Women Like Us Foundation trip to Costa Rica

We worked in our school and adopted a women's center there.  So lucky to be a part of this.  And my sis Toni, daughter Catt and grandson Austin joined me.  I took this movie about our mission.

On the top bunk...

On the top bunk…

It was the morning after Thanksgiving.  I was sleeping on the top bunk in my grandson’s room, my husband Jim was on the bottom bunk.  We’d stayed all night at my daughter’s house after a hectic and happy day of turkey, salmon, gourmet squash soup and mashed potatoes and gravy.

Combining the fare of the traditional Thanksgiving and the specialty dishes cooked by my new son in law who hails from London, partnered with the three vegetarians in our family…it was quite the meal.  We raised our glasses and toasted to what we were thankful for; a new marriage and member of the family; the surprise announcement of a new grandchild on the way; and a sharing of thankfulness and caring for one another. 

After dinner, we jammed with piano music from Jim’s musician son, Greg, and turned up the volume on Cold Play while the grandkids, ages 2 to 4 years old took the floor to show off their dance moves.

My family tends to be a little crazy.  It’s who we are.  We love getting together, the more the better, rock the houses with kids, music, cheer and love.  And that’s how and why I ended up on the top bunk on Thanksgiving night. We just weren’t ready to leave this party!

As I climbed up the ladder into bed, my dilemma was to decide which of the many stuffed animals already claiming my space was I to move to find my spot.  Would it be the alligator, maybe the stuffed bumble bee, or one of the many Angry Birds lining the side against the wall?  And the three cats, were sure to let me know that it was night and these beds were their usual settling place.  What was I doing there?

It wasn’t the best of sleeping, up there on that bunk.  Every time  Jim rolled over or adjusted his pillow we rattled and rolled and squeaked.  Bunk beds are not made for 60 somethings!

So the house was full, kids on the floor, babies in the pack and play,  grandparents in the bunk beds and the rest of the family scattered upstairs and down in their own sleeping spots.

And just as things settled in, just as the house fell still and the last of our family quieted for the night, there was a small cry.  It was the littlest member of our family, Anthony, ready to greet the day.  It was, after all, 4:30 AM!

And as I lay there, listening to his beautiful voice, his baby squeals and his urgent cries for his bottle, I felt blessed.  This is my family.  These are the people I love.  These are the reason for all I do.

So, instead of trying to go back to sleep, I reached for the ladder and climbed down to the floor. I picked up the over-sized stuffed pig that had been tossed aside, tucked it under my sleeping husband’s arm and went down to greet the day with that beautiful little member of our family.

Sometimes a squeaky top bunk can be the best place to be reminded of what matters.  It was for me.

I wish you the gift of appreciation for those who love you and those whom you love in 2012 and forever. 

Have a wonderful year.

           

Networking Needs a New Name

Let’s Give Networking a New Name! Let’s Call it Weaving!

By Linda Rendleman, M.S.

 

Is anyone else as tired of the word “networking” as I am? 

 

Everyone says they’re doing it. And if you are a business woman and you’re not doing it, you know you should be. And if you’ve done it but you don’t think it’s helped your business, you’re probably frustrated with it.

 

I have to confess that the word and the meaning of the word has never quite hit the mark for me. And here’s why.

 

When I say the word networking, for some reason I have a vision of that old I Love Lucy episode when Lucy tried to become a telephone operator. She is sitting at the switchboard, the phone starts ringing wildly, and as she tries to connect one caller to another, and then another, and then another with those connection wires switchboard operators used in the 50’s, the havoc begins. Lucy finally ends up all wrapped up with lots of wires, and frustrated callers, but with all the wrong connections. Can you see the scene? Unfruitful and certainly frustrating, time and energy is spent with no real gain.

 

So am I the only person who struggles with this over-used, under-defined and over-worked word?

Am I the only one that gets this visual of a web of lines, a tangled one at that, of contacts, lines knotted up  around over and under, pulling back, going another direction, only to reach another dead end? Quite frankly, the visual I get when I say the word networking makes me tired! It just doesn’t seem efficient.

Then I started thinking about that spider out on the corner of my deck…He has a network. He has a web of lines but he has a system to keep all of those networks, those lines, his WEB formulated into an intricate and beautiful thing. And he’s diligent. He knows where he’s going as he weaves. His organized spinning, around and around, cutting back and forth and across, has a system to it. He builds it into a beautiful thing. A work of art…a system.

Now that’s networking. Maybe we should take our cue from that spider and use a better name for networking. Weaving. Systematically creating a beautiful web of friendships, contacts, help mates as we help one another reach our business and personal goals. Before we make contacts with others, we must create a plan that will help ourselves and our colleagues achieve our objectives.

Here’s 3 Tips to get you started on your Weaving:

1.      Before attending a business event, set a goal for yourself. For example, tell yourself that you will meet 2 new contacts that can be meaningful for you and your business. Only you can decide who that will be or what form they will take... And remember, it’s not all about you. Find synergy with these people that allows both of you to gain from the connection.

2.     Commit yourself to follow up personally six times with that person. It can be as brief as an email or as structured as a planned meeting. Studies show that six “touches” establishes a relationship.

3.     With all of the social media these days, make sure to ask permission to include your 2 new contacts in your social media networking, and even in your private newsletter if you have one.

These few basic steps are important to building relationships by weaving a relationship that has a purpose and structure. The spider has a plan and so should we. Yes, weaving. Now that word makes me feel like I am creating something beautiful, like the spider’s beautiful web.

Women's Business Series goes to Stage Two!

Our fabulous group of women have completed the class session of our Women's Business Series.  We talked about developing your personal brand, leadership, communication and presentation skills, driving your career and networking.  Lots of great conversation and good connections, for sure.
Now we have welcomed our mentors from the business community and have matched up our mentors with the class attendees.  They are partnering for a 3 month program to ensure these ladies continue to move forward with their purpose.

 The mentoring program for our Women's Business Series is headed up by Carla Feagans of Vibrant Life.  Carla put structure to the program and gave us guidelines on how to help one another move to the next level.

Thank you, Carla!

 

April  and Andrea  visit on break.

 The mentors were asked to share who had mentored them and what they learned.  We realized that mentors come in our lives at different times as we move through our careers.

 Amy, Carla and Jennil come together to chat about what it takes to develop your strengths and put them to use.

Mentor Karen and mentee Justin meet to schedule and set goals for a great relationship.

 More mentor conversation on never giving up,
following your gut and living your passion.  Only
you are in charge of where your life goes.

Great class and great connections!  It is when we work together, collaborate together and support one another that we can grow our lives, our careers and our relationships into what we want them to be.

We started our women's business series on Friday.

Thanks Harrison College for partnering with me to bring this information to women.

Our first day we talked about how the course will work and began small group discussions on personal branding.  Guest speakers Kristen Garvey of the Indiana Commission for Women and April Morris, founder of Thin Gloss spoke to our group.  What did we learn?
*  Women are still getting a lesser wage than men in many circumstances.
*  Never never giving up is key to making your dreams come true.
*  Clarifying your values and understanding what is important to you in life can be transferred to creating a successful career for yourself.

Next week we'll continue working on developing the personal brand and getting clear on where you want to head personally and professionally.  Karen Caprino Burg will tell her story of re-creating herself over the years.  Her magazine, Indy Metro Woman, is read by thousands of women.

What do you think we should make sure to cover?  What are the problems women face in business?  How can we move all of us forward?

April Morris told us about how she came up with the idea for her company.

Women's Leadership Workshop...so fun!

Women Like Us Real Stories and Strategies for Living Your Best Life