Here’s what I know both cause I Know Thyself and cause I’m doing that free Marcus Buckingham career course on Oprah.com – I loath the advertising-techie-html-code-geek part of blogging. I hate it so much I feel an emotional anger and frustration when doing it and therefore I avoid it. I very often go to a site, don’t know my own password and fantasize about punching in the face the geek - who insisted on an arbitrary password rule like one number and symbol. I regularly give up and go write instead. (All hail the geeks, I appreciate most everything else about you and respect your intent – but Come On with the password maze!)

I LOVE the writing and and almost everything else about blogging. I do experience that emotional high Marcus talks about that tells you you’re following your bliss and fulfilling your purpose.

Another thing I know about myself is that I can learn anything. But, learning new things that are not in my creative-forte is a frustrating experience for me.

Once I learn it though, my frustration dissipates and my confidence level grows.

I’m super-excited to read – in a familiar book form instead of a frustrating digital online form – about how to make more money professional blogging.

I’m also breathless with excitement about furthering my occupational knowledge at the BlogHer ‘08 Conference in San Francisco in July.

That I’m speaking on a panel about my passion about body image makes it infinitely more validating.

This is me – empowering myself by creating my own Third Choice that I’ve longed for since becoming a mother, facing the entirely unfulfilling and unacceptable work or stay-at-home choice – can you see my big wide grin?

Post from: Blisstree

Third Choice

Hmmm. I wish Ceasar would come to my house and teach those principles to me, not in terms of my relationship with my dog (although I do not understand why Trotter still barks at the UPS guy) but in terms of my entrepreneur state of being.

I would say that right now, I am unbalanced. January has been a slow month for The Pet Set, the bills keep coming, I can’t get my production people to see what I see in terms of new products, and Super Bowl Sunday is coming up, and hubby is going away for the weekend to celebrate with his friends, leaving me in this precarious state.

See? I’m living in the future, not the present.

Seriously, though — wouldn’t it be great if someone like Ceasar could come to your house, watch the way you work and behave…and then if you do or say something nutty, the Small Business psychologist could make that “shhhhsst” sound that Ceasar makes.

If I could learn to “live in the present”…I would be able to look at life (not just my business) from a more stable and healthy place — rather than in my current state of anxiety and depression.

So, please Ceasar, if you’re out there come and help me to become more “calm, assertive and peaceful” and certainly less anti-social…I’m driving my “pack” a little insane.

Post from: Blisstree

The Small Business Whisperer

But today, July 1st…it’s a glorious day, it’s hot in that way I remember as a kid…there’s just something in the air that says beach.

But alas, I am not in beach condition…I had all of those winter months to get ready…but I did nothing. Even Kirstie Alley got off her duff and lost a ton of wieght.

I blame my slovenliness and lack of fetching beach attire on fate and entrepreneurship.

You see, if I hadn’t worked in corporate America, and I didn’t meet more than my share of crazy female bosses, and never experienced how freaking cold it is at 7a.m. on a ferry, crossing the Hudson River to lower Manhattan, then I wouldn’t have begun to think “This is nuts…I need to be working for myself–in my home–with my dog…”

I wouldn’t have begun to stay up till all hours of the day and night, figuring out my business plan. I wouldn’t have started The Pet Set, or won an award or reached over a hundred new customers. Which means, I wouldn’t have tossed my chic, slender suits in favor of loose-fitting “lounge-wear”–as a result of “testing” most of Rachael Ray’s recipes.

If none of that had happened, I would have been to the gym near my Wall Street office and I’d be ready for the beach!

So, this year, it’s t-shirts and flowy skirts…those are just as cute, right?
See, everything happens for a reason…time to shop!

Post from: Blisstree

It’s Beach Season Once Again.

I used to be a suit and cute shoes kind of girl, durning my years in corporate-land; now my attire is made up of, what I like to refer to as, “active Lab-wear” — which is stuff you wear as a home-entrepreneur and “home Labrador Retriever mom, ” — jeans, rugby shirts, and sneaks. Before, I used to carry a Metro card in my pocket, now I carry dog treats. Nice, right?

The decision to leave Manhattan professional life for the life of working for myself was the best and only decision I could have made for myself…but I have been known to scan HotJobs.com and CareerBuilder.com once in a while. Why? A few reasons: 1). to see if I’m still employable and 2). To daydream about starting over in the world of business.

What if I had the opportunity to start my career over again? Would I do anything differently? And while I know that some people look at folks like me with a combination of envy and curiosity — meaning the notion of leaving your crap job to start your own business might seem attractive to you, right?

Again, it was the best thing I could have done, but sometimes thoughts of putting on a suit, getting on the train, sitting at a desk, having lunch in the city, cocktails with friends…seems attractive to me.

My question to you is — have you ever considered leaving corporate job to start a small business or have you had a business and wished you could return to a 9-5 position?

Post from: Blisstree

Change of a dress

Pink is a beautiful magazine, wonderful layout — clean and crisp and just chock full of relevant, intelligent features, advice and highlights about some of the most fascinating women in both the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds. And they also have some thoughtful art that accompanies each piece, not the regulation stock photography that you see in some publications.

Examples in the April/May issue demonstrate the breadth of Pink and include a feature story on Hearst Magazines’ president, Cathie Black, a piece on Angel investing (which I advise anyone out there even thinking about starting your own business,  look into), managing your money and even a cute little section called “gossipink”, which is sort of their Page Six, but with intellectual and powerful heavy-hitting women…not the ‘tween starlets that our society seems obsessed with.

Seriouly, run out and get a copy…or go to their site, www.pinkmagazine.com…you won’t be disappointed.

Post from: Blisstree

Someone out there hears us