Except for the cute little munchkins, the yellow brick road scares the ruby slippers off me. First, you’ve got the danger of flying monkeys and wild animals dressed up like lions and tigers and bears (go ahead and say it…oh my) lurking about. Then you have the whole problem of footwear-obsessed witches to deal with. Plus, the talking trees freak me out. No thanks. I’ll just hang out here with the munchkins and wait for that whole vindictive witch-problem to blow over.

Sounds a lot like starting a business right? Sure, your business might be trying to kill you (thank you, Jeff Jochum). You can bet you’ll run into a few hurdles along the way (not enough money, not enough time, not enough quality gear, etc.). And Oz-forbid, you might even run into a few colleagues…er, trees who chuck apples at your head. The yellow brick road, heck – every kind of road – is full of reasons to quit or not even try in the first place…especially when life is swirling around you.

That’s exactly where it’s wise to seek the counsel of people who know a lot more than you do; especially if you’ve got an inner voice chasing you on a broomstick and cackling about how you don’t have the brains, heart or courage to run a business.  Through my journey with SOAR! this year, I’ve been relying on my business coaches to help me navigate some twisty turns in the road.

Setting (and exceeding!) my income target was huge for me half-way through the year, although I had moments of wishing if I only had a brain.  Finding a visual way to depict where I am versus where I want to be required me to reconcile my head and my heart. More importantly, I have created action from that tool. And I didn’t blog about this, but another important realization for me came in a coaching session with Karen when she asked me to list my ten best strengths. I couldn’t get to three. My list has grown considerably since then and it’s something I refer to before every shoot. Just for some extra courage.

There is no great wizard to grant my wishes; no smoke and mirrors; no pink bubble with a ditzy witch inside who delivers cryptic messages for success. Here’s how I’m doing it:  I’m setting a few, small, achievable goals to keep me on track. When I meet those small goals, I set new ones. And when I stack up all those goals at the end of the year, I look down from the top of my goal heap to celebrate how far I’ve climbed…in my ruby slippers no less.

As it turns out, that ditzy witch in the floating bubble was right: I had the power to SOAR inside me all along.

~Ali

It seems the time has come for another season of change. Two thousand eleven is almost gone as quickly as it arrived. Fortunately, it is not leaving without a lot of growth and some wonderful changes in my life for sure as well as many others. It seems like yesterday Genie was knocking on my door with this amazing gift from SOAR and Me Ra Koh to be one of this past years recipients. And now it is time for this little bird to leave the nest. The beauty of this is I am leaving with a set of wings that have been nurtured and nudged, ruffled and brushed, and prepared to take this flight. Not surprisingly, I felt this post of Karen’s was so fitting for our last business coaching exercise going into the next year. So without further delay, here is my assessment of my journey this year. It was somewhat like pregnancy with all of it’s amazingness, beauty, aches & pains to spring forth new life.

There were several goals that were important to me this year. Coming into this as a mom, like many, who had stumbled into my passion of creating images through photography as well as finding a new sense of self, I was not quite sure how to bridge the gap between the old way of doing things and the new “photography business” way. It was important for me to figure out how to merge these two worlds which up until then, only appeared to be colliding. Of course, making some additional income that I generated with this baby was also a definite goal. I also wanted to push myself to become more visible as a “photographer” and get my images hanging somewhere public. As of today, I can say that I have done those things. I am also extremely proud of myself now that when life throws me curve balls, as this year has done several times already, my method for handling them has changed. I have learned to “flow”. I am happy about meeting my financial goal for sure, but the life & business lessons have proven to be things that I can and do use daily regardless of what follows next. It will also be helpful if I could get a handle on using social media more effectively along with being more consistent blogging on my own blog.

The milestone for me was taking myself out of my self imposed box and setting my own expectations. In other words, keeping with the integrity of shooting what I love because I love it and for no other reason, trusting that from that, everything else will flow. It was a big moment for me hearing people inquire about me doing sessions for them simply because they appreciated my work that they had seen. It felt nice and right, kinda like your favorite pair of nicely worn leather shoes.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that taking my memory cards out of my camera and putting them into my computer would be prefaced with tons of praying, a piece of chocolate, a glass of wine, some finger crossing and a great deal of hope only to be pleasantly surprised with the results. Doing this time and time again really aided my confidence in being able to capture what I had set out to do. Did I mention that I loved business coaching? The insight of these women was amazing. It was definitely what I needed.

The change that I made this year was to focus on who I was in relation to this business and what I wanted it to be in relationship to me. I learned to put things into order without guilt. I also learned that my lens and my business are simply an extension of me. Because of that, I am the only one who can dictate what that looks like or the timelines that I choose to set for future goals.

As for my biggest, boldest dream for 2012, I want to continue to create images that I am proud of and others love which reflect the beauty of life in all is imperfect moments. I plan to continue to grow this business that I have begun to be wildly successful. Maybe my children might want to be a part of it one day. This will take time, but it’s a part of the dream. I want to encourage young people to dream and look for the intricacies in life. I would love to have a show in a gallery. There are a few issues that are dear to my heart and I hope to create a few personal projects that are worthy of a showing. After this year, the road only goes one way…forward. Follow me on my blog to see where this journey leads me.

Oh. My. Word. Is it really the last biz coaching blog of the year? Didn’t I just attend Me Ra’s workshop like last week? It certainly feels that way. Let me first answer the questions Karen posed to us…

Looking back….

What were my goals? What did I accomplish? What remains?
My big goal for the year was my financial goal. I started this year off not knowing a single thing about shooting in manual, how to take great pictures, or anything to do with business. By July I had met my financial goal!! Hooty-hoo!!! I won’t lie….I”m pretty proud of myself! Just last month Fay and I set a new goal-4 family shoots (mini sessions) by the end of the year. Guess what folks…..3 down, 1 to go! And because of it, I have doubled that financial goal. Now that, I am super proud of!

THE milestone….
This is an easy one…..About 3 weeks ago I did a military homecoming shoot. On my way home I received an email from a gal who I didn’t even know. She said that the gal who I had done the homecoming pictures for highly recommended me and she wanted to book me for her homecoming pictures! Then…..I did a trade with a friend of mine who sells jewelry-I gave her a gift certificate for a print when someone books a session with me, and she gave me earrings that I had been eyeing from her collection. I attended the jewelry party and got to present the gift cert. A gal at the party who I just met that evening called me the next day and booked a boudoir session. What! What! So the turning point would be having two gals I didn’t know book me-one from a gift cert and one from a referral. This was the first time it had happened and it felt AWESOME!!!

Risks
I was really nervous to start an actual business and move from the portfolio stage to the charging stage. This meant that I had to tell my friends that-yes I’d love to take your pictures, but it’s gonna cost you (in a nice way of course!). I felt great when I took some 1 year old portraits and my friends handed over a check. That gave me the confidence to put myself out there and tell people that “I’m a photographer”.
What took me off track…..ummm…the whole moving across the country. On one hand it put my business at a stand still. On the other hand it was great for my business. I came in to a new place and could go right into my full prices, and not have to explain why my prices had gone up from the portfolio building stage. So it was a setback that actually gave me a leap forward.

Changes and the effects
I think the biggest change for me was re-pricing myself after my move. Now I know that people, especially friends, are booking me not because I’ve got low prices but because they think I’m worth it (and they’re right!). The effect…..clients who are fun(super fun actually) to work with and more confidence for me!

Looking forward…..
Biggest Boldest Dream for 2012
Honestly, it’s making a difference. I know, kind of cheesy. It could be something as small as capturing the first moment a dad meets his baby after being deployed or as big as capturing a birth while the father is deployed. Any moments that are special to my clients are special to me. If I can capture those moments for them, then I will have made a difference in their lives.

What do I need to accomplish this?
I need to be myself. If I’m myself, clients will enjoy working with me and they’ll refer their friends to me. Then the special moments will come with the awesome clients.

Support System
Hmmm…..definitely my husband (though he’s already at the top). A few close friends…so they can give me honest feedback and listen when I need to vent or when I’m proud and know me well enough to know I’m not gloating. And last….babysitters. Since my hubby is gone a lot I will definitely need good babysitters to take care of my kiddos and so I do not have to worry about them.

Ok, now that’s done. Phew-that was a lot to think about. It was great to think of all that stuff though. It made me realize that I really have used this scholarship to the best of my ability. I have taken in all the information and put it to good use and I think it shows.

Thanks, Karen, for all the business coaching blogs. They made me cringe at times, but they were oh so worth it-every one of them.

Now you gals (and guys), how did your year turn out? Share some tidbits with me in the comments.

Smile and Go For It!

Rachel

Happy Monday with the SOAR! Business Coaching Blog.

Wow, how did it get to be November already? Don’t we still have the last quarter of the year to get everything done? I Wish. It is time to wrap this year and prepare for a fast approaching 2012.

When I was re-growing my businesses (The Wisdom Connection AND Communicore Consulting - am I crazy or what??)  after mostly staying home with my babies for a couple of years, I spent the first year floundering, feeling ineffective and getting down on myself. At the end of that year I asked for help from a business coach (yes, we do get our own coaching! J) She sat me down to summarize my year and lo and behold I’d accomplished more than I’d guessed!

No matter what level of business you have, it’s time to do the same for your year. If you don’t take stock at the end of the year you miss out! It’s really important to celebrate and objectively assess what you did do or you’ll repeat mistakes, restrict creative ideas and turn down the shine of your confidence.

To succeed in 2012 you need a plan of action and a commitment to follow through that includes lots of connection and support like SOAR! That’s how you’ll stay on the road and make it through the rough spots. Sometimes it’s tough if you are isolated or don’t feel supported. You might grow discouraged, deciding the goal you’ve set is too much or letting daily demands fritter your energy away. (Can anyone relate!

Get in the driver’s seat by summarizing what happened in 2011 and starting to think about 2012 by answering these questions in your journal or with a Wisdom Partner (a colleague you trust to help you grow).

What have you learned, overcome and celebrated this year?

1. What were your goals for the year? What did you accomplish? What remains to be done?
2. What do you consider THE milestone or turning point of your year? Celebrate!
3. As you look back at each risk you took:
   • What helped you feel stronger and more capable?
   • What took you off track or diminished your capacity?
   • What support really worked for you?
4. What change in approach to your photography work or business did you decide to make this year? What was the result? (i.e., built one part of the business more than another, re-priced your offerings)

Looking ahead into 2012:

1. What is your biggest boldest dream for 2012?
2. Who or how do you need to be to achieve this? (e.g. outrageously creative, steady and persistent, a woman of integrity, etc.
3. What support system do you need to put in place? Who is included and what support do you want to ask of them?

You’ll also want to close out your books by summarizing your income and expenses. Were you profitable? Did you lose money? Where? Once you know what is so, you’ll start the New Year with a realistic picture of where to put your time, attention, and resources. Don’t forget to develop a wise system for keeping yourself on track. (4 rules for focusing your self-accountability on my blog today.)

This year – give yourself what you need! Who knows! You might even make it onto the racetrack and come in with flying colors across the finish line.

This is an area I’m not great at, but getting better. Without further delay, I present to you – Winning Clients: a play in three parts.

~ Ali

Imagine being in one of those old western movies where the train is pulling out of the station as you roll in and before you can get to the car that your assigned seat was in it starts to pick up momentum. You stop and scream hoping that the conductor hears you because if he does, surely he is going to stop the train so you can board settle into your seat and roll off into the sunset. Instead, the wheels keep rolling all the while you notice them going faster and faster. At that moment you must make a decision to turn and walk away sighing in defeat or run like you’re being chased by pitbull and jump into the closet car you can land in hoping to do so on your feet but willing to get in by whatever means necessary. This run feels like you are running for your life. But little do you know, you land up in the dinner car where there is an empty seat with a glass of wine with a hot meal waiting just for you to sip and inhale the reward of your persistence.

This is what I equate this weeks business coaching topic by Karen Buckley to. Karen shares with us tips on Finding, Securing and Maintaining Clients in this post and boy is it chock full o nuts. For may of us, the creative process is the easy part. The “shameless pimping & self promotion” well that is a different animal. When teaching my kids I always talk about the basics. Karen reminds us of the very same thing. As I continue to grab hold of the fact that there is no shame in “self promotion” talking up my business will just continue to get easier and easier.

“Use a rating continuum: Ready, Almost Ready, Someday, and Not Likely. Focus 80% of your attention on the Ready and Almost Ready.” Karen Buckley. This was great easy, simple and to the point. I can do that. Don’t make “no” into a never and use social media. Check, check & check. Marketing ramp up in full force. Move…move…move because action creates reaction and stillness results in stagnancy or death of any business. During this process however, as I have recently found, know matter how much you plan sometimes unplanned things in life arise and you simply must give yourself the freedom to re access, refocus, and regroup. Finally, seeking wise council can never hurt in any planning an implementation process.

So I have an idea of the direction that I want to go. As I proceed fine tuning and seeking my ideal target market, a bit of overspray can’t hurt. Along with the marketing ideas I am currently working on after reading this article I am challenging myself to fill my book with ideas, set some dates and implement them at a reqular schedule that feels uncomfortable. Yes, I did say uncomfortable. I have been sitting in “perceived comfort” way to long.

Finally I will try to always make it a point to use “the power of Ask” as my kids call it. Who knows, the responses may surprise me. Here are a few images from past sessions because a photoblog just wouldn’t be right without some photos.

Click on over to the forum and chat with us. How are you doing with this step?

Have you read this month’s business blog from Karen? OH. MY. WORD. By far the hardest part of starting a business. It’s something we all think about, and I don’t know about you, but I stress about it! Marketing and Closing the Deal.

This is something I am struggling with right now. I moved to California about 2 1/2 months ago. Though I am settled, Lilly is in school, I found a gym (of course!), and I have made friends; the one thing that hasn’t settled in is my business. In Virginia, I was just starting to get the momentum going. Friends were referring me and people were contacting me and I because of it I reach my financial goal for the year (Whoop!). Now I’m in a new place and the momentum has stopped.  I have been chatting up my new friends, as have my gals from Virginia who are here with me; but no one has taken a bite yet. But….I am taking (baby) steps in the right direction.

Talking myself up to friends
I am taking an ad out in our spouses’ directory that comes out in early November
Placing ads on my local yard sale website
Donating a session to our unit holiday party

I went to see some photographers speak one evening in DC. It was there I met Zach and Jody Gray. They talked to us about how they attract clients and how they “seal the deal”. They shared their tips and one really stuck with me (and I can’t wait to use it-hopefully soon): At the end of the meeting with their potential clients they ask “Is that something you are interested in?” How simple is that?! If the client hesitates they ask “What is your hesitation?” Brilliantly simple. Then they figure out how to accommodate the client’s concerns and adapt/give a little offer of something extra to earn that person as a client. Sometimes the simplest things work the best.

Though I am struggling with attracting clients in my new neck of the woods, I am keeping on keepin’ on. I can’t wait for my ads to come out. I’ll keep you posted here and on the forum on what comes out of it and when (not if) I get my first client from it!

Do you have some tips or ticks to share? Leave ‘em in the comments!

Smile and Go For It!

Rachel

PS…..Because I couldn’t leave you without some pictures…..here’s some from the beach a couple of weeks ago and a kids gummy bear run.

Hello on the first Monday of the month. It’s time for the business coaching blog – this time its all about building your client base.

Do you offer a great product and give excellent customer service but you are stumped on locating clients who can afford your services?

Once you are in conversation with them, do you know how to “close the deal” – take them over the line into a signed agreement?

And then, do you keep them coming back for more – approaching you again and again, referring you to friends, neighbors, business colleagues?

This is a tough stumbling block for many small business owners that I coach in The Wisdom Connection. While I list a couple of great tips here that work – the bottom line is that you have to do this and more, each and every workday to build your client base and a reputation that gets you into momentum.

I know you know the basics: get your name out – both in your community through ads, school auctions or shows and by building your on-line presence through blogging, guest blogging and social media. In empowering businesswomen to grow their businesses, I repeat the following motto over and over: Go Slow to Go Fast. It feels slow to take all these steps! But, over time, the momentum will start to grow.

Here are a few ideas for finding and securing  clients. I’ll continue with more ideas and a section on Maintaining clients in my personal blog. Let’s take your businesses to a whole new level this fall!

Finding Clients:

1. Generate interest in your product or service. My basic rule of thumb? It takes 3 years of consistent work to get from start-up to real momentum. (Remember the business stages in the 2010 February business coaching blog?) Once the basics are in place (financial systems, equipment, website, etc) then you enter the phase where it’s 10 in for every 1 out (10 times for effort than reward). This is when most small business owners quit. Keep going! Concentrate your efforts on both Push and Pull. Push out information while you simultaneously pull new and returning clients towards you with invitations, opportunities, and a sense of fun/competency/adventure, etc.
2. Qualify prospects. Focus your efforts on those who are ready for you. The process is called a pipeline – like a funnel that starts broad and narrows down to focus on those who are ready for you. Make a spreadsheet or a hand written list. Use a rating continuum: Ready, Almost Ready, Someday, and Not Likely. Focus 80% of your attention on the Ready and Almost Ready. Cultivate the other two over time and watch for when they shift into the next category. Keep up your list and be creative to keep filling that pipeline!
3. Maintain contact. Too often small business owners take the first “no” as a final “no”. Touch base, inquire how they are, wish them happy holidays, send an interesting article or other tidbits to build relationship and readiness. Do all of this without “selling” but when they do indicate interest – move to the next step without delay.

Securing Qualified Clients:

1. Assess what they really need and want.  Ask caring yet insightful questions. I lost a large early consulting client because my colleague asked them questions about what they needed and wanted in the interview and I told them all about me and why I was qualified to help them. By the end of the one-hour interview they knew all about me and he knew all about them. They felt like he was already working with them so it was an easy slide into contracting.
2. Show them how you can deliver what they need and want. Emphasize the benefits (not the features) of your work. Benefits are what they will receive, gain and experience. Features are the what – the technical, professional qualities you bring. Send them a sample, invite them to ask you for more. Refer them to a satisfied client. Collect testimonials at the end of each sale and have them on your website and on the tip of your tongue. When you speak the words someone else used to describe your value it speaks louder than anything.
3. Ask for the sale and close the deal. I can’t tell you how many small businesswomen don’t ask for the sale. Ask! “Shall we set a date?” “Do you want the full family or mostly the kids to start?” “Are you ready to complete our agreement today? I’d love to help you start finding those matching shirts for the whole family.” If they say no or not yet, find out why and identify a next step. “Great, that makes sense to wait until you talk with your husband. Shall we talk again next week?”

It’s hard not to take this personally – given that we are our business and the success of our business can feel like it reflects our personal worth. It sets up a tough inner dialogue that might sound like: “No clients call – I’m no good. Clients call – I am good.” Let it go and bring your focus and dedication back to the business.

If you lose confidence and stop or submerge yourself in the “safer” artistic process of photography? It is hard for new clients to find you! One of my mentors, Jack Canfield of the Chicken Soup books, taught me through a story about his rise to success as an author. He and his partner collected every idea possible to get the book known. They posted each idea – covering the walls of his office with post-its. Each day they challenged themselves to take at least three actions for six months. Sometimes they did 6 radio shows in one day! It worked. Their first Chicken Soup book ended up #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List!!

Identify many actions to take, make a list, and steady but sure take at least one step each workday. Just keep at it! Remember my motto: Go Slow to Go Fast and you’ll get into real momentum. More information on building and maintaining your client base is on my personal blog today.

I’d love to know what works for you! How do you keep on keeping on? Do you have a favorite way that works to build your client base? Teach us all! Come on over to the SOAR! Forum

With great joy, Karen
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Inspiring Telecall October 18th at 12:00 PT/ 3:00 ET – I’ll be in dialogue with Devaa Haley Mitchell – the founder of the Inspiring Women’s Summit in our “Feminine Wisdom and Leadership Shaping a New World” series. Devaa is the co-founder of Shift Network and host of the Inspiring Women Summit, a virtual gathering of more than 55,000 women from 160 countries! In this free telecall we’ll discuss the awakening of feminine  wisdom and how we can apply it each and every day.

Next Octave Women’s Leadership Program - a six  month program that turns your life around and gets your business on fire. Would you like to learn more? Join me on our next Q & A Tuesday, October 18th at 9:30 PT/12:30 ET. Sign up here.

The name of the game this week is reflection. And speaking of games, The Most Fabulous Wendy Z has posed some questions that got me thinking about the time I died of dysentery. Read on.

Q: In February we blogged about “What is So”.  Let’s revisit this and tell us “What is So” today in your life and what did you do to get there if it was a change for you.  How does this “What is So” differ from the one in February?

A: What Is So for Ali is not the same. It’s gotten better and yet, more complicated at the same time. Let’s say you have a mild Scrabble problem (not that I do, but if I did I certainly wouldn’t sneak off to play it while Brian is giving the kids a bath). You have a rack full of high-value letters. The potential is there to score big with a well-placed X or Q…you just have to find a vowel. In the same way, I feel like I have a lot of valuable skills. I just need to find how to best play them.

Q: Is there a business goal looming out on the horizon that you just can’t “jump” to?  What is your obstacle?

A: I always liked playing Monopoly as a kid, but I felt more comfortable hanging around Baltic Avenue than I did the high-rent neighborhoods of Park Place and Boardwalk. I have the same challenge in my business as I think about taking my pricing structure to the next level.

Q: As we get into the second half of the year, school has started again, sports are taking up more of our time than we anticipated, so it is good to reevaluate why we got on this “rollercoaster” in the first place.  Please share with us why you would like to start a photography business.

A: Fashion Plates. Sure, everybody had them and could even make some decent 70′s sartorial chic with them. But not everybody can make the combination of high-waisted jeans paired with a tennis racket and a wide-brimmed hat look like the height of fashion. I have a photography business for the same reason that I loved Fashion Plates: I love creating beautiful things.

Q: With many thoughts going into starting and maintaining a photography business, what do you know is going to be one of your weaknesses and what are you going to do to improve that?

A:  It’s like when you’re playing Oregon Trail on your Apple II. Winning the game is all about resource management – do it well and the frontier is yours. It’s a weakness of mine to become overwhelmed with choices. I become paralyzed with details and before I know it, I can’t decide if I should shoot a bison or a rabbit. In the same way, a photography business can present an overwhelming collection of choices. The best thing I can do is surround myself with people, tools and resources to maximize my strengths. It’s either that or I die of dysentery.

~Ali

How often have you found yourself looking at all the cute school clothes in the department stores and wonder, is it that time yet? Where did the summer go. Or how about when Christmas rolls around and you think…oh crap, not yet…I still have not done all my shopping! At which point the sentiment usually becomes, we will have everything we are supposed to have on Christmas morning. Well, we are at that point in the Soar year. We are in the Christmas eve part of our year, just anticipating that beautiful morning where we celebrate, love and rejoice in all the blessings that were afforded to us during the previous year. This week we were asked to share some reflections in a Q & A so here are mine.

1.  In February we blogged about “What is So“.  Let’s revisit this and really briefly tell us “What is So” today in your life and what did you do to get there if it was a change for you.  or how does this “What is So” differ from the one in February?  “What is So…Halfway” 

What Is So for me is still much the same as I listed in my prior post with some key additions. I now have an additional support network of a growing group of talented women who also know the ups and downs of starting a new business in a continuously growing industry. I have been challenged, pushed, and encouraged in a way that I needed to dig really deep within to whittle away the extraneous noise from my life. This created space so I could grab hold of the “me” and the “why” I chose to get into this industry. I also have the confidence that I can get in my camera, the moment I am trying to freeze or the art that I am trying to create in through my lens. While I still definitely have nervous moments when I put that card into my reader, I am now almost always blown away with happiness versus apprehension of what I see. Add to that a better understanding of how to structure my business in a manner which fit the priorities in my life and I can actually see how they can cohesively work together. When you incorporate all of the wonderful advice, tools, workshops and relationships with other more experienced industry professionals from this past year, the deck is definitely stacked in my favor to achieve whatever my mind is set to. I see the challenges and am confident knowing that whatever happens I am free to reposition and restructure as necessary. That is the freedom that I have learned to give myself this year.

2.  In a business sense, What are you most proud of so far this year?
 This year in addition to all the deeper foundational work we have done including our sessions and business building activities, I did two local art shows where I showcased my images at a venue with some other artists which included musicians and poets. We had a theme from which we created images to frame and display. It was something that I have never done before and found it to be a valuable experience. I plan to do it again before this year is over.

3.  As we get into the second half of the year, school has started again, sports are taking up more of our time than we anticipated so I think it is good to relive why we got on this “rollercoaster” in the first place.  Please share with us why you would like to start a photography business. 
 For me, photography is more than just an image. It is a history, a story ,a memory…a frozen moment but most importantly an art form. It is an extension of ones visual creativity. Some people paint with charcoal, some use water color. I like photographys. It is a way to allow ones own life to come from the darkness of the closet or memory card or storage box and become the art on their walls. It is affords me an opportunity to commemorate the beauty of life that God has put on this place we call Earth. I see the evidence of life all around me. It is in the perfect and not so perfect. Being able to show my children that we should not ignore the gifts that we’ve been given so that we may live, love and enjoy life while doing it makes it all worthwhile. Once we follow our divine purposes which will allow us to be at peace with the lives we live, then we can be a true blessing to others through the illumination of our own lights.

How is your year going so far? I would love to know if you have had any “shifts” since your original “What is So” assessment.