Women, Women, Women

Earlier this week I attended the Women's Conference in Long Beach, hosted by California's First Lady, Maria Shriver.  What a thought-provoking, inspiring, and just incredibly good time! I was inspired by so many successful and spirited women. From the presenters, to the celebrities, to my co-attendees...all were women that are intelligent, driven, passionate and forceful, in whatever their endeavors are.

My friend Julie and I went together. We made a new friend while there, and the three of us stayed together throughout the conference. All 3 of us business owners, but at very different stages of ownership. We laughed, were star-struck, walked all over the conference center (and around it), ate, had cocktails together, and best of all, had great, stimulating conversation. It was fabulous!

I learned that women can do anything and we do everything! It's hard to keep up with it all, and it's ok to leave things to another day, it's ok to say no, it's ok to do something selfish (everyday if possible!), and it's smart to savor the day, and the moment. But it's important to put our passion and our heart into what we REALLY believe in, whether that be our family, our home, our community, our business, our clubs, our nation, or our globe.

One thing is for sure - we must always surround ourselves with women that we love and that love us. No one uplifts us more, supports us more, sings our praises more, is as honest with us, makes us laugh more, holds us as tight when we cry, and plain just GETS US.  Here is one of my all time favorite quotes "What I expect from my male friends is that they are polite and clean.  What I expect from my female friends is unconditional love, the ability to finish my sentences for me when I am sobbing, a complete and total willingness to pour their hearts out to me, and the ability to tell me why the meat thermometer isn't supposed to touch the bone."  (Anna Quindlen, Living Out Loud)

And I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the conference, which came from Martha Beck, PhD, author and Life Coach: "Never put off till tomorrow......what you can cancel."

Now please, let's have another glass of wine.
jrb