Comfortable or Overstuffed?

Reinvention

Reinvention is a strange process;  although you may start out working on one area of your life the journey has a way of taking over completely.  For me as I fought to get motivated I needed to regain my health, to keep the mobility I have now I needed energy and as I educated myself  I wanted to make better choices.  As I reach out to others I need to be in control, I know I can hold my own in most situations but appearance and confidence is half the battle, looking better means taking better care of me.

Changes

So twenty-five pounds ago I began making changes. I pratted around buying endless amounts of gym equipment, while some did have merits (Malibu Pilates Chair and Urban Rebounder) I also invested a bunch of money on things that will never be more than glorified places to hang stuff.

Medieval torture, exercise machine or coat rack?

Even the good options aren’t things I could see myself doing everyday for the rest of my life. With so many ‘quick fixes’ either exercise, diet or both most are a long term sales plan and not a life plan.  Since I am most definitely an emotional eater I needed to take the emotion (boredom, guilt, pain, passion, hurt, depression) out of the equation I decided to look at my increasing girth and lack of energy as a manufacturing situation.  I took a look at my raw materials, the fuel I put into the furnace, were they the best quality and best options available? I looked at the maintenance needed on the plant and machinery and what I wanted to achieve.   As I looked back I could see a point where things changed and I looked closely at what was different.

What has no calories but makes you fat?

One of the concessions I made in to moving to the U.S. was to start drinking pop, I hadn’t drunk it much before then. I actually moved to the Republic of Korea with the U.S. Military, I call it my M*A*S*H period. When a Brit arrives anywhere the second thing they do is put the kettle on, the first is put down their bag and sometimes that is reversed.  In Korea the water came out of the tap tea colored, I couldn’t tell you what it tasted like I never tried!  As I explored the options I found bottled water was available but it was heavy to haul without a car, and therefore it was used sparingly.  Safe, was soda or beer and since you can’t be drunk all of the time, well you can but I tried that! Our running joke was that each tour came with an automatic follow on to the Betty Ford Clinic so soda was ‘the’ option.

Addiction

Over the years one can became two, increasing incrementally to Super Gulp level. When you realize you need more than one of those puppies a day you know you have a problem! Coke was no longer refreshment but a habit.  As addictions go it isn’t too horrendous but  whatever your beliefs about aspartame there’s no escaping the fact that it makes you crave sweet things and there are enough statistics indicating that drinking something with zero calories can have a negative effect on your waistline (and potential for diabetes).

In the U.K. life is paced around tea and as a tea lover my alternative was easy. I brew my own tea from tea leaves or tea bags hot or cold, caffeinated, decaf, or tisane (herbal) there is a drink for every occasion.

Tea - The best drink of the day.

Fast forward to today and I am 6 months ‘sober’ from the dreaded brown CC elixir, it’s been a hard fought battle but I no longer crave it.

With over twelve pounds down in my lifestyle change finding ‘my cup of tea’ was the start of a new path.  I’m not sure if I reverted or converted but I can feel the difference.

Sometimes the key to unlock change is something you wouldn’t expect ~ what habit is holding you back?

*Pratted around = messed around, fumbling missteps ~ based on clown like falls aka pratt falls.

For example, we’ve always needed light, but the incandescent lamp couldn’t be invented until they world was ready! In prehistoric times our caves were lit by fires, then wooden stakes dipped in pitch, then someone realized that certain oils burn and developed a container to hold the oils with a wick only to be replaced by candles and gas lamps backed by polished metal and mirrors and lenses to focus the light. Each idea had its time, its place, a series of events and discoveries which led to the next idea. Every method was honed, refined, added to giving more and more light. When Edison invented the incandescent lamp it was “when the world was ready for his discovery”.  It’s pure supposition on my part, but had someone invented the idea earlier it couldn’t have caught on, a series of other inventions and materials had to be discovered for it to happen.

The Green Movement has been around since the mid 60’s and went ‘viral’ at a little concert called Woodstock (44 years ago) but no one was willing to accept it as anything other than a “Hippy” thing. It wasn’t needed!

Then of course there is the “Renaissance Inventor” himself, Leonardo Da Vinci – whether his ideas would have worked or not remains to be seen but basically they were all dependent on other things being discovered, fuels, propulsion systems. They just hadn’t reached their season.

I watched a TED talk recently by an amazing man ~  Woody Norris, a fascinating guy with a contagious boyish excitement for what he does.  At the time this talk was filmed had 41 Patents and 15 inventions, yet he said he is only “kinda smart” and admits he never finished college.   He said several things that clicked for me:

“As it is ready, the world is ready to accept it” and

“Virtually nothing has been invented yet”.

Norris is now working on ‘focusing sound’, taking our current audio or linear method using the speed of sound back to basics to hyper- sonics, I think I got that right but it was a little beyond me (- hmm “Kinda smart”! ).

Check out his TED Talk here : TED Talks Woody Norris Invents Amazing Things

His TED talk did however give me a couple of (if you’ll forgive my pun) light bulb moments of my own:

You don’t have to wear a suit or be perfectly scripted to appear professional or intelligent.   In fact presentation is like an iceberg with 7/8ths below the water – confidence is part of the uniform. If you are confident what you’re wearing matters less. Even lapses in coherence can make you seem more real as long as you are speaking with total passion and conviction and are willing to laugh at yourself.

It is not what you invent but how you focus it that is important – any item, method, product or service you ‘invent’ is also dependent on the time being right, and other components being in place. Wine has always been popular but Gary Vaynerchuk matched a new market trend in the working class with a newly emerging delivery system and Wine Library TV was born.

So, don’t be deterred! Undoubtedly you saw some need in the world that made you focus on your idea, when you are ready to launch the world will be ready to receive you, be passionate, confident, speak with conviction and your season will come.

It’s not enough to say… “Thank you” – but I do.

It’s not enough to pray for you every night - but I do.

It is not enough to think about the privations you endure for us - but I do.

It is not enough to think about the freedoms you give up daily to keep us free - but I do.

It is not enough to shake your hand and thank you when I meet you in the world – but I will.

It will NEVER be enough to cry and pray for you when you are injured or make the ultimate sacrifice – but I will.

I know that you don’t ask for thanks or recognition but I give it anyway!

Maybe it comes close to say that I have stood with you and would gladly be your comrade in arms again.

And to tell you that you are welcome in my heart and home any time.

Thank you for keeping me and mine free!

God bless & Thank you.

Laine & family

Flag raising at Iwo Jima

An eon ago (only two weeks really but it seems much longer) I accepted Brandy Mychals -14 day Blog Challenge. Never having taken part in a blogging challenge before I wasn’t sure what to expect and, since I had not produced any freeform literary endeavor with a deadline other than my own in 3 decades the prospect was mildly terrifying

However since I’ve never been known to back down from a fight, I thought I’d give it a try. In many ways it has been a rite of passage challenging, painful and yet enlightening.

In my final blog of the challenge I decided to look at what I have learned and which ideas  have been reinforced.

We must accept ourselves as we are.

In order to take on any change or growth we must be willing to look honestly at our shortcomings. Starting with our own greatest strength, frequently we can assess our greatest weakness.

We must continue to search and grow

To communicate adequately with our audience we must educate ourselves in ever aspect of our passion and our methods of communication but must be sure that we break the information into edible portions.

We must believe that we belong

Confidence and a sense of belonging come from a belief that we match the criteria everyone expects. That we fit in our audiences perceptions of what an expert, a public speaker or training professional acts and looks. While we can dress the part, mindset also colors the way you present yourself and handle things. If you think you don’t belong you will never belong, but if you are sure you do it doesn’t matter if someone else accepts you because you already have!

Understand your Motives

As Simon Sinek says “It starts with Why”, it matters less what you do as much as why you do it. If you are doing something just to make money, the chances are you will but it is only when you do something because it is your passion that the magic happens. Whether you are making lots of money or not you are happy, and happiness is its own reward. Of course, along with a passionate belief in the right reasons is contempt for those who do things the wrong way.

Maintain your Inspiration

We each assimilate information in a different way; by hearing it, by seeing it, by reading it, by feeling it. It is important that you surround yourself with the things and people that inspire you. We should each attempt to cultivate interactions with people who challenge us and push us to push ourselves, those who encourage us or act as a catalyst. We should also aspire to inspire others, it often happens that our best clarity comes while we are teaching or expounding our theories to others.

Aim High

There is a saying “why would we aim for the moon when beyond it is the stars” – don’t set limitations on yourself by being too modest. Set goals which can be adjusted or amended.

You must commit totally

Whether you decide that your relationship or you business is everything, you must be prepared to follow through and maintain it or it is all for naught.

Even brilliance has its moment

Ideas are like fruit on a vine, they do not reach fruition until the world is ready to accept them. The trick is to develop and nurture them and be ready to take advantage, when you are ready for the world the world will be ready for you.

Make the most of your time

Life is short and we only get one go around (well one that we are aware of). Make the most of the time you have and live life to the fullest , commit to facing your fears and living the dream instead of dreaming the life.

Take Care of Yourself

Look after your health no one else can, to do all of these amazing things you need to be healthy physically and mentally. You owe it to yourself but also those who depend on you. Keep your brain sharp to make sure you are emotionally and spiritually ready for all the world has to offer, many of the things we fear offer us the best opportunities.

Add Value to Others

Reach out to those around you, treating them with respect and kindness. Even when someone is born from the same gene pool they do not automatically know who you are. Our true treasure lies in the connections we forge with family, friends and strangers. Believe in the kindness of strangers, reciprocity is an amazing thing and what kindness you give away will come back in unexpected forms.

If we are to reinvent ourselves, to match our dream with a new reality we must face challenges and come out renewed with a stronger sense of certainty and power.  Thanks to the generosity and reciprocity of  friends old and new this challenge gave me a new appreciation and belief in my abilities and the strength of my passion.

Thank you!

At this time of year giving becomes an important topic,  but in this case I’m not talking about the bait and switch of Black Friday or the ubiquitous buy one get 10 free which clogs our society.

Challenge

Instead, I want to raise the topic of adding value, and to challenge you to see what ripples you make in the pond that make people  better for you being around!

What do you do to make people feel special?

Stop for a moment and think about your last shopping trip,  or visit to the bank……

What did you do to make people seek you out, because you made them feel  appreciated or special? It can be as simple as greeting them by name!  No, I’m not suggesting you are David Blaine and can magically pull their name out of the air, to be honest,  I hadn’t realized I do it until my daughters asked “how do you know his name Mum?”  It’s pretty easy, I read it off his employee tag  (this time or the time before) or I ask!  A habit I think from life as a squadron wife.

Just visiting

Making an effort to remember someone’s name makes them feel special, ask how their toddlers ear infection is and you’re a family friend.   Lets face it, you see the same people every Saturday as you go through the line at Costco. You hear the interaction between the cashier and the helper,  It’s so easy to ask how the fishing trip went next time you’re in!  Plus it makes the process go so much more smoothly it suddenly becomes  like a visit with friends rather than a weekend hassle.

Turning the tables

As a case in point, this weekend I was loaded down in the check out line without my teens to help with the conveyor belt, and Abbie (the stately Ethiopia cashier)  swooped in and diverted me to her line complaining  that I hadn’t been to see her in a while and asking “where are your beautiful girls?”  She leaned over and said “I love that you let people with just a couple of items go ahead of you”, her colleague in the next aisle suddenly added “she always makes a point to hang up her cell or apologizes if she can’t when she’s in my line”,  they were literally jostling over who I had been nicer to almost as a point of pride.  Suddenly I was the person feeling special, celebrated.  See how it works!

Connect

Making a connection is what we talk about on social media. Why doesn’t it cross over to our offline world?  Perhaps having an accent helps, it’s certainly a conversation starter, but even the most truculent of people just need a reason to say Hi.  The truth is most people feel isolated by the hustle and bustle.  I find that it becomes a kind of game, not in a negative manner but rather a way to turn a bad day or a lonely day into something else for both of us.

This weekend I:

Swiped my membership card at the gas pump for a lady who had lost her club id and couldn’t catch the eye of the attendant to do an override, it cost me nothing, got the line moving and made 2 people smile.

Distracted a fretful toddler by playing peek a boo while his harried Mom paid for their snack

Asked how Shandi’s 6 month old baby and his big brother are doing? (Shandi just came back from Maternity leave and was amazed I remembered how old the baby was).

Held the cart still while someone loaded a big screen TV.

Asked Jon in Returns his opinion on the best big screen TV’s,  he said but I don’t work in sales I just process returns.  He was flattered when I said ” who would know better then!”

It doesn’t take much effort … What are you doing to add value?

My friend Miriam suggested I write an article on this topic, she touched me when she said that I’ve added value to her life, but I know for sure it’s been reciprocal.

As the holidays approach, I’m more aware than ever of the need to stretch. When I say stretch, I really mean s-t-r-e-t-c-h in every sense of the word.

Stretch Yourself

As a single Mum, my time is at a premium and everyone requires a piece of me.

Obviously my boss requires me to earn my pay, and being a friend he confuses the line between working and not: calling me at any time – day, night, weekday, and weekend.  When I started my blog, I knew I needed to understand social media in order to pay it forward to people who needed encouragement to reinvent themselves.  I was  very busy, but a friend asked if I could do him a favor and brief his company on the topic.   Within weeks  my work hours were cut, thank goodness my friends company was  so enthused by my presentation they hired me to run their social media.   He still calls me all hours, frequently to tell me to stop work because the day is finished and my bonus just arrived – a couple of  Flat Screen TVs and an entertainment console.

Stretch Time

My children expect me to be their chauffeur, cook, maid, coach, personal assistant /social secretary, personal shopper and general factotum. Plus with the holidays we have end of season functions, for charity, school ‘holiday’ events and more. Since we live on a different continent from our family there is only me so it’s a stretch trying to be everywhere. Of course, I don’t have to worry where they are, or what they are doing I’m there.

Then of course there is my personal life, OMG  I’m so funny… did you read that, personal life – yeah right working on that one..

Stretch Body

I practice Pilates several times a week, a stretch that helps tone and strengthen without bulking up, a serious tendency for anyone who has spent time in a wheel chair or on crutches.

Stretch Emotionally

Being a Volleyball coach for my daughter’s team has also stretched me physically, mentally and emotionally, working with a team of 12 girls ages 12-14 (oh dear Lord what possessed me) that is waaayyy too many hormones in one room. Learning to communicate has been interesting – like the Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”.  How can they hug you one moment and give you the look of death the next?  I’m now realizing that everyone has these issues with their kids and as such its ‘normal’. Today was our final game of the season; we won the game 3-0 and our age bracket, and a fitter, slightly slimmer Laine was asked to coach next season.

Stretch Mind

Then there is the challenge, Brandy Mychals -14 day blog challenge,  I’ve been getting nagged about blogging more so the challenge was just what I needed although joining on the fly, and without anything prepared was a wee bit daunting. The beginning was totally frantic but as I opened up, possibilities flooded in and a change occurred.  I’ve never really considered myself to be a writer but rather someone who writes as a means to an end, in my own hyperbolic wordy style.  the lack of prep time made my blog posts more reactive and less composed finding a positive response, people  I respect and admire are complimenting my writing and better still  connected with my subject matter and words on and off the challenge.

Asked to do too much

I recently read a quote “just because someone throws you the ball doesn’t mean you have to catch it” meaning: when too many people are asking you to do too many things — step back and decide what you really want to do.

I realize that I have a problem saying  “NO”,  I know it’s possible to say “I’m sorry” or “oh dear” but that wouldn’t be me.   

Choose to Stretch Yourself

Take it as an opportunity that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. In my case it’s allowed me to grow, stretch and be more than I was before.

Do yourself a favor, stretch beyond what is comfortable, push yourself to a place you don’t normally go – the benefits can be amazing.

Recently my friend Louise Edington began a series of articles in her blog, Lou Loves Learning challenging herself and others  to face their fears and learn new and exciting things. Lou’s included: skiing and riding zip lines, she called it Overcoming Fear of Flying, these articles have been joyous pieces that showed the passion of the woman and this is my response to her challenge.

As I faced the burden of a neighbors death and reviewed Lou’s article I was reminded of how close I came and the milestones I’ve overcome.  I’ve fought back from losing both hip joints in my early thirties after high dose medication administered while I was pregnant damaged my joints.  I’ve progressed through: getting out of a wheelchair, walking without crutches, walking without a limp, being able to climb the stairs leg over leg instead of putting both feet on each step, all of which I was told wouldn’t happen.

Renaissance

While some of my progress has represented fear of breaking myself, or set backs, other aspects have included a fear of never being ‘alive’ again and never getting to play with my kids.

I returned to shooting, including teaching women to shoot and organized 3 women’s high power rifle teams competing at 200, 300 and 600 yard matches  in 3 positions: prone (lying), seated and off-hand (standing). This is no mean feat for someone learning to stand without aid especially while holding an AR-15 (M-16).

Reawakening

While there are things that I should not attempt again, sadly including:  my beloved rock climbing, skiing and roller blading  due to the chance of dislocating replacement joints.  I have moved beyond the limitations,  I’ve been able to belay my kids and their friends while I taught them to climb. This was particularly gratifying since it’s hard to compete for kudos when their Dad is a Fighter Pilot. As I mentioned in another article I even managed to practice and coach volleyball with them – which left me in the realm of cool mom!

Rediscovery

My latest intrepid adventure has been down to the girls again (this wasn’t the growth I expected from raising kids). The girls are into horse riding but, despite a daredevil history – horses have always filled me with abject panic. I never wanted to ride especially after almost being trampled by a runaway horse at age 10, and now with 2 replacement hips  it probably wouldn’t be the best idea.   Since I always been passionate about J & K experiencing  everything they could and since we live in a part of the Wild West that includes horses, I signed them up for cowboy camp years ago and it took! There passion has progressed way beyond those beginnings into several times per week go figure teenage girls and horses! What I failed to grasp though, was that unlike in the UK I can’t pick them up in the stable yard. In true teen obsessive compulsive, total absorption manner the girls muck out, tack and groom which means in order to retrieve them that puts me right in the middle of a herd. Of course, since these are MY girls and we never do things by half measures they do English riding and dressage, so I don’t have to contend with ponies or quarter horses but 16 and 17 hand thoroughbreds. As a matter of etiquette I am required to meet, greet and mingle with these huge creatures, “hey Mum, this is Libby, Navarre, Aladdin, Gio, Marco, Hartman and Owen”, whose every step has me thinking he’s going to knock me over, or step on me.

Recently while lending a hand at feeding time this included being chased across the paddock in the dark by a gelding who knew I had a bucket of oats!  But amazingly I didn’t panic, instead I managed to speed up and fend him off, so while I’m still wary~ I’m not frightened anymore.

I’m learning that I am ‘in charge’,  and when I suddenly find a large head resting on my shoulder, fluffy cheek pressing against mine, or turn to find 2 or 3 of these guys following me like giant puppies I actually smile.  It’s quite liberating, empowering and oddly comforting.  (Note: they’re still not bring one home though).

ReInvention

As I wrote yesterday in Live For Today I am committed to facing my fears and I am making progress (let’s just not mention anything about giant spiders ok!), just one more step on the path to reinvention and self actualization.

What are you doing to face yours?

As I stood behind the curtains waiting for the school bus to empty at the end of the street, I was careful not to be seen because after all K is 13 and too old for me to watch over!  I waited for the buses loud contents to start to spill in my direction when my eye was caught by flashing blue lights from the other end of our lane.

A fire engine and ambulance were 7 doors away at the girls’ friends’ house, someone must have slipped and fallen, and I made a mental note to find out if I could help when my daughter got her text update.   The ambulance stayed longer than a slip and fall though, and when my youngest finally got the text, we heard that death had visited our neighborhood.

I didn’t know the lady, but several weeks into school I had horrified K by pulling over to pick up the 7^th grader running to the bus stop in the monsoon rain.  Luckily she recognized the girls from the bus stop and my car from the driveway so only hesitated slightly and a quick friendship grew between her and the cool 8^th grader who is my youngest daughter.

What do you say?

Suddenly I was faced with comforting my daughter and helping her find the words to talk to her pal.  What do you say to a 12 year old who lost her Mom and is faced with living with a Step Dad as her siblings have already left home?  A big hug, a smile and “you know were I am if you need me” is what I managed, on everything else I’ve chosen to hold my peace until she exercises the mandate.   I content myself with picking her up on the road if she’s running late, chiding her for riding her bike on the wrong side of the road, handing out snacks when she’s on her way home starving as usual and fastening her jacket on cold mornings the way I do with J & K as I drop them at the bus stop.

Personal epiphany

On a personal level I’m reminded that we must live every day as if it is our last, I tried to explain that to K but.. she’s 13, and still wrapped in the cloak on invincibility.

My Nana always said we come into this life with an expiry date we just can’t see it and certainly no-one has shared what mine is.  I’ve spent much of my life pushing that theory by doing crazy extreme stuff only to land in a wheelchair having a baby, so I’m tempted to believe it.  I have a friend who literally fell off the top of a mountain, landed at the bottom and lived (4000 feet off Ben Nevis and only broke his pelvis) and another who went to bed with a headache and never got up.

All you can hope for is that people tell their family how much they love them.  Did she have a good life and teach her daughter what she needs to know?  I’m sure that this woman didn’t expect to die in her forties, a mere 10 minutes before her daughter was due home from school.  What was on her bucket list? How far had she gone on her path of self actualization? Had she even heard of Abraham Mazlow?

Of course I’ll probably never know, all any of us can do is take the lesson into our own lives.  From all appearances this woman had a man who loved her and at least got to see the birth of her 1^st grandchild. Will I achieve that?   We all tend to act like we’re going to live forever, until we find out that we wont.

I’ve visited too many homes to help clean up after a death to find new sheets stored, new clothes stored, a wish list of holiday destinations on a dream board.   We postpone things we know we want to do.  We spend money on another set of china that we keep for best, or an extra special outfit just in case we  go to a wedding.

Doing it now

Well, apart from those absolute necessities I’m opting for doing, and doing now.   Doing more things with my children, even if they complain they don’t need me to be there.   We are planning our adventures not for when, but for now…  The personal growth is now,… the self actualization..now,…. the happiness ..now,… pushing the limits and testing myself… now, facing my fears… NOW.

I owe it to this lady, her 12 year old daughter, my girls and myself to live for today!

What are you going to do?

Carpe Diem

Friends!

Friends…

They love you, but they are not your lover.

They care for you, but they are not from your family.

They are ready to share your pain, but they are not a blood relation.

They are……..FRIENDS!

A True friend…

Scolds like a DAD.

Cares like a MOM.

Teases like a SISTER.

Irritates like a BROTHER.

A good friend will support you when you get in trouble,

A great one will be sitting right next to you.

Contact an old one,  or make a new one today…..!

As Tolkien said ….not all those who wander are lost, in my reality sometimes we’re here to learn

I’ve always been a bit of a wanderer and a free spirit; physically, mentally and spiritually. Constantly moving and trying out something new and learning along the way. We moved physically a fair bit when I was a kid, I don’t know if that has anything to do with it or is it that I’m a typical Sagittarius through and through? I have done many jobs and have always been a hard worker but I have never really been happy in, nor stuck at, a regular kind of job and I also have never known what I wanted to be.

I gave up on High School before finishing my A levels in the UK, the qualification that takes you to college (long story but a lot to do with a change of school and having to change subjects due to yet another move). I worked in offices for 8 years and almost married a boy but my life was dull and I often bought The Lady magazine and dreamed of traveling and working as an AuPair/Nanny. The boy and I broke up and I quit my job and went to work in the remotest part of Canada that I could find for a year as an AuPair (Saskatchewan). I then went to Connecticut and worked as an AuPair/Nanny for four more years. I loved my work and I loved working with children.

However, as my 30th birthday loomed I felt I had unfinished business and should complete my education. So I moved back to the UK and did my bachelor’s degree in American Studies with Religious Studies and loved every minute of the learning experience. I met and moved in with my now husband as soon as I finished college and we needed money to live as we had both just finished college. At that point I fell into sales roles and found I was pretty good at it but didn’t enjoy hard sales.

We got married fairly quickly and pregnant soon after that and the love of being with kids took over and we decided I would be a SAHM (stay at home mum). I love being a Mum but after the birth of my second child I wanted to do something else to keep my brain busy.

For a while I did day care in my home, my first time running my own business, but after my youngest went to school I needed a change of pace. So I started an eBay store, part time so I could stay at home with my kids, but even part time it was going very well. Then just before Christmas 2005, my husband came home and announced that his company was doing badly and he’d been offered a lay off package of 6 months tax free salary. Holy moly! Panic struck ….but not for long, being ever positive, glass half full type people we decided to pull it together and focus on where to go from there. After looking at what dull jobs were out there over the Christmas season; my husband and I reflected on how we both wanted to do ‘something’ more exciting, we decided to emigrate to Australia!!! Never do things by halves me – just a teeny bit impulsive at times – LOL.

We arrived in Australia in January 2007 and I fell in love with the place instantly. My first priority was getting the kids settled; but to keep myself busy, I became a contractor with a party plan (direct selling) business for bras and modal clothing. I found I had a talent for networking (a sign of things to come), and was just starting to recruit my own team when my husband called and told me his company wanted to move us to Utah. Oh brother!

It took me almost a year to feel settled in Utah; then I spotted an ad for a Coordinator for Cultural Care AuPair (back to my roots!). Initially I was solely involved in the servicing aspect, organizing AuPair meetings and interviewing host families. Having been an AuPair, obviously I have a particular affinity for this side of things. I’ve now progressed to being more involved in the marketing side, looking for families all over the country for whom hosting an AuPair is a great childcare option. I particularly enjoy working with older mums like me, as we face a different set of challenges and can struggle to cope with the adjustment to being a mum after so many years without kids.

However, the biggest personal leap came when the company offered membership to ” Ann Evanston’s – Social Networking Coaching Club. This has been a complete life changing experience for me, I love social media and I’m now learning how to use it to grow my business – marvellous! I’ve become a blogger, my blog is appropriately called “Lou Loves Learning” and I’m loving every minute of it!. For the first time in my life I have found my niche and I have goals and ambitions to grow my business. I can now concentrate on building relationships and marketing not ‘selling’.

I feel like I’ve come full circle in my life from my time as an AuPair. That was my 1st great adventure and a great time in my life and now I spread the word about what a great option this can be for others. With my new passion for blogging & social media I’ve been given a great tool to spread that word but it’s also given me the opportunity to meet a wide variety of inspiring people and make close connections with many.

The change in me is happening as I write but my whole way of looking at things is changing too. I am no longer an employee – this is MY business and I have goals that I have put in place, not that someone else has put in place for me. I review my goals regularly, but the main ones at the moment are as follows

* Short term – to earn enough to send my husbands shirts to the dry cleaners – just done!
* Short term – to earn enough to hire a housekeeper – yay no more little housewife!
* Short term – find one more host family by Sept 15th so I can earn a trip to Sweden in November and a trip to the national meeting in Austin – also just done!
* Longer term – to become a member of my companies Golden Heart League which takes earnings and trips to a whole new level.
* to take my customer service to another level after reading the book Referral of a Lifetime which gives clear guidelines for giving exceptional customer service and follow up so that your name will be at the forefront of people’s minds when they meet someone that needs your product.

I have only been in this role for a year, and living in Utah, I’m in a tougher area for sales than some of my colleagues but I now see that I can grow my business by taking my marketing viral. Reaching out to families all over the US for whom the AuPair program is a good option.

Louise Edington, is originally from the UK, a loving wife and older Mum of two girls She has lived in England, Northern Ireland, Canada, the USA, Australia and now the USA again. She currently lives in the mountains of Utah where it snows – a lot – in winter (luckily she is obsessed with snow!)

Whether you are looking for an AuPair, information about becoming one or just need a pick me up from an adventurous spirit, feel free to check her out.

You can also find Louise on Twitter @louiseedington;
Facebook at Louise.Edington and LouLovesLearning;
on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/louiseedington
and on her business website