Tag Archives: Mompreneur

Tips: The power of a SMILE.

Posted on by

Relationships are important to me, I am a relational lady.  I am always looking for ways to improve my relationship with my children, my husband and business associates.

My most recent endeavor to improve relations is to smile.  I know, it is such a common thing and everyone knows that it is good to smile at others.  But, I have been noticing and feeling a downward trend in my own face.  I feel myself noticeably scowling with my outer lips drawn down.  I am not generally intending to frown or scowl, nor am I feeling down, but I still am wearing a frown.  This is not what I want my children to see!  This is not what I want my husband to see!

Who can resist a grin like this?

So, I am making a very conscious effort to smile.  Even if it is fake!  My husband can handle it, but I especially want my children to remember my face as happy, bright and smiling (at them!).  I admit, I have to practice smiling!  My husband looked at me the other day (with a sheepish smile on his face) and asked “What are you smiling about”.  “Oh, nothing”, I said, “I was just practicing”.  That’s how hard I am working at this.  And, I know that it is effective, my husband was smiling because he noticed my smile.  It may not be so easy with my kids, they notice everything and I have to really make the smiling a habit to have it make a lasting impression.

Smiling is powerful.

A dreamy smile can make your day.

The top marketing gurus recommend that you smile while making marketing calls.  A smile can be “heard”, it can be detected and will improve your reception and sales.  And of course, the smile is key for marketing in face to face or tradeshow settings.  Confidence, acceptance and assurance are portrayed through a simple smile.

I grew up hearing the advice that smiling is good for your face, it exercises more of the muscles that keep you looking younger.  Hey, I am all for that!

Those little emoticons and sideways smileys ;) that sprinkle our emails, posts, and tweets are the essence of the smile.  They are a little smile that we pass on, in hopes of adding a little joy to someone else’s day.

Happy Brothers

And the smile that we have for our children is priceless.  Such a small gesture… it can calm a broken heart, soothe an aching finger, warm a cold shoulder, soften a hard nose.  In my own heart, it shifts the frustration, calms the retribution, forgives a thousand little wrongs and gives me just the extra moment I need to reset my emotions to where they need to be.

And with my husband, a smile can go way, way, way far.  Misunderstandings are avoided by a little smile, love is shared, and adventures are planned – all in the twinkle of a smile.

Ice cream smile

So, put on those smiles…I will be practicing!

Tips: Go to the potty, brush your teeth, go to the potty….

Posted on by

Sometimes I think that being a mom is the perfect preparation for being in business.

As a mom to several (OK – many!) small children, I am constantly having to remind and recheck.  “Did you do this, did you do that?  “Go to the potty…go to the potty…go to the potty….”  Again and again and again I have to tell my children to do the basic things that they need to do and then I have to follow up and make sure that they do the things they know that they are supposed to do.

Normal toothbrush image is used courtesy of pdclipart.org

I have to say that I knew about this quirky little trait with children before I had my own, so I was not surprised when my children required the constant reminding and checking.Reminder hand

But, I was very surprised when I realized, after numerous incidents, that the business world works the same way!  I am still getting used to the level of “follow-up”, “follow-through”, “reminding” and “double checking” that is required to keep everything going forward.

Everyone gets busy and everyone has a different perspective on when and how things need to get done.  Not a bad perspective, just a different perspective!

With that in mind, my tip for anyone working on an idea…

Don’t assume the work is being done just like you planned – follow up, follow through, remind and double check!  And – be patient, someone is probably waiting for you too!

Note:  ”reminder-hand_benji_park_01″ is used courtesy of public-domian-photos.com; Normal toothbrush image is used courtesy of pdclipart.org

How I do it ALL: the mental part.

Posted on by

I would have to say that a big part of being able to “get it all done” has to do with the mentality to get it all done.

Disclosure: I do NOT get it ALL done!  I am not perfect and I do not get to half of the things that I would really like to do.  And sometimes, I am just keeping my head above water.  That has been the case for about the past year.  This last pregnancy was a toughy for me and my sweet little baby has been way more high maintenance than I am used to.  So, I have been in survival mode for some time now and am really looking forward to returning to my normal self!

There are several “givens” that I will also disclose.   Having 9 children and running a business is a LOT OF WORK, there is no way to glaze over that.  Mentally, I am resolved and accustomed to that fact – no surprises, it is just pure work on my part to keep everything functioning.  Accepted – period.  For most of the stuff around here, if I don’t do it myself, or effectively delegate it, it will not be done.  As much as I hope for little fairies to come, or as much as my hard-working husband shares the load, the general responsibility for moving things forward or just keep from going backwards, relies on me to keep working.

That is mental challenge number one that I have accepted and therefore enabled myself to get it all done.  I am not waiting for someone else to do it (most of the time!).

Another major mental portion of “getting it all done” is to dream big.  Sometimes I have to totally convince myself that I CAN do it, I am capable and I will survive!  My faith is a huge source and support of my “big dreams”   I know the One that created me, and I trust that He knows exactly what I am capable of doing.  It’s like having access to the One who holds the key to Everything! With that in mind, I am not afraid to dream big and work towards those goals.

Overcoming fear is another big mental challenge.  Ugh, as much as I hate to fail and fear the results of failure, I know that I have to press past that “fear of failure” in order to move forward.  I have heard it said that success is built upon failures, and if that is true…I am really successful!

Along with acknowledgement that failure is inevitable and actually “good” for success, is the mental willingness to try.  Without being perfect, without knowing the results, and without a plan…sometimes you just have to try.  See what happens!  Be willing to take a risk.  With business, I do this everyday.  With the kids, I am not always risky (safety is a big deal to me), but I am willing to try new things with the kids.  With some planning, I might try taking them all to a museum by myself – knowing that we might have to turn right around and come home if it isn’t working out.  If it is a “dream” of mine, I will be more prone to giving it a try.  My willingness to try is driven by my desire to succeed, which is driven by my dream (which is usually something I really want to do!).

Sunset from the mountain over Herradura

A good example of how this tends to work out with the family was a trip we took.  We went to Costa Rica on a vacation with  6 children ages 6 and under!  Crazy, but I wanted badly to go and I didn’t want to leave the kids.  Dave had a meeting in Costa Rica to attend, and there were just toooo many interesting things down there that I wanted the children and I to experience.  So, I carefully planned,  packed for a month, and off we went!  We all had a great time and I will never forget trekking and zip-lining through the rain forest, watching a volcano erupt, getting up close and personal with a sloth, tarantula, alligator and macaws, and black sand in little pink bathing suits!  And…the most beautiful sunset over the ocean from the side of a mountain – all with the people most special to me!   Of course, we also had our indispensible Gripsterz stay-along; I am not sure that I would have had the confidence to brave even the airport if we didn’t have that with us!

Gripsterz at San Jose Airport

Self-motivation and self-discipline are also key factors that bridge the gap of the mental and the practical capacity to “get it all done”.  It is one thing to have the mental capacity, but one must also have the practical elements that make it possible to engage the mental elements.

I will save the practical elements that I employ on a daily basis for a future blog…but, just a hint – coffee is a one key!

Our family in the Cloud Forest

Tips, Recommendations, & Reviews…Grasshopper

Posted on by

How I Do…It All??!!

Posted on by

This is definitely the most frequent question that I get, besides “Are they all yours?”.

There are lots and lots of different ways that I get things done and those ways change almost daily. I guess that the biggest factor in being able to “do it all” is having the motivation.Juggle expenses is used courtesy of pdclipart.org

Part of me wants to get really philosophical here and evaluate the whole psyche of mental motivation, but I think I had better stick to the basics of getting things done. Let’s just keep in mind that I am a personally motivated person and I stay well connected to my Creator and He helps me live and be my fullest potential.

Now, back to the basics of getting it all done…here are some of my methods.

  • I watch very little TV. That gives me an average of 2-3 more hours to get things done.
  • I tolerate sleep deprivation fairly well, meaning that I can stay up late (working) and still function the next day – with the help of coffee.
  • I drink coffee, even if I haven’t stayed up late…I really like it.
  • I am not obsessive about everything being perfect, even though I would like for things to be perfect, I can live with imperfect and move on.
  • I can also tolerate disappointment and still move on. Getting past the fear of failure is a huge deal.
  • Homeschooling does not require as much time as one would assume (with the exception of the fact that homeschooling itself is like teaching 24/7). I can even squeeze in some work while sitting with the kids.
  • I try not to get caught in wasting time, if I am too mentally tired to do some things, I will switch to something mindless, like housework.
  • I get a sitter for meetings or when I have a push to get lots of things done.
  • I like what I am doing, love the kids, being a wife & mom, and starting a business. All are very, very challenging (can’t seem to do anything simply!) and very fulfilling.
  • I take each season as it comes to me and adjust our lives accordingly…in other words I stay flexible and am able to change.
  • Dinners, for example, during busier times I fix very simple & easy dinners. I try to make a nicer dinner at least 2 times a week.
  • This is really hard, but – I try not to get overly concerned about what others are thinking of me. I just do what I am capable of, what I like to do and what is good for our family.
  • I like to try new things and dream big. This is very motivating.
  • I let things go. If I just can’t get something done…I let it go and move on. I know that I will not do everything just as it should be, so I try my best and let the rest go.
  • I try hard to align myself with my husband’s dreams and goals. We work much better as a team.

Really, it’s a lot of hard work. Just having 9 children is a lot of work, and adding the business part makes it a lot more work. So, I just have to “get ‘er done” and that is what I tend to do. I stay up late or get up really early. When I am tired, I keep going – even if it isn’t pretty! We all have a huge capacity to do great things, we just have to get past ourselves and keep moving.

Note:  Juggle expenses is used courtesy of pdclipart.org