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Disconnection

Written by Jennifer on 20th July 2010

A perfect confluence of events:

my laptop adapter died on Friday and the new one wasn’t delivered until late this afternoon

my husband spent the last three days holed up editing video

the TV and spare computer were stolen last month

this Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were oddly clear of any appointments

Over the last three days, I have gotten more done on the domestic front than I’ve gotten done in the previous six weeks. In addition to soloing on the regular upkeep of the house – dishes, food, litterbox – while Scott remained glued to two computer monitors, I:

hung four pieces of artwork

emptied an entire room of the crap I’d dumped in it

folded close to a dozen loads of laundry

vacuumed the entire house

cleaned the bathroom

Plus, I:

wrote the marketing copy for a new business idea long hand

enjoyed a really long evening out with a dear friend

reread a novel

wrote down my dreams

meditated

lent my audio expertise from a previous life to Scott’s video project

gave my carpel tunnel a rest

What would disconnectivity do for you?

Tags: creativity, goals
Posted in creativity, goals | 4 Comments »

Ditchin’ La Vida Loca*: An Interview

Written by Jennifer on 27th May 2010

I’ve done enough yoga to know that there’s no such thing as balance. At least not in any permanent, rigid way. Balance is a constant wavering, a series of movements that take you backward and forward, left and right. Not falling down is balance. But when it comes to having a healthy blend of our professional and personal lives, most people I know feel like they’re missing some elusive golden key. Most of us keep falling down.

So I turned to a fellow coach and author of the book, Your Work, Your Life…Your Way: 7 Keys to Work-Life Balance, to provide us all with some insight into this elusive thing called work-life balance. Julie Cohen rocked this audio interview and you’re bound to find multiple valuable take-aways for your own life. Check it:

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If you’re interested in Julie’s book, you can find it at her website or on Amazon. You can also check her out on facebook. And like most people who are gaga for what they do, she’d love to have you contact her with any questions or thoughts at julie@7keystoworklifebalance.com!

* For those of you who don’t speak Spanish (or speak Ricky Martin), “la vida loca” means “the crazy life.”

Tags: career, goals, work-life balance
Posted in career, goals | No Comments »

Training v. Working Out

Written by Jennifer on 11th May 2010

I’ve been quizzing lots of people on what motivates them to do what it is that’s most important to them. How do they keep moving forward when they’re tired, afraid of failure or success, have laundry to do or people to stalk on facebook?

One of the most common themes is tied to goals and it just so happens that my friend Olivia, who is blogging about her experiences as she travels the world, wrote her latest post on staying motivated to be physically fit. She has this to say:

I need goals. I need to know what I’ve accomplished so I can either stop contentedly or push on for more. If I’m training for something, I can’t miss a workout; it would screw up my entire training schedule, which would drive me nuts.

Maybe it’s our culture’s lack of emphasis on self-discipline or over-emphasis on instant gratification; regardless, I don’t know too many people who find it easy to establish habits simply because it’s good for them. We do better with goals. (Note to self: find some kind of goal that can be tied to vacuuming.) Olivia will no doubt enjoy working out and discover that exercise is an end in and of itself (like vacuuming, right?). However, as she admits, without a training-related goal the chances of jump starting a fitness regiment decline significantly (hence my personal lack of vacuuming).

It doesn’t really matter what motivates you. But if you prefer to train rather than work out, set a goal. It may do just the trick!

Tags: goals
Posted in goals | 2 Comments »

To “Book” or not to “Book”?

Written by Jennifer on 15th April 2010

Okay, so it’s been some time since my promise that I’d share “more later” about the re-authoring of my life that occurred via my 30 day celebration series. It’s not for lack of trying. Or reflecting. Or believing. Or having good intentions.

It’s that it’s just too much!

I’ve sat down to write about the power of this exercise, about the way it changed me and the way I relate to specific events and individuals or the difference it’s made in the way I view myself and the lessons that I learned. And every blog-sized thing I write comes off as paltry. Cheap. Like the vise grips I’m using as shower fixtures instead of having the damn knobs replaced.

(See? Cheap.)

Which brings me to you for some feedback.

More than a few people have suggested that this series be folded into a book. I won’t say the idea didn’t also occur to me about half-way through. And if it were a book, I could not only expand and improve the existing material, but I could do the summation justice. I could take the space and time needed.

Some of you have followed me diligently through this process and I’d really like to know your honest opinion: would you want to see this in a book?

A. Yes. Put me on the pre-order list!

B. Sure. I’d read it if someone bought one for me.

C. I’d buy it because I’m your client/relative/friend, but I wouldn’t read it.

D. No thanks. This is better blog fodder than book fodder.

Thanks for your input! And now, back to regular blogging!

Tags: change, goals
Posted in celebration, goals | 8 Comments »

Day 27: Home Ownership (30th Birthday Countdown)

Written by Jennifer on 14th March 2010

As a countdown to my 30th birthday on March 18, I’ve committed to offering 30 people, things and experiences I want to celebrate from the last 30 years. Grab a piece of cake and enjoy reading!

You know how every kid imagines growing up, having a beautiful wedding and starting a family in a country home behind a white picket fence?

Yeah, me neither. A product of the 80s, I always imagined myself in power suits with shoulder pads and I entirely neglected to picture the living/partner/family arrangements.

Which is why I was TOTALLY surprised by how much I enjoy owning a home. Granted, it’s a West Philadelphia (born and raised) row, but it’s a really nice row in a really nice part of West Philly.

I guess I somehow assumed owning a home would feel like renting a home, just with a slightly increased sense of commitment and with the knowledge that the money paid each month is building equity. Rather cognitive, I know. I actually thought it might feel like a burden, what with my subtle commitment phobias.

Instead, it feels liberating. Joyful. I’m excited to pay the mortgage each month (which, by the way, is how I experience paying taxes in my business) – it feels like a blessing and like success! It also feels settled, in a really nice way. Not settled-stuck, just settled. Which is yet another thing to add to the list of I-didn’t-think-I’d-have-this-in-my-20s items.

Home ownership is one of the more recent experiences I’m celebrating from the first 30 years. As a matter of fact, we decided to put an offer on the house on the very day of my 29th birthday. I can still feel the excitement buzzing between me and Scott. In any event, it’s a biggie. It feels like one of the few rites of passages we have in this country and therefore played a significant role in ushering in what I alluded to at the start of this series – a new, truer form of adulthood.

Which I’m increasingly growing to like.