When we make choices out of fear of rejection, criticism, or being uncomfortable, then it's easy to bury our dreams because we can tell ourselves "I'm fine the way I am, the way things are." When that's the case, then your dreams aren't big enough. Because if your dream was BIG ENOUGH, then it would be BIGGER THAN YOU and you wouldn't be making choices based on what makes you feel comfortable, you'd be making choices based on what's good for the PEOPLE you care about. When your dreams stop being all about you, you can't be stopped.

         

1
It gave me the experience of starting something.  There's magic in throwing any thought about "what if this fails?" or "what if this succeeds?" out of the window and just do it to DO IT and SEE WHAT HAPPENS.  Now I'm a chronic starter and it's a great way to live - like eating opportunities and challenges for breakfast every day. :)
2
It taught me what it means to add value to people's lives.  Life doesn't work until you learn how to add value to other people.
3
It made me more aware of how awesome my life is.
4
It's brought incredible opportunities into my life because I'm able to express who I am and what I can do for people by just giving someone the web address to my blog.  I can only communicate so much in a face-to-face conversation!  This blog does so much of my communicating for me.  One of my most amazing business partners came to me because she read this blog and reached out to me because of what she read.
5
It gives my creative side "a home".  And in case you haven't watched the incredibly enlightening and funny TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson, then hurry and watch it and know why the world (and economy) is rewarding people who are bold enough to be creative.

It's remarkable how just taking the time to get some quiet time and think on paper can help your life. It didn't feel very significant when I started taking the time to sit in a coffee shop every week to just read, write, think...and drink iced caramel macchiatos. But all those coffee shop meetings with myself strung together to make a foundation for incredible progress and outcomes. For one thing, this blog is a result.

Everyone spends time in coffee shops - chatting it up with friends, hunkering down with homework, but how many people actually go for the purpose of thinking hard about the kind of life they want to live and what they need to do to get there? Be a part of the 5% of people who take the "coffee shop experience" to another level and all those americanos and blueberry scones will start paying off in a big way.

There's a principle of success called the "J Curve".  I learned this from Jim Rohn.
When you make a decision to achieve something and you take steps moving forward - no matter how small - it takes 18 months for the fruit of your decision to show up.
And the in between time feels like nothing is happening.
This is the "J Curve," the 18 month principle - the Slight Edge in action!  

I have experienced the truth of this again and again.  I've watched my friends and family members experience it...and pointed it out to them.  

Once I became aware of the 18 month rule, I see it everywhere:
- in a podcast of someone talking about how it took him 18 months of blogging before he "finally" made a success of it.
- a business women expressing that "a year and a half ago I made a decision to take a different path in my career..." and boom!
And the process isn't anything extraordinary, but the result is!  The only thing you have to do is keep going and stay out of your own way as much as you can.  As soon as self-doubt pops up, zap it and take the next step.  Some days the next step is just buying that interesting business book at Barnes and Noble or deciding not to become engrossed in that new time-sucking TV series.  
My first worthwhile 18 month transformation was just based on the decision that I wanted to do more with my life.  Wow, I do an amazing number of amazing things today and I enjoy all of it.  I didn't even know what steps to take in the beginning!  And my life didn't dramatically change the following day, week, or month.  But my mental direction changed and that was enough.
Just take any moment when you were in the middle of something significant, something that set that stage of your life apart from the past.  I bet you if you can look back 18 months, you will find that it was all a result of a change of attitude, of mindset, of an "I had it" decision that you made.
If you're forging ahead and taking the steps and if you're feeling like what you're doing isn't working, just remember - it takes 18 months...you're not there yet.   

Simply click on the magazine to view!

The May issue of This Girl Means Business magazine by the incredible Carrie Green is live!
It features an interview with Linkedin superstar Lewis Howes, AND...dadada daaaaaaaaaaa:
...A book review by yours truly right after the Lewis Howes interview!!!  Michelle Rohr of the Secret OWL Society.  Yup, that's me and I am beyond honored that Carrie thought my article on the book The Happiness Advantage is worthy of being shared with her amazing network of business women.
Thank you again, Carrie!

Think about what kind of lifestyle you want and design your goals around that.

It was my birthday yesterday - May 1st.  I am now 25 years old and I just received one of the best "birthday presents" ever.  I've been working with Carrie Green of This Girl Means Business Magazine and The Female Entrepreneur Association on something fantastic.
It's called THE MAY REVIEW - it's a workbook designed to help you reflect, review, and recharge as you work toward your goals.  Nothing helps me more than taking time to do stuff like this - sitting down and getting clarity and making decisions.
Success is not a destination - it's a direction.  This workbook will help you keep in line with the right direction!  What Carrie is doing to help women with the nitty gritty process of staying motivated, inspired, and on track is unlike anything else I've ever seen - and exactly what I want to help with.  :)
So I'm honored to have helped with this workbook.  Please, don't let the day go by without downloading this and filling it out.  You'll be glad you did.  And share it with your friends!  We all need this kind of help - no matter how "put together" anyone may seem.
Go here: http://femaleentrepreneurassociation.com/2013/05/the-may-review-your-guidebook-planner-map-to-staying-on-track-and-achieving-amazing-things-this-year/