yet Workshop

Book Signing & Talk January 8, 6pm - 9pm Location Davis Kidd Bookstore Perkins Road Extended Memphis, Tennessee February Events More Magnificent You Teleclass based upon The Emerging WomanJoin us for this 6 week personal growth course that begins in January. During this 6 week journey we will cover the following topics: Finding New Beginnings Developing Your Authentic Self Tapping into Simplicity and Abundance Learning Harmony Embracing Joy Seeing the Beauty Recognizing Life's Riches Dates:

Wednesday's, February: 4,18, 25 Wednesday, March: 4, 11, 18

Times:

10am to 11am central or 5pm to 6pm centralInvestment: $75 Register for More Magnificent You Teleclass

2009 - Your Best Year Yet!

Dear Friend,

A goal is a dream that has an ending. ~ Duke Ellington

I hope you are having a joyous Holiday Season! Last week I asked you to reflect on 2008 - the truth of your year - both what worked and what didn't work. (Click here if you missed these questions.) Now that you've honestly answered these questions you can begin to ponder what you want your life to look like this time next year. This week let's create a vision of where we want to go into 2009. Once we paint this picture into our consciousness - we can break the vision into pieces.

When we develop ideas of what we want to accomplish, we need to ensure that our goals are complimentary. In other words we want to ensure our goals don't negate each other, but work together. For example, if one of your goals is to triple your business revenue and another goal is to coach little league for all three of your children - these goals might not realistically go together. Or they might. What I am asking you to do is to get real now - so that you don't create unreasonable expectations for yourself and then play the blame-guilt game with yourself next year.

First things first - close your eyes and begin with your vision. Ask yourself the question - what would you like to accomplish in 2009? Consider the following areas of your life -

• Love and Relationships,
• Health Life,
• Physical Environment,
• Work Life,
• Financial Life,
• Spiritual Life.

Over the next week I ask that you think of your vision and write down at least one goal for each area of your life. Once you have your list of at least six things that you want to accomplish in 2009 - see if they are symbiotic - do your goals go against each other or work together? Next week I'm going to ask you to put some planning around each of your goals so that once the proverbial ball drops and you've finished your champagne you can get focused and get to work on your goals for 2009.

Make It Happen

This week consider six things that you want to accomplish in 2009. Over this next week continue to celebreate all of the things that went right in 2008. Enjoy and savor the abundant blessings in your life. As you think about what you want to accomplish in 2009 - be real with yourself. Set challenging, inspiring, and yet reasonable goals for yourself. For each goal ask yourself the question, Who do I need to be to accomplish this goal?

Blessings to You for Your Best Year Yet!

Let's Review 2008

Dear Friend,

I don't care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants. Zig Ziglar

Can you believe we are less than two weeks away from the New Year and the Holidays are upon us? Where does time go! This week I want us to review 2008 - the truth - the things that worked and the things that didn't. By reflecting we can find the things that worked and continue to do them in 2009. Additionally, we can adjust what didn't work so that we get different results in 2009. What were your goals in 2008? Before we leave 2008 and begin to think about 2009 here are 10 questions to consider: 1) Is what you are doing in your life - personally and professionally - working? 2) Are you getting the results you desire? 3) Are you fulfilled? 4) Are you enjoying your life? 5) Are your relationships nourishing and flourishing? 6) Do you take time to relax? 7) Are you growing as an individual? 8) Are you getting spiritual nourishment? 9) Do you make yourself a priority? (See article on self care.) 10) What is really important to me? (See article on blessings.) Once you have taken time to reflect upon these ten questions consider the following: If you could change one thing in your life what would it be and how might you make that change?

Make It Happen

This week I hope that you have a joyous Holiday with your loved ones. Keep your focus on the blessings in your life. Treasure each family member and celebrate what they bring to the table of your life. Try to find a few quiet moments before and after the fun to consider the questions above. We will use your answers to these questions as a basis for planning your 2009.

Regardless if 2008 was your best year yet or if it left a lot to be desired keep your eyes on the bountiful blessings in your life.

Next week we will focus on creating your vision for 2009!

Blessings to you for a warm and joyous Holiday!

By Giving, We Receive

Dear Friend,

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill

When we give we also receive. There is something about giving that we all yearn to do because when we give we share a piece of our heart and a piece of our soul. And, when our giving is monetary it requires a sacrifice. When we give, we share with the world - adding meaning and value to the lives around us and to our own life, as well. Think back to last week's article on the blessings in our life. I suspect many of us had some material items on our list. When we give some - even just a little - we share our abundance with the people around us. Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, considered one of the fathers of positive psychology and author of Authentic Happiness, has created an experiment for his students. Students are broken into two groups. One group was told to do something fun, the other group was told to serve others. Guess which group of students came back as the happier group? You are correct if you guessed the one that served others. When we simply serve our own needs we can experience pleasure, but research shows that once the "fun" activity ends our pleasure ends as well. Rather, if we want to experience sustainable pleasure - we must think beyond our own needs and desires and consider those around us.

Consider several phrases from the poem Giving by Kahlil Gibran:

Then said a rich man, 'Speak to us of Giving.' And he answered: You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

... There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.

... It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;

... Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'. You often say, 'I would give, but only to the deserving.' The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.

... See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving. For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.

Make It Happen

This week I'm going to ask that you perform a random act of service. Perhaps at the grocery store you help someone unload their groceries or perhaps you offer to pay for their groceries. Do whatever feels right to you. Find one significant way to serve someone around you either with your time, money, or resources. Another act of service might be to select an amount of money that you are willing to part with - cash (no tax benefits here, only emotional ones!) and find someone in need and give it to them anonymously. Another suggestion is to drive someone to work who typically relies on public transportation. My request is that you find at least one way serve those around you this week. Once you do jot down in your journal or even on your calendar what you did and how it made you feel. By giving, we chart the path of our life!

Count Your Blessings!

Dear Friend,

Count your blessings instead of your crosses; Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes; Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears; Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean; Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth; Love your neighbor as much as yourself.

Author Unknown

Recently my mentor and friend Valorie Burton wrote an article on blessings that touched me. After reading this article I started thinking about my own blessings and how easy it is to allow them to drift from my focus. Especially this time of year it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day busyness of life and forget how important our blessings really are. Do you remember Bing Crosby in White Christmas singing - Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep? What if we did just that and counted our blessings each day as we go to sleep? We might sleep pretty well! This is a takeoff of a suggestion that I offered several weeks ago (Caring For Yourself, part two) where I suggested that you begin a gratitude journal. In this journal you are to write down your blessings - or that which you are grateful for every day. This ritual and process helps us to realize the multitude and the magnitude of the blessings surrounding us. This week I am going to ask you to make a list of the top 10 blessings in your life. As we are in the middle of the hectic and fun Holiday Season I ask that you refer to this list at least daily. Use this list as a reminder of what and who really matters in your life. Use this list to focus your attention on the blessings rather than on the annoyances in your life.

Make It Happen

Right now find a pen and paper. Go to a quite place, sit down, close your eyes, and take several deep breaths. Then begin thinking about the blessings in your life. Just scroll through your life and create a mental image for each blessing. Do you have a huge smile emerging? Once you think you are finished - push yourself - keep going - find a few more things. Then open your eyes, take your pen and paper and write down everything that came to mind. (Don't stop yourself at 10 blessings...write down everything that comes to mind.) Think about where you can keep this list so that you can refer to it daily. Perhaps you can put it in your purse, your wallet, your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, or on the visor in your car. Find a place that works well for you and refer to this list at least daily. What I've done for this exercise is type up my list of blessings up on the computer and print several copies of this list and place them in my car and purse and in a couple of rooms in my home. Counting your blessings is a beautiful way to acknowledge and appreciate all that is excellent in your life right now. May you be blessed for you are a blessing! To subscribe or for more information visit www.MargaretPundmann.com

Margaret on CBS - Channel 4 - St. Louis KMOV

Click here to see the video

Goal Achieving - 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Dear Friend,

The significance of a man (and woman) is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain.

Kahlil Gibran

We've made it through 48 weeks of 2008, we have four weeks left until 2009.What else do you want to accomplish this year? Is there one goal you have yet to accomplish? If you accomplished this goal, this year you would look at yourself and feel empowered and excited for 2009. What is a goal? According to Merriam-Webster a goal is, "the end toward which effort is directed." In the most general sense a goal is something that we want to achieve or attain. Maybe your goal is a clean desk, an organized pantry, a cold call you've been putting off, attending a networking event, putting yourself out there to meet someone new - personally or professionally, saying "no" to new volunteer opportunities, losing a few pounds, whatever your goal - you have four weeks left in 2008 to either accomplish your goal or make tremendous headway toward achieving your goal. Five Questions to Ask Yourself 1. What is your goal? Take a minute and close your eyes and think of a personal or professional goal of yours. Once you have identified this goal write it down. 2. Is this a pure goal versus a "should" goal? If yes, continue. If no, return to question number one. 3. What will be different in your life once you have accomplished this goal? Close your eyes and imagine that you've already accomplished this goal. What is different in your life - How do you feel? How do you look? What are you doing? Create a vivid mental picture of everything around you. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have?" Well this phrase is similar to goal setting. Act as if you've already accomplished the goal and the vision you create will pull you toward your goal. 4. What is your plan to achieve this goal? Use the phrase SMART to create a plan to achieve your goal. Specific - Goals should be as specific as possible Think about who, what, when, where and why. Measurable - Goals should be measurable Ask yourself - How much? How many? How will I know this goal has been achieved? Achievable - Big goals that push us are fabulous, but goals that are too big and cause us to break down are not so fabulous. Ask yourself - Am I pushing myself at an appropriate level to achieve this goal? Relevant - Base your goals on your core values and purpose in life rather than a "should" or an "ought to" goal.Ask yourself - Is this goal relevant to me and my larger mission? If yes, continue. If no, adjust your goal accordingly. Timely - Creating urgency and deadlines fuels us. Select a deadline and manage to that deadline. Ask yourself - What is the time-frame to achieve this goal? 5. How will you celebrate once you reach your goal? What will you do to acknowledge your accomplishment? Who will celebrate with you? Who will you need to thank for their role in your success?Your celebration may be large or small. It may simply be a massage or it may be a catered party at your home.

Make It Happen

Take out a piece of paper and return to question one. Work your way through these five questions to develop a plan to reach your goal - personal or professional. Once you reach your goal, don't forget the most important part - the celebration. It is critical because it "locks-in" your success. The celebration is the wax after a car wash or the sealant after you've refinished your floors. It is the critical component that seals your success.

Blessings to you!

Why Hire a Coach?

"I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities." -- Bob Nardelli, CEO -- Home Depot

"Who exactly seeks out a Coach?....Winners who want even more out of life." -- Chicago Tribune 12/17/00

"Executives and HR managers know Coaching is the most potent tool for inducing positive personal change..."-- The Ivy Business Journal Sept-Oct 2000

"Once reserved for executives and professional athletes, personal coaches...are going mainstream." -- Christian Science Monitor 1/25/99

"Entrepreneurs...are hiring coaches to help guide them in everything from changing careers to starting a business to balancing work and family." -- Christian Science Monitor 1/25/99

"The hottest thing in management is the executive coach." -- Fortune 5/12/00

Let Us Give Thanks

Dear Friend,

He who thanks but with the lips Thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving Comes from the heart. J.A. Shedd

Each year we gather 'round with our family and friends and we celebrate Thanksgiving. I've always loved this holiday because it is purely American and cuts across cultural and religious divide. How can we each make the most of this holiday? Once Halloween has passed, there is eager anticipation for the Holidays. We work hard to complete projects at work, we clean our homes, we cook food to be shared, we decorate our homes, many of us travel, we prepare our homes and our hearts for this joyous holiday. In all of this preparation we get overwhelmed and become irritated with all around us. We are ready for it to be over before we've even eaten the turkey and before the tryptophan resulted in a nap. So how can this year be different? I'd suggest that this year be about giving thanks for the blessings around us rather than perfecting what is already pretty good. Close your eyes and imagine that Thanksgiving has passed. The dishes are done, the house is empty, you are back at your desk working away, but you can't remember what was said at the table because you were so worried about...the food, the decorations, a looming project at work, the mess. This year you have a chance to prevent being derailed by the minutia. This year stay on track. Set your attitude on gratitude and your thoughts on thanks-giving! What is important about this holiday is spending time with those we love and giving thanks for them. So as the chaos sets in - avoid the temptation of thinking about what must be done and let go - what is done is done and what isn't done just doesn't really matter. Allow yourself permission to return to exactly what is important about this holiday. Remember that having meaningful connections and coming together as friends, families, and communities is what Thanksgiving is really about. Enjoy this time!

Make It Happen

Below are some ways to give and show thanks to the world around you ... Before you hit delete and move on - Give thanks for... Your electricity Your heat in the Winter Your a/c in the Summer Your running water Your firefighter who shows up in the event of a fire Your postal worker Your abundance of food and water Your home Your faith Before you leave your office for the Holidays Write a note to three people you work with and say thank you Write a note to three clients and thank them for their business this year Call three people and simply tell them what they mean to you Before Your Thanksgiving Meal Visit a local shelter or charity and cook for and serve others Donate warm clothes and nourishing food to your local church or temple At Your Thanksgiving Meal Have everyone at the table say what they are thankful for Have everyone focus on each person for a minute or two and say what this person means to them, and what they are thankful for about this person

Blessings to you!

Make Meaningful Connections!

Dear Friend,

In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it, and over it.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

This week I celebrated the arrival of my first book! The book signing experience was exceptional. Not because I sold my first million copies (smile!), but because of the connections that I made with some incredible people. After months of working on my book in relative seclusion it was heart-warming to feel the connections of friends, family, family-friends, and new found friendships this weekend. What it made me realize is how desperate we all are for deep, true connections with the people around us. My experience this weekend reminds me of a chapter in The Emerging Woman entitled "Open Up." Here is an excerpt. None of us is an island unless we choose to ignore the bridges in our life. Reach out. Walk across your bridges. In this world of drive-throughs, delivery service, and techonlogy devices, it is easy to sit in our office or home and feel alone. In fact, even if we are "chatting" on the Internet, I am not sure we can fool ourselves into believing that we are meaningfully connected to anyone. It is easy to be stuck in a rut and forget that we have a beautiful web of friends, family, and colleagues who love us and care for us. This web of friendship is designed to support us and celebrate with us. Yet our web of connections is only as good as we are at using it.

Make It Happen This week I'd like to ask you to consider how you can make meaningful connections with the people in your life. Make of point of connecting, not for them, but for you. Blessings to you!

Warren Buffett's 7 Secrets for Living a Happy and Simple Life

Secret #1: Happiness comes from within. “In my adult business life I have never had to make a choice of trading between professional and personal. I tap-dance to work, and when I get there it’s tremendous fun.” -- Warren Buffett If you do what you love and love what you do, you’ll naturally be productive. Secret #2: Find happiness in simple pleasures. “I have simple pleasures. I play bridge online for 12 hours a week.” -- Warren Buffett You can also learn to be happy with the simple pleasures of playing cards with friends, playing with your children or taking a walk in the wilderness. Secret #3: Live a simple life. “I just naturally want to do things that make sense. In my personal life too, I don’t care what other rich people are doing. I don’t want a 405 foot boat just because someone else has a 400 foot boat.” -- Warren Buffett Keeping up with the Joneses is the worst epidemic among those who should never contemplate that notion in the first place. Less is more. Secret #4: Think Simply. “I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand.” -- Warren BuffettIf you apply this rule in your life, you can develop clarity and sanity in your thoughts. Life is about simple yet profound choices. Secret #5: Invest Simply. “The best way to own common stocks is through an index fund.” -- Warren Buffett Often, the simplest route will bring you the most riches, and the most happiness. Secret #6: Have a mentor in life. “I was lucky to have the right heroes. Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be. The qualities of the one you admire are the traits that you, with a little practice, can make your own, and that, if practiced, will become habit-forming.” -- Warren Buffett Having a mentor is as important as having a purpose in your life, but having a wrong mentor is as devastating as having a wrong purpose in your life. The mentor has to be someone you can trust. You’ll find that person in your inner circle if you think hard enough. Secret #7: Making money isn’t the backbone of your guiding purpose; making money is the by-product of your guiding purpose. “If you’re doing something you love, you’re more likely to put your all into it, and that generally equates to making money.” -- Warren BuffettMoney should never become the object and end all of your motivation. Sources:Success Soul July 15, 2008, article source

Margaret Pundmann's The Emerging Woman

   

The Emerging Woman has arrived!

 

Join us at one of our events! Check www.MargaretPundmann.com to see if we will be in your area - events are updated weekly!   

The Emerging Woman is a fabulous holiday gift - consider buying multiple personalized copies for your friends, family, and co-workers. Give the gift of building a magnificent life in 2009!

Price Schedule:

1 book = $15.97

2 books = $26  $13/each

3 books = $36  $12/each

4 books = $44  $11/each

 

Our Best Deals

5 books = $55 + 1 coaching session Over a $130 value!

10 books = $110 + 2 coaching sessions Over a $270 value!

 

Visit www.MargaretPundmann.com to order your personalized copies!

Humility

Dear Friend,

The master can keep giving because there is no end to his wealth. He acts without expectation, succeeds without taking credit, and does not think that he is better than anyone else.

Tao Te Ching

We return for the last of Benjamin Franklin's thirteen virtues this week. Benjamin Franklin suggests that to exercise humility we should "imitate Jesus or Socrates." What is humility? It is the act of being humble or modest. This is a significant virtue because it grounds us - encouraging us to think of we, rather than me. Consider the words of renowned teacher and preacher, William Temple, who encouraged his congregations to avoid "being a great deal occupied about yourselves." Rather he suggests, "Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than other people. It means freedom from thinking about yourself." Let's be clear though, humility is not false modesty. It is not achieving success and acting as if it took no effort. Have you ever given someone a compliment and they said, "Oh, it was no big deal" or "That was easy?" How frustrating is it when we want to acknowledge someone and they just can't say, "Thank you!" Let us not be the person who cannot accept a compliment! Say, "thank you," be proud of the fruits of your labor, accept the compliment gracefully. How can we exercise humility? Give credit where credit is due. Celebrating the accomplishments of those around you before you celebrate your own. Do what is expected of you and don't over-emphasize what you've done. Put your head down and do your job rather than walking around seeking praise. Perform acts of service anonymously. As you do such acts enjoy the surge of joy and energy you receive. Stop one upping people. Don't pretend to be what you are not. Share your experiences to connect with someone not to be better than them.

Make it Happen This week do one random act of kindness anonymously. Don't over-complicate this it can be as simple as letting the car cut in front of you with a smile! Try This As Benjamin Franklin suggests, contemplate two quotes below from Jesus and Socrates. What do they mean to you? How do they nudge you closer to humility? Jesus Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth... Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matt 5:5-9 Socrates The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

Blessings to you!

Caring For Ourselves, part two

Dear Friend,

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

Cicero

How did it go over the last week doing one nice thing for yourself? Where you able to do it?If so, I congratulate you! Way to go! If not, I encourage you to ask yourself, why couldn't you find a small piece of time for yourself?I encourage you to make your-self a priority in this next week. Right now, mark thirty minutes on your calendar and select an activity that you can complete in that time. Remember to achieve something you must set specific, measurable, realistic, and scheduled goals - so take three minutes to map that out right now. I believe one of the greatest ways we can care for ourselves is to show gratitude. (The rest of this column is an excerpt from my book, The Emerging Woman, due out on November 13, 2008.)

Begin a Gratitude Journal

According to research done by Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want, a gratitude journal can make you happier. She had two groups of subjects that kept journals for ten weeks. The first group kept a gratitude journal and regularly jotted down those things that they were grateful for (meals, day, relationships, and work.) The second group wrote down daily hassles and annoyances. Not surprisingly, after ten weeks the group keeping a gratitude journal was happier, more optimistic, exercising more, experienced better health in terms of - decreased headaches, coughing, and even nausea. Some days you will have profound revelations. Other days, small simple things like food on the table and shade to shelter you from the heat of the sun will fill your list. You will see that those things you notice and appreciate change over the coming weeks. As you experience personal benefits of keeping a gratitude journal, take note below of those benefits and experiences. Over time, this journal will serve as a reminder to you why this is an important practice in your daily life.

Make it Happen

Right now, decide that you will purchase a lovely little notebook - one that is beautiful on the outside and makes you smile. Promise yourself, that each evening, before your head hits the pillow you will write five items for which you are grateful.

Try This

After a week of using your Gratitude Journal, take note of the benefits of your gratitude journal. Use this list as a reminder to continue using the Gratitude Journal. Blessings to you!

Who is on Your Team?

Below are 12 people all entrepreneurs need...

1. Someone who loves you for you, just because you are you.

Yes, It's magic.  Find and Enjoy.

2. Someone who isn't afraid to be honest with you.

They'll need courage.

3. Someone who is more evolved that you are.

Let them be an evolving environment for you.

4. Someone who knows everybody.

Saves you time.

5. Someone who is well-connected.

Gives you access to opportunities.

6. Someone who can solve your problems for you.

Life is too short to do this for yourself.

7. Someone you can rely upon in a crisis.

Make sure they are up for this.  Have a clear understanding.

8. Someone who you love completely. just because.

Love is its own reward.

9. Someone who is a cyber/tech wizard.

Suck up if necessary.

10. Someone in your field who is far more successful that you.

Model.

11. Someone who you are mentoring or coaching.

This brings our your best.

12. Someone who is mentoring and coaching you.

We all do better with a coach.

(This list is compliments of the late Thomas Leonard, founder of the "coaching" profession.)

Caring For Yourself, part one

Dear Friend,

Eighty percent of health care today is self care, the actions people take to bring themselves relief or prevent the condition in the first place.

Molly Metter, National Program Director of Healthwises

The Holidays are around the corner and during the holidays many of us have the privilege (and responsibility) to care for others. Let's take the next two weeks and make a concerted effort to take care of ourselves. We will focus on a holistic view of caring for and nourishing ourselves. The four areas include Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual. Why is this important? As spouses, parents, children, siblings, employees, bosses, leaders, and social contributors we are called upon to give back to the world around us. Yet, when we fail to care for ourselves we aren't able to give back. It is like the oxygen mask on an airplane - we must put it on ourselves first, before we put it on those around us. Consider this: In order to serve others we must ensure that we are fully nourished.

• We are all role models. We are examples to others.
• By taking care of ourselves we quietly encourage those around us to get their needs met.
• Self care is a great way to manage stress and prevent chronic stress. Now that we know why it is important to care for ourselves, let's explore ways that we can be nourished.

What are some ways that you can care for yourself? Physically - What activities "fill my cup?"

• Walking
• Running
• Hiking
• Bike riding
• Practicing yoga
• Sleeping
• Eating nourishing foods
• Getting a massage
• Lifting weights
• Staying hydrated
• Doing an exercise video
• Going swimming

Emotionally - Who or what enables me to feel centered and balanced?

• Practicing Yoga
• Meaningfully connecting with friends and family
• Giving undivided attention
• Letting go of emotional drains - people, activities
• Avoiding negative thinking habits
• Having fun - seeing a movie
• Breathing deeply
• Seeking professional support
• Creating a relaxation ritual
• Having a bubble bath
• Staying in the present moment
• Loving yourself
• Forgiving
• Showing gratitude
• Laughing
• Being creative...singing, dancing, painting, or writing
• Enjoying a manicure or pedicure - sharing the experience with a friend
• Planting a garden, picking fresh flowers, or buying a small bouquet
• Applauding your strengths
• Nurturing a loving atmosphere in your home

Mentally - What are stimulating things that I can do?

• Sleeping enough - Melatonin produced by your brain enhances the body's ability to fight infection.
• Eating "brain" foods - Wild Salmon, Blueberries, Walnuts, and Green tea to name a few.
• Learning something new
• Enjoying a hobby
• Getting fresh air
• Enjoying silence
• Serving others
• Reducing stress
• Staying connected and informed - reading the newspaper
• Doing a crossword puzzle
• Trying Sudoku
• Avoiding negative thinking habits
• Allowing yourself to enjoy dreaming
• Reading
• Doing something you've never done before
• Staying in the present moment

Spiritually - What can I do to nurture my soul?

• Studies have shown that believing in something larger than yourself strengthens your ability to cope with depression.
• Praying
• Participating in community worship
• Meditating
• Reading scripture
• Displaying an inspirational quote or verse prominently
• Connecting with nature
• Keeping a gratitude journal - this has transformed my life and can transform yours as well...more on this next week!

Make It Happen This week pick one way to care for yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Use the list above as a point of departure to design one way that you can nourish yourself. Don't over complicate this task - just do what seems fun! With all of these activities consider frequency vs. duration. Set specific, measurable, realistic, and scheduled goals - it needn't be four hours long - if you are slim on time then find an activity that will take less than 30 minutes.

Try This "Reach for the Stars" Stand in a comfortable position or sit in a chair and do this exercise. Reach your arms up, over your head. Stretch your arms out toward the sky, as if you were reaching for the stars or the sun. Hold that reach for as long as you can, 5 to 10 seconds is good. Try this with your palms up, palms down, your fingers laced, or your hands loose and free. Never push to the point of discomfort. You can release the stretch by exhaling your breath and dropping your arms to the ground. On the next inhalation, come to a regular standing position or reach up again. Count at least four blessings! Now add a fifth - YOU! Blessings to you!

Facing the Uncertain - 4 Questions to Consider

Dear Friend,   "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7    As I write this article we've had a wild week - make that a wild month - in the financial markets. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 936 points or 10% on Monday and down 733 points or 8% on Wednesday - where does this leave us? The real answer to this question is it depends upon how we deal with uncertainty.  Ultimately, not one of us has any control over how the market is going to perform. It may go up - it may go down. We must resolve to make the best financial plans possible and prepare ourselves mentally for the uncertainty. Preparing ourselves for uncertainty with respect to the market has parallels for all areas of our life. I'm suggesting that in the face of ambiguity we can spend so much time and energy worrying about what might be in the future that we forget what is today. When we are overcome with anxiety we lack the presence to appreciate the present.  There is a difference between planning for the future and worrying about the future. Take your health, for example, you can eat healthy, exercise, sleep, reduce stress, laugh, and visit the doctor - that is planning. We must take positive actions and allow these actions to allay our worries. Do you know that over 85% of the population is worried about something? Worrying keeps us from enjoying life. In fact, worrying is just wasted energy. A study in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy found that 85 percent of the things we worry about never occur! The question then becomes how can we stop worrying - I suggest the answer is preparation. Let's consider four questions that may help us prepare or deal with uncertain times. What choices can I make today to empower me? What are the sources of strength, the positives, in my life? What are the unchanging certainties in my life? (Full moon every month, sun rising, flowers bloom,) What can I do today to prepare for: Family's wellbeing, physical health, financial health, physical healthy, career, spiritual health? Each of us has many blessings, counting them in uncertain times can help to shift your perspective.   Take Action Challenge:   The next time you feel scared or uncertain take a look at these four questions and see if they add some perspective to your life. Take action where worrying is a substitution for planning. When you've planned - accept that you've prepared, stop worrying, and rejoice!

It's Nifty to be Thrifty!

Dear Friend,

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

New England Proverb

We are experiencing events that are unprecedented. There is fear and terror in the air - what will happen with the markets? The answer is twofold: in the short run - we really don't know and in the long run the markets will bounce back. We are experiencing a correction of sorts - a recalibration of the markets.It is natural in these times to be scared and fearful of what will happen, yet we must move past that in order to survive. This week I'm suggesting we each take stock and take some simple actions to see where we can save more and spend less.Here are some practical changes that every single family can make to save a little money here and there - if you don't need the savings, great - there is someone in your community that does so adjust your actions for their benefit and you'll get the benefit of giving! Here are over 80 simple ideas to streamline your spending:

• Home
• Turn your lights off when you aren't using them.
• As your light bulbs die replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Unplug your appliances, lights, and computers - anything that uses up electricity. You can use a power strip to make this easier.
• Turn your heater thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in the summer.
• Turn off your a/c - open windows and use your fan
• Turn down your heat - bundle up
• Shop smart for groceries
• Clip coupons.
• Buy what is on sale.
• Eat local - visit your farmer's market.
• Dare I suggest - buy generic - where you can.
• Buy whole chickens. When you have used all the meat, throw the bones into a soup.
• Grow your own vegetables at home or with a co-op
• Plan crock pot dinners - save time and money
• Join the Library and enjoy lots free
• Movies
• Books
• Music
• Magazines
• Activities for kids
• Be creative with holiday gifts - give gifts from the heart versus from the wallet
• Bake cookies
• Bake bread
• Make chocolate covered pretzels
• Make jelly/jam
• Create a calendar of family pictures
• Give services such as free babysitting, pet sitting, house sitting, or house cleaning
• Give a donation to a charity in gently used clothes and toys
• Make a holiday wreath
• Sell (or donate) children's clothes and your clothes that are too small
• Have a garage sale
• Give up expensive habits - soda, daily lattés, cigarettes
• Cancel unused club memberships and subscriptions
• Batch your activities - do all errands in one afternoon (saves gas and time!)
• Buy less - consider "do I really need this new clothing item or is it excess?"
• Brush and floss your teeth. You'll save on dental expenses.
• Eat right and exercise daily. You'll reduce health costs.
• Use a clothes line to dry clothes. You'll save on your energy bill.
• During the winter, leave the oven open after you cook to heat the house.
• Sign up for Skype for free long distant phone calls. If both parties use Skype it is free and if both parties have a web cam on their computer you'll be able to see each other, too!
• Avoid impulse buying.
• Buy as much as you can online, find the best deal with resources like www.froogle.com you can compare prices.
• Negotiate the price on big ticket items - like cars, electronics, and large appliances.
• Don't buy extended warranties. Eighty percent are never used, and they're a major profit item for the vendor.
• Keep receipts and send in rebate slips.
• Home Repairs
• Negotiate the cost, now might be a great time for good deal
• Learn how to do the on the web for free and try your hand at it
• Get a friend to help you with yours and then help them with their home
• Put air in your tires. For every two PSI that all of your tires are below the recommended level, you lose 1% on your gas mileage.
• Consider bundling cable, Internet, and telephone
• Review your cell phone bill - reduce minutes and services you aren't using.
• Before you dine out - look for bargains or alternatives
• Kids eat free on certain nights
• Free appetizer, drink, dessert, or entrée during a specific time or night
• Bring half of your meal home for lunch the next day Maybe a picnic in the park would be just as much fun?
• Quit drinking alcohol - I'm just kidding. But think about having one glass of wine at home and one out.
• Instead of going out to dinner and hiring a baby sitter - have friends over, ask them each to bring one item, let the kids play outside or watch a movie in the basement and connect with each other
• Finances & Investment
• Ensure your bank account and credit cards don't have annual fees or if they do that your benefit is greater than the fee.
• Consider having accounts at multiple banks in order to qualify for the FDIC insurance, which today is $250,000 depending upon how you title the account.
• Make an extra mortgage payment each year. You can save money on interest.
• Set up online bill pay.
• Avoid ATM fees. Only withdraw money from machines approved by your bank.
• Start an automatic savings plan with your bank.
• Use your credit card to make all purchases, but pay it off each month.Do some research and find the one with the best rewards program.
• Use a debit card for all purchases and find one that has a rewards program.
• Hire a financial planner to help you evaluate long term savings/spending.
• Work
• Carpool to work
• Telecommute one to two days each week
• Take public transportation
• Slow down - driving fast uses more gas
• Avoid traffic - starting and stopping uses more gas and wears down your brakes
• Consider riding your bike or walking
• Brown Bag your lunch with food from home or leftovers from dinner out or previous meals
• Review your benefits at work - take advantage of discounts on gym memberships, weight loss groups, flexible spending accounts, and free money of your "company match" into your 401k
• Travel
• Bring an empty water bottle with you to the airport. Bottled water at airports is expensive. While you can't bring any liquids past security, you can bring an empty bottle. Put it in your carry on and fill it up as soon as you get past security.
• Pack your travel meals in advance.
• Buy snacks at the grocery store, not at roadside convenience stores.
• Make vacations fiscally smart and fun so that you can do them more than once every three years, remember family memories don't need to break the bank!

Use this economic swing as an opportunity to shave off the excesses in your life. We all have places in our life where we can use a little recalibration. Remember, it is what we learn about ourselves in these hard times that builds character and chisels who we are as people. Have fun with this, make a game of it! Get creative - most of us aren't lacking for things, but rather meaningful time with each other. Use this process as a way to reprioritize what is important to you!

Take Action Challenge

Find one way this week that you can trim the excess in your life. Challenge your children, significant other, siblings, clients, parents, friends, and co-workers to do the same. May these uncertain times bless you as you disconnect from the material of our world and reconnect with that which is most important to you. Blessings to you!

Tranquility - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

Dear Friend,

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Benjamin Franklin states, "Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable." Restated in modern day terms, don't sweat the small stuff! And yes, our lives are filled with lots of small annoyances - your spouse being late, the big truck cutting you off on the highway, your child having a fender-bender, your boss asking for a report at 5pm the day before your vacation, half consumed water bottles left all over your basement, finding your dry cleaning for the big event won't ready until Monday! As a friend of mine has often said, "don't major in the minors of life!" How true is it that we can become consumed with the little things that don't go just as we think they should? Each of us has a choice: to focus on the small stuff or resolve today that life's little things won't bring us down.

Why is it important to stay cool, steady, and focus on life's majors?

It is better for our health Anger and Stress raise our blood pressure and over time is thought to contribute to heart disease among other illnesses.

Our mind works better When we get angry blood rushes to our brain and disrupts logical and rational functioning. We are able to think more clearly and make intelligent unemotional choices.

We keep life in balance and perspective As we focus on what is working we remain with the big picture and with positive energy.

Take Action Challenge

Before life comes at you, resolve to distance yourself from the situation before you react. Ask yourself: Can I impact this situation? If yes, then change it. If no, then accept it. Consider the phrase: And, this, too shall pass. Allow yourself to linger on it. When you get heated, upset, or annoyed remember the impermanence of all situations. This week may you be slow to anger and quick to forgive. May you let life's little annoyances roll off your back, like water off of a duck! And may you change what you can, accept what you cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference! Blessings to you!

Join Us For A Teleclass...

Announcing… Your Personal Growth Hour of Power

Grab your phone for an hour-long break packed with information and inspiration. Join coaches Tammy Potosky and Margaret Pundmann for a five week teleclass, "Your Personal Growth Hour of Power" beginning on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. This 5 week teleclass program will help you develop a plan for personal growth and enrichment. Each week we will discuss topics that help you enrich your personal and professional life. Each class will feature a specific topic designed to raise your awareness and cultivate personal growth. During each session we will have a group discussion and laser coaching. You’ll walk away with strategies that you can begin using today to enhance the way you work, live, and relate to the world around you. Your investment in these teleclasses is kept low (only $60 for the entire 5 week program) because we want everyone to have an opportunity to experience these powerful events with Tammy and Margaret! As an added bonus we will offer each participant a one-on-one coaching session with either Tammy or Margaret. Register now for this empowering teleclass. And if you register by October 3rd your investment is only $50.

The program will begin on Wednesday, October 15th and will run through November 12th. We will offer two separate classes (both on Wednesday’s) so that you can choose the time that best fits your schedule.

Session I @ Noon ET (11AM CT) or Session II @ 9PM ET (8PM CT) What is a teleclass? A teleclass is a seminar or group coaching session offered by phone. Anyone from anywhere in the world can participate. You will incur regular long distance charges, just as if you were making any other call. How does it work? Once you register for the 5-week program, you will receive a confirmation email providing you with details including the dial in number and access code. It will work like a conference call. Additionally you will receive a program workbook via US Mail. The program workbook will provide a roadmap for our 5-week course. Click here to register now! We hope you’ll consider joining us for this empowering program!

Cleanliness - One Step Away!

Dear Friend,

It's the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness.

Bob Proctor

This week we return to examine what constitutes a virtuous life. Benjamin Franklin suggests that cleanliness is part of a virtuous life. He indicates that we should be clean in our body, in our appearance, and in the way we live. Recently, a client told me that she had so many piles around her home that she didn't know what to do. To 'get rid' of this clutter she opened the nearest closet and tossed it in! Yes, this is a true story! And after sharing a good laugh, my concern was simple: now that the plies are buried, their impact and energy drain doesn't go away. She knows that this stuff is still in her home. And presumably at some point in the future she will have to address the situation. So what she did is postpone the inevitable. And yes, her house does look cleaner, but in reality it isn't any cleaner. How good do you feel when you are driving out of a car wash - the inside of your car is clean and the outside of your car is shiny? Pretty fantastic, right? To that end, I'd suggest that having a clean office, desk, car, or a clean appearance isn't about how it looks, but rather about how we feel. When we take action and get rid of unnecessary clutter, tighten our appearance, or dust the old books in the study what changes on the outside is merely a fringe benefit of how we feel on the inside! That is what being clean is about - being able to walk with our head held high knowing that we are living powerfully in our own lives.

Take Action Challenge

May I suggest that this week you resolve to do today, what you know needs to be done rather than postponing it for tomorrow? Your challenge this week is to select one small area of your life that needs to be deep-cleaned and take action. Here are some suggestions: get the hair cut you've been putting off, set up online bill pay, clean out the glove compartment or trunk of your car, go through the mail that is piled up on your kitchen counter, toss the dowdy suit, have those buttons, zippers, or tears repaired on your favorite garments, review your email in-box and take action or delete at least 50% of the emails, revisit the files on the floor of your office - organize, send some to storage, and shred what is no longer needed. This week I ask that you focus on cleaning up the problem, rather than postponing the inevitable! Take one small step each day! Good luck and remember you are a small step away from greatness!

5 Strategies to Flourish Personally & Professionally

Dear Friend,

For every mountain there is a miracle Robert Schuller

We are going to take a week long departure from Benjamin Franklin's virtuous life to discuss a ground-breaking study done by McKinsey & Company and published in The McKinsey Quarterly. For those of you not familiar with McKinsey & Company it is one of the premier consulting firms in the world. This month they published an article based upon the McKinsey Leadership Project an initiative founded four years ago to advance professional women. One goal of this project is to learn what drives and sustains successful female leaders. My newsletter this week will summarize the findings; however, I encourage you to read the full report. I believe men and women alike can learn from the findings within this research. McKinsey's findings lead to a five dimension leadership model comprised of broad yet connected categories: Meaning Managing Energy Positive Framing Connecting Engaging Meaning Meaning is what takes something from simply a job to a calling. Yet it is important to recognize that in various points of our life our 'meaning' may be driven from different places of our life. For example, many young mothers are happy to simply have a job because they derive meaning from their children. What is essential is that you understand what you enjoy doing and what you are good at and allow meaning and purpose to flow from there. Positive psychology has also connected happiness to meaning. Happiness is achieved as the progression from pleasure to engagement to meaning. Simply stated we derive more meaning from teaching a child to read than we do from eating ice cream. Therefore, the greater the meaning in our lives, ultimately the greater the happiness. Managing Energy This concept addresses having flow in your activity. As many of you working mom's know work-life balance is a joke. However, you can manage the energy that you expend on various activities. Successful people by and large spend a large portion of their day doing activities that keep them in the flow and give energy rather than zap energy. Researchers also found that the more time spent in activities that provide flow the greater our productivity and our satisfaction. Positive Framing A glass of water is filled halfway - do you see it as half-full or half-empty? Those who can see situations from a positive vantage point more easily manage difficult situations.However, there is an important distinction between positive framing and positive thinking. Positive framing is characterized by taking an inventory of positive and negative and taking action. In contrast, positive thinking relies on replacing a belief rather than taking action. Connecting According to Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain, people with strong networks and mentors experience more promotions, higher pay, and greater career satisfaction. We are wired to be connected beings. As an emerging woman it is important to cultivate advocates who will teach you, guide you, and if necessary stick up for you. Ever heard the phrase, "make it personal?" This was advice that I received from my first boss. It is true, people connect with individuals, people buy from individuals, people promote individuals, and people do business with individuals. Show your true self - your human side and you will open your door for connection. Engaging Engaging isn't about bragging; it is about being excited about and proud of the work you do and sharing this with others. Have you ever heard the phrase "create your own luck?" Well in a sense this is very true. Working hard and toiling away without speaking up and celebrating your work with others isn't going to get you noticed. Creating your own luck is about being genuine, but also recognizing the opportunities where you can share your results with others. This research by McKinsey provides a window into creating your most powerful personal and professional life. Again I encourage you to read the full report! Take Action Challenge This week I invite you to explore one of these five areas of your life. Select one area and commit to finding a couple of ways you can grow and evolve. If you are in the beginning of your career perhaps you examine which part of your job makes you surge with energy and which areas make you feel like your energy is zapped? If you are a more experienced woman, perhaps now is the right time to spend time helping a young woman develop her career? Perhaps you are in a place of transition (as I was last year) and you want to consider what type of work will provide you with both meaning and purpose? May all of your mountains become miracles!

Brightest Minds in the World, Share Thoughs with You...

Dear Friend, Have you heard about TED? TED - stands for technology, entertainment, and design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Each year they host an annual conference featuring the brightest minds in the world. During the 2006 TED conference Anthony (Tony) Robbins, shared a fascinating talk on why we do what we do and how we can do it better. Explor TED's website and enjoy the brillance available to you!

Ivy League Classes Free - From Your Home...

Dear Friend- Did you know that some of the top Universities across the world offer their courses online - for free? Here are a few: Yale MIT Univ. of CA at Berkeley Notre Dame Princeton & Other Universities So if your a little jealous of your kids in school...why don't you decide to learn something new and take a class?

Moderation - Is more better?

Dear Friend,

The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom.

Plato

Benjamin Franklin suggests that moderation is averting extremes. In a culture obsessed with accumulating more things, more approval, more beauty, and more pleasure we must rethink - do we really need more or do we simply need moderation? I believe it is important to consider the question - how does moderation help us to live a fulfilling life? And I suggest to you there are three ways moderation guides us to a fulfilling life:

Less is More The law of diminishing return states that beyond some threshold, each additional unit "in" does not yield more. Imagine one cook in the kitchen, initially more cooks in a kitchen increases the effectiveness of cooking yet there is a point at which too many cooks in the kitchen yields negative results in other words less productivity. Our life works like this as well, too many clothes in a closet yields an inability to find what we need, too much time working leads to an inability to have a social life, and too much food in the stomach leads to an inability to move! More isn't always better hence moderation is key.

Contentment When we stop searching for more, for better, for different, for larger, for newer, and appreciate exactly what we have now, we surrender to the perfection of the present moment. Moderation allows us to fully savor that which we already have.

Balance Balance in our lives is a place where all of the people, projects, and things presently in our life are manageable. Moderation brings us this stability. Balance is also about managing the extremes of our behavior. When we have too much or too little of any one activity we become out of balance. Take sun exposure, for example, too little and we have a vitamin D deficiency, too much and our skin is bright red and painful. Moderation both tempers and anchors.

Through moderation we find that often less is more, we feel content, and we find balance - each of which leads to a fulfilling life. The ability to enjoy and appreciate what we have today leads to a full, rich life filled with gratitude and satisfaction. Therefore I suggest to you that moderation is one of the secrets to a fulfilling life.

Take Action Challenge Take five minutes and select one area of your life where you would like to have moderation. Grab a pen and write down five ways that you can add moderation to this area. Then next to each put the days of the week, Monday through Friday. Remember to keep this list in a place where you can refer to it. Mark your calendar for one week from today and reflect upon your success. Notice what worked and what didn't and adjust accordingly. For example, if you decide that you are going add moderation by getting more sleep each night then select five ways that you can get more sleep. At the end of the week reflect upon the success of your goal. Ask yourself, am I sleeping better? Is my time, closet, office, or car more organized? Am I working more efficiently and effectively? Whatever area of your life you desire to add moderation - ask yourself what steps worked and continue to do those. May you have success in your journey!

Blessings to you, Margaret.