Happiness is Not the Absence of Problems

By Leslie Sturgeon, WIW Founder The other day I shared on Facebook a conversation I had with someone recently about life and happiness. This actually wasn’t the first time this topic came up with someone. The Facebook response was overwhelming and the gist of it was that “happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.” The person – let’s call her Susan – said that I live a charmed life with no problems so I … [Read more...]

Elizabeth Smart: Adversity to Empowerment

Elizabeth Smart: Adversity to Empowerment By Leslie Sturgeon Women Inspiring Women Founder & Visionary Adversity - Not a word that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. It is safe to say being abducted at the age of 14 from your bedroom in the middle of the night could possibly be the definition of adversity.   The average young women would not have the where-with-all and intelligence to escape from that situation, and sadly, a lot do not.  … [Read more...]

Throw Out Your Head Trash

Throw out your “Head Trash”! Leslie Sturgeon, WIW Founder We all do it.  We come up with a million reasons why we shouldn’t do something.  We need to stop recycling our head trash and throw it out! Some head trash that creeps into our heads: “I shouldn’t take time off from work for education.” “I couldn’t possibly close my business/office for a day to work on myself and my business.” “I couldn’t possibly do this for me, what … [Read more...]

She Said Yes . . .

Yes to treating herself with more compassion and kindness. Yes to more down time without as much guilt. Yes to doing what felt right vs. what was expected. Yes to asking for help - from projects around the house to therapy! Yes to accepting a less than perfect body with oodles of curves, and not letting it hold her back from a bathing suit or lingerie! Yes to receiving compliments from others and not brushing it off because it was … [Read more...]

If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It

"If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney We always read these motivational quotes and think that they are just “pie in the sky” kind of BS. Or on the flip side, that by repeating mantras and actually believing in these quotes makes something come true. My beliefs usually fall somewhere in the middle. Walt Disney’s words have always meant so much to me as he is proof that anything is possible. We see so much through the World of … [Read more...]

50 Ways Happier, Healthier and More Successful People Live on Their Own Terms

We came across this post from Success.com and felt it was too good not to share. Take 30 minutes or so and really read and digest this. Please comment with any other suggestions or a-ha moments! 1. Stop consuming caffeine. Although people think they perform better on caffeine, the truth is, they really don’t. Actually, we’ve become so dependent on caffeine that we use it simply to get back to our status quo. When we’re off it, we underperform … [Read more...]

Networking is a Dirty Word

There I said it! In a recent blog post (here) I shared some random thoughts about networking which is just a term that our society has adopted. None of us like the term and usually we immediately conjure up visions of walking into a crowded room filled with a bunch of men in suits all talking to one another like they are old chums. Really what networking is is relationship building but in the business world, “relationship building” just … [Read more...]

Love Your Life, Love Yourself

Some people really get into the spirit of Valentine's Day and others, like me, are a little jaded and think that love should be celebrated year round and not on a day where it is expected. But I got to thinking . . . Rather than succumbing to the "norm" and making it all about your partner and kids, how about if we look at ourselves and our life. Are we madly in love with both? And I am talking about having a deep conversation with yourself … [Read more...]

It Wasn’t Just About The Game . . .

My father was a huge football fan and growing up I was always annoyed that it is what was on our one TV every Sunday. As I have gotten older, I have come to really enjoy the New England Patriots and have an appreciation for all that they represent. It is not completely about the ball or the game. Yesterday’s Super Bowl actually left me teary eyed and here is why . . . For just a few hours we put the ridiculous political bickering aside and … [Read more...]

Part 2 – Some Funny Things Happened on the Way To Being 50

Some Funny Things Happened on the Way to Being 50 . . . Life Lessons and Random Crap I Learned in My Half Century! By Leslie Sturgeon, Women Inspiring Women Founder   Part 2 (see Part 1 here) OR download a PDF version of the complete blog here.   Last week I shared with you some of the things I have learned on my way to turning 50. This is the final part and a downloadable PDF of the entire blog is available here. If … [Read more...]