by Donna Maria on March 14, 2010
I maintained the Lifestyle CEO blog from September 2005 to September 2006. I recently reviewed it for content I could share with you here. This post, from September 27, 2005, was originally titled, “As the Crow Flies.” It makes me smile because
Sheryl Crow eventually chose one of the options I mentioned, and then made it one better by becoming a mother.
Today’s USA Today features an inspiring story of the power of options, and the joy that comes with having created the life you love. Sheryl Crow, popular singer, Grammy Award winner and soon-to-be first time wife at the age of 43, is going to marry one of the darlings of the sports world, Lance Armstrong.
I have no personal knowledge about Sheryl, but I wonder if anyone ever told her that she should “get a job” instead of taking a low paying gig in a smoke-filled bar on the seedy side of town. If they did, she apparently didn’t listen, and today, having already lived one dream, she’s perched on the verge of living another one. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 13, 2010
I maintained the Lifestyle CEO blog from September 2005 to September 2006. I recently reviewed it for content I could share with you here. This post, originally titled, “… And the Rich Just Get Richer,” is from September 26, 2005, and holds special meaning for me since I was once in-house counsel at a Fortune 500 corporation.
Not that there’s anything wrong with being rich, mind you. The problem is that when us common folks eking out a living doing either what we love (because we want to) or what we hate (because we have to) are constantly bombarded with it, it’s sickening.
One of the gag stories of the week is that so many newly bankrupt airlines are paying their attorneys millions of dollars while those who invested in their stock get an empty seat. And I haven’t even started on how it affects the employees. You know, those people who foot the bill so the company can get back on its feet just in time to promptly fire them as a cost cutting measure. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 12, 2010
I maintained the Lifestyle CEO blog from September 2005 to September 2006. I recently reviewed it for content I could share with you here. I was delighted to discover that nearly every post is more relevant today than it was when I originally published it. This one, from November 10, 2005, is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it.
Yesterday, my husband and I taped the Lifestyle CEO cable television show, and we did it with our kids at our sides. We waited until the last minute to secure our usual sitter, but she was not available so we were stuck. At the eleventh hour, a next-door neighbor agreed to help us, but since she was too young to stay in our home alone with the children, we piled into the car and went to the studio to tape the show.
Seeing my children sitting just feet away from me as my husband and I taped our television show reminded me that we really are creating the life we love. We are not bowing to traditional notions of what parenting should be like. We are making up our lives as we go along, doing things we love to do on our own terms and including our children every step of the way. The whole experience reminded me that you can either make things in your life the way you want them to be, or you can allow the world to dictate how your life should be. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 11, 2010
Failure is uncomfortable and embarrassing. But it is also empowering, if you allow it to be. For one thing, failure helps you empathize with others. This is good not only in personal relationships, but also in business ones. When you empathize with the failures and challenges of others, you are better equipped to enhance their lives with what you have to offer.
Failure also teaches you to ask for help. Whenever I try something and get nowhere, I reach out to friends or business colleagues who are already doing what I want to do. Sometimes I have to pay for their insights, sometimes it’s free. Either way, when faced with continually failing or improving my circumstances, asking for help becomes a no-brainer. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 10, 2010
There was once a restaurant on the Atlanta, Ga, campus of Morehouse College called “Delights of The Garden.” Originally owned and operated by Imar Hutchins and some of his college friends, the restaurant was a huge success. The founders eventually opened two locations in my hometown of Washington, DC, one on the Howard University campus and one in Georgetown.
One fine day, Imar Hutchins walked into my aromatherapy shop and just started talking. We became instant friends, and supported each other in our early entrepreneurial endeavors. We lost touch when he went to New York to attend law school. His restaurant eventually closed, but not before he published a cookbook called, “The Joy Of Not Cooking: Vegetarian Cuisine Cooked Only By the Sun.” I think I am one of the lucky few to have one of the only copies. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on March 9, 2010
This is a guest post by John Easton, a recovering corporate executive turned entrepreneur. Through his
Charlotte website design company, John helps small business owners create video, web and multimedia tools that turn “browsers” into “buyers.” Follow John on Twitter at
@jeaston1. If you would like to submit a guest post for my blog,
please read the guidelines here.
Let’s face it — we don’t like working out. No matter what new fangled Wii Fit device or belly bustin’ technique hits the market, we still hate interrupting our daily work routine to break a sweat. But what if we could get paid to work out? Well, you can, and I’m going to show you how through a new concept I call “exer-preneurship.” It’s a new way of looking at exercise that keeps you fit and paid at the same time.
Yep, that’s me. Suited up, Blackberry in hand and ready to build my business and my body on my elliptical trainer. Let’s start with blogging. It’s one of my favorite exercise routines. That’s right, I blog while I exercise, and it’s one of the best things I do for my business. Continue Reading…
