Don't let the lights keep you out of the tree!

Well I had to share a little lesson I was reminded of today.  Today was a beautiful sunny Sunday.  It is December so the temperature is in the high 50's - absolutely perfect.  As I have mentioned before when I sit at my desk in my home office there is a giant Oak tree right outside the window.  I believe that it was planted in the late 50's or early 60's when this subdivision was built which would make it at least 50 years old.  Needless to say it is huge with a massive trunk. 

It must be a fun tree to play in because the squirrels are always running up and down and playing on the branches (it probably helps that I keep a feeder for them hanging from one of the branches) but anyway today I witnessed something interesting that made me start thinking about human behavior. 

Since it is the holiday season and I love to decorate the house with lights I also decorate the trunk of the oak tree.  I put sheets of lights about 3 foot tall on the base of the tree and they go around 3/4 of the trunk.  So if you can imagine there is a strip on the back of the tree(about 2 feet wide) that has no lights (since it doesn't face the street).  Today my little squirrel friends (3 to be exact) wanted to play on the tree.  But every time they would jump up on the tree, they would feel the strings of lights and jump off.  All 3 of them kept jumping up on the tree and then jumping off.  It was actually quite comical.  This went on for quite a while and then I noticed that every once in a while one of them would actually jump on the side of the tree that did not have lights but instead of taking off running up the tree to get to the branches, like they always do, he would immediately jump off again.  It was as if he had jumped on the strings of lights so many times that he couldn't believe there was any part of the tree that didn't have lights.  His jumping persistence could have actually paid off when he hit the right side but he was blinded by his belief that there were lights there.

James Riley once said “The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.”  Oh how those squirrels must have been discouraged.  They did eventually just give up and accept the fact that they couldn't get up the tree.  I hope that you don't let the lights keep you out the tree!  Persistence always pays in the long run if we are not blinded by our belief of what the current truth is - which may not be the truth at all.



And don't forget the old Japanese proverb that says "Money grows on the tree of persistence!"  Just thought that one was quite appropriate for the story!

It Can Be Scary to Revisit Your Old Goals

Last week I decided it was time to get a head start on my 2010 Goal setting session that I usually have in January.  I would venture to say that there are a lot of us that have them with ourselves in January.  So while brainstorming on what I really wanted out of the next 12 months I decided to take a moment and revisit an old Goal Board.  I still have my 2007 "Vision Board" and although it is a bit rough looking it did bring great joy to my heart when I sat down and took a look at it.

I almost could not contain my excitement - I just had to share with you the power of the mind.  Let me start by saying this board was up in my office for all of 2007, 2008 and the first couple of months of 2009.  I saw it daily, even if I weren't actually looking at it.  

1st - For a long time there actually were a pair of eyes up in the left top corner looking at me.  They stood for the eye correction surgery that I wanted to have to replace the glasses I had worn since 2nd grade.  I have dreamed of fixing my eyes for as long as I can remember.  But it wasn't until November of  2008 that it actually happened and I went from a person who couldn't see the BIG "E" on the top of the chart to having 20/20 vision.  Thanks Dr. Yokabitus at the Eye Clinic.


2nd - I wanted to write a book or some sort of informational product.  Well that has taken a bit longer but I am actually working on my book now and hopefully will be done by March and I am also cultivating a few ideas for informational products.  I would say that these goals will definitely be accomplished in 2010.


3rd - I wanted someone to write me a check for $1,000,000.  OK well that didn't happen exactly but we did sell our companies at the end of 2007 which allowed me to retire and have the money to live comfortably for a long time.  That was something I definitely couldn't have seen happening in January of 2007.  Oh by the way - this one is back on my 2010 Vision Board.


4th - A big bathtub.  In January of 2007 my house had the smallest 1957 bathtub in existence - ok that is just my opinion.  The tub was only 12 inches deep and it was so short you almost couldn't straighten your legs out.  Finally in January of 2009 I decided it was time to remodel my house and now I have a fabulously deep soaking tub in the spot that once was so cramped.


So as you can see these things did not all happen in 2007 but since the board stayed up through 2008 & 2009 they did all come closer to existence.  Time passes so quickly we should each take the time to focus on what we want out of life.  Be careful that you aren't focused on the wrong thing - what you don't want out of life.  So what is on the poster for 2010 - A Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, A Personal Assistant and A BIG Checking Account Balance, just to name a few.....

10 Self Imposed Road Blocks for Women Starting Businesses Part III

At this point we have covered the first seven road blocks that women build to stop themselves from starting businesses.  I hope that you have taken the time to study them and have acknowledged where you might have issues that need to be addressed.  At this point you have dealt with most of the mental issues with the exception of #10, which is a big one.  However, even with that one still out there you should be feeling pretty good about moving forward with your business ideas.  Before we take a look at the last three road blocks let's get a quick reminder about the first seven. 

ROAD BLOCK #1 - Not Enough Money
ROAD BLOCK #2 - Negative Self-Talk
ROAD BLOCK #3 - Comfort Zone Addiction
ROAD BLOCK #4 - Doubting Your Business Idea
ROAD BLOCK #5 - Not Knowing Where To Start
ROAD BLOCK #6 - Not Smart Enough
ROAD BLOCK #7 - Feeling You Have to Know Everything Before You Can Start

ROAD BLOCK #8 - The So-Called Experts (Dream Squishers) - They mean good (well most of the time) your family and friends that is.  You tell them about your dream and how you are going to change your life and your future and they start to tear it apart.  They tell you all the reasons why you are not going to make it and why it absolutely won't work.  I know this may seem off course, but have you ever had the opportunity to watch a bucket of live crabs? 

10 Self Imposed Road Blocks for Women Starting Businesses Part II

So are you still dreaming of the possibilities?  Have you taken the time to absorb Part I of this series and over come the first three road blocks?  Have you noticed the recurring theme?  Most of the barriers that women put up are mental or at least have to be dealt with mentally.  So far we have discussed the first three road blocks that women put up when facing the possibility of starting their own businesses. 

ROAD BLOCK #1 - Not Enough Money
ROAD BLOCK #2 - Negative Self Talk
ROAD BLOCK #3 - Comfort Zone Addiction 

Today we will focus on the next four road blocks.

ROAD BLOCK #4 - Doubting Your Business Idea - Oh you knew I would get to it eventually - the big "D" word and I'm not talkin' divorce.  No sister, the big "D" word is Doubt. 

10 Self Imposed Road Blocks for Women Starting Businesses Part I

Everyday there are women in this world that decide it is time for them to step up to the plate and create a better life for themselves and their families.  They start to dream about what could be if they had more money, more time for their families, more time for themselves or simply the ability to make the choices they want instead of the choices that are forced upon them.  If you have not taken the time to day dream lately I think you should try it right now.  Close your eyes and let yourself imagine the possibilities.  Be sure to come back and finish reading since I know you are probably so tired you could fall asleep.

Could you picture yourself in a better, happier place?  Were your children well cared for, happy and well educated?  Were your bills paid when they arrived in the mail instead of waiting till the very end of the grace period to pay them?  Were your aging parents well cared for?  Did you quit your job because you are finally in control of your own finances?  Did you have someone to clean your house so you would have time to spend playing with your children?  (It's OK to dream about that - God doesn't take off points if you have someone clean your house.)  So what did you imagine you were doing to make this extra money for these things and to have these abilities and choices? 

Exciting Decisions About Life!

I am so excited!  About so many things I do not know where to begin.  Who am I kidding?  I have two exciting new projects in the works and I can't wait to tell you about them.  First I am going to tell you quickly about a new website I am creating for a passion of mine.  Back in 2002 I started learning about personalities and how those personalities can almost always predict the direction a person will take.  I love figuring out someones personality and truly get a kick out of being right (by the way I am a D personality on the DISC scale and that explains that).  So anyway I am creating a website called Personality-Quiz-Tools.com to teach others how to recognize different personalities and be able to use that information to make their lives better.  I will be talking about it in detail on My Social Media Project Blog. I just put the homepage up today on Personality-Quiz-Tools so please check it out.  I would love your feed back.

Now for my super exciting news!!  If you have read my past blogs then you know that I am at a cross roads in my life - the intersection of What Do I Want To Do With The Rest Of My Life Avenue and I Feel Like I Am Running Out Of Time Street.  I did know one thing all along and that is that I want to do something to help women.  God has truly placed that on my heart and I am going to do something about it.  I have spent much time contemplating my strengths and talking to everyone I could about what I should do.  I am so excited to say that I have finally decided on the path.

How NOT to Say Your Sorry

I have recently witnessed several people, who will remain nameless but don't deserve it, issue apologies that I found to be appalling. Is it possible that "Saying Your Sorry" has become a lost art form? Do peoples parents no longer teach them how to feel true remorse and issue heart felt apologies?

As a lover of knowledge I thought we should start with the definition of remorse - a sense of deep regret and guilt for something one did (from thefreedictionary.com). That definition includes the words regret and guilt, two words that seem to evade us in our society today. It seems that lots of people are only sorry when they get caught - regret and guilt do not even come into the equation until they are caught. The words from "Take a Bow" by Rhianna come to mind "Don't tell me your sorry cause your not, Baby when I know your only sorry you got caught."

I thought I would list several things not to say or do when you are apologizing:

1. Do Not use the word "but" in an apology. As in "Honey I am so sorry that I backed over your cat but if you hadn't let it go outside it wouldn't have happened."
2. Do Not blame someone else for your actions in your apology. Same example as #1.
3. Do Not rationalize your actions in your apology. As in "Sir I am sorry I ran into your car. If Chevrolet put better brakes on these vehicles it wouldn't have happened." Wow it is amazing how much that sounds like blaming someone else (#2). If I had used the word but in the sentence I could have covered points 1, 2 & 3.
4. Never ever ever ever start an apology with "I know you want me to apologize so...."
5. Probably the single most irritating mistake that people make when apologizing is the tone they use. There are two extremely different meanings when someone says "Sorry" in a remorseful tone than when they say "SORRY" in a harsh hard loud tone. If you don't believe me just ask a child.

I know that you could probably add many items to this list and I look forward to your comments. So now what? I hope you are thinking about how you present your apologies. It seems to me that it is pretty easy. I think that apologies without remorse do more damage than good. Do not insult the other person with a bogus apology. If you can truly say you are feeling regret and guilt, thus remorse, an apology should be straight forward. Say you are sorry, take full responsibility for your actions, assure the wronged party that you have learned from your mistake and will not do it again.  Most of all mean what you say!

Change and the Inspired Life

It is that time of year! You know the one where everything starts changing. We all know those famous lines by Reinhold Niebuhr "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change; the courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." Ralph Waldo Emerson said "We change, whether we like it or not." But Gallagher said it best "Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine." I just threw that one in because it made me laugh.

I went to Wendy's yesterday to get the kids some lunch and while I was in line I was watching the buzzing of activity in the McNeese State University dorms that were across the street. Students and parents were coming and going (and sweating) getting ready for their most current change in life. Most of those kids were in their late teens or early twenty's and I wonder if they understand the significance of where they are in life and the fact that they can change their whole future with choices and changes they make right now.

Then as I drove off I saw another woman, she looked to be in her early 30's, leaving the campus with her 4 small children in tow and a hand full of papers. I drove past her wondering what was she up to. Did she just enroll in school? Was she just picking up paperwork for someone else? My mind decided she was enrolling in school to change her future. What a wonderful thought. I sure hope she was. Was she taking that small step of change that would make her future and her children's future better?

School starts here in Lake Charles in two days. My kids are both really excited. They are tired of being home all the time and really look forward to getting back to school and seeing all of their friends. They are both in high school, which happens to be the same high school I went to, and I have to admit that I often feel the change in my life when I am dropping them off or picking them up. There have been many times when I am driving in front of the school and really expect to see my friends walking across the street from the parking lot. Where did those 25 years go? LOL When did I become a parent? Obviously a long time ago and I know you probably think I am crazy but there are days when I think to myself "Whoa, I am a parent."

Things change - that is just a fact. But it is how we anticipate, deal with and/or react to those changes that form our future. Do we always like change? Absolutely not! Changes brought on by death, divorce, disaster, the economy are usually not fun but as time pass we can see how our reactions to those changes affected our future. Do you resist change? I know several people who are truly resistant to change and would rather complain about change than do anything about it. Do you embrace change? Although change can be very scary it also can give you a fresh start, a new outlook and a renewed spirit.

So by now I hope you are ready to embrace change. Maybe there are things in your life you would like to change and just aren't sure how to. My personal experience has taught me that if you change one small thing at a time you will eventually see huge changes. A great example would be that maybe you should change the way you react when someone cuts you off in traffic or turns in front of you. Now if you notice I used the word "should" instead of "want to" in that sentence because a lot of people may not want to but they should change. I changed my reactions by making an effort to think about it at that moment. Did it happen immediately - no - but it did make me start thinking about it more often and after a while I wasn't even having to think about it any more. I was really just changing a bad habit but that small change in my life probably helped to reduce my blood pressure a little bit and my kids aren't scared to ride in the car with me. LOL

So what scary change is coming up for you or what change do you need to make in your life? I would love to know - please leave a comment and be sure to come back and let us know how your change is going.

Sometimes Others See It So Clearly!

Have you ever heard the saying "When the student is ready the teacher will come!"? I have always interpreted that to mean that when we are ready for the answers they will appear clearly. If you read my previous blog you know that I am at a crossroads in my life. My children are almost grown, we recently sold our family businesses and I am trying to decide what I will do with the rest of my life. I have known for some time now that God wants me to help women but that is a broad category. I have spent many hours pondering what exactly that means. Not to say I feel confused, I absolutely do not feel that way, the woman of proverbs did not feel that way. It is just that the possiblities are endless and as human beings we need a path to focus on.

I don't know about all of you but I have to admit that I do not always feel comfortable asking for help. I have recently started taking a class about Social Media through http://www.selfgrowth.com/ and had the privilege of being taught by Nancy Marmolejo. Nancy is a social media guru (and I don't use that word lightly). She has a large following on twitter and facebook and she has a presence about her that just makes you want to be her friend. You should check her out at her website http://www.vivavisibility.com/. I had a question for Nancy about whether something she was working on could help me so I finally summoned the courage and contacted her on Facebook. What happened after that was amazing. Not only did she answer my question but since I had explained my situation she started asking me questions.

• Are you a master of persuasion?


• Can you open women up to opportunities they can't see that the rest of the world sees so clearly?


• What did you do in Mary Kay that was astounding and enjoyable? (Oh, I am not sure I told you but I was a Mary Kay Sales Director for five years.)


• What is the big transformation you can help others achieve?


• Why get this transformation from you versus the next person? (This one I am still working on)

It was like the proverbial light bulb went off over my head. Sometimes the answers are right there in front of you and you can't see them. What do I do best? What was I born to do? Anyone who knows me knows the answer is easy - I love business. I am not sure what my first words were but it could have been "profitable". LOL Nancy went on to remind me that there are lots of things that I know that a lot of other women may not. Did you know that, according to the US Census Bureau, as of July 2008 in the United States alone there are over 118 million women over the age of 18 and there are over 10.1 million women owned businesses in the United States? Those numbers astound me.

So what does all this mean? It looks like the best way for me to help women would be by focusing on their businesses, whether they own a business or just want to own a business. Maybe help them to determine their passions and understand the impacts of those passions on their daily life. Building a relationship of trust with these women which will extend beyond their business life and help them grow personally and spiritually as well. Oh my heart is racing thinking of the possibilities and the challenge. I do so love a challenge!

Inspired Life

Thank you for checking out The Inspired Life blog page. I am very excited about the possibilities of what is to come for us - yes you and me. I thought I should first introduce myself. My name is Michele Scism and I live in Lake Charles, LA. I am married and have 2 teenage children living at home. My husbands 2 children live on their own and are each raising one of our 2 beautiful grandchildren. I have successfully reached my 39th birthday several times. My husband and my doctors seem to like to remind me of that although I try not to let it bother me. I am a genuinely happy person, I smile a lot and try to maintain a positive attitude at all times. I did say try because believe it or not their are times when even I am not completely positive. I love God, my family and friends, music, business, social networking and anything inspirational. OK and I love to eat - I do live in Southwest Louisiana and that is what we specialize in.

I am starting this blog as part of my new journey. We have recently sold our family businesses and I have been given a blessing. The ability to search for what I am supposed to do with the rest of my life. I know it is a blessing because what God helps to create can only prosper. In Proverbs 31 is a description of the Virtuous Woman. There are 22 points made about this amazing woman - she is rare, trustworthy, constant in her love, industrious, thrifty, self starting, enterprising, willing to do hard work, willing to work long hours, willing to do monotonous work, compassionate, prepared for the future, a good seamstress, married to a leader, an entrepreneur, not swayed by circumstances, wise and kind, duty-conscious, blessed by her family, not satisfied with mediocre, a woman of God and praiseworthy. (Proverbs 31:10-31KJV) Do I confess to be this woman, absolutely not. However, I strive to be this woman and you can too. I have given a lot of thought lately to what my talents are and I have come up with a list.

• Professional Business Woman!


• Amazingly Organized!


• Great Speaker!


• Extremely Motivated and Self Driven!


• Caring and Loving Mother, Wife, Daughter and Grand Daughter!

When I come up with more for my list I will let you know. In the meantime I want to say that while working on my list a lot of negative doubtful thoughts came to my mind about what I am. However, I know that those are false and I will not focus on them because What You Focus Your Energy On Will Grow - positive or negative! What I would like for you to do is work on your list. It is important to know what you think of yourself.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. I am looking forward to meeting you so please leave a comment or drop me a line. I think in my next blog I will tell you a little about who I used to be.