On Rest and Leisure

Happy Easter! I'm taking the week off to enjoy my children who are home on spring break. We're all in need of this break, because...

"Leisure brings clarity to the mind. Allow yourself time to rest, relax, and be rejuvenated, and as you do, your intellectual desires will once again begin to emerge." -Matthew Kelly

Have a beautiful week!

--Keri

Together WE Can Do Great Things

One of the aspects I love about CAbi clothing is that the company gives back to women in need. Those of you who have known (or read) me longer, know that supporting women in need is close to my heart.

This season, for every chic tank sold, the Heart of CAbi Foundation gives 100% of the profit toward providing clothing for women in crisis situation. These could be to displaced people affected by natural disasters (Hurricane Sandy, fires, or other natural disasters), or mothers of children with cancer and other serious illnesses, who haven't had time to take care of themselves in months or sometimes, years.

The Heart of CAbi Foundation also offers microloans to women in other countries. These loans help a woman to start or expand her own business, based on a business plan she prepared, and improve her family and living situation. Their repaid loan is then provided to another microloan applicant.

To donate to these powerful causes, just round up to the nearest dollar on any CAbi order, order a chic tank, or purchase a gift certificate for the foundation from me.

So often, we see powerful causes and wish we could donate a million dollars. This way, we can. Because when each of us gives just a tiny bit, and thousands of women do the same, it becomes a lot. You, with your compassion and generosity, enable other women to live fully and look forward to life.

Contact me if you'd like to support this endeavor!

In closing, here's a video that shows those gifts in action.

--Keri

Writing to Heal

Last night I read a beautiful post written by a woman who gave an account of her daughter's birth. Anticipating a "normal" baby girl, she delivered a precious little girl with Down Syndrome. Her account told of her anticipation, surprise, and return to joy. It truly moved me.

Today, a related post came my way: Writing to Heal. Just as that mother wrote herself from grief to joy in her post, Rosemary Alva encourages her readers to do the same: write to heal.

My post today is simply to share hers:
http://rosemaryalva.com/2013/02/27/writing-to-heal/

We all want to live well. Sometimes that means to heal, so we can live well, and fully live.

--Keri

Real Life, Entrepreneurship and Success

When I think of my dreams, I think of owning my own business. Deep within me has always rested an entrepreneurial mindset. That’s probably why the first reason I like being self-employed is because I like personal growth. To me, owning a business is the best way I can grow and become the best I can be.

It can be a thrilling experience, and it isn’t easy. Today, I’ve been a business owner longer than I ever worked for someone else. I’ve learned so much about what makes a successful woman entrepreneur and the realities of entrepreneurship. Here are a few I’d like to share with you. 

Focus on Your Strengths, Know Your Weaknesses
The best-chosen jobs are those that maximize our strengths. Your business should be a place where your gifts and talents can shine, because that’s critical to your success and professional satisfaction.

Over the years, I’ve learned to do so many new business-building activities and the learning empowered me. I had to learn to set up my email, direct sales techniques, product knowledge and fit, fashion trends, how to close a sale and place orders. I’ve found my strengths in business and they motivate me: I enjoy building relationships, making connections, and establishing trust and loyalty. I truly love connecting with other women. Though I’ve always been attracted to self-growth and I always wanted to own my own business, I’m still learning time management. Though my strengths paint my canvas, there are aspects of the job that make me aware of my weaknesses. Time management will always be on that list, and being aware of it helps me to improve how I address it.

I truly believe business owners can only be happy at work—and thrive! —if they have chosen a field that uses their strengths to achieve success. Rather than say more about your strengths here, I’ll refer you to a previous post, which includes a link to the Strengths Finder test. 

Acknowledge Your Why
If you are a business owner or think about becoming one, it is important to acknowledge your “why”: Why do you work? Why own your business? There can be countless reasons and we are all motivated by different goals. It is important to know your “why” because it helps you to set priorities.

One amazing aspect of owning my business is that I can still stay in business when my “why” changes. It is important to realize that life will change and you’ll need to change your expectations with that. As a woman with various roles in life (for me they include wife and mother), you can adjust how much you work based on family needs, life circumstances and the time you have available. My own “why” changed when my husband lost his job, and then again when he returned to work. It has changed based on the ages and needs of our children, school hours and summer vacations. I have cranked my business up high and then dropped down low.  

I have control of my business, as long as I keep my priorities in order. 

Through it all, my business stays “open” and I direct how, when and why I work. 

Set, and Stick to, Your Priorities
When you’re working from home, it is critical to keep your priorities straight. This is one of those areas I have to keep revisiting. Either I stray off track or life is interrupted by unexpected changes, and I need to re-commit myself to my “why” and my priorities. If I don’t set my priorities, the business takes over and I’m mentally and emotionally exhausted. 

Entrepreneurship can easily be a full-time endeavor. If working part-time is your mantra, it can be done. Both require you to stick to your priorities. Even if your calendar says you only host 1-2 parties a week, so you’re only out of the house for 2 work events, consider all the extra hours in the background that take you away from your family. Plan your time well and discipline yourself to stick to the plan. Find a plan that fits YOU; not what someone else thinks you should do, or based on a number of working hours that makes you feel “important”. Make sure your priorities reflect your time at work, so everyone, including your business, thrives. There have been times when I could increase my working hours within the boundaries of priorities, and other times when I needed to let someone else take the business opportunity. 

In Closing
Balance your why, your strengths and your priorities and your business will thrive. Your life will thrive because you are building something that radiates “you”. Feeling successful in all aspects of life is truly a great way to live.

Schedule the amount of work that fits with your true personal goals and what your life, and your family life, can handle and thrive within. Keep your business in BALANCE so it doesn’t take over and create stress, but rather, provides HARMONY.

1. Evaluate why you want to work, and schedule your working goals appropriately.
2. Be comfortable with your definition of success, and don’t worry about how others define success.
3. Look at your calendar and schedule your work appropriately.
4. Work when you say you’re going to work. Don’t check email or do other work-related tasks while family needs you.
5. Start over when you stray from the plan. Every day, every moment is the opportunity for a fresh start. If you find yourself off-track, the moment to fix that is the present moment.

***

Take an investment in who you are and what you want. Because you’re self employed, you get to pick your own benefits! Choose the benefits that add value to your life and let the others go.
  

We need to be open with our minds, soft with our hearts and humble with our will. If we can do that, I am confident that God will give us a way that puts everything into place.

It’s all a part of personal growth, my favorite part of self-employment. My years as an entrepreneur have been adventurous, and I’ve found a level of success I always hoped to achieve. If it’s right for you, I hope you’ll take on this multi-faceted and exciting opportunity. 

--Keri

Ephphatha! Be Open.

“Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.” - Mark 7:34-37

When I heard this verse, it caused me to pause, and I knew I needed to go deeper than the literal words. I wanted to be open and present to everything around me: my family, my community, my circumstances. When we’re “open”, we notice more about our surroundings and respond accordingly.

This is a great time of year to be open! Take the season and embrace an opportunity you haven’t explored before. Look at something differently than you did last year. It’s nice to have traditions, things we do every Christmas season, but sometimes the logistics of making them happen take over the peaceful joy of experiencing the people involved. Take time to listen carefully, engage wholeheartedly and, with a different perspective, there might be something more for you to see.

People may notice you are happy and pause to think that they can be happy, too.

I find that I enjoy this season, so much more when I take my time, and consciously choose to not rush through. Here are some ways we probably all encounter where we can try to “be open”:

• When you’re at the store, enjoy this time of preparation and giving. Be present. Choose to enjoy the season and let your disposition inspire others as well.
• Appreciate what you have and what you can give. Don’t worry. Be open to what the true meaning of this season is.
• Be open to generosity. When someone reaches out to you, such as offering to help or giving a gift, let them. Be vulnerable. Receive unconditionally. Be open to receiving and opening yourself to their love
• Try to not worry about the details of what needs to happen. Enjoy this time. Try not to rush through it. Slow down.
• Spend time with your family, friends and community (the people in your surroundings).
• Take time with your girlfriends.
• Reach out to the elderly. Honor your mother and father by sharing a special time or memory.

In life, we should always be open. Be open to God’s plan. Be open to other people; be vulnerable; be kind.

As women, being open to others is to reveal their inner shine. Listen. Be open to the possibilities that are best for them. We should approach our own selves that way, too!

When we’re open, we’re living life more fully. It’s a great feeling, and I am so eager to embrace it this season. When we consciously open our eyes and ears, there are unexpected surprises and that makes life more meaningful.

--Keri

House Calls for Hostesses

When you walk into your closet, everything there should be what you want and what you should be wearing. Ladies, this is a must if you want to feel good about your clothes, what you’re wearing and simply opening your closet door daily.

It can be difficult to take control of our closet or gain perspective. That’s why I offer a Closet Cleanse service to every show hostess. Every time I spend an hour helping a hostess with her closet, the results are fun and surprising. 

The Closet Cleanse is a custom service where I schedule an hour with a show hostess to review her closet. “Custom” means the service is different for every hostess, based on her interests and needs:

- Some women have so many items stored in their closet, they don’t remember exactly what’s in there or have simply lost interest. You may just need me to help you clear the floor and put clothes on hangars. We approach the organization and create a plan to make it inviting for you to go into your closet.

- Some women have organized closets but way too much stuff. Their request? To go through their clothes and help them choose which items they should be wearing and those they shouldn’t be wearing. This Closet Cleanse helps you to find your style and gives you a fresh new look that still reflects your fashion personality. It also offers direction for future purchases, because you identify your style and what you should be looking for.

Here’s one client’s experience:

Keri offered to help me with my closet, and I took her up on it. I wanted to be more purposeful, and wanted a clothes consultation to know what looks best on me. 

I had lots of old clothes that I needed someone to tell me to get rid of! When we were done, my closet held fewer clothes, but clothes that fit and look good on me. I learned that women should just get rid of clothes that don’t fit, have holes, that don’t fit our body type, that don’t make us feel good.

My attitude about my clothes changed, too. I feel BETTER about my closet and what I’m wearing. Before, my closet was too overwhelming; I never knew what to wear. Now I have a stronger sense of styles that look best on me. I’m more confident in my style, and my closet is simplified, making it easier to find outfits to wear.

For me, the greatest benefit of Keri’s house call was knowing what looks best on me and my body type. Something I learned that I wasn’t expecting was how to wear items I already have, in different ways. 

The experience was so worthwhile. It’s like “What Not to Wear” and HGTV Closet Makeover!  How fun is that?!

When you feel good about walking into your closet, you feel better about yourself. Then, when you go to the stores, you’ll know what you want and can make better choices about what you’ll really wear. A Closet Cleanse builds confidence; in each woman that’s going to mean something different. That’s why it is a custom house call: I hope to ask the right questions to create a closet that tells what’s important to YOU.

Contact me to book a show to shop my women’s clothing line for you and your friends, and you can book a complimentary 1-hour closet cleanse session as well. If you’re a distance customer, you’re included! I offer phone consultations as well. Contact me and we’ll start planning!

--Keri

Thanksgiving Simplicity

I love fall. The highlight of this season’s beauty is just a few days away: Thanksgiving Day.

I like to step up Thanksgiving dinner to set it apart as a special time of gratitude. However, I am also the hostess and mother of a large, busy family. Considering this, like many of you, if the added formality isn’t simple elegance, it will either create stress or it won’t happen.

Today I’m passing on a few simple table decoration ideas that add formality and significance to your celebration dinner without exhausting your hostess.

Invite Mother Nature: After all, this is where our meal comes from, and what the first Thanksgiving celebrated. A small pinecone as your placecard holder is absolutely charming.

 

More natural inspirations can include branches, berries and fruits. The simplicity of this look becomes sheer elegance. Fall’s beautiful colors highlighted in your home…don’t forget the candlesticks!

  

Candlelight Formality: For a more formal centerpiece, try a table runner embellished with natural or glossy fruits, vegetables and pinecones. The large candles, when lit, add the ambiance of importance. This table even offers a dinner menu at each place setting.

 

Ribbons! What can’t we do with a $2 roll of ribbon!? Aren’t these place settings spicy?

 

You can step up or step down any of these ideas and still create an air of festivity for your Thanksgiving dinner. The best part of dressing up your table is that most of it can be done ahead of time.

Don’t let the pressures of hosting take over your joy of hospitality and giving thanks. Candles alone can set this meal apart. If you’ll be busy in the kitchen, these ideas are so simple, you can even pass them on to your relatives or children and let them contribute to the gathering.

After all, it is a holiday for the hostess, too. We can plan a more formal meal while maintaining the spirit of gratitude. As you sit around the table, don't forget to invite each guest to share something they’re thankful for. That will create the best ambiance of all.

I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving.

--Keri