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Meet Sass & Savvy!

I’m not hanging around here much these days – hopefully you’ve noticed!

After I turned 60 I faltered.

It was like… Crap! What the hell is going on? I woke up that day with a complete and overwhelming feeling of doom.

I guess it’s the “big” ones that do the most damage to most people’s psyches… but I had always breezed through birthdays. In fact, I remain, to this day, immensely proud of the fact that the police raided my 50th birthday! (Not as exciting as it might sound – some neighbour decided that Barry White crooning at 9:45 p.m. was over the top!)

I woke up on my 60th birthday with the illuminating awareness that I now had less time moving forward than I had behind me. **Yes, even at 50 – I come from a long line of long livers – I felt I still had half my life left to live!

But at 60 I felt that I’d pissed away so many years, farting around, convincing myself I’d get there… wherever “there” might be…

My business ideas went flat, my motivation died.

Don’t get me wrong. I got out of bed, I continued to show up in my business, I kept moving the mouse around the monitor and my fingers around the keyboard. I was treading water, but that’s about all. I now know it’s called busy-work.

I am nothing if not a survivor, however… and I was determined it was a slump and I could ride the storm as long as I had some help.

I called on all the motivators who had helped me develop my business: Brendon Burchard, Les Brown, Tony Robbins, Vishen Lakhiani (yes, I am well aware that most of the motivators in this online space are men!) – I read their books and I watched their videos… they were sort of my lifeline to the world I wanted but had lost my footing on the path to.

I took up habits I had never tried before: I meditated, I scheduled, I posted affirmations on my walls, I accounted for my time and my wins, I journaled anything that looked like a success in my day. I posted positivity memes on Facebook daily.

And finally I felt myself coming out of my slump. The words of my motivators were becoming louder than the voices in my head. I started getting a response that was positive. I started hearing from other people who had had the exact same 60th birthday experience.

It was a relief to realize I wasn’t alone in my plight.

My path was set. My light had come on. I found my mission.

I couldn’t coach mid-life women to create something positive for themselves if they were in the doldrums. If they had settled for their lot in life, for their incomplete lot in life… if they had decided there was not enough time left to make their mark, to realize their dreams… then they wouldn’t care what I might be able to teach them about an online business.

I went back to my motivators. The other habit I didn’t mention was the fact that I read books with a highlighter in my hand. They’re my books and if something moves me, strikes a chord within me, then I highlight it.

I spent days and nights reviewing my highlights. I made notes and wrote down ideas, and I began to believe that my greatest work was not only still in my future, but also it would be a work greater than any of my earlier dreams, and that my 60s were the perfect (read obvious!) years to create it and bring it to you.

And now let’s talk about you.

Have you accomplished even a few of the hopes and dreams you had as a young woman?

Have you had the career of choice? If yes, was it the success you hoped for?

What else was in your high school yearbook?

∞ Did you travel?

∞ Did you marry the person of your dreams? Was it what you planned?

∞ Did you make a difference in someone’s life?

∞ Did you create something?

∞ Did you accomplish something?

My plan here is not to depress you! I want you to remember the high hopes you had way back when. AND, to the contrary of depressing you, I want to reignite that passion you had for your future!

Sure! Some people have the “perfect” life! Or appear to.

But most of us get caught up in the day-to-day reality of paying the rent, feeding the family, getting our asses out of bed each day… and this status quo that we never thought would happen to us becomes our life.

That’s okay! It’s the status quo for a reason! It is the reality, the life, of the majority!

I’m here, however, to tell you that it doesn’t have to be your life for the rest of your life!

If you have age-60 in the crosshairs, or even in the rear view… then this is the perfect time to recreate your life. You have a truckload of experiences to draw from that will help you decide what will be your desired route going forward!

Maybe you can’t see it yet. That was my reality! at first!

I had to spend months just treading water, clinging to motivational voices and words that seemed like my only lifeline. I spent hours listening to videos, reading and rereading books. And finally… remember what I said? The words of my motivators became louder than the voices in my head!

That’s what I will be for you! I am here to be your motivator, I have the necessary tools. All those theories, concepts, inspirations that I spent months researching, learning, collating and organizing are available for you here. I’ve done the heavy lifting. I’ve done the testing.

And you won’t be going it alone! You’ll have me on your personal team for 6 straight weeks! You’ll be part of a small group of equally determined and inspired women who share your dream of reconnecting with their conscious life, becoming vital again, being dynamic again, having passion for life again.

Sass & Savvy is designed for women on either side of 60. Women who can’t imagine the next 20 years being a repeat of the last 20 years. Women who won’t give in to their history, who know they still have a spark, a mission, a message for someone else the world!

Sass & Savvy has the tools to carry you forward for a full 365 days. It comes with a lifetime membership to an amazing community. It is your GPS to Growth, Passion {or Purpose} and Success {read: Satisfaction}.

All you need to do is show up, do the work, take charge.

Click the picture below and come check out my new home!

 

 

 

On Being Open To The Universe

These days we talk a lot about “being open to the universe”.

Last year when I decided to put my house on the market, I decided I was going to be open to the universe. Not much changed in my life last year.

I started this year with an impulse offer to an acquaintance. It worked out. In the last six months it seems one thing has led to another and there is currently every possibility that my life will be totally different – a complete redesign – by the end of the year.

What was the difference?

I now firmly believe there is a distinct difference between saying “I am going to be open to the universe.” which has a suggestion of a future action… and just saying “Yes!” to universe.

IMG_4075I just got back from a trip to Spain, where my daughter got married, and my motto there was “Just say Yes”. I ate things I wouldn’t never normally eat, I saw things I would never normally see, I met people I would never normally meet.

(As I write this I’m thinking I need to dump that word “normal”!)

I realize now that to have the trust to say Yes! is what it means to “be open to the universe”. When you make plans to be open, you are not really fully open.

I won’t know for another week if I will be redesigning my life imminently or not, but the unfolding of the last six months has shown me the possibilities. On a go-forward basis, my choices will be different. It’s quite exciting!

Stay tuned for my recent insight on “bucket lists” – it’s not a term I completely align with, but you get the idea.

 

 

 

With Age Comes Wisdom!

I’m in Madrid!

According to my laptop it’s 9:00 p.m.

According to my iPhone it’s 6:00 a.m.

I arrived yesterday after 24 hours of flying and hanging out in airports. Last night was a huge reunion dinner. At this moment my body is just kinda confused.

Despite the very long day and the evening of camaraderie and sangria, I woke up at 4 a.m. local time, wide awake and feeling great.

I felt like a glass of the beautiful red Spanish wine sitting on the counter of our downtown hotel, but of course the logical person in me wondered what time the café across the street would be open for an espresso.

I lay there going through several of the relaxation tapes I have committed to memory, tried unsuccessfully to meditate myself back to sleep, the operative word in both cases is “unsuccessful”.

I’m sharing the suite with my daughter and her family so I did need to be considerate…

That is why I am curled up in a corner of a beautiful recliner sofa, dim lamp glowing over my left shoulder, laptop on my lap (imagine that!) sitting red wine.

I decided logic was indeed the best course! No point in lying abed wide awake. If I look at my laptop, a glass of wine is indeed in order. If I look at my iPhone, no one would raise an eye if I had a Mimosa – nix the Mimosa, hello wine!

With age does indeed come wisdom!!

It’s All About The Choices: One Woman’s Opinion

aw cute

 

By some standards I’m older than dirt!

Looking in the rear view, I guess I have lived through a number of decades.  They all have such different memories.  And lessons learned.

I remember as the 50s turned into the 60s finding out there was a whole big world out there outside my small home town.

Lesson learned:  give a child a forest and a lake, a few wild animals and a whole lot of rain and they learn to create a world of wonder and adventure that is second to none.

 

I remember as the 60s turned into the 70s realizing that there was an even bigger world out there with war and hate on one side and hippies and peace and love on the other.  I so wanted to go to Woodstock and Haight-Ashbury but I was still too young; and my limited tv viewing flashed dreadful black and white images of death and destruction in Viet Nam in between sing-a-longs with Tommy Hunter and Ed Sullivan.

Lesson learned:  you have choices in this world and there comes a time when you make your own, you don’t have to follow your parent’s.

 

I remember as the 70s turned into the 80s realizing that home could be found in the most unique places; a small town girl could flourish in a big city if she found a family – for me that family came with a job in small gay bar in Toronto, where I learned that you pretty much can live on hugs alone.

Lesson learned: new experiences can reap amazing benefits if you open your arms and your heart; the world is full of happy people and angry people, accepting people and intolerant people and that is their commonality – their happiness or their intolerance, not their politics or their gender or their income.

 

I remember as the 80s turned into the 90s realizing the power of being a parent and the responsibility that came with that power.  How easy it was to mold young minds but how more important it was to open them instead; how it came with no rule book and how you had to reach into the very depths of your soul to allow them to fall, or to speak out, or to step out into the world with all their innocence.

Lesson learned:  little people can teach you a lot… a lot about yourself if you’ll let them, and that they can be right to your wrong. Really!  Although my one rule still stands: as soon as you’re rude, you’re wrong.

 

I remember as the 90s turned into the millennium being so very aware that, no matter what, you suck up your own biases to ensure healthy children; that divorce is not just about you, it’s difficult for everyone and that children are watching and learning and remembering even through the tears.

Lesson learned:  you can recreate your life at any time, you never stop making choices for yourself, you can find your strength… and in so doing you can teach your children a few more skills for living successfully.

 

I remember as the millennium turned into the 10s realizing that life never stops giving you opportunities to reinvent yourself so you may as well go for it; how social media had suddenly become main stream and how great that was and how awful that was; how technology gave you the power to be anywhere and everywhere and it didn’t have to be the magic kingdom of ‘programmers’.  I remember what a joy it was to watch the entire globe open up and welcome my children in a way I didn’t know was possible when I was sprouting wings.  Most of all I remember the privilege of being present as my next generation came into this world and the gift that was; and how three children had all turned out so well despite their parents.

Lesson learned:  progress is only as positive or as negative as its users and their intentions; that we are now a global family and with that comes new responsibilities: kindness, tolerance, acceptance, open-mindedness, and perhaps the most important thing of all: understanding that most of the people of the world are all so wonderful in so many ways, and so alike in their dreams and aspirations… that the villains are the individuals and the vehicles they create to perpetuate their tyranny on the earth and her peoples.

 

Villains cross cultural barriers, they cross gender barriers and they cross political barriers.  It is not a particular race or nationality, it’s not a left-wing or a right-wing, it’s not a catholic or a muslim, it’s not a gender or a trans-gender, it’s not a young person or an old person, it’s not a wealthy person or an impoverished person; it’s a nasty person, a greedy person, a closed-minded person, a hurtful person, a power-abusing person – it’s a person who is so damaged, so fearful, they cannot find a way to reach out their hand to their neighbour at home, let alone their neighbour on another continent.

The way I see it as I look back on even the short history of the world I have lived through… is that it all comes down to Choice.  There is no going back in terms of technology  and all that we know, but we can make the Choice to use that knowledge and that technology to heal the world: heal the hungry and the thirsty, heal the hurt and sick, heal the environment.  We can make the Choice to stop the hate and destruction, stop the hurt and the anger, stop the intolerance, stop the blame and the lying, stop vilifying whole groups of people just because of their skin colour, the name of the power they honour, their income level, who they sleep with behind closed doors, who they vote for.

Perhaps that’s what I see as I look back on even the short history of the world I have lived through – we now need to be making the Choices that will ensure we, and our children and their children, have a world to live in for another millennium- a healthy, happy, trusting, trust-worthy, fed, clothed, interactive, supportive, optimistic, positive  (you get my drift?) world.

What’s your Choice?

 

 

 

Cluttered Space >> Muddled Mind

I’m fundraising chair for a local charity this year.  As with last year, I’m organizing a Silent Auction to raise money.

My local business community has really come together to support us, and we’ve had so many donations!

and where are those donations being stored?

Right!  in my office!

I have stacks of gift certificates on one end of my desk; I have a variety of gift baskets pressed into a corner of my office; I have some beautiful artwork standing in my comfy chair; I have a number of other bulky items taking up space.

I have a Cluttered Office!  and my productivity has gone down.  

It’s like my available oxygen has been displaced.  

It’s like my thoughts have too many obstructions to move freely.

The fundraiser is this weekend… and not a moment too soon.

What condition is your office in?  your desk?  your home?  your car?

It matters.

 

 

 

 

 

Make Yourself Comfortable! Please!

Imagine this scenario:

You’re invited to an opening for an acquaintance who is incredibly talented. When you get there, the place is quite busy and there is a line-up of people wanting to talk with your acquaintance. You look around the room and realize you don’t know anyone. You’re prepared for this and have a few opening lines so you can talk with strangers.

You scan the room a second time and you see people of all different age groups and all genders; several people appear to have quite flamboyant taste in clothes, others are dressed conservatively; several groups are laughing loudly – they’ve been to the bar a couple of times; there are any number of two- and three-somes chatting together and there are the usual people-watchers, not engaged with others.

Question:

Who do you decide to approach to chat with? Please describe them out loud.

Question:

Why did you choose this person/these people?

Understanding why you chose who you did and why that could matter to your business is just one of the skills you’ll gain in “Sassy, Savvy & Successful at 60!” launching in the Spring of 2016.

Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kid. Or Not.

Imagine:

You are excited to create an online business and you’re determined to make it successful. You can picture yourself on your laptop working your business from the location of your dreams (of course, that location needs to have internet connectivity!)

Question:

If I go to your website, will I see your name and your smiling face? Are you comfortable being the face of your business? (Yes, you can go to a professional for hair and make-up!)

There is no wrong answer here. Your answer is right for you. Sometimes, though, visitors to a website like to see who they are doing business with. Whatever your answer was, your business development plan will reflect and accommodate your choice.

This is just one of the skills you’ll gain in “Sassy, Savvy & Successful at 60!” launching in the Spring of 2016.

 

 

 

Do You Know Who You’re Talking To?

Imagine this scenario:

You have something really vital you want to share. You walk into a room with 1,000 people in it, many chatting with each other, some watching the video on a side stage, some reclining in easy chairs with a glass of wine dissing the politicians of the day, others off in a corner with that guru who has a similar message to share.

Now imagine this scenario:

You have something really vital you want to share. You walk into a room with 30 people in it. They have been waiting for you to arrive because they heard you were going to be presenting your topic so they hush immediately, take seats and are waiting eagerly for you to begin before you reach the podium.

Which room would you rather enter?

Which group will give you their undivided attention?

Which group will be more likely to buy your product or service?

Precisely. Which is why you need to know exactly who your target audience is before you put yourself out there.

This is just one of the skills you’ll gain in “Sassy, Savvy & Successful at 60!” launching in the Spring of 2016.

 

 

 

Is This You?

Do any of the following statements sound familiar?

  1. You’re not completely happy in your job and you seriously dislike the time constraints it places on your life. Plus you’re not living the lifestyle you want.
  2. You wish you could quit or retire and find something that would pay you nicely for doing something that you really want to do.
  3. You’ve seen all the ads for working online – maybe you know someone who is – but you don’t know where to start because you know you’re not that tech-savvy and you know the price of hiring someone to create a website and do all that online “stuff” is way beyond your means.
  4. Sometimes you’re tempted to click on one of the ads you see but you’re concerned your in-box going to get royally spammed.
  5. Sometimes you imagine winning the lottery and dream about how that would change your life.
  6. You try to convince yourself those picture quotes that say “I don’t need money if I have my health and my family.” are right.
  7. If you have children, you’d like to have enough money to help them out, or treat them to a luxury or two.
  8. Every once in a while you get tired, really tired, of knowing you’re just another cog operating someone else’s gear-box.


How do I know these things?

Every one of those thoughts was mine… just a few years ago.

Here’s what I know is true:

  1. You spend a large chunk of your waking hours at your job. If you’re not happy, it’ll affect your health, possibly your mental health, sooner or later.
  2. Wishing gets you know where – you need to take action.
  3. There is not a single thing in life I was born knowing how to do except maybe breathe. I have mastered a kajillion things successfully and I can handle a few more.
  4. You can create a new email address specifically for random inquiries and information. The law also dictates that there is an “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of all mail you receive from marketers.
  5. “If you want your dreams to come true, the first thing you have to do is wake-up.”
  6. Currently our health is not guaranteed, so money is a good back-up plan; and I can create a lot of great memories with my family if I have money.
  7. Nothing is more rewarding than helping the people, and the causes, you love.
  8. See #1.


Here’s what else I know is true:


Let me make this easy for you:

For the month of January I am opening up a number of free 20-minute strategy sessions for you to take advantage of (one per person, please). No question is too basic; no idea too absurd – I want to knock down a few of the barriers you have built up about taking control of your income. The only thing I ask is that you come prepared with a few questions.

Click here to book your spot:


Schedule an appointment
to chat with me

Click to Schedule an Appointment

 

 

 

 

Are You A Pre-Ree?

In the last while I have posted a couple of picture quotes about Pre-Rees.

A Pre-Ree is someone who know they want to, need to, or should retire, and have started at least thinking about what that life would look like!

And don’t be ageist here! While I know for sure a huge number of my peers are self-stated Pre-Rees, I am continually impressed by the number of younger people who want to “retire” from the world of trading time for money. They see “retirement” as an opportunity to create something for themselves, to be their own boss and, most importantly, to make a difference.

No matter your age, I encourage you to consider becoming an entrepreneur. I can quote all sorts of gurus here:

    • “You shouldn’t focus on why you can’t do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions.” – Steve Case, co-founder of AOL.

 

    • “There’s lots of bad reasons to start a company. But there’s only one good, legitimate reason, and I think you know what it is: it’s to change the world.” – Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote.

 

  • “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” –Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay Cosmetics Founder

 

 

So… are you a Pre-Ree? What are you going to do about it?  

Click the iPhone to right, Let’s talk!

 




 

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