“I want to be alone.”

It would appear Greta Garbo was not the only one. A new survey found 71 percent of moms say the thing they want the most on Mother's Day is some ALONE time.

When we play our game Chatterbox at a Company of Women meeting, one of the questions is what would you do if you had a week alone?

I usually joke that the mothers in the group start to hyperventilate.  But it would seem while having time alone is a fantasy of many, it’s also a bit scary.  

If this wish came true, what would you do?  I’d get myself a cup of coffee, choose a book I have been wanting to read… and finish, and chill out with my book in hand.  No interruptions. No people or dogs to feed.  Just me and my book.

It’s the finish part that is key.  I have stacks of books on my bedside table, but most have never been opened.  Or I’ve dipped in, started to read, never to return.

While I fully intend to get into a book at the weekend, somehow that hardly ever happens.  And as for reading on a weekday – well that just seems too decadent to imagine.

But what would you do… maybe garden, shop, go to a spa, or a long walk?  Somehow doing something for ourselves seems selfish but we need to get over ourselves.

And back to the scary element.  Sometimes I think we don’t want to be alone with our thoughts, as that could be a dangerous place to visit.

Having time alone is such a rarity that I suspect many of us would struggle at first.  We are so used to others placing their demands on us, to putting our needs last.

At least on Mother’s Day we have permission to be pampered and I for one intend to sit back and let it happen.

In my case, my husband and daughters are cooking dinner for me.    Stay tuned, but you can be sure that regardless of what it tastes like, I will be ringing their praises because who knows, this foray into cooking could catch on 

Lift weights and get ahead in business

Image courtesy of tiverlylucky at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have had a fascinating week, interviewing women for the One Red Lipstick book. 

One of the reasons we embarked on this project was that we knew instinctively that women who are successful by society’s standards, often have a story to tell.  

As women entrepreneurs, we all know that it is never plain sailing, that often there are obstacles to be overcome, but we’re really good at putting on the mask (and the red lipstick) and acting as if nothing is wrong.

Sometimes success comes with a hefty price tag when we have been so embroiled and focused in our business that we neglect our health, take our relationships for granted and are so driven that really our life is out of kilter.  

I remember years ago having a speaker who talked about just that.  In actual fact she was there to talk on a different topic, but her recent realization and wake up call of how she was missing the boat was top of mind, and that is what she focused on in her presentation.   I applaud her honesty and willingness to be vulnerable.

We take our health for granted.  It is not until we have lost our ability to do something – as simple as just getting up without pain -  that we realize how precious life and our health is.  Success takes on a different interpretation, and maybe we need to revisit what success means to us.

Certainly in the summer the pace is slower. We take time to stop and think, but why can’t we do that twelve months of the year?  I am challenging myself with the same question. When I come up with the answer, I’ll let you know.

One of the closing questions we ask the women is what advice they would give to someone starting out.  I loved the reply from my last interviewee -  “Join a gym and lift weights.”  Her rationale? You need to be physically strong to stay the course.

Maybe that’s advice that would work for all of us as we weave our way through life.  What do you think?