Stand Outside Your Windows and Look In- What Do You See?

This morning I was making my latte and listening to Pandora when the song Dave and I danced to at our wedding came on, The Hawaiian Wedding Song. It hit me like a ton of bricks and brought an immediate grin to my face. Turning it up, I stopped and looked around my home, “Who would have thought?”

If you’re married, odds are you remember everything about that moment too. As you swayed to the music you didn’t have a care in the world, this is where you were meant to be, with the people you loved most surrounding you in celebration. For most of us, our wedding song is one of those life moments we never forget (and for some people, one they wish they could forget).

I met Dave 22 years ago. We were kids with big dreams and all of 21 years old! He had shoulder length blond hair and mine was fire red with a rockin spiral perm. To this day Dave begs me to get that hair style back (yeah, right). Who would have thought that together we would travel the world, bury a parent (this wasn’t supposed to happen), start our careers, get married, buy a house (did we really have enough money to do this?), create two beautiful children and live to see the growth of…I’ll say it- grey hair! Can you relate?

Pondering our life together made me feel tremendous gratitude. It’s so easy to take what we have for granted. Whatever your situation, here’s a simple exercise for you to do today. Stop, go outside and look in the windows of your home. Objectively see your life as if a stranger looking in. Your perspective will completely change and instead of seeing what’s wrong, you will see what’s right.

Odds are you have a home, a family and food in the refrigerator. While this sounds pretty basic and a given, it’s not. Women all over the world are repressed in ways most of us can’t possibly imagine. So today, honor them by living in gratitude and truly taking in the blessings of your life. SEE your children, your partner, your furniture, your stove, your washer and dryer, your cabinets with food inside of them, your microwave, your floors, your walls with images of your life…take it all in. It’s beautiful isn’t it? This week, make this your mission- to see what’s beautiful and embrace the way it makes you feel.

Do me a favor, when you go outside and look in the window, come back and share on my blog how you felt and perhaps even what you saw. I would love to hear from you.

Written by Traci Bild, wife, mother, entrepreneur

www.GYGB.com  Get your FREE Get Your Girl Back Dream Journal Download and spend time working ON your life versus simply living IN it.

8 Steps to Organize Your Week

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” Jim Rohn

Want to feel more empowered, in control and ready to jump into Monday- versus dreading it? Take some time today to or tomorrow to create your life map for the week and most importantly, PRIORITIZE your week and build it around the things that matter most to you.

So many women ask me how I plan my week so I’m giving you the nuts and bolts here. What matters is that you stop and make the time to do this for yourself. The way I teach this will result in your honoring the priorities that matter most in your life, bring fulfillment as well as a great sense of accomplish both at work and at home.

Here is my process:

  1. Set the Mood: Make a delicious latte or cup of tea, turn on your favorite music and go about crafting the week you wish to manifest. No more hoping, wishing and praying- it’s time for action. My routine is a yummy latte in my favorite coffee cup (that my beautiful mom gave me), a candle and the French Café on Pandora – so I can mentally escape to Paris.

 

  1. Get Your Tools: Gather everything you need to prepare for the week ahead. Calendars, colored pens, highlighters, etc. If you’re going to plan your week, you might as well make it fun.

 

  1. Organize the Week: Merge all family calendars into one. I use outlook so typically I’ll add everything in and color code it.

 

  1. Don’t Forget You! Once you organize your work and family calendar, get on the list! Build in when and where you will exercise and care for your health. I literally build yoga, spin, etc. into my calendar five days a week. It’s not always easy and there are days I simply can’t go but- it’s a game changer to allow yourself this time. Your body is the greatest asset you have and sadly, until it’s gone you may not realize this. Even if it’s a 20 minute walk before everyone wakes up for the day, get it on your calendar. Also add in date or time with a friend, even if just for lunch.

 

  1. Plan Your Meals: After the week is set you will have a better feel for what’s needed meal wise- whose going to be home when. Add the meal for each night into your evening calendar and even post the recipe or cookbook page in the notes section. The more you can eat at home, as a family- to meals that are healthy and planned ahead, the happier you will be. Trust me, it’s a mamma thing. We love to nourish those we love (even if you’re not a great cook, because trust me; I am not!). My favorite tools are Bon Appetit and the How to Cook Everything Fast cookbook. Oh and never feel guilty for buying cookbooks or subscribing to cooking magazines. You need the inspiration!

 

  1. Make Your Grocery List: Get a grocery app. Most are free and they will make shopping a breeze. I use My Shop which organizes items by category and allows you to make notes. You can email or text lists as well. Most importantly, you can add to the list all week so if you stop at the store unexpectedly, the list is with you.

 

  1. Pull Everything into a Capture Tool: Okay, this is the best part, what I call the cherry on top! Go into Outlook or whatever calendaring system you use and print out each individual page, Monday-Sunday. Review each day, add notes, highlight important events you do not want to miss and if you want, add an image or inspiring quote at the top of each page. Next print your task list, take all these papers and attach them to a clip board. This is your week’s life map- all captured in one spot, thus titled the Capture Tool. When in car lines, at sporting events or in the car, as papers are given or item to do, just put them on your capture tool clip board- all in one place. No more loose papers, sticky notes or scatter brain.

 

  1. Set Your Intention: The last thing to do is figure out your intention for the week- How do you want to feel, how do you intend to live your life in this coming week or what place will you spiritually, physically or mentally operate from? You get to decide! For example, mine last week was “I want to feel bold and empowered”. Setting your intention, writing it down and owning it gives you incredible power.

Guess what? You are ready to go! Forget being a victim of your week- it’s time to take control of your life.  Getting your girl back is about finding your power and choosing to craft the life you want. When you build the week, month and year around the priorities that matter most, AND HONOR those priorities, you will fulfill that emptiness that nags at you because you are out of balance.

I know this seems like a lot of work but isn’t your life and sanity worth it? I do this every weekend and you will need to set aside an hour because that’s how crazy life is and reining it all in takes some time. I imagine you can do it in 30 minutes if you wish too but my hope is that you will make this a ritual in your week, enjoy this time and allow yourself to embrace all the beautiful chaos of your life.

Want to get in control of your future as well? Download a FREE pdf of our Get Your Girl Back Dream Journal and start dreaming, planning and pondering what is possible for your life- http://gygb.com/download-the-first-chapter/

Please share this blog with the women you love, who are overwhelmed, a bit unorganized and who really want to change their lives. Together we can help them one day at a time.

Written by Traci Bild, Mother, wife, entrepreneur & founder of the  Get Your Girl Back Movement www.GYGB.com.

 

Embracing Imperfection

Sorting through three baskets of laundry that needed tucked away last night, I was down to the towels. As I tucked them into the linen closet I thought to myself, “I hate that my towels don’t match! I bet all of Oprah’s towels match.” What a strange thought right? Yet how many of us have grown up with Oprah, seen her shows, read her interviews and know probably more than we should about her life? One thing I’ve never forgotten is her love of towels and stressing how important it is to have towels that match and that are big, fluffy and filled with comfort.

I’ll admit I’ve tried…over the years I’ve purchased crisp white towels to feel as if I’m in a spa, then brown to match my bathroom décor and no matter how hard I try, there is always the old, worn and what I’ll just call ugly towels- Seafoam green or pink; that are always front and center. You know what I’m talking about right? They are the tried and true, always there, no matter what towels and as hard as you try to dispose of these invaders- they always find their way back into the closet.

Yet last night, as I closed the door to my linen closet I thought to myself, “I think I’m going to keep those towels.”

In truth, they remind me that no matter how hard I try; my linen closet, nor my life will ever be perfect. And- let’s be honest, I’m not Oprah nor should I hold myself to her standards. I’m a business owner with two companies, a wife,  mother of two children and have an incredibly full life- the mismatched towels should be the least of my concerns!

When did we become so concerned about perfection? Isn’t it imperfection that makes us amazing as human beings? So as I opened the door to pull out a towel this morning, I actually smiled and realized that I actually love those towels. So what’s been eating at you? Perhaps its mismatched dishes or an office that is comprised of hand me down furniture given to you as you worked to build your company. I imagine something is coming to mind right now! How might you look at it differently today? Rather than beat yourself up, consider smiling and finding what’s good about it and moving on because if it’s not fixed by now- odds are it will be that way next year and the year after too.

My vow is to stop seeking perfection and instead embrace the gorgeous chaos that is my life, imperfections and all. What about you?

Share here on our blog! What imperfection is eating at you? How might you see it differently going forward?

Written by Traci Bild, Mindset Mentor

www.GYGB.com

 

A Few Coins, a Random Act of Kindness, & a Christmas Tree

It’s been 35 years yet I still remember as if it were yesterday, heading out on a snowy cold day with my brother Todd to find a Christmas tree. It was the day before Christmas and Todd and I decided to scour the car, floor, and couch for spare change. With less than a dollar in our pocket, we began our trek to the Dairy Queen, the best place in town to buy trees.

When we arrived, a big burly man walked up and said, “How can I help you?” We explained that we came to buy a tree. He asked how much money we had and my brother held the change out in the palm of his hand. “Hmm…” the man said, “I think I have the perfect tree for you.” He walked away and came back with the largest tree on the lot.” Todd and I screamed in joy! Each grabbing an end of that big old tree, we walked back home to show our mom.

It’s difficult to write this story without tearing up because the memory is so alive in my mind. I know it’s the same with my brother who is now 46. Consider your own power- to make a difference in another person’s life. You could be the catalyst to a memory that sticks in someone’s mind for a day, week, month; or perhaps like Jug (that big burly man), a lifetime.

Now an adult, with children of my own, I can relate to what Jug must have experienced. It probably tore at his heart to see two kids, who had walked a couple miles in the cold, with just a few coins in their pocket- believing they would find the perfect Christmas tree. He didn’t have to give it to us- he could have made up some excuse or simply told us to come back when we had a few more dollars to spend. Yet he chose to make a difference.

Not too long ago I took my kids to Urbana, where I grew up. Driving past the cemetery we decided to pull in. “I want to show you something,” I said. I pulled up to what is now Jugs gravesite and tears fell from my eyes as I saw his name inscribed in stone. I told my kids about his amazing generosity to me both when I was a child of 7 in search of that tree and later again in life as a teen of 15 in search of a job (he hired me to work at the Dairy Queen). This man, no longer alive will forever be present in my heart- his single random act of kindness played out in my mind over a lifetime. He probably had no idea what kind of impact he made on my life and that is what makes this story so special. He gave from the kindness of his heart, when no one was looking, because he could. What about you- can you do something unexpected for someone today?

Written by Traci Bild- Author, Speaker & Entrepreneur. Get a FREE Get Your Girl Back Dream Journal and spend some time off-line filling the pages with the images of what you hope to do in your relationship or marriage in the next year or decade! Go to www.GYGB.com and fill out the online form for an instant download.

I stayed. I skated. I got my girl back.

I love hearing from other women that are joining the Get Your Girl Back movement and seeing results! Here’s a guest blog from Jennifer on how she’s getting HER girl back. You will love this!

It’s Saturday and all I want to do is sleep all day like when I was 25.
Watch a marathon of TLC Baby and Wedding Story, and eat lots of chips and dip- because at 25 I can just jog for two days and drop 5 pounds.
“Mooooommmy!”

Agh. 6:45 and reality hits. “Can we watch cartoons?” my nine year old twins ask.

Yes, of course they can. This will give me at least an hour before their hunger kicks in. Today, instead of indulging in my self-bliss, I have a roller-skating birthday party for my daughter, a baseball tournament, 5 loads of laundry and an empty fridge to fill. At 7:30 a.m., my husband and son are off to the tournament, and my daughter and I gear up for the skating party. As the former 6th grade roller queen of Joliet, Illinois (the town I grew up in) I don’t hesitate to grab my rollerblades and some socks. I honestly hadn’t thought that I could just do the ole “drop off” and go.

I kind of didn’t want to though. I needed the exercise and who doesn’t like a little Michael Jackson to get their weekend going? Skating has always been my thing.

In fact, last year I went to a roller derby try out, but that’s for another blog.

So we get to the rink, and I’m greeted by the host Mom who is outright shocked by the fact I’m walking in with my own skates. Other Moms roll in and comment on them as well. “Wow, you’re going to skate?” “Are you skating, too?” I wanted to say, “Why yes, I actually do still have some fun blood left in this cinnamon buns body.” “Yes, I am going to skate and feel like I’m 10 again!” “Yes, indeed, I’m going to skate rings around every one of your daughters!” But I didn’t say any of those things. I just smiled and nodded. Turns out, I was THE ONLY PARENT (not even a Dad laced up) who skated during the party. Half the time I didn’t skate with my daughter. She would race past me glowing or just give me a look of approval. As I skated, I thought about the girl I loved at the rink 30 some years ago. I had serious confidence and freedom at that cheesy rink. I loved the breeze in my hair, the bad 80’s music, the couples skate, the limbo, the hot DJ. That day, it all came back to me as my thighs ached lap after lap.

What really got me the most was when my daughter told me that her little pals all said how great of a skater I was. I knew those 2 hours spent as the only Mom who skated were worth it. To see how proud my daughter was that her Mom actually skated, and skated awe-some also made me feel like the young girl getting her own mother’s approval. Talk about role reversal. Next time you have an opportunity to participate in skating or kickball or anything else you like to do, step up, roll up your sleeves, get sweaty, lace up, stay at the party and get your awesome girl back again.

{Guest Blog Post} I am not as good as…

I like to bring new women into the Get Your Girl Back conversation by having them contribute guest blog posts to the website.  We can learn so much from each other!  I met Angie last week at the Younique conference and we hit it off right away.  She has such a powerful story.  Without further ado, here’s Angie!

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I am not as good as…

I was walking the track the other day with my son when a woman ran by us. Immediately, I stopped listening to my son and started an internal dialogue comparing myself to this woman. “Why am I not doing that?” “Wow, look at her figure!” “She is amazing and, because I can’t do that, I am not.” “I wish I could be like her…” Then, the realization of what I was doing hit me! I was doing exactly what I had just told my son to stop doing!

The conversation that I lost with my son was all about being judgmental. He was talking to me about comparing himself to others – either for the better or the worse. I had told him that judging others and ourselves only makes us unhappy. It makes us unable to see the beauty in both ourselves as well as other people. And here I was doing exactly that! As soon as I started comparing myself to this amazing woman on the track, I stopped seeing what was beautiful in me. I began judging myself and believing that I am not as good as she is. Of course, that is simply not true! I am amazing, too! We all are!

Don’t get me wrong, looking at what others have and are able to do can help us aspire to be able to do or to have the same things. However, when we judge ourselves as less than because we aren’t at the same level, we lose the ability to ever have or do those things. We also put a barrier between ourselves and them. When you look at someone else and judge them to be better than you, you create a situation where you cannot learn from them. You put them up on a pedestal and aren’t able to hear their teachings. As a middle school teacher, I constantly tell my students that we are equal, that my position as a teacher doesn’t change the fact that we are all human beings. The students who believe this are the students who learn the most and have the most fun doing so! They are also the students who teach me the most!

Here I was again in a situation to learn from a fellow human being and I was creating that barrier. I put this woman on a pedestal and suddenly put her teachings out of my reach. I decided right then and there that was not okay with me! I decided that I needed to ask her to come to my girl group and talk to all of us. I wanted to learn from her! I will have to do that another time, though, she breezed around me a couple of times while I was musing and I couldn’t find her by the time that I was ready. I look forward to seeing her next time! Of course, now that my eyes were open, I was able to see the beauty in so many men and women around me; I also was not afraid of them!

As I moved into the next activity with my son, stretching out those sore muscles, I saw a beautiful woman on the weight machines. She was tall, muscular, absolutely gorgeous, and covered in inspiring tattoos. I just had to talk to her! I waited until she had finished her sets and then introduced myself. I learned that she started working out 2 years ago, that she had not always been able to do what I saw her doing today, that she had not always felt amazing. She had a story to share. She had once been where I am right now! She agreed to come to my group and talk to me and the girls – yes, we are all women, but we all love and embrace our girl! I am ecstatic to have met her and cannot wait to hear her story so I can learn to do what she has done and then do it myself! I AM as GOOD as!

Written by Angela St-Germain, middle school ESL teacher and founder of Mascara and Muchness. Follow Angela on Facebook (Mistress of Muchnesss or personal profile Angela St-Germain) for more inspiration and ideas on being muchier!

FB: Mistress of Muchness ∙ Instagram: Mistress_of_Muchness ∙ Twitter: @AngieSt_Germain

10 Reasons Why You Work

Here’s my article from Working Mother magazine’s website on why I work.  I encourage you to journal these ideas for yourself, or hang up your list where you can see it daily.  It WILL motivate you!

On the window of my office I have a list that describes the top ten reasons why I work. When feeling discouraged or uncertain, I reflect on this list. As I write this blog, I’m experiencing in real time several of those reasons. Currently, I’m on a train with my family heading from Paris to London. On my prized list of why I work is to afford to travel, to show my children the world, and to experience adventure in my life. So here I am…as I sip my tea, gaze out the window at the winding streams, farm land and cattle, I am grateful that I work. Yes, I have bouts of guilt.  I struggle with balancing the demands of family and home while owning a business.  But at this moment, I’m experiencing the rewards of my effort.

At a Paris cafe with my family this past week.

At a Paris cafe with my family this past week.

Stop and consider why you work. Odds are something drives you to do so and hopefully it’s more than a paycheck. Whether you like the challenge your work provides, the mental focus it requires or the benefits it brings your family I’m certain there are very specific reasons why you work. If you don’t yet have a top ten list of reasons why you work, consider creating one today. The first four or five reasons will come easily to you. As you begin to work on numbers six through ten you will really have to think, “So why do I work, what does it do for me and what specifically do I get out of it?” This exercise is incredibly powerful because it will force you to reflect on all the little things work provides but that you take for granted. Another on my list is to be challenged and stimulated mentally- without this I would go crazy! So what about you?

Use the space below to create your own top 10 reasons why you work:

Struggling to finish those last few spaces? It’s okay, give yourself some time to reflect and come up with the right reasons versus just rushing to fill in blank spaces. Once you have your top ten, print it out and post this list where you can see it every day. While I rarely look at my top ten, when I do, it’s a lifesaver. In those moments I’m typically experiencing some sort of anxiety, fear or major challenge in my business. Looking at this list brings focus, clarity and a reminder as to why I’m pressing forward rather than giving up, why I get up every day and do what I do and most importantly the difference I’m making in the world. I promise, it will do the same for you!

Written by Traci Bild, work-life balance expert and Founder of the Get Your Girl Back movement. Get a free Get Your Girl Back Dream Journal to create your list of why and fill the pages with the dreams you hold dear to your heart.

The Dream Job- To Get to the End Let’s Go Back to the Beginning

I posted earlier today on my Working Mother magazine blog “Walking Zombie” about this interesting dynamic in what we want as a young professional and the reality of what needs to happen to get there. 

By the way, there are so many neat blogs on Working Mother magazine’s website!  I hope you can go over there to check them out sometime: www.workingmother.com. 

Here’s the full blog post:

Man walking into bright future

I was at dinner last night with Dave and two of our lifelong friends Joe and Rebecca. Joe, who has an amazing job in the medical field, was sharing a story about a mother who asked if he would let her son shadow a case he was working on. The goal was to expose her son to Joe’s field of work in hopes that he might follow suit.

The day came and Joe happily took this young man under his wing, showing him the ins and outs of his job. In short, he sells heart stints to heart surgeons, participates in surgeries, showing Doctors how to use his product properly upon purchase and spends lots of time “after work” forging lasting relationships as it’s a highly competitive field.

At the end of the day together, the young man looked at Joe and exclaimed, “Wow, I want to do this! How do I get started?” Joe sat him down and said, “Well you don’t actually start here. Let me take you back to the beginning, twenty years ago, with my first pharmaceutical sales job.” He went on to trace his career path, which wondered down many roads…some good, some not so good… but that ultimately ended with the amazing position he holds today. When he finished sharing his story, the boy looked at Joe and said, “Wow, you had to do all that to get to this? Can’t I just start here? That’s going to take a long time!”

Don’t we all wish we could start at the end, with the dream job or highly successful business? Yet rarely if ever does one just end up in the job of a lifetime. Great jobs require lots of knowledge, experience and confidence; they are earned. Sitting with Joe, Rebecca, and Dave, there was an unspoken level of respect for one another as we all started out with nothing but strong work ethic, determination and huge dreams for our futures.

While we are all very successful today, living what some might consider “The good life,” each of us still works as if we never caught that dream– we are consistently pushing ourselves harder, striving to learn, grow and achieve more. Each of the positions that led us to the place we are today was important. One job led to another and in most cases some sort of promotion and increase in responsibility and income. None of us imagined those steps would move us to the careers we have today. In Joe’s case, he didn’t even know the job existed…he was a finance major in college…and today he is teaching surgeons how to use his product in real surgeries! How crazy is that? And Dave- out of all his friends in college, he and one other guy are still in the business. The path to becoming a Captain at a major airline is so difficult that most just pursued other fields. I’m so proud of him because he stayed the course and kept his eye on the big dream.

Some of us, like Dave, have a set path that is well mapped out and lands at a certain position- such as a  doctor, lawyer or other professional career position. Others, like Joe, Rebecca and I ended up in unexpected, surprising places that far exceeded what we had planned for our lives. The point is that you are where you are for a reason. What might seem remedial today is providing you with skills that will be vital to the next step in your career tomorrow. What matters is that you are moving forward, advancing toward the future, being challenged, growing, learning and allowing life to deliver those unexpected, but blissful surprises you couldn’t possibly imagine for yourself.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you must have patience. No matter where you are right now, do what you do with passion and give it 110% so long as it is moving you in the direction of your dreams. Set goals and push to go to the next level in your life and when the timing is right, you will get there! Also know that there is no real “there.” Once you land at what you thought was your dream job, odds are you will have another in mind- that’s good because it means you are growing, learning and pushing to the next glorious level in life and when you do that, you are alive!

While you may feel at times like the young man Joe mentored, wondering if you have what it takes to walk the long road to your dreams, realize that if the dream burns deep in your heart, it will be worth every step. Just put one foot in front of the other and keep walking!

Written by Traci Bild, work-life balance expert and Founder of the Get Your Girl Back movement. Follow us on Facebook (Get Your Girl Back movement) for more inspiration and ideas to live a life of adventure, fun and sheer bliss! To download the first chapter of Traci’s forthcoming book, Get Your Girl Back, visit  http://gygb.com/the-book/.

FB: Get Your Girl Back movement ∙ Instagram: Get Your Girl Back Movement ∙ Twitter: @TraciBild ∙ Pinterest Get Your Girl Back

The Truth Hurts- Excuses I Made, Opportunities I Missed

(posted today on my Working Mother magazine’s “Walking Zombie” blog)

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Last year while on vacation I repeatedly told myself a big fat lie- At an amazing adventure camp for both kids and parents, I had the opportunity to learn the flying trapeze, to water ski, tube, and more. While I did indulge some, on many occasions I simply opted out. To be honest, I don’t even know why…it was just easier to say, “No thank you, I’m good,” and encourage my kids to participate.

But the truth is, each time Dave or the kids did something really cool like swing from the trapeze, I thought to myself how amazing it would be to give it a try. Yet time after time I just sat and watched.  Looking back, I now realize that much of my resistance was a combination of fear of the unknown, the inability to get outside my comfort zone and pure laziness. It just took too much effort. Each time, after I passed, I would get this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to dive in and have crazy fun, I did! It was just easier to watch everyone else have it.

We want back to Callaway Gardens again this year. I’m quite certain this is now going to be an annual family tradition. I made a mental decision that this time; I was not going to sit it out. I was going to step out of my comfort zone, face my fears and do all the things I refused to do last year. I also had this gut feeling that my daughter Paris, who is ten, was watching every decision I made. As her mother and mentor, if I wasn’t going to do it for myself, I was going to do it for her.

In the course of one week, I raced Dave on a crazy water obstacle course called aqua island and laughed so hard I almost passed out, water skied, tubed, climbed an 80 foot tree that scared the life out of me and zip lined over a beautiful lake, biked for hours on end, studied garden ideas at an edible garden, learned how to do a backflip on a flying trapeze, caught lightening bugs, and sat alone in an old chapel along a wooded path and pondered my life.

Who do you think had more fun? The stuffy woman who chose to sit it out or the adventurous girl who chose to dive in? The only difference between last year and this year was my mindset. Last year I had no intention, I was just there, on vacation with my family. This year I set out with the intention to have a blast and to do everything that scared and got me out of my comfort zone. This by far was one of the best vacations of my life. While I’ve been to France, Spain, Germany, the BVI and more…this little place in the Georgia mountains stole my heart because it called to the girl in me and beckoned me to play. I am so glad I said yes! I still can’t believe the impact it had on my life.

When is the last time you did something daring, adventurous, and crazy fun? What inhibitions are holding you back from letting the girl inside you come out to play? Whether at work, home or while on vacation, I challenge you to set your intention in regards to how you want to be, what you wish to feel and the experiences you desire to have and then set about creating them. Like me, you may just find it changes your life.

Written by Traci Bild, work-life balance expert and Founder of the Get Your Girl Back movement. Follow us on Facebook (Get Your Girl Back movement) for more inspiration and ideas to live a life of adventure, fun and sheer bliss! To download the first chapter of Traci’s forthcoming book, Get Your Girl Back, visit  http://gygb.com/the-book/.

FB: Get Your Girl Back movement ∙ Instagram: Get Your Girl Back Movement ∙ Twitter: @TraciBild ∙ Pinterest Get Your Girl Back

A Millionaire’s Confession: I Don’t Feel Worthy

I recently blogged on Savor Magazine’s site about a moment recently where I didn’t feel “worthy” enough.  Yes, it still happens.  Well all I can say is WOW! Your responses were so moving.  I’m sharing the article again here in case you didn’t read it.  One thing is very clear: the power we have to lift each other up is amazing and I’m thankful for my working mother sisterhood.

Here’s what I wrote:

In a Savor mastermind meeting today with a group of women I regularly meet with in New York City, I felt the blood drain from my head, my fingertips go numb and my eyes fill with tears. My mentor, Angela Jia Kim, had challenged me to a moment of truth and I was not ready for it.

We were discussing my brand when she said, “Your brand is about giving people hope. Throughout your life you’ve had different individuals tell you that you weren’t good enough, and as a result, you’ve worked your ass off to prove them wrong. Traci, you are still trying to prove your worth.”

Having known me for two years, it was no use to try to pretend she was wrong. Sitting in front of nine business peers, I almost collapsed on the floor in tears.

The fact is, I’m 44 years old and still holding on to the words of my ninth grade English teacher who said, “You’re just not a good writer”; the college classmate who out of nowhere said, “I don’t know why you are here. One day I’m going to be your boss”; the fellow cheerleader in high school who came over for pre-game pizza at our apartment and said, “Yuck, you have roaches in your cabinet.”

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Today, my armor of accolades offered no protection. The successful business, published books, and spoils of success were shattered by the raw truth:  I don’t feel worthy. I was busted.

Despite my discomfort, I needed this moment of vulnerability. The grown woman, Traci Bild, has spent the last 25 years trying to rescue the young girl, Traci Shafer, who was trying to prove her worth to the world.

I took a deep breath, wiped the tears from my eyes, and for the first time in my life acknowledged this truth. While difficult, it was incredibly liberating. I’ve been in prison for years and today, thanks to my mentor, I was given the keys to freedom.

It is now up to me to decide whether to stay a prisoner of these limiting thoughts, or to set myself free, and I choose freedom! Going forward, I will speak, write and work not to prove I’m good enough, but for the purpose I believe so powerfully in – to help women find THEIR all versus IT all.

Words are powerful and can impact our lives in tremendous ways. Perhaps it’s time to consider your own truth – what beliefs are you holding onto that are limiting your ability to step into your destiny? While not easy to ponder, the truth will set you free.

Homework Assignment:

Answer these questions in your journal:

1. What labels have you picked up that need to be shed?

2. Journal about this today and see where it leads you.

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