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/.

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Life or Vacation, Which Do You Prefer? 1 Compelling Reason to Find Your Passion!

paris and I

Today’s blog focus in on THINKING! After all, we are what we think we are. As I was packing up to leave Breckenridge after a fun week of skiing with my kids, what kept running through my mind is, “I’m so glad my life is more exciting than my vacation!” Odd right? – But it’s true, while I love to go on vacation, I always love coming back home and getting into the routine of work, family, and play. If you don’t feel the same, perhaps it’s time for a reinvention? Here are a few questions to ask yourself right now:

  • Am I passionate about my marriage or relationship; is it fun, exciting and am I enjoying the journey I’m sharing with my partner?
  • Am I passionate about being a mom (or auntie)? Do I look forward to the morning or dread the daily grind? Do I see those sporting events as a chance for my kids to grow, learn and play or as a job I must do and that wears me down? Is homework crushing, does the grind never end?
  • Am I passionate about my job or career or do I dream of retiring or finding something else that utilizes my gifts or talents?
  • Am I passionate about my life or am I just getting through it?

I have chosen the work passion on purpose. Life is what you make it and in the whole scheme of thing it’s so short- think how fast it’s gone so far! Living with passion ensures that you are living in the moment, with gratitude and are fully present. How you think about your day, week or month and the many events that make that time up, is your choice. It’s amazing what the power of thought and focus, THINKING differently can do for your life. Here is how you can think differently, starting today!

  • Typical thought: I just wish my husband would help with the house and the kids, I’m exhausted, he doesn’t understand!
    • Change to: My husband is my partner and all I need to do is ask for help and let him help. He may not do it like me but I appreciate any and all help offered! I’m so grateful for my partner.
    • Typical thought: I’m a cab driver, I’ve been here at the gym four days so far this week, I’m so tired of being here.
      • Change to: It’s my choice to be here with my daughter (or son), giving her this incredible opportunity. Then decide- what can you do with that time that you enjoy? Maybe bring your scrapbook on those days and get caught up, journal, get ahead on work by bringing your laptop, etc. Use that time for something productive and remember that this is a choice you have made. If it’s too much, don’t do it. If you’re going to do it, do it with joy.
      • Typical thought: I dread going to work today, no one appreciates me, it’s boring, but I have to go to feed my family.
        • Change to: I’m grateful for this job and the resources it provides. However, I am open and receptive to the ideas and thoughts that will lead me to my dream job that leverages my talents and abilities. I am being drawn to what I was born to do!

As you put focus on your thoughts, they will begin to change to what you want, can do and have in your life. Amazing tools, resources, and people will begin to show up and it will freak you out! That my friend is called the Law of Attraction and it is real. So- pay attention to what’s on your mind. Use that great tool you have, it’s absolutely free and you can use it whenever you wish and each time you do so it will only work harder and harder for you!

If you’re reading this post through the daily email and want to become an Ambassador for Get Your Girl Back, where I’ll ask for help from you from time to time, email me at Traci@GYGB.com and I’ll share what we are up to. If you’d like to get the daily blog post by email, sign up at http://gygb.com/category/blog/ and see what we’re working on how it can help you!

Written by Traci Bild, Author Entrepreneur 

BIRTH YOUR DREAM- FROM CHAOS TO CLARITY

breck

Take a look at this image as I bring you back in time with me, oh about three years ago. It was here, in Breckenridge, Colorado, that I was walking up and down the quaint city streets in tears. While I was supposed to be skiing, I had taken the day off to write. Instead, I found myself wondering, frustrated, confused and on the phone with my best friend from grade school begging her to help me find clarity. I felt like a mad woman and no matter what I did I couldn’t shut my mind off. I needed an answer and no matter how far I walked, or long I talked, thought or cried, I wasn’t ready to receive it- not yet.

Looking back, as I again walk the streets of Breckenridge, I am in a totally different place. I got my answer, and in turn clarity, purpose, and peace of mind. So what was the question you ask? While it might sound trite, what I needed was the title of my movement and book. I had been writing for close to a decade yet the title eluded me. As a writer, it’s like the bow that goes on top of the package and without it I literally felt lost.

It took another two years but that answer came in the form of Get Your Girl Back. I was on the phone with my amazing writing coach Lisa Tener when she said, “What about Get Your Girl Back?” As soon as I heard it, I knew- that was the perfect title to describe my movement and book. Why did it take so long? Why did it have to be so painful? Yet the fact was, I got my answer, it came when it was supposed to and not a moment before.

While I may make things look easy today, trust me, it’s not. Birthing a dream can literally feel like labor! Consider the fact that I started writing Get Your Girl Back when I was pregnant with Paris. Now she is ten! I tucked the book away and stopped writing for years only to be nudged to pull it back out. One time I literally threw it away and said, “I can’t do this!” until a life coach of mine, Sue Youngs said, “Traci, are you willing to miss your destiny simply because you are afraid to be vulnerable?” I knew in that moment that no matter how hard it was to share the private moments of my life, my personal stories and failures to help others; that I had to pursue my destiny- and NO I was not willing to miss it!

Then came the branding and rebranding, three website redesigns, and regular investments in something that wasn’t even viable or real yet. Of course I would question myself, “What am I doing?” Yet with each fear, insecurity and moment of doubt, I reminded myself of my purpose, passion and ability to do anything I set my mind to. No matter what, I was going to give until there was nothing left to give.

So here I am. I pushed through. While I’m nowhere near the finish line, I successfully launched the Get Your Girl Back movement just six months ago. The movement is on fire, women are engaged, sharing the movement with their friends, sisters, and mothers; all who want to reignite their passion- whether it be for their marriage, health, career, spiritual health, hobby, children, charity or something entirely different- they are revisiting those passions and thinking about how to rekindle them.

Next up? Get ready for a series of life class opportunities where I will show you how to reignite your passion step by step (and it will be for free because I want to help make a difference in your life). We have fun dream journals and other exciting things in store for you! So hang on and take a look at your own dream with fresh eyes. If it were easy, everyone would do it! You have to fight for your dream, and never, ever give up on them! Use my story as an example to follow in your own life. It’s not easy; you will fail, cry, give up and then start over again and again. Yet when the dream begins to manifest, the taste of victory will be worth every moment of energy you gave to birth your dream. So welcome the chaos, its proof that you indeed are alive!

If you’re reading this post through the daily email and want to become an Ambassador for Get Your Girl Back, where I’ll ask for help from you from time to time, email me at Traci@GYGB.com and I’ll share what we are up to. If you’d like to get the daily blog post by email, sign up at http://gygb.com/category/blog/ and see what we’re working on how it can help you!

Written by Traci Bild, Author and Founder of the Get Your Girl Back movement

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Set Resolutions? Now What?

women inspiration

It’s January 14th; do you know where your resolutions are? If you’re like most people, you probably thought about the New Year ahead, pondered and even penned a few new resolutions. While this is important, what matters more is that you get the payoff for your time, energy and effort.

So imagine it’s January 2015 and those resolutions are now a reality in your life- how do you feel? If you like the thought of this then keep reading!

The next step, upon setting resolutions or goals, is to define two to three action steps that will support each goal. For example- if your goal is to sleep better in 2014, three actions could be 1) Shut all electronics off one hour prior to bedtime & calm my mind 2) No caffeine or food after 6 pm 3) Meditative reading just before bed.

These small steps take something difficult, like a good night’s sleep and make it doable. While it might take a couple weeks to get these routines going and to actually follow through, with action you will find that indeed- you are sleeping better!

Small Resolution or Big!

The other thing to consider is size. Don’t make a big deal of big goals. A goal is a goal so treat them the same and give each daily focus. Don’t assume that the big goal is going to be harder, take longer or drain you to accomplish because that’s not true. Keep your focus on taking the daily action steps needed to make that darn goal a reality and watch it happen!

Life is a game of inches-  Want support? Sign up for Notes from Your Girl and let me help you stay focused and empowered to make this year different! http://gygb.com/join-the-movement/

Written by Traci Bild, Founder of the Get Your Girl Back movement

 <a href=”http://www.hypersmash.com”>HyperSmash</a>