Finding Inspiration

Finding Inspiration

This morning I went on the social media hoping to find some inspiration to write my blog. I have been consistently writing three blogs a week and want to keep that momentum going! I’ve been summoned to jury duty so I’m feeling a little uninspired right now. Ideas just weren’t flowing. So instead of giving up on my goal, I looked for a “topic” that would inspire me.

Three hours later and I still haven’t found inspiration for my blog. I got ready to post something on Twitter to see if anybody had done the same thing before with no success! LOL. And then it dawned on me.

I had spent three hours inspired and commenting on people’s posts and comments.

I was INSPIRED:

👉🏼 as a woman shares her dream BBQ design on her deck; 

👉🏼 with the funny GIF comments posts that went viral and how they made me laugh thinking of the personalities of the people participating;

👉🏼 by graduation pictures and proud mommas everywhere;

👉🏼 as a father and good friend shared a deeply disturbing video of children under ten and what they learn about color;

👉🏼 go WARRIORS!!!!

👉🏼 with raw honesty about living with severe pain and struggling to find a positive outcome;

👉🏼 by my girlfriend whose husband tragically died too young and suddenly, and she can see his energy post life.

I was inspired. You might not always know it, each of you move me some days and in some ways.  I can only hope I do the same for you!

[Tweet “Everyday YOU inspire me, thank you!”]

If you are a woman looking for inspiration for you heart, mind and soul, join me on my FREE weekly call, just ten minutes once a week! I think you will love it. Sign up for the details here!

Being a Business Warrior, and Knowing Yourself

Being a Business Warrior, and Knowing Yourself

Yes, I dropped the ball on my two blogs a week. It is true, I’m human just like the warriors I work with. Interestingly, I learned a lot about myself and why I dropped the ball.

[Tweet ” I frequently say with awareness comes wisdom. Are you aware enough of yourself to know what’s happening and how to fix it?”]

What happened was my grandmother died. One of two in their 90s, she is the first to pass. She’s a woman who taught me about love and relationships more than anything. Honestly, in many ways I owe the success of my relationship with my husband to her.

This truly is a first major loss for me. I have other family members that have passed, and I was definitely sad. This time I feel a part of my spirit is gone. And with that the grieving process started.

knowing myself

My last visit 10 days before she died

Interestingly, I’m working with a very special coach who specializes in hand analysis. We had a session during the time when I wasn’t doing much. She help me understand a part of me that can swing into sadness and depression, and for who I am, the best way to get out of it is to dive back into meaningful work.

Most people will tell you to grieve, take time off, be sad if you need to. She told me I probably need to write a book!

And here I am two days later at least back into blogging! Why? Because when I share with others I heal inside. Do you have that awareness about you? Understanding that only builds my self-worth and confidence. I know I’m still sad inside. I do, though, feel better when I share what I know and
help those that work with me.

Being a Business Warrior, and Knowing Yourself

Success and having Powerful Relationships

I firmly believe that my powerful relationship lends it’s hand in my success. In my online course, Vision of your Most Influential Self, I reinforce the purpose and power of making sure you nurture ALL areas of your life for success including relationships. We recently did just that. Saturday was filled with tons of running errands with my spouse. I know that might not sound amazing, but it was with my husband all day we got our grocery shopping done, we did several things related to our garden so that we could spend Sunday at home. We get to talk and support each other when we do it together.

Late Saturday afternoon we sat in our gorgeous garden listening to music and having some wine. We laughed and talked and then we decided to go have sushi for dinner! It was totally unplanned in spirit of the moment. Both of us were in our sweats from running around I didn’t even have makeup on!

The sushi joint we go to we are typically regulars at, we had not been to in a while with the cleanse we were on. It was great to see the owner and her beautiful baby, and Gil our favorite sushi chef did a great job. We broke in the new waitress Rachel because our favorite waitress Angela moved on last year. Rachel can hang! lol

powerful relationships, ann Evanston

While sitting there, we decided to go visit Angela at the place she bar tends at! So from sushi we headed to her bar. Earl was determined that the bar was over off another exit and I kept saying no baby it’s that exit over there behind the Safeway! So we had a little driving adventure before we got there. I wasn’t mad he didn’t listen, we just laughed and talked as we “found it” (exactly where I said it was.

Sure enough we walked in saw her behind the bar! She saw us and gave big hugs. We sat there had a couple cocktails, listened to great old school music and laughed and talked with people at the bar.

Do you remember to just nurture your powerful relationship for success?

Being a Business Warrior, and Knowing Yourself

Homemade Soup: Make them every week!

homemade soupI happen to love homemade soup! There’s nothing like a great bowl of soup for lunch. Every time I buy canned soup I’m always disappointed! So I enjoy making a big pot of soup on Sunday, and eating it throughout the week.

I’m one of these creative’s in the kitchen so homemade soup is more of trial and error than a recipe. My husband says I should be on the TV show Chopped! Often I’ll take something that I’ve tried before and play around and turn it into my “own thing”. As I do with so many of my soups, asking for a recipe is hard, but I can tell you what’s in them! I love making carrot soup, tomato soup, kale soup,  even a great cabbage soup! I use lots of veggies from my garden!

People often ask me for recipes but I just don’t have one since I make it up as I go. They key to great homemade soup? Allowing the flavors to develop. Start with your base flavors: onions, garlic, curry, whatever the spices are that your choosing and let them sauté and soften first. Then add a next layer of flavor: carrots, or tomatoes for example. If you allow the flavors to build first before you add your broth you’ll have a better soup down the road!

Do you have a favorite homemade soup you like to make?

 

Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”

Being a Business Warrior, and Knowing Yourself

The Meat Diaper Doesn’t Exist at the Butcher!

meat diaperYou know about the meat diaper right? This year my husband and I started buying our meats; beef, lamb, chicken, pork,  at the butcher. This particular butcher does all sustainable, and grass fed meat. Honestly, as we grown older the corn and soy feed has just not worked for us! Over the months, I’ve really grown to enjoy our trip to the butcher and to pick out what we will eat for the week. Earl always gets something special for our old German Shepherd Blaze too.

They have turkey and chicken and all cuts of beef and pork. Earl LOVES ground lamb burgers! It is all raised and healthy and sustainable ways. We were leaving this last week, and I had a chuckle because we were talking about how great it has been to get to know the butchers and show up every weekend to buy our meat. I also had to laugh at how different the quality of the meat is on every level, not just in how it’s raised and butchered. Earl made a comment about that plastic wrap and Styrofoam that you find in the stores when you buy meat, and  that plastic thing they put in there to “soak up the juice.”

I laughed and said, “yeah, it’s like it’s a meat diaper,” Earl laughed out loud. You have to wonder when they have to put a diaper in your meat what’s really going on with it don’t you?

Every now and then somebody will comment how expensive it is to eat meat like that. Yes, is the price per pound a little higher, of course it is. But, we also have learned that our portions were pretty out of control, so I buy way less than I used to, so we’re really not spending any more than we did before. And the cool thing about the butcher? He will give me exactly the amount I want, no more or no less, pretty much of every cut we could want.

 

Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”

Being a Business Warrior, and Knowing Yourself

Relationship and Small Business Success

20130914_172522Thursday night is date night for my relationship. I know; I have written about it before, I just truly believe that becoming a mental warrior is about taking care of ALL of you. I have been with my husband for a long time, okay,I know many of you’ve been with yours longer, but 17 years isn’t that bad! We have been through time together much of it very good and honestly some of it very bad. There have been trials and struggles and tribulations that we have had to work through to have a successful relationship.

We didn’t always have date night. It started about six months ago.

See, five years ago, I felt that we truly got into a “groove” with each other if you will. We were comfortable; we trusted each other, we were committed. The problem was I got too comfortable. And one day I discovered that he was not  interested in this relationship as it is anymore.

Talk about scared. Sad. Overwhelmed. Freaked out. But I had to wake up and recognize the importance of nurturing my relationship.

He was willing to work on it with me too, gratefully. And that is when date night started. I’ll be honest I learned a powerful lesson: never take your relationship for granted. Never get too comfortable.

On date night we talk, we have dinner together, we ask each other a powerful open ended question and answer it, we take a dance class; we enjoy each other thoroughly. It is the most powerful and important thing in my life. People see us and think we are newly in love. THAT is the kind of relationship I always dreamed about. Not comfortable. The kind others wished they had.

And interestingly my business has been far more successful because I now step away and take care of my relationship. If you are honest with yourself do you nurture your relationship the way, it deserves? Have you neglected it because you so desire to have a successful business that it consumes your energy? Or maybe like me, you are just comfortable?

 

Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”