The one thing you can control

I just saw this on Facebook and cringed. This is so NOT my philosophy in life and, in fact, I think it's wrong on so many levels.  If you want to live on an emotional roller coaster and allow yourself to be ruled by the whims of others, subscribe to the perspective espoused below....

But notice that many individuals whom society regards as successful, fulfilled, and positively influential have taken the opposite approach:

Mémoire

Je viens de trouver ce petit essaie que j'ai écrit au but de mon séjour à Bruxelles.  C'est incroyable que ça fait déjà presque 5 ans que j'ai quitté la Belgique, mais j'ai eu la bonne chance de rendre visite déjà une fois - l'année passée - et j'y rentre dans deux semaines!

Cela est un bon reflection sur le temps passé là-bas; je pense que c'est évident que c'est voyage à été pendant une période tellement important pour le développement personnel et confiance en soi.

« Je descends de l’avion avec tous les autres. Je suis prête avec mon passeport et mon visa. Après plus de vingt heures sur l’avion il me semblait que le moment n’arriverait jamais. Mais voilà, je suis là. Fatiguée, même épuisée, j’essaie de garder un esprit d’aventure. 

Sortant du bureau de la douane, je rentre dans une salle pleine de gens qui semblent parler mille langues différentes, dont je ne connais aucune. Un groupe m’approche, ils me rattrapent, ils m’embrassent chacun à son tour. Je suis surprise, étonnée : pourquoi sont-ils aussi intimes ? Je ne les jamais vus auparavant ! Je compte huit personnes, ce doit être ma nouvelle famille. Ils semblent sympas, mais je ne comprends qu’un ou deux mots de chaque phrase. Après quelques minutes je les suis dehors. Dans le parking je suis perdue. Je vois des milliers de voitures, toutes tellement petites qu’elles paraissent appartenir à une maison de poupée, à un monde de poupée. C’est quoi ces marques ? J’ai l’impression d’être sur une autre planète. 

En voiture je me retrouve coincée entre deux sièges d’enfant. Les petits s’énervent quand je ne réponds pas aux deux cents questions qu’ils me lancent toutes à la fois. J’essaie de réciter quelque chose, n’importe quoi suffirait à ce point, mais ils s’ennuient et commencent à se chamailler. Cela fait 35 heures que je n’ai pas dormi, et ma maison, ma famille, ma vie semblent être à l’autre bout du monde. »

Women: Natural Entrepreneurs?

The author of a blog dedicated to earning passive income online recently wrote about the strength of women entrepreneurs in a post titled Why Women Do So Well Starting Businesses.  I can't find a name on the site, but judging by the site design, content, and writing style, I'm guessing this blogger is male.

He claims women are predisposed to be great "entrepreneurettes" -- as I've dubbed them -- for several reasons.

1. Historically women have been independent (managing the home alone) while men have been off working in groups (hunting, fighting, etc.)
   ....he seems to be asserting that self-starting is now in our genes or social fabric.
2. Women are more comfortable asking for help.
3. Women are more accustomed to tasks that are "meticulous and repetitive."
   The author cites food preparation and sewing. I think a better description is "detail oriented."
4. Women have more experience facing adversity. 

The underlying thesis is that all of the above traits or skills are useful and/or necessary to start and run a business.  My question for other women: What do you think of this blogger's assessment?  What other gender-specific traits or experiences present advantages or disadvantages for women entrepreneurs?

Empty Me

"...of the selfishness inside, every vain ambition, and the poison of my pride..."

Next Stop: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Almost exactly one year since I last visited Holland, I'll touch down once again in the flat, beautiful, windmill-dotted lowlands just three weeks from today.  My arrival in the Netherlands will mark the beginning of a multi-continental voyage sure to be filled with adventure, challenges, camaraderie, and memorable experiences.

In case you didn't hear...

Belmont University has a team that has qualified for the final round of the 2012 Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Worldwide Case competition in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
College of Business Administration students Ayesha Ghaffar, Rami Nofal, Jordan Holt and Shirah Foy will compete at the Kralingse Zoom in Rotterdam from Feb. 26 to March 2. They are among the “10 best teams in the world”  who will face off at NIBS to come up with solutions for a strategic business problem. Each team will have four hours to prepare a case without outside help. Their presentations will be assessed by a jury of professional and academic experts.
This will be the second international business case competition for Belmont’s team, which previously participated in the Eighth Annual Center for International Business Education and Research Case Challenge in October.
Click here to read more on the 2012 NIBS Worldwide Case competition.

I have had the pleasure to work with one of my teammates, Rami Nofal, over the past few years as we've helped build up Belmont's International Business Society.  Rami is our team's macro-economic specialist, while Ayesha is the finance whiz, Jordan brings great marketing skills and creative thinking, and I'm the "pull it all together" person.  It's been so much fun working with all of them, and I'm so excited that our wonderful, always-encouraging faculty advisor, Dr. Marieta Velikova, will be accompanying us to the finals!

There is much more than scholarly activities on the itinerary - this is sure to be an amazing networking opportunity, filled with sightseeing, great conversations, myriad learning experiences, and international business exposure.  What a neat opportunity to participate in such a competition during my last semester!

A Few 'Lies' & the Truth About Creativity

I have more than enough work to keep me busy 24 hours day for the next several months, but if there's one thing I learned last semester, it's this:  A little time to reflect, relax, and simply think renews my enthusiasm for my work and sends my productivity skyrocketing.

Jon Acuff

So before I start the two papers I will write this afternoon, I want to share a few words of wisdom that I
heard yesterday during Jon Acuff's visit to Belmont.  Jon is the guy who started a blog called Stuff Christians Like - a hilarious spin-off of the comical Stuff White People Like blog.  But beyond making a name for himself in the blog world (Belmont's write-up of the event stated that Jon's blog is read by "2 million people in over 97 percent of the countries in the world"), Jon has authored a few books and honed his talent for public speaking. He was brought to campus this week by Belmont's Center for Entrepreneurship to speak on Five Lies Entrepreneurs Should Ignore for Success.

I was laughing too hard to write down or remember all five of the "lies", but there were certainly a few points that stuck out for me.

Success

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!
     - Emerson