There was nothing I could change.  I did my best. I set a new record for myself…  You are never too old to dream.

That was the response Olympic Champion Dara Torres gave to the reporter when asked what she would tell her now 2 year old daughter about her experience winning the 2008 Olympic Silver Medal. Like the competitor to Michael Phelps, Ms. Torres missed Olympic Gold by one one-hundredths of a second.  The life wisdom she shares applies to us all.

• Live in the moment.
• Don’t put an age limit on your dreams.
• When you are more mature, you see things from a different perspective.
• Believe in yourself.

Watch the MSNBC interview.

Talented, dedicated, and strong, Dara Torres also knows the value of a support team. She relies on three coaches, two stretchers, two masseuses, a chiropractor and a nanny to excel.  She gives credit to those coaches who helped her switch gears from questioning what she might have done differently after losing the sought-after gold medal just moments before, to focusing solely on the next event. The relay.

Although this was her 11th medal in her fifth Olympic competition, this event was also an experience of firsts.

• First swimmer from United States to compete in 5 Olympics
• Unprecedented for a woman, Torres came back for a spot in her 5th Olympics games after sitting out the 1996 and 2004 Olympics.
• First woman in history to swim in the Olympics past the age of 40
• Her Olympic career spans 24 years

Ms. Torres story is unique among swimmers and Olympians, but not unique among leaders. Life is about a mindset. And a successful life is determined by how we think.

Is she perfect? No. Divorced twice. Not married to the father of her daughter, Tessa. But who are we to judge? Is your life perfect? Have you held only good cards in your life? I know I haven’t.

Respected by his peers, author Robert Louis Stevenson wrote such books as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Deprived of health most of his life, he still managed to live an amazingly full life right up until the moment of his death at the young age of 44. His philosophy?

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

Are you playing your cards well? Do you allow yourself to dream, regardless of circumstances? Short, sweet, and to the point, I hope this wisdom sustains and inspires you to fill your life with as much living as is possible. Whatever your age. Whatever your circumstances.

Don’t limit yourself. Dream.

Resources: Check out Dara Torres Bio (Opens in New Window)

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you have not consciously made the decision to be rich, excellent, and healthy, then you have unconsciously made the decision to be poor, mediocre, and unhealthy.” Wallace D. Wattles

Each and every day you make unconscious choices that mold your future.

It’s Not Your Fault

Time challenged and overwhelmed with information, you make daily choices based on habit rather than by choice. You just don’t have time to think.That is why changing habits changes lives.

The less you have to think about something, the more likely it will get done.

Action Step

Trust the truth.  Numbers don’t lie.  Need a quick reality check?  Look at your:

• Bank records,
• Credit card statements,
• Calendar, and
• Scale.

These will immediately reveal unconscious choices that are impacting your life.

Ready to Improve Your Health?

Plan ahead. Keep cut up vegetables in the refrigerator for quick snacks.  You know the saying “Out of sight, out of mind?” If you can’t get rid of all the unhealthy snacks like chips, at least put them someplace where they don’t stare you in the face when you open the pantry. Make snacking difficult. If you’re determined to eat, the snacks are still available. But you are then making a conscious choice.

When you are tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, drive thrus or take out looks very appealing. Curb those thoughts by planning ahead with great crockpot meals, precut vegies ready to cook, or frozen meals you can place in the microwave. I have a great number of fish and chicken recipes that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.

Want to Become Financially Secure?

Keep track of where your money goes. And no, I don’t mean by putting everything on the credit card.

Just for 7 seven days, keep track of all your receipts. Vending machines, Starbucks coffee, cell phones, movies, clothing, books, gas, money you hand over to the kids or grandkids … keep track of it all. Still think you don’t have money to fund a retirement account?

Wake up call:  Pull out a recent Social Security statement, open it, and look at the page on the right side.  Add up all the money that has flowed through your hands over the last 20 years. Where did it go?

Pollyanna Thinking? Let’s Get Real

Obviously there are some things that are not within your control.

I am not saying you attracted bad health into your life if you are living with a chronic illness, cancer, or other disease. I know the personal frustration of doing everything “right” and still facing the daily fight to maintain good health. Health issues are often genetic or come from out of the blue even if you exercise and eat right. That’s reality.

I am not saying you brought financial ruin into your life if you lost a job because of a layoff, accident, or health issue. I have had clients who were very responsible but still faced financial insecurity from no fault of their own.

So, what am I saying? Take control of what you can. No excuses.

Unexpected change happens to us all. Seeing beyond today and planning for the future will prepare you for the inevitable change you are bound to face.

Live Life By Choice, Not Chance

• If you have a chronic illness, do what you can every day to improve or maintain health.
• Plan for the future by creating a financial cushion.
• Most importantly, control your attitude. How you think can reshape your life.

Join other savvy women at The Swan Network and learn about our WOW life planning workshops for women. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to keep informed.

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

Focused action is a universal principle embraced by leaders throughout history. Once you understand and apply power of focus to your own life and career, you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a short period of time.  Faithfully follow the action step explained below and you will see an immediate change in your day.

Action Item:

Each evening before you leave your office or go to bed, take ten minutes to focus on what you want to accomplish the next day. Do a brain dump. Put everything down on paper that is causing overwhelm, clouding your mind, and creating stress and anxiety.

From this exercise, check off six items that are the most important to you. Only six. No more. No less. Now put your list of six in order of priority. The most important becomes #1, next important #2 etc.

You will immediately feel a sense of peace and clarity. You now have a plan.

Now what?

Focus on your top priority until it is completed. Then move to the next item, and the next. Change is difficult. You may find yourself distracted by the urgent rather than the important. Stay focused.

As you embrace and implement this practice on a daily basis, you will find you experience fewer and fewer matters of “urgency” because you have taken care of the most important items each day. You have become proactive rather than reactive. Organization has simplified your life.

Circle of Wisdom

Action is the fourth step in the Circle of Wisdom, not the first. To achieve the highest probability of success, you must first build your foundation through a process of self-discovery. Be aware of your strengths.

• Begin where you are,
• Use what you have, and
• Do what you can.

One step at a time.

Join other savvy women at The Swan Network and learn about our WOW nurturing wealth and wellness life planning workshops for women. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to keep informed.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark,
in the hopeless swamps of the approximate,
the not quite, the not yet, the not at all.

Do not let the hero in your soul perish,
in lonely frustration for the life you deserved,
but have never been able to reach.

Check your road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desired can be won.
It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.

Ayn Rand

Are you a woman on fire with passion for life?

Or are you just burned out?

Time to ignite your future with a compelling vision for the life you dream of living.  Time to pull out your boxed in dreams and bring them into the light. Re-examine them. Do these dreams of yours remain important? If so, why do these dreams remain in the caverns of your mind?

Just like an unlit candle, collecting dust, your dreams have wonderful potential for touching the senses and lighting up your life.

What small step can you take today that will bring you joy?

Stop thinking. Start doing. You will feel so much better.

Need a mental boost to get you going?  Join other savvy women at The Swan Network, a life planning resource center for savvy women who are ready to own their future. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to stay inspired and informed.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.   Marianne Williamson

You have a gift to share. Isn’t it time to let your light shine?

2008 is Leap Year!

It’s time for a leap of faith. Believe that this year is your year of accomplishment. This year you will:

L – Liberate yourself from self-sabotage;
E – Explore and open your mind to infinite possibilities;
A – Act on lifelong dreams; and
P – Peacefully embrace your life’s wisdom and leadership.

Free to Be Me

Life is far too short to wait one more minute. Forget new year’s resolutions. Commit to a new way of living. Today!

Our hands on WOW Workshop, Journey to Swan, helps you create a vision for your life so compelling, it is near impossible for you to fail. Once you understand who you are, what you want, and where you are going, decisions become clear. Action becomes simple.

Learn more at Journey to Swan WOW Workshop

The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams. Og Mandino

What timeless principle of the Circle of Wisdom reinforces this guidance?

Believe in yourself and your goals. The choices you make today create tomorrow’s history.

• Set goals.
• Establish new habits so they become second nature.
• Trust in yourself. Know that each small step today, however difficult, is bringing you closer to fulfilling your dreams.

Persevere.

The new WOW workshops begin in January. Inspiration, motivation, and accountability to help you be Great in 08!

To be always intending to make a new and better life but never to find time to set about it is as to put off eating and drinking and sleeping from one day to the next until you’re dead. Og Mandino

Blunt more than inspirational. But a wake up call sometimes has to be delivered abruptly. A fresh start doesn’t have to wait for new year resolutions. Begin now, before you create regrets. Think about this.

Too much food, too much spending, stressed to the max. The bills will arrive in January and the pounds will collect around the waistline even sooner.

Time out! Stop and think about the life you are creating. You make daily choices that create your future.

What big BUT is standing in your way?

• But… I don’t have time.
• But… I don’t have money.
• But… my family expects it of me.
• But… it wouldn’t be Christmas if__________.
• But… I HAVE to__________.

Crunched for money?

Put away the credit cards and only spend what you can pay cash for. Use PayPal for online shopping and it will come out of your bank account.

If money is a concern (Psychology Today cites money as the number 1 concern for Americans in both 2005 and 2006), have a heart-to-heart talk with loved ones and friends about cutting back this upcoming gift giving season. They will most likely be relieved you brought it up!

Pare back on gifts that require spending money and instead find ways to give gifts of time. Creating shared memories is so much more important than a gift that gets put on a shelf or even worse, re-gifted next year.

Get creative. Exchange the time normally spent on shopping and fighting traffic to find fun ways to create memories. Shop online for games and create a coupon book for times when you will actually PLAY! Movie tickets and a time set aside to enjoy. A trip to the Zoo, a museum or art gallery. A winter walk or a snowball fight coupon! This isn’t just for children, but for friends and life partners as well.

Give your spouse free time on a Saturday morning. Guilt free. No kids, no chores, no shopping, no expectations. And have your spouse/child/parent give the same to you.

Tired?

Rest. Not feeling good? Drink lots of water and cut way back on your carbs. You’ll be amazed at the energy spurt you’ll get in just a few short weeks. Promise!

Stressed?  Are you your own worst enemy?

Do you promise too much, never say no, and become overextended and exhausted. Join the crowd. Self-inflicted stress is common among women.

The holidays are meant to be fun, not an exercise in seeing how much you can cram into the next 3 weeks.

Create a list of how you’d like to experience Christmas this year. Then prioritize and delete all but your top 3 items. Decide what you can’t live without, get rid of the rest, and delegate. Ask for help.

No more big buts. You can do this! You have the power of choice.

Dormant Spring Bulbs Burst Forth in Bloom

Renewed energy and the promise of things to come. It follows the natural rhythm of life.

Bulbs planted last fall have used the dormant season to store energy and get ready for a glorious spring display of blossoms.

Spring is naturally a time for opening the windows of new opportunities, cleaning out the closets of our life, and brushing away the cobwebs of past failures. Just like the tender bulbs, Spring is a time for us to bloom. It is a time for new growth, renewed commitment and a fresh start.

“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” Charles Spurgeon

Are you ready to claim your fresh start?

It’s all about commitment and perseverance.

Up until 1751, March 25 was celebrated as the beginning of the new year by both Great Britain and its North American colonies. It wasn’t until the Georgian calendar was adopted that January 1 became the first day of the year.

So, are you ready to spring into action?

After all, today begins an entirely new year!

Don’t miss the next Journey to Swan classes beginning May 1st. Sign up now to receive notices!

Dana Reeve was admired as a loving caretaker.

Her unselfish giving spirit and devotion to her husband and family was well documented. She deserved better. Lung cancer? She didn’t even smoke!

My prayers are with Will, the Reeve’s now 14 year old son. How does a child who has lost both parents so quickly deal with such a loss? Having lost my own father to lung cancer last January, I know how difficult losing a parent can be and the new beginnings, ready or not. And I am a grandma!  But there he was, Will on television a year after his mother’s death, strong and handsome, speaking of his parents. The Reeves would both be so proud of their son, their legacy.

Death is a life-altering experience.

It changes how we view the world and where we fit. Our foundation shifts. A new chapter in our life has arrived.

Life is change. Change is the only thing we can count on. And our attitude about change is often the only thing we can control. The circle of life is a continuous process of gaining wisdom from the life lessons we experience.

“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” Helen Keller

Security is not having life remain constant.

Security is found in the self-discovery and inner confidence that we will not only survive but thrive in our new life.

You may have experienced the death of a marriage, a career or a lifestyle.

There is a restless feeling of knowing there must be “something more.” There is. We each have a gift to share with others. We have purpose. Your new life is waiting. Just around the corner. Embrace life and begin again.  A new beginning is waiting.

Our next Journey to Swan class begins May 1st. Join the adventure of self-discovery and build your personal foundation for bringing balance, fulfillment and purpose into your life. Envision your dream and make it happen.

Learn more about the Journey to Swan . Then contact us for further information about how you can sign up for this decision-making process which can transform your life.