The Line to the Women's Restroom

I love to people watch and an entertaining place to watch people is the line at a women's restroom.

I was hosting an art show recently and the desk I planted myself at sat directly across from the women's restroom.

The steady stream of , I-Have-To-Pee people watching, made for an interesting and somewhat entertaining sort of afternoon.





Here are my observations of Women In Line for the Women's Restroom - People Watching:

1. You have the I-can-wait-patiently women. These women realize that waiting in line at the women's restroom is just part of the facts of life for women and they don't wait until it is an emergency.

2. The I-have-to-go-now women. Just what the name implies, they wait until the last minute. They then spend their time in line, hopping from one foot to the other, impatiently waiting for the line in front of them. And inevitably, when you have to go really bad, the women in front of you are the women who take their sweet time - so hurry up please.

3. The women who don't seem to notice the line and cut right to the front. They were so oblivious to the world around them. I guess when you have to go, you brain is too focused on having to pee and can't notice anything else.

4. This particular restroom has only one stall. The stall does have a door you can shut, as well as, an exterior door to the room itself. It amazed me how many women did not bother to shut the exterior door. In fact, some would just leave the door wide open. Now me, I am a private person when it comes to using the restroom, I close the door and lock it. I guess not all women feel the same way. So women - PLEASE shut the door and lock it.  The rest of us do not need to know what you are doing in the privacy of the restroom. Also, by leaving the door open this confused the other women, they would think that the restroom was available. These women already are a little addled by the I-Have-To-Go now syndrome.

5. My all time personal favorite of the day - The women who would go up to a shut, and locked door, and still try to open it. I am thinking that when women have to go - it overrides some of the logic in our brain and we are just too focused on getting to that toilet. When we have to go - we have to go.

How To Get Over Your Fear of Heights

One way to get over your fear of heights is to follow a daredevil ninety year old across a grated bridge, over a deep ravine.

Normally I am afraid of heights. I freeze usually if in that position. Recently, on a trip over the mountains, we stopped at a large waterfall. There is a grated bridge that you can walk out on and it is above a deep ravine. As I followed my ninety year old friend across the bridge, my sole focus was on her and I didn't really think about where I was.

Remarkable

I have never considered myself remarkable. I am, however, surrounded by remarkable women. Women who amaze me with their talents, energy and fortitude. How could I ever achieve to be like them? Most of us are modest about who we are, our gifts and our accomplishments. We are meant to give and care about others. We tend to put our needs and ourselves on the back burner. But, this may be what makes us truly remarkable. Our ability to give and care for others and still live our passion. To have the energy and determination to move forward and still be there for our families and friends.

When author Carolyn Leeper asked if I would like to be included in a book she was writing entitled 19 Remarkable Northwest Women, I didn’t realize what she was actually writing about. I read the manuscript when Carolyn hired my business, Armchair ePublishing, to design the book cover and complete the book’s layout and ebook conversions. It was during this process, while I was reading the stories of these women, that the full scope of the book hit me. I was in awe over what these women had accomplished and surprised when I learned Carolyn had included me as one of the nineteen.

I have always been fascinated with people and their stories. What makes them tick? What motivated them? How they accomplished their achievements? This book was an invitation to study some truly remarkable women and the things they have done; the adversities that got in their way and yet made them stronger; how their passion and determination led to their accomplishments.

I see these strengths in the women I’ve met and have had the intense pleasure of getting to know over the years. I idolize them and feel humbled to be in their presence. They encourage me to keep going and set forth my own accomplishments and follow my passions. I look up to these women and I think, “WOW.”

For me, women are remarkable. The balance of work, family and life in general can be difficult and yet they not only manage, they succeed.

My advice to all women: Be grateful, for you are remarkable. Be proud of your awesomeness. Lead others and share your greatness, so that they to can be great!

It All Starts With A Dream

Some people just don't get it.

Why would anyone want to be work for themselves instead of having a secure job?  The thing is - jobs are not secure anymore. It's not like it was in our grandfather's, even our father's day, where you were with a company for thirty plus years.

Why are we Entrepreneurs?

We do it for the passion!



For the Autonomy.

Being the Master of our own Destiny.

The rewards.

Because we can...

We are driven to be a part of something that we created.  We crave to continuously learn and explore. We have a burning desire to be our own Master. We get great satisfaction from the rewards: recognition, acceptance from others, knowing that we did this. We are in control of our destiny.

Entrepreneurs are the backbones of any business. Entrepreneurs are the beginning of new economies. They propel us into the future and they are a large part of our past. It is the imaginations of Entrepreneurs that sprout forth technologies and innovations.

Why are we Entrepreneurs?  It all started with a Dream...

I Can't Say NO

I can't say, "No."

I don't think the problem is overcommitting, or wanting to be a people pleaser, or being a volunteraholic.  The real issue is having a  passion for too many things, the yearning to learn, and to be part of something important.

You see this happen a lot with retirees.  They no longer have the responsibility of family, or careers that consume every waking hour. They now have time and opportunity to explore and focus on what they want to do.

Before we know it though, we've said 'yes' to too many things and our precious time is gone. We've started a new career - being a volunteer. A career that is more time-consuming, and sometimes more stressful, than working a full-time job and having a family.

How do we find balance? How do we fulfill that yearning to be part of something? We prioritize, and we learn to say, "No." We did it when we were two, so it shouldn't be hard to learn again.

We take back our time, our life and we find balance once more. Otherwise, before you know it, you have given too much of yourself away.

For some it is hard to say, "no," so instead, say, "yes" to yourself first.