You are receiving this newsletter because you are a Smart Working Mom and have opted to receive info and industry news from Briefcase Moms®. This newsletter is a valuable resource providing coaching, advice, inspiration and motivation to improve work-life balance and career success. Sign up to get the offers only made available to people on this list.

Upfront & Personal

You are more than halfway through September.  So, how are you doing?

I'm doing better than last Tuesday when: I awoke with Pink Eye, Adam informed me "Spikey" his fish wasn't swimming around much, my batteries were dead in my recorder I planned to use for the Balance Teleforum, it was Adam's first day of soccer, book club was at my house that night...and it was garbage day.  Did I mention my husband was out of town?

Yep, we all have those days.  Some of the stress I experienced was my own doing, (note to self - check your batteries the day before/not the hour before), and some of it completely out of my control (Pink Eye and a dead fish). 

What got me through that day was not letting it get to me.  Not letting my shoulds, guilt or need to control it all, (and you all know I'm a recovering control freak), make a bad situation potentially worse.  I could laugh about it then and now.

Learning to let go is an ongoing process.  As you end September and scream into October, I encourage you to think about your expectations of yourself.  Are they too high?  Are you clinging to beliefs, activities and things that no longer serve you?  What would you let go of if you were guaranteed things wouldn't fall apart? Yes, I said:  "What ball will you drop?" 

It's important to continually reflect on and edit your life as circumstances change.  And to give yourself a break. For more tips on how to de-guilt, de-stress and unshould your life join us for the October Balance Teleforum. 

Also, if you just need a boost read our feature article which is a poem by Jamie Lee Curtis that was featured in the August edition of More magazine.

Wishing you success that's balanced, Lisa

Feature Article: Ode to Women

If indeed it's a race
Then the chicks do the most
It isn't a brag
Or an estrogen boast

It's the women who've led me
With big open hearts
If not for their love
I'd have failed at the start

And it's not just the mothers
I speak of them all
It's a woman there first
When somebody falls

The multi of tasking
That's easy to tease
I dare a great man
To try it all, PLEASE!

So this is my shout out
My rallying cry
To women all over
I hold you up high

And though there are others
Who'll think this poem strange
It's the women who plant
The root of big change.

--Jamie Lee Curtis

News You Can Use - Who's bringing home the bacon?

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, CanWest News Service

OTTAWA - Many men should get used to the idea of their wives earning more than them because that growing trend is here to stay, according to a Statistics Canada report released Wednesday.

In the last decade, the number of wives who are the primary breadwinners has risen steadily and, since 1967, the proportion has nearly tripled.

Click here to read full story.

About Lisa Martin

Lisa Martin is a certified coach who inspires working mothers to achieve success that's balanced.

Author of Briefcase Moms: 10 Proven Practices to Balance Working Mothers' Lives, Lisa is a sought-after expert and speaker on work-life balance issues. Known for her very personal and practical approach, Lisa coaches working mothers to know what they want and get what they want.

With 20 years of entrepreneurial and corporate experience, Lisa is also the founder and president of Briefcase Moms - a work-life coaching and training company that helps organizations attract, engage and retain working mothers.

A mother herself, Lisa's powerful presentations and programs have helped thousands of women define success and balance on their own terms.

MAKE SURE YOU RECEIVE YOUR BRIEFCASE MOMS®   NEWSLETTER: Briefcase Moms® comes from the address lisa@briefcasemoms.com. 

If you are using AOL, Earthlink Hotmail, or a personal spam filter,please help ensure that you receive emails from this email address by adding this email address to your email address book. This will "whitelist" this email address, telling your hosting service that you definitely do want to receive emails from this email address. Please add us to your address book so you have no trouble receiving future issues.

Manage Your Subscription

To subscribe to this newsletter, send an email to subscribe@briefcasemoms.com. To unsubscribe see the end of this message.

View Past Issues:  click here

I encourage you to share, replicate or forward this newsletter or article as long as the subscription, author links, and copyright information are kept intact. Email laura@briefcasemoms.com for details.

Contact LisaMartin
For more information on Briefcase Moms® programs, customized private coaching with Lisa or inviting Lisa to speak to your organization, please contact her at (604)988-9394 or lisa@briefcasemoms.com. Or,visit http://www.briefcasemoms.com

 

 

 

October Balance Teleforum

Title: Extreme Lightness: De-guilt, De-stress and Unshould Your Life 

Date: Tuesday, October 10 at 10-11 am PT/1-2 pm ET

Learn how you can use Lisa's practice of Lightness to let go of your need for total control - personally and professionally. Lisa shares her “tried and true” techniques to unplug your “shoulds” and really pay attention to where you feel most guilty - so you can begin eliminating it from your life. Techniques include readjusting unrealistic expectations and asking for more support. This session will fill up fast.

There is limited seating...so don't delay. Click here for more information or to register.

Briefcase Moms' most popular tools

Book- Practical, entertaining and inspiring, this book is for working mothers who want success in all areas of their lives---career, family and personal fulfillment. These ten transformative and proven practices, designed for women at any stage of working motherhood, are about defining, establishing and maintaining life balance. They will help you make the right choices, take action and live the life you want. Find out why so many working mothers have used this plan to map their path to balance.

Journal - The e-Journal is the digital companion piece to the Briefcase Moms book and helps you put the "Check Your Balance" sections of the book into action. It comes complete with all the "Check Your Balance" questions and assessments and provides plenty of space for your personal thoughts and journaling.

Home Study Program - Are you unable to attend the 90 Days to a Balanced Life Program during the day? We recorded the 9 sessions of the live program and have made them available in this Home Study Course. Receive all the benefits of the Briefcase Moms® Program at a time of your choosing and at your pace. The course is delivered digitally and includes audio recordings, the book in pdf format, as well as the eJournal/Workbook.

As always your thoughts and questions are welcome. Let us know what you think. This space is reserved for subscriber comments. Send us an email.