Happy Being Me

One of the steps that I coach my clients through in my program is called “Your Health and You Time”. As a mother, it is sometimes very difficult to take the time to take care of ourselves. If we have also left an abusive relationship, sometimes our mind cannot even wrap around that concept initially. We forget how it is to be “Happy Being Me“. We feel like we are being selfish.
 But, who determines selfishness? I would say that it is usually an outside source. Now, I’m not talking about buying a Gucci purse and not buying groceries for our kids~that is negligence. I mean doing something really nice for yourself.
Let’s examine something simple like getting your nails done, for instance. A manicure with a massage is $20-$30 tops. Perhaps you could push back on the grocery money by $5 without having a really noticeable difference in the whole budget. In five or so weeks, you can have a manicure with a hand massage. I am almost certain that your children will love the mother that comes home that evening! I call that “Cheap You Time”!
As Moms, we often don’t take care of our health, either. Although I am “Happy Being Me” in many ways, my weight is not one of them. I have been overweight for most of my life. At the beginning of January, I cut out sugar and simple carbs from my diet. I also had a colon hydrotherapy session to remove the crud from my system. I feel fabulous, but I now need to address my eating habits.
This time, I decided that I am going to use an accountability method. I have been on countless eating plans (aka diets), and have never been successful. There was no accountability for what I was doing, so whenever I felt challenged, I reverted back to my old habits. I have decided that I need to splurge on this for ME. What good am I to my kids if I cannot keep up with them? What example am I showing them if I am overweight? If I want them to eat properly and be healthy, I have to do the same.
To be “Happy Being Me“, I believe that we have to take care of ourselves. We need to put the correct food into our system, and give our bodies the exercise necessary to keep us fit and alert. But, we need a little pampering as well, because sometimes, we have been through a lot, and we deserve it.
May you have Water for Your Journey,
Stephanie, Emerging Princess

The moment we give up our excuses and fully accept responsibility for our own health and happiness, is the moment we harness our true power to change. ~Bill Phillips

Stephanie Titus-Andrews is a Speaker, Author and Recovery Coach to women who are going through divorce, especially if there was abuse.  Her mandate is to give women an injection of hope, direction and strength to help them thrive.  She has appeared on The Small Business, Big Ideas Show, That Channel, and in ShimmerZine Magazine.  Presently, she is working with the Canadian Women's Foundation Shelter From the Storm Campaign.  Her first book is expected to be released in September, 2012.  Stephanie can be reached at www.CreatedToExcel.ca or 6447.928.4728. Stephanie is also a member of Entrepreneurial Moms of Toronto.

5 reasons why I’m afraid I’ll grow my small business

Surprising reasons why you’re not doing more to get new clients

A few nights ago at the Entrepreneurial Mom’s monthly meeting, a simple question was asked of the audience—“what is your biggest pain point?”

Unanimously everyone agreed that it was not having enough clients. That sounds like a no brainer answer right? Unfortunately in my practice of helping small businesses grow their client base, I run into a lot of people who are on some level afraid of succeeding. Here are some of the mysterious reasons why entrepreneurs are afraid to grow:

1.    “Things will change”: The fear of change is the deepest and oldest fear of all man and woman kind. It’s a big one to get over.

2.    “I’ll have to spend less time with family and on myself”: When success in business equals failure as a mom, daughter or wife, women are often guilt ridden and find it tough to make a decision to do things to get more clients.

3.    “I’ll have to do some things I hate (namely sales and marketing)”: Most small business owners love what they do but hate selling it. On some level, they know that when they decide to get more clients, it will mean that they’ll inevitably have to market and sell more than they are right now.

4.    “Wanting too much money is greedy”: In a lot of subconscious small business owners’ minds lies the thought that if things aren’t too bad for them right now, that to want more money, more clients and to want to play a bigger game is just plain greedy. Greed is not an attractive trait.

5.    “My friends and loved ones will think I’m a big shot”: Who would want anything if it meant estrangement and ruined relationships with loved ones? Who would pursue something that could cause their social circles to reject them?

If you’ve known for some time that you’d like for things to change for your business but are unwilling to do things differently or are paralysed by fears, you might want to ask yourself some tough questions and consider if any of these fears are true for you. Once you’ve made your decision for change—call me or anyone who can help you grow your business.

 

Need more chicken soup for your biz? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let's talk!

Bio: Chala is the person you go to if you want to jump quickly to the next level of your business potential. A certified business coach, she cut her corporate teeth as a marketer at companies such as Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Frito Lay, Diageo, Playtex and lastly BIC Inc. With a lifelong desire to use her corporate experiences to help managers and business professionals to increase their productivity, Chala has a practice supporting small business owners who want to get more clients through marketing and branding more effectively

Attract Not Attack | A gentle way to get clients

What business owner doesn’t want to truly understand their client’s needs immediately and deeply? How do you avoid lengthy and costly miscommunications? Why is it that some businesses have the same clients for life?

Join us on April 10 with Chala Dincoy, certified business coach for "Attract Not Attack | A gentle way to get clients".

Chala is the person you go to if you want to jump quickly to the next level of your business potential. A certified business coach, she cut her corporate teeth as a marketer at companies such as Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Frito Lay, Diageo, and Playtex and lastly BIC Inc. With a lifelong desire to use her corporate experiences to help managers and business professionals to increase their productivity, Chala has a practice supporting business professionals who want to progress further in their goals faster than they would on their own.

In this informative and action packed session on April 10, you will learn:

- How to speak to clients from their point of view—not yours.

- How to get into your client’s world and get them to ask to work with you

- What’s the secret to attracting clients instead of chasing them?

Date: Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Location: Yonge and Sheppard area - Toronto, Ontario
(detailed address to follow once registered)

Non-Member Price: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
Member Price: Free!

Speaker: Chala Dincoy  (www.coachtactics.com)

Registration: To register go here.

 The Entrepreneurial Moms Leadership Team

Bonnie Chan, Tereza Kumric and Doina Oncel