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How Smart Women Stay Connected

Written by: Joy Chudacoff

Article Overview: Staying connected to those people in our lives is essential---both personally and professionally. Ask yourself this question: Are you truly connected to these people? Do you feel securely linked to those people in your life that make the most meaningful difference? I’m talking about the people who champion you, who think you have great ideas---people who make you laugh! It’s equally important to connect with yourself---yes YOU! Are you creating the space to connect and nurture your mind, body, relationships and your creativity?

How Smart Women Stay Connected

I was sitting in a park recently watching my children play with their grandparents and all at once I heard this deep, booming voice from a distance say, “You must make contact if you want to stay in the game.” I turned to my left and saw a coach working with a girl’s softball team – instructing them on their swing and explaining the importance of making contact between the bat and ball at just the right moment.

This made me think about the idea of contact. For me, contact is about making connections in the relationships I care about – both personally and professionally. If you look up connection in the dictionary, its meaning is “linking things together, the joining of two or more parts or people.” How are you linking people, things, and places together in your life? Are you connecting on a regular basis with yourself, your mind, your body, your relationships, and your creativity?

Given our busy lives as women, we have to be very intentional about making contact with others. Whatever path you choose as a woman – be it career-focused, family-focused, or an integration of the two, making contact and connections is important. Why? Because connecting is vital to our survival in this game called living a meaningful life.

I have the good fortune to spend quality time with many smart women. One of the things they all have in common is a great support system. From friends, family, colleagues, coaches, mentors – these women are clear that making contact and connecting is essential to their success on every level. Smart women know that a solid support system makes the painful times in life bearable, the stressful times more manageable, and the good times all the richer because they are shared.

I recently returned from a retreat with one of my Women’s Circles where we spent time connecting with ourselves and with each other, and also making plans about the parts of our lives we wanted to become more intentional about. Each women created a vision for the next chapter of her life including who, what, and how she wanted to connect or “make contact” with the people in her world. When we are clear and focused about who we intentionally want to connect with, we become more present, lighter, and happier. Having a vision of what our next chapter will be – and who will be in it – is key to a meaningful life.

This newsletter, Reflections, is one of the ways I stay connected with clients and friends and I hope it serves to connect women everywhere with one another. In this issue you will read a profile of Circle Member Julie Schiffer, learn from Karen Childress how to connect by having your own website, find out about upcoming events being offered by Smart Women Smart Solutions, and on page 4 you’ll find your invitation to a luncheon I’m hosting on August 15th. After you’ve read this issue, please be sure to forward it to other women (yet another way to connect – sharing information).

As summer begins to wane and you open your door to autumn, think about the connections and relationships that are so vital to your life. Because, remember – you must make contact to stay in the game!

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Article Tags: creativity, meaningful difference, relationships, smart women



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Re: History of Women in Business in the United States - Yes. Women have increasingly made positive economic contributions to society and their position is being recognized more and more as seen on the Forbes List of Executive Women. In general, women can be a bit more practical in their approach as entrepreneurs too.
A ton of Great Women - You might want to profile Teresa Cascioli of LakePort Brewery. She has an amazing story! I met her at at the celebratory luncheon for the Profit/Chatelaine Top 100 Women Business Owners. The Top 100 list is also a great resource for inspirational stories of Women Entrepreneurs.
Re: Are entrepreneur women more organized than men? - Women are generally more organised than men. They have good instincts more than men. Women are generally aggressive when it come to business. You don't want to mess up with them.
Re: Are entrepreneur women more organized than men? - The issue of women being more organized than men is true, start from you home, just see how messy the boys are. Women are also very cautious, unlike men who take any risk, a woman will analyze the risk first. Women are also go getter when it comes to business, once they make their mind, then they go for it.
Re: Why aren't there more women entrepreneurs? - My opinion on this (being a women, and being disabled), is; Women in general like security. Women are the caretakers, in general. In the work environment we are the one to have children. We are the ones who leave work to do this. We deal with a stigma that we are bad mothers if we work, but we are a bad mother if we do not work. I feel there is no way a man could ever understand this. Sure they can try, and some do a good job of it, however they truly do not understand. How could they?? Being a entrepreneur is throwing cation to the wind. It takes believing in yourself. It takes a women who can have someone say no, put us down or just plan old negativity and for us to turn it around. Women who can do this are called names, while men in the business world are just expected to have a thick skin. Studies show in the work environment that women are more apt to be bullies. Women are more apt to turn on each other. We expect more out of each other. Many women also use the work environment to socialize and to find a mate. Men and women are not created equal. Once we understand this and take what we are and "run" with it; the better all of us will be. Women business owners, women entrepreneurs are still considered a minority. Since there are more women then men in this world, some day this will turn around. This too is why men need to protect themselves and keep us under some kind of control. What bothers me to no end is when women give in to the mans world using sex as a selling tool. We need strong women leaders, not those who use their bodies as a step up. This is just my opinion on this subject.


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