• What if we really did live as if our life depended on it? How are you living your life today? Are you living as if your life depended on it? If no, why not? We always seem to forget that it could all be over tomorrow. And, if it was, would you be happy with how you have lived your life so far? Do you have a “bucket list” you are hoping to do someday? Why are you waiting?! What if you lived like your life depended on it? I bet you would do things a whole lot differently than you do now.
• What if we really did live as if we were a superhero? Why is it that we let life get us down? I look at my little boys every day and marvel in their beauty and innocence. My eight year old wants to be an NFL football player, my six year old wants to be a race car driver and my four year old wants to be Spiderman. Do I ever tell them that their dreams will be very difficult to attain? Absolutely not! I tell them they can be whatever they want to be. They just have to set their mind on something, stay focused and work relentlessly toward their goals. When did we realize we couldn’t be a superhero? More importantly, when did we stop believing we could be one? I can tell you, when I look into my boys eyes sometimes I can see that I truly am a superhero…to them. And, honestly, that is all that really matters.
• What if we really did live as if we could make a difference? So many people go through life feeling like they really cannot make a difference. Well, I am here to tell you that is not true. Think about someone like Bill Gates, Martin Luther King, Jr. or Henry Ford. Those three men have changed the world as it was known at the time. It started with an idea and they just kept pushing and pushing no matter what other people said. They knew they could make a difference. If you really stop and think about it, does it really matter if we don’t change the world like those three men? What if we just made a difference in one persons life? I know for me personally, I look at my husband and I know I have made an enormous difference in his life and vice versa. I know I make a difference in my children’s life every single day. I also know that I make a difference in my client’s lives on a regular basis as well. We just never really look at it like that. We just look at it as being a wife, a mother or a business owner/employee.

So, what would happen if you went out and lived like that? Why don’t you try it out and see. This weekend, go out and live as if…

WHAT?! Did you really just say that?

Okay, I understand (to some degree) that there are outside forces that impact our lives, I get that. I understand that some people have a genetic makeup that predisposes them to being overweight or thin. But, to make a blanket statement like that just completely upset me. Take the financial world for example. There are a lot of people out there in financial ruin blaming everyone but themselves for what has happened to them.

News flash: The blame game is not going to get anyone anywhere!

People, please stop blaming everyone else for your situation. When something tragic happens in your life like a foreclosure or a bankruptcy, don’t point your finger at anyone but yourself. Not to blame yourself, but to look inside and try to figure out what happened. See what you can learn from your mistakes and others and move forward with the intention that it will not happen again.

Trust me, I have made my fair share of bad decisions and mistakes in my life. There were times that I resisted owning the situation, but as I matured I realized the impact taking responsibility for my actions can have. It really is a very liberating experience. There were also times when it was completely out of my hands. At that point, we have to take responsibility for how we react to the situation. If we cannot take responsibility for our own actions, how can we move forward and grow as a person?

As many of you know, I have three boys, Derek is 8 years old, Nathan is 6 years old and Shawn is 4 years old. Derek has been in sports for almost three years now and Nathan has been in for a full year. We have experienced Soccer, Baseball and Football. I absolutely love sports for my boys. It keeps them active, it teaches them discipline, it helps them focus, just to name a few of the benefits. But, the number one reason my boys are there is because they want to and they themselves are extremely passionate about it.

Unfortunately there is a dark side to children’s sports. Any of you out there that have children in sports knows exactly what I am talking about. There are always those parents that take it to a whole new level. Last night I witnessed a mother trying to carry (physically forcing) her young son of six out onto the practice football field. After several minutes of this, the head coach went over and talked to them. This is not something that should be happening people! That little boy should not be on that field if he does not want to be, especially with football.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a no nonsense mom that does not take garbage from my children. I remember sending my 3 year old to swim lessons at the local pool crying and letting them work it out the first couple of sessions. I have also witnessed children crying at the first practice of baseball or soccer because they did not want to be there. I have seen some of those children quit and I have seen some completely turn things around and love the sport once they give it a chance. But, I have never seen someone physically try to drag their child on the field and force them to play.

Football is an extremely demanding sport and conditioning is certainly no picnic in the park. The thought of that poor boy being forced to go through something that grueling in 90 degree heat without even wanting to be there really breaks my heart.

The other thing I see out there is when the parent feels the need to force themselves on the coaches and the referrees/umpires. When, they are sitting and talking strategy at the first meeting when it is seven year olds playing soccer. When they are screaming at their children from the sidelines and completely humiliating them in front of their teammates. Childhood sports are supposed to be fun and educational for the children. Yes, they definitely get more competitive as they get older. But as a parent, aren’t we supposed to be there to encourage them and support them so they can develop the skills they will use the rest of their life in the real world and let the coaches take care of the discipline and coaching on the field?

I just felt like I had to say something for the little guys out there on the field giving it their all. You and I both know it means the world to them to be out there on that field. We both know all they want to do is play their heart out and make you and their coaches happy and proud. How about we change our way of thinking and let them play the game while we cheer them on from the sidelines?

I believe it was September when I actually realized my mojo was missing. I was having dinner with some girlfriends and we started discussing it. I started thinking about myself back in high school and college. I just presented myself different. According to my husband, I walked with a strut (he later explained it to be that I walked with a purpose). In other words, I am going somewhere, move out of my way. I was never malicious or mean to anyone, that is just not my style. But, I knew what I was doing, where I was going and no one had better get in my way or I would let them know about it. It definitely got me in some hot water when I was younger, because insecure people would try to bring me down. But, I never wavered. My method of operation was to feel the sting, cry (just a little bit) and then get really ticked off. That was when I would turn into a bulldozer. It was like, “Oh, you don’t think I can do this? Well, let me show you how wrong you are!” I did it in college with difficult professors, I did it at the beginning of my career with difficult Seniors and Managers. I LOVED proving them wrong.

Then, I had my first son and I was thrown into a tailspin. Anyone that has ever had children knows the tailspin I am talking about. Suddenly, I don’t have complete control anymore, I can’t just “prove him wrong” to make myself feel better. Things weren’t nearly as cut and dry. Also, finances became much more complicated. Budgeting was more difficult, there was a lot more to think about. And, to top it all off, I had this little man completely depending on me. Wow, that will rock your world. Now, I don’t want to completely bore you with all the things that have beaten me down over the last eight years, but I am sure you understand. Life has taken my mojo away. It is still there, somewhere, it is just hiding from me.

I can see now, the consequences have been significant. I feel like I have become this totally wimpy victim. With that, comes blaming others for my situation. Whether it is dealing with the down economy or dealing with difficult clients. I haven’t had the same fire lit up under me. Well, that has all changed. Whenever I feel my shoulders slump, I immediately put them back. Every time I start to see that wimpy Kristi come back, I immediately think of that feisty girl I used to be. I am slowly, but surely, bringing her back. There is no longer a victim here. I own it! I know who I am and what I am here to do. Okay Universe, watch out, Kristi’s got her mojo back!

When you are in school, your life is mapped out for you. When you finish first grade, you go to second and so on. After you graduate from high school, there are some variations, but overall, your life is still pretty mapped out for you if you go the college route. Once you make your decision about your major, they give you a list of classes and prerequisites and guide you through the maze.

In my field of accounting, again, there are variations, but overall your life is still mapped out for you depending on your goals. Mine was to get licensed as a Certified Public Accountant, so I followed that route.

But, then I had children. My focus was taken so far off course, it has taken me almost eight years to get back in focus. The good news is, I figured out this morning that this  mama is focused again! I know what I want and I don’t plan on letting anything get in my way.

Focus is such an amazing gift. While you may have life’s challenges take you off course, focus is what helps you get back on track. For years I really was not sure what I wanted. I had these three absolutely perfect little boys. I was so worried I was not spending enough time with them or being a good enough mom. I wanted clients, but I wanted to spend time with my boys. I wanted more money, but I didn’t want to work too much.

Now, I understand that the best gift I can give my boys is a happy and successful mom. With that decision made, I have been able to focus on my business more than ever while still being the best mom I can be. I have the Black Eyed Peas song “Let’s Get it Started” running through my head because even though I have had my business for over five years, I almost feel like I am just now really lifting off.

I am so excited because I feel like I have just given birth to my fourth baby. I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for me now with my new found focus.

Do you ever just have one of those mornings? Well, I had one this morning. I am going to share my story with you, not to whine and complain, but to try to share my experience and how I am getting through. Granted, the things that happened this morning are more of an irritation than anything else, but a lot of people tend to let the little things ruin their whole day.

I get up this morning and go downstairs. My husband had started his laundry before he left for the day. When I went to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer I noticed a pretty significant puddle of water under the washer and dryer. Uh oh, that is not good. Make a couple of phone calls and then keep on with my day because my oldest still has to get to school on time. Drive the kids to school, drop everyone off and head home. When I go to open the garage door to park my car, it only goes up half way. Okay, let’s try this again…goes all the way down and only half way up again. Hmmmmmmm. Oh well, put the car in park on the driveway and head in the house. Call my husband to let him know to take a look at it when he gets home. Head into the house and here this horrible beeping coming out of my office. Shoot! The DVR we use for our security camera’s is beeping (very loudly) because it has lost contact with one of the camera’s. Well, that is going to make it very difficult for me to work in there. Call my husband, yet again, (yes, he is my hero), and he tells me to unplug it for now and he will take a look at that too.

Okay, I know what you must be thinking…my poor husband! And yes, I am thinking that too. My point is, yes, there were a couple of times during the morning I got a little frustrated saying to myself…”REALLY?!” But, then I moved on. There is no way I am going to let all these little things ruin my entire day. Poop is going to happen sometimes. How you react to it is your decision. My husband has this saying that really is one of my favorites. “It is what it is.” Wow, how freeing is that? If you say that to yourself, you realize that you really can’t control what is happening, but you can control how you are going to react to it.

I am not sure why all that stuff happened this morning. Maybe there is some lesson for me to learn, or maybe it was just a test to see how far I have come over the last couple of years. I know I have made great strides. I can tell you if this had happened two years ago, I would have let it affect my whole day. Now, I think, well, at least it is just the seal on the washer…no biggy. I think, hey, the good news is I got out of the garage before it decided to break, it definitely could have been worse! And, I think, I am really glad all I have to do is unplug the DVR so it stops beeping. I am not worried about the money it will cost to fix anything (even though it is December) because it will be there, it always is.

If it was a test, the good news is, I think I passed.