Smart Women Practice Quality Not Quantity

by Joy Chudacoff

Last weekend, I spent the day alone with my 7 year old daughter Jenna and it was grand. We went shopping, had lunch together and enjoyed a great afternoon. I felt a much stronger bond with her when the day ended. This got me thinking about how it’s the quality of the time you spend and not the quantity that matters in every area of your life.

Let’s face it, women have very busy, demanding lives. We are mothers, wives, partners, daughters, siblings, friends, community activists, employees and business owners. There are times when quantity is all I have to give because my plate is overflowing with “to-do’s. I’m there physically but not present in the moment. I’m busy “doing” rather than “being” because I’m thinking about so many things at once. Can you relate?

Last weekend, I was reminded that it’s about quality time and being present for the important parts of our lives. As I reflect on my special time with Jenna, I realize that this can be carried over to every aspect of my life. I can apply this thinking to my self-care, my relationships and my business.

Here are a few quick tips on how you can bring more quality time into your self-care, relationships and business:

1. Your Self-Care – This is typically the last thing on your list—right? Sometimes, when I talk about nurturing yourself first, I get these weird looks from women as if I’m some sort of an alien. It’s not natural for women to put themselves before others. We are nurturers by nature, however it’s essential that you give yourself quality time so that you can recharge your own battery. By the way, I didn’t truly understand this concept until after the age of 40. Getting a massage, practicing solitude or taking a bubble bath are great ways to nurture yourself.

2. Your Relationships – Spending quality time is so much more important than the quantity of time we spend with our family and friends. I find that an afternoon or evening with one of my children or husband where I’m truly present is worth more than spending an entire weekend while being distracted by life’s twists and turns. Schedule some “special” time with those you love. It will create a stronger bond and you’ll walk away feeling much more connected.

3. Your Business – If you aren’t careful, you can find yourself working “in” your business rather than “on” your business. It’s easy to get caught up in all the emails, social media and busy work that is part of running a business. Every week I have a meeting with myself and get very present about the direction of my business and goals. I’m checking- in to make sure that the steps I’m taking daily, weekly and monthly are in alignment with where I want to go. It is only then that I can communicate effectively to my team about the vision of Smart Women Smart Solutions®.

I have the opportunity to work with some amazing smart women. They are women with Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals which means they are leading very full lives.

Sometimes the feeling of guilt can creep in when they are on the journey to getting what they want and deserve in life. I invite you to schedule in some quality time for own self-care, your cherished relationships and your business goals.

Having this realization that it’s about quality time not quantity time sure makes me feel a lot better about all of the roles I play in my life. It can for you too.

*****
© 2010 Joy Chudacoff

Joy Chudacoff, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at http://www.CreatingTheSpark.com.

Rachel Moheban on Women Entrepreneurs Radio™

Rachel Moheban gleaned two things from her life and those around her—a curiosity for the way people related to each other and a discovery of the self-healing power of the mind.

This inquisitiveness inspired her to pursue a Masters Degree in Social Work from New York University. It was not long before Rachel’s gift for providing humanistic therapy made her one of the most sought after psychotherapists in New York City.

What these fortunate clients experience is a warm, dynamic exchange between client and therapist. Rachel removes her clients’ trepidations with engaging interaction that arrives at the heart of their problems and unearths their unfulfilled dreams. Non-judgmental feedback and individualized psycho-dynamic techniques empower clients to conquer anxiety disorders and depression. Individual therapy is not the only thing driving Rachel’s thriving therapy practice. Top law firms, advertising firms, banks and nonprofit organizations request Rachel Moheban’s corporate counseling services. Even with this success, Rachel’s experiences as a couples therapist and her growing clientele of dating, married and same sex couples prompted the development of her next service.

Over twelve years, Rachel began to notice couples—whether they were dating, married or same sex partners—were missing a key ingredient to creating and sustaining rewarding relationships. She realized couples needed psycho-educational program to address common relationship issues such as communication problems, physical intimacy, anger and money before they arise. The psychotherapist saw the thick wall of resentment stacked between couples that waited too late to seek relationship therapy.

Couples and singles needed proactive relationship coaching that provided psycho-education, skills and techniques to complement therapy. They needed a safe place to get to the root of their problems and transform their relationships while learning from others in the comfort of their own homes. They needed The Relationship Suite.

Rachel developed:
The Ultimate Relationship Resolution Program,
Put the joy back into your relationship.
Resolve life challenges with more peace, and love more deeply.

This technologically advanced relationship program that accelerates therapy by addressing the four underlying issues that trigger common arguments that plague every couple.

She did not stop at The Ultimate Relationship Resolution Program. In addition, to transforming couples’ relationships and lives Rachel also provides coaching for singles. She helps singles drive past insecurities and counterproductive habits—barriers standing in the way of the love and live of their dreams. With new found social and dating skills, they can enter dating scene with confidence.

While Rachel’s extensive education and training merit a trip to The Relationship Suite, the true testaments to the success of her therapy practice and coaching programs are the richer, more fulfilling lives of her satisfied clients. www.therelationshipsuite.com


(Archived show originally broadcast in July 2010)

Entrepreneur Stories: How I Got Started as an Entrepreneur

by Vanessa Torres

I never thought I'd be an entrepreneur. It wasn't something I dreamed of or studied for. It just kind of happened.

About a year ago my fiancé decided that marrying me was not the best choice for him and so he left me five days before our wedding. In a span of six months my whole life changed. I was single again for the first time in eight years. I had to find a new place to live. I had to leave my two dogs behind with the Ex, who kept the house. I had a surgical procedure looming that I was supposed to assume would take me out of commission for at least eight weeks. A routine doctor visit turned up another, completely unrelated, fairly serious diagnosis.

And then suddenly, my job was "eliminated."

I was so devastated by all that I was already dealing with, that I could barely feel the panic of losing my job. It was actually kind of a relief to not have to "fake it" through the day anymore. My job had gotten increasingly unsatisfying, and with the joint battle of having to diffuse the overwhelming pity everyone felt for me, I was exhausted. There is some adage I can't remember exactly about not being able to panic about multiple things at the same time. I can now attest to its veracity. There is only so much the brain and body can take, and the job loss was last on the list. After all, that was just about money; I found the personal affronts far more devastating.

After a few weeks of taking some downtime and filing for unemployment I started thinking about what my next steps would be. There was a little voice in my head telling me to use my experience as a springboard. Instead of trying to pretend like none of this had ever happened, I thought about exposing it further – the opposite of what the old me would have done. The idea for www.ThatHappenedtoMe.com came fast and stuck. At one point I decided not to ignore it anymore, but to grow something positive out of the seed that had been planted. I asked a friend and former colleague to help me build a website. I asked my friends to give me their honest opinions and strangers to share their stories with me. I started reading blogs written by other women. I started going to therapy to see if there was anything about myself that I had been "missing" all these years. But, most importantly, I joined two national women's networking groups.

The amount of support I've received from those women is the sole reason for my successes to date. Without their help (this site's Deborah Bailey included) I would never be this far along in achieving my goals. Asking for support has been my greatest marketing tool. Instead of assuming that everybody was too busy with their own lives/businesses/families to answer my silly, 101 questions, I just threw it out there and hoped for the best. The responses I got were incredible; these women answered my questions, sent me helpful links, and even offered to give me classes on web marketing and SEO applications. I've never received that kind of support and encouragement from people who were virtual strangers, but then again, I had never asked for it either. I had never put myself out there before in such an honest and straightforward way. And when I did, the help, support and encouragement was plentiful.

I stopped seeing my shrink in September. I ripped the band aid off and launched my site at the end of October. In November I voted for the most exciting presidential candidate my generation has ever known. This month, I am determined to enjoy the holidays. My surgery is scheduled for February. The second, scary diagnosis turned out to be false. The doctors - all three of them - HAD MADE A MISTAKE. Just like my ex-fiance did.



A graduate of the University of Southern California, Vanessa Torres began her career as a journalist in Los Angeles. In 2007 Vanessa experienced her "aha!" moment while going through the aftermath of a broken engagement. Having not actually been married, she realized that there weren't any hard and fast rules or legal precedents established regarding a breakup with a Significant Other. Not being able to find a place where women could get support from peers – and professionals – she decided to create one. www.ThatHappenedtoMe.com launched in October of 2008 with the support of a team of experts prepared to give women what they want and need – comforting! One of the main goals of the site is to encourage women to open up about this painful experience and share their stories in an effort to lessen the feelings of shame, rejection, isolation and depression that are so prevalent during a breakup. It's also a place to share tips, coping strategies, and even a joke or two.