I am calling seat 33C home for the next 10 hours. And lucky me! 33D has no passenger! The luxury of it all. How simple the pleasures when I remember not to want more than I have in the moment. This is a direct flight to Amsterdam and then another direct flight to Rwanda. Only 21 hours. My shortest flight itinerary yet. As I celebrate my 9th trip to Rwanda, I am struck with the one quality that is necessary to accomplish the extraordinary: persistence.

It is not perfection, luck, great intelligence, wisdom, money, or any other quality that could be credited with the reason ordinary people accomplish the extraordinary. It is persistence. Never giving up on what matters most. Never allow the obstacles facing you to stop your progress. In the moment. In the future. In the past.

Persistence is how I got to Rwanda. And persistence is why the Itafari Foundation will celebrate its 7th anniversary this Fall. If you’ve ever wanted to work in a country and make a difference, you must be prepared to face challenges and obstacles you could never imagine. You must prepare to have your heart broken. You must suspend disbelief that others cannot find joy unless they have every electronic toy known to the western world. You must get out of your own way and be scrutinized not just for what you say you will do, but your ability to get it done and do it in a culturally sensitive fashion. You must be willing to be so tired from jet lag that you wonder if your internal clock will ever start ticking normally again. You must be willing to celebrate the smallest of victories with true joy and awareness of what you have accomplished. And you must persist in the moment when you’re not quite sure what to do next. All you know for sure is that you’ll figure it out because the cause, the people, the work is worth more than an ego that says it should all be easy.

Itafari Foundation was formed because I was asked to come to Rwanda by a woman named Rita Ngarambe. She and I had no expectation that we would become friends and we still shake our heads in wonder over how the kindness of words would turn into a lifelong friendship. But the friendship wasn’t enough. What sustained our modest beginning was a group of people in the US and Rwanda who began to dream big and caught a vision for what they could create together.

My friends, donors, some board members, and even my family do not know my friends and loved ones in Rwanda. And they donate their time, money, strategies and wisdom.

In Rwanda it is the same. Our beneficiaries, my friends, our partners…for many of them, I am the face of Itafari. For me, that is an injustice; for I am NOT Itafari but its representative. All of the office support is donated (25+ hours per week). The board members serve without compensation. Our largest donations have occurred as friends and supporters have donated or secured donations from within their circle of influence. We have had wonderful in kind donations, like the website, which is world class.

And yet we’ve only just begun. In my last blog post I mentioned that Itafari’s vision should reflect Rwanda’s Vision 2020 which is unbelievably forward thinking and successful. With my excellent math skills, I calculate we have eight more years to line up with the country’s vision for itself. As Rwanda successfully becomes less dependent on NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) like Itafari, Itafari must become more sensitive and aligned with Rwanda’s vision.

I believe running a successful NGO is exactly the same as running a for profit business. While Itafari is definitely a not FOR profit, we must not be NON profit. We must build a sustainable model that can be duplicated and replicated. It’s not all about the money, but without funds, great and necessary work cannot be accomplished.

This brings me back to my 30,000 foot theme (literally and figuratively). Persistence. I am going to Rwanda this time to work with our partners and ensure a common goal, a common focus. I sell what I believe in. I want to improve and enhance the vision Itafari has for the work we are doing so that when I ask you for donations I am clear that your decision to support our work is a wise use of your funds. That though you may not go to Rwanda, you know your funds are being used as requested. And that the stories of success I hear that come from your donations, your efforts, come back to you and amaze and delight you.

I am persistent in reaching this goal for you, our partners in Rwanda, our beneficiaries, and for myself. Join us in support of this amazing country. Read more about our programs.

• We have unsponsored children that need you – consider a monthly sponsorship.
• Join us on a trip in the Fall. Sara Oberdorf and I will once again be leading a small group – and you will meet and work with these amazing people. (details to come)
• Donate monthly and regularly to support the cost of running a not for profit. We have rent to pay, utilities, bank charges for credit cards, wire fees, printing, mailing, marketing costs, etc.
• We’re persistent in our belief that we will help to build the Kigali Parents Secondary School. If you believe in the power of education, we have naming opportunities, buy a brick that will be placed in the courtyard or make a general donation.
• Need incredibly beautiful baskets and jewelry from Rwanda? We have them! Call the office for more details.
• Hold your own Pay It Forward and invite your friends. I’ll come and speak, we’ll sell baskets, ask gently but clearly for donations, and you and your friends will be changed and empowered.

You’re still reading!? Thanks! Remember: it is not hard to change the world; it is more difficult to believe you can. It is more difficult to think you have enough to give and that whatever you give is enough. I know this is true and I appreciate anything you do to assist us.

I’ll be back in Portland on April 5th. Don’t hesitate to write, call, comment and donate. All is appreciated all makes a difference, and all of it will accomplish the extraordinary.

Always,

Vicky aka Mama Itafari

To Donate or learn more:

 I’ve fasted before.  For health reasons, for spiritual reasons.  But never in solidarity with a group.  This is happening this time.  I’ve signed by with FastDarfur.org  My goal is to fast for 21 days on water only, flavored with some maple syrup and fresh lemons.  I stay motivated by remembering the bigger cause, the bigger picture, the greater need.  

When in Rwanda I will go for long days without food, and very little water if we’re working out in the countryside. It’s impossible to work and think within just a few hours of no food and drink. I do not know how people survive, and from the pictures, you begin to see we cannot tolerate this level of cruelty in the world.

I can sustain this fast through this small amount of nutrition – certainly less than the people of Darfur experience – and yet it’s only a few hundred calories (if that). But it’s more than they have. And the water I drink will be clean. And it’s as close as the sink. Not hours away by foot.

Fasting at this level is simple – comparatively speaking. And I can be further inspired and touched by the messages and information available to me. And so I fast to show I care. Here’s some wording from the website Fast Darfur:
________________________________________

We fast in solidarity with the people of Darfur because they do not have a choice. We fast as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has allowed the suffering of millions of innocent people.

We fast because as we simply watched, Darfur’s defenseless people were forced into wretched camps where today they are facing starvation and disease. We fast because those in positions of authority who know what is right and just, could and should do more to alleviate their suffering and bring peace, protection, and justice to the people of Sudan.

We fast for Darfur’s courageous people —because we yearn for a world where human rights are respected and a life of dignity is the legacy for every man, woman and child. {end}

I will continue to educate myself and others about the issues. If we believe we can make a difference, if we do more than talk and become outraged, then we are beginning.

Countless others have gone before us. Millions have died. And I choose not to honor those who have died not only by my grief, but by my action.

Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated.  Sign up for just a day or two at Fast Darfur.  And thank you.

Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve
Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June
12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the
finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college.

Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college
graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life.

That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

STORY #1

The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then
stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really
quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed
college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption.
She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates,
so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer
and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last
minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a
waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have
an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My
biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated
from college and that my father had never graduated from high school.
She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few
months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to
college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college
that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class
parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six
months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to
do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it
out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved
their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would
all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it
was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I
could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and
begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the
floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits
to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every
Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I
loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity
and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one
example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy
instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every
label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I
had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided
to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about
serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space
between different letter combinations, about what makes great
typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in
a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life.
But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh
computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac.
It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never
dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never
had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since
Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer
would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never
dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not
have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was
impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college.
But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only
connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots
will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something —
your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let
me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

STORY #2

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I
started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and
in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a
$2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our
finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just
turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company
you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was
very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so
things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge
and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of
Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out.
What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was
devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had
let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped
the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and
Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a
very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the
valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what
I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had
been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start
over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple
was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness
of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner
again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the
most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another
company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would
become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer
animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful
animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple
bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at
NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I
have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been
fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the
patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick.
Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going
was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And
that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is
going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly
satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to
do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet,
keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll
know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets
better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find
it. Don’t settle.

STORY #3

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live
each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be
right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33
years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If
today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about
to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days
in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve
ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because
almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of
embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of
death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are
going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you
have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not
to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in
the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t
even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost
certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect
to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go
home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare
to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d
have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to
make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as
possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a
biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my
stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got
a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there,
told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors
started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of
pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and
I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the
closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can
now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a
useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want
to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No
one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is
very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change
agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the
new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually
become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is
quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other
people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out
your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow
your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly
want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole
Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was
created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo
Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the
late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it
was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was
sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came
along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great
notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth
Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final
issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of
their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road,
the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so
adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”
It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay
Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you
graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

In 35 years of owning cars I have rarely raised the hood. I’ve been to car shows and the hood is raised and men (predominately) are standing around looking at the engine. The only other time I see a raised hood with an audience happen is when there’s a problem with the engine. As a woman who is not blessed with mechanical prowess, a hood of a car that is up is either: a) boring or b) a problem.

A few days ago in Rwanda there were men standing around looking at the engine of the car we were using and there was b) a problem. Car issues are never convenient and so it was the case that I needed to get back to the hotel to get ready for our final night’s celebration with our tour group and some of our Rwanda partners. An important night for sure, and not a good one to be inconvenienced by a dead engine.

It was 5pm. It gets dark at around 6:30pm each day due to the proximity to the equator. I know we are going to be challenged to get this fixed and get me back to the hotel. But no one seemed concerned and what I was most curious about was HOW we could get it repaired and WHO would fix it.

Our country director called a friend who was a mechanic and he said he would arrive shortly on a taxi moto. “Great”, I thought, “and then what?” Where would we take the car? How could he carry tools on the moto? How does he even know what’s wrong??

Within 30 minutes a guy showed up and joined the small but interested group of men staring at the engine. He had NO tools but he didn’t seem concerned. The problem was explained in Kinyarwanda, and he began looking around the battery on this car with 190,000 km on it (which I was told is “not so many!”)

It seems the ignition wire had burned out. But this mechanic noticed a bunch of wires wrapped around the battery (Storage? Securing it to the block? Left behind??) Whatever the case, in the few experiences I’d had in engine gazing, no battery I’d ever seen carried a bunch of wires in that place.

The mechanic unwrapped the wires. He then took one and stripped the plastic off with his teeth. He checked for a spark on the battery and then somehow connected his dentally enhanced wire to something else and started the car! Really??! He assured us he could have the car running in 30 minutes.

They got a car for me to get me back to the hotel. As I sat in traffic on the way back, I marveled at this Rwanda I love. I’ve said it before: nothing will stop people who are determined to win and succeed. Not lack of tools, not darkness, not time constraints. Innovation comes from a place of passion and inspiration. That mechanic didn’t have an office. He worked by phone. He was so confident he could repair the problem. It followed that all of us who stood around believed he would find and fix the problem. No one was disappointed.

Where is that deep sense of commitment to success in me? It seems to me that we are often hamstrung by the smallest of obstacles. Innovation; passion; focus; partnership; faith in ourselves and others; these are the things that must be present to create greatness in ourselves, in our country, a moment, and in a lifetime.

If you could have seen this mechanic who had the following tools: his mind, his focus, his confidence, his teeth(!) and watched his success, you would wonder as I do why we as individuals and the Itafari Foundation don’t accomplish more.

Our two weeks in Rwanda have come to an end. Our programs are expanding, changing, improving and being revamped. All for one purpose: to create programs and services that support Rwandans to reach their biggest dreams.

ONE of our programs: Child Sponsorship

Our child sponsorship program has over 205 children sponsored. We held a party with 275 children last Saturday. Three people in our tour group sponsored six children. To be here is to know that $30 a month for these children is life changing.

The eight of us sat in the main room of one of the mothers of the children we sponsored. The room was 8 X 8. Claudine had a woven mat on the dirt where we sat with our legs folded over each other. The cool cement walls covered handmade itafari (bricks). A door without windows. Breaks near the ceiling to let in air. Dark with a small candle burning to give us light. A tin roof to keep out the rain. And she appreciated all she had. Nothing wasted, nothing taken for granted. As we left, Claudine thanked us over and over for coming to her home. She asked that God would bless us. She prayed for us! She is not discouraged. She is hopeful. I gave her a small gift of money and she is going to use it for English lessons so that she can call me!

I’ll be writing more blogs as I reflect on our trip. This eighth trip only deepens my commitment to our Rwandan partners. We’ll continue to work with them to seek solutions.

Maybe Itafari represents the wire wrapped haphazardly around the battery. The battery represents the people of Rwanda. Inspiration is the spark. And I personally believe God is the mechanic.

Please consider supporting this work of Itafari. Sponsor a child, help us build the Kigali Parents Secondary School, buy a goat, purchase a basket, donate for a micro loan. Give a general donation to support the work that it takes to run a foundation.

Hold an event where I come and speak to your friends about this amazing country, its history, its progress and most importantly, its people.

Whatever you do, be inspired to know anything is possible in your life with just a bit of faith, focus and confidence in yourself and others. Contact me or the Itafari Foundation to learn more about our work.

I remember my second visit to Rwanda in 2006. I was here for a month alone and Itafari was less than one year old. Oh the possibilities – opportunities were boundless for what we could accomplish! By nature I am unconditionally optimistic. Then I met with a woman from the UK who was, to say the least, embittered by her experiences. I was shocked by her attitude and thought, “Why are you here? Why don’t you just go home if you’re so cynical?” She had worked in Africa, and had focused on Rwanda for some time. Clearly frustrated, clearly exhausted, her attitude and language was almost devoid of hope and joy. I remember thinking that I would never have that attitude. That intention has served me well in both Rwanda and in life. I believe the ability to choose the struggle, the road less taken, to climb the mountain, is a choice. Every day to succeed for me means I must make that choice.

Herman Buhl, mountaineer said “Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” Rwanda is definitely a mountain for me – and overconfidence is definitely put in its place here on a regular basis. The land of 1,000 hills – all of which I know I must face (and climb) if Itafari is to become successful in its support of the people of Rwanda.

Sara Oberdorf and I arrived in Rwanda on Thursday evening. It is ridiculous how happy I am to see this woman when we met up in Brussels! She is a friend, confidante, board member and truly inspires me and gives me her wisdom and perspective without hesitation or guile. Together we accomplish more than I ever could alone.

And yet in the quiet of the morning when jet lag has me by the tail and wide awake at 4am I contemplate what our work here means and how we accomplish our mission and goals.

I’m reading “A Thousand Hills – Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It” by Stephen Kinzer.  It is one of the best books I’ve read in terms of clearly defining Rwanda’s history and the motivation and clarity with which Paul Kagame leads this country.  At the end of the book Kinzer explains, “If Kagame can achieve half of what he has set out to do, he will go down in African history.  If he can achieve it all, leaders of every poor country on earth will look to Rwanda for lessons, and bands of angels will sing in heaven.  How much of what he dreams is really possible?  That was the last question I asked him.” Kagame’s reply:  “Seeing everything, we can do it.  We can reduce the number of people below the poverty line, reduce the level of dependence on donor funds, and truly develop our country.  We can and we want to.  We are convinced – very, very convinced.  We want to do it, and we will.”

Herman Buhl, mountaineer said “Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” Rwanda is definitely a mountain for me – and overconfidence is definitely put in its place here on a regular basis. The land of 1,000 hills – all of which I know I must face (and climb) if Itafari is to become successful in its support of the people of Rwanda.

Sara Oberdorf and I arrived in Rwanda on Thursday evening. It is ridiculous how happy I am to see this woman when we met up in Brussels! She is a friend, confidante, board member and truly inspires me and gives me her wisdom and perspective without hesitation or guile. Together we accomplish more than I ever could alone.

And yet in the quiet of the morning when jet lag has me by the tail and wide awake at 4am I contemplate what our work here means and how we accomplish our mission and goals.

This gives me new perspective on the work of Itafari and our climb to support the people of Rwanda. Every great goal begins with a clearly stated purpose and undeterred focus on the ultimate objective: in our case, to support the people of Rwanda for their goals, their Vision 2020. And how better to do that than have our own Vision 2020 for Itafari?

What if by the year 2020 Itafari no longer exists because it is no longer necessary to be a donor to this country? What if by the year 2020 Rwanda is developed to the point that it is a standard of what is possible in the face of poverty and overwhelming challenges? Ah, that is a mountain worth climbing! To know that we’re here for a time and a purpose and this country is well on its way to its own greatness without need of charity as a means of support gives me renewed clarity and determination to be a part of the solution, not the problem.

That greatness is directly the responsibility of the leaders of Rwanda. To read “A Thousand Hills” reminds me that it is not the face of the man or woman you view today that tells you of their potential. It is their story, their perspective, their losses, their failures and their ability to rise again that makes greatness for themselves and a nation.

In a few days, a small tour group is coming to join Sara and me as we show them the Rwanda we respect and support. They will meet the people with whom we could not do this work. And then we will ask them to add their own wisdom and perspective to our goals and objectives.

Read about our trip here and at Sara’s blog. Murakoze cyane for your support. I’d love your feedback to our blog. Ask yourself, what dreams do you have that direct and focus your life?

On our radio show Smart Women Talk Radio on Tuesday the 16th of August, we interviewed Barbara Stanny.  Barbara understands the complications and the purpose of not settling for anything less than a successful relationship with money and knows for sure that when you do that, money is no longer the boss of you.

Our interview was really a terrific reminder of how my money beliefs can affect every area of my life. One of the things that Barbara said that was important for me was to remember that I want to make millions, to give millions and to change millions of lives. Imagine: so much of this is possible when we choose to focus on our relationship with money – which causes us to focus on every area of our lives.

In September, Barbara is leading a high earner Sacred Success Retreat September 29 – October 2 in Seattle Washington.  Her East Coast retreat is already sold out. 

I will be attending.  It’s rare for me to go to intensives, retreats, etc.but I really didn’t feel this one could be missed.

Sacred Success™ is the next step after Overcoming Underearning® It is designed for women on the verge of or who have reached Affluence.

The seed for this seminar was planted several years ago, after Barbara set a new goal for herself – she wanted to earn millions. At the time, she just assumed the same process she used to overcome my underearning – the one she’d been teaching for 10 years – would take her to this next level. But when she started interviewing women who make millions, she realized she was wrong!

Here’s what these women taught Barbara:

• Mega high-earning women play a very different game from the one most successful men are playing.
• This new game, Sacred Success™, merges higher incomes with a higher calling.
• Sacred Success™ means following your soul’s path, for your own bliss and the benefit of others, while being richly rewarded.
• Sacred Success™ begins with a strong profit motive, and then requires that you give up profit as your primary goal.
• The Primary Goal for Sacred Success™ is Achieving Greatness.

During this intimate and eye-opening retreat, you will:

• Connect with other women just like you… ready to take their careers and their income higher
• Discover your Soul’s purpose, based on your deepest truths.
• Learn the surprising 4-step process for achieving Sacred Success™
• Leave the week-end clear about your own path to Greatness!

Plus:

Athena Burke will rock the retreat with her “music for the soul.” Athena is a passionate performer, vocalist and composer. Her unique sound—a mix of jazz, folk, world beats, gospel and R&B—brings her audiences into a sacred connection with their creative core, their ecstatic joy, and their deepest love.

To learn more, visit Barbara’s website.  Listen to our show with her.  But whatever you do, don’t ignore your powerful relationship with money.  And make sure it’s not the boss of you.  

Hope to see you in September!

Our interview today with Marina Spence on Smart Women Talk Radio  reminds me of the power of being centered and loving what you do. 

Lucky me: I’ve always loved my work except for one brief stint as a night auditor in a motel in Ft. Wayne IN in 1981. I lasted three days.

            I remember coming home at 8am after the 2nd day and sitting dumbfounded at the kitchen table while Dead Rita was just leaving for work. I must have looked like death because she wanted to know what was wrong with me.  I told her, “Oh my god mother.  This motel is horrible.  I’m there alone all night.  Some guy who says he wrote the “meow meow meow ETC” jingle is hanging around the front desk. When the auditor who was leaving was training me, a swarm of flying ants hatched in the overhead light and started falling on me.  The owner is a sleaze ball who I know is going to show up some night at 3am and start harassing me.  And you can’t BELIEVE what businessmen say to me when I call them at 6am for their morning wake-up call!!!!”   

She laughed and headed off to work. And I knew I’d figure out a better way to make money while getting my degree in accounting. But lucky me. It only lasted three days.

If you can relate to my story of woe, but three days would feel luxurious compared to the hard time you’ve done, you’ll love our interview with Marina today.

Make Every Day a Friday The Joy of connection who you are with what you do 

Marina defines making every day a Friday as loving what you do, working from a place of passion and purpose and being your best because you are in love with what you do.

Besides doing the excellent exercises Marina uses in her book, she described three keys to changing to a career you love that should be done for the greatest success of a change.

1.  Meditation – meditation gives us the opportunity to recharge and reassess what we truly want.  Greatness lies within – as do the answers.
2. Be in the present moment – all the great religions of the world teach this – it is in the moment where we find the opportunity and the lesson – where we hear what we are really saying to ourselves.
3. Intuition – what if we followed our intuition?  If we knew that we know what we know?  Intuition will lead us through the process of identifying what we know brings us joy and happiness.  

Marina’s Smart Tip was that slowing down allows us to see what’s important. Slowing down allows us to have clarity, find the essence of what we want and be more productive.

             To read more about Marina’s great solution of how you can connect with your joy and learn how to add the value of meditation to your life, go to her websites:www.makeeverydayafriday.com (where you can get 10 caffeine-free ways to boost your energy at work) andwww.shemeditates.com to learn how to make meditation an important part of your daily practice.  

Great show today on Smart Women Talk Radio with Patricia Albere.

Patricia is the founder of the Evolutionary collective a transformational educational institute focused on discovering what’s possible through our connection, relationships, collective consciousness and creativity.  Through teachings, talks, web-casts, live & virtual workshops and collaboration with others, The Evolutionary Collective is opening people to a radical shift in perspective, out of self contained consciousness and into the profound inter-connectedness and larger concern for the well-being of the whole.  She is also the popular host of Evolutionary Collective Conversations.

What I loved about this interview today is that Patricia, a long time practitioner of the journey of self evolvement doesn’t believe that it’s all about the me, but strives to teach and live the message that it’s about the we, through the me.

Patricia knows and lives the idea that we all want more than learning – we want to contribute together and create a collective field of greatness.

o accomplish this mission, she hosts Evolutionary Collective Conversations which are dynamic online dialogues with today’s top evolutionary leaders.

Beginning August 24th, she will host a nine week virtual seminar program for $397.To read more about this program Accessing the Quantum Field of Relating, go to her website:  http://www.evolutionarycollective.com/relationships/  

Challenge yourself to deepen your relationship with yourself and others. Learn the part you can play in raising the level of consciousness in the world.

Did you ever as a teenager have a job that changed your life? A job, that as look back on it was like a great teacher in high school, and realize you’re better for having gone through the experience? McDonald’s was that teacher and recently taught me another lesson.

Lesson #1 – 1973

I turned 16 and applied for my dream job – a counter person at McDonald’s on State Street in Ft. Wayne Indiana. I got the job and after two weeks of doing a GREAT job, turned in my resignation. I was used to receiving praise for a job well done (thanks Mom and Dad). But our McDonald’s was very busy – huge crews, great camaraderie – but not a lot of one on one with the managers. And I was certainly (by my estimation) not appreciated for my hard work. Huge disappointment. And quitting seemed to be the solution.

When I told my manager Sobi I was quitting he said, “Why are you leaving?” I said, “No one has told me that I’m doing a great job.” He gave me a deadpan look and said, “Let’s go clean LOT AND LOBBY” ehh. Back then, we had 3 sayings:

1. If you’ve got time to gripe,you’ve got time to wipe.
2. If you’ve got time to lean you’ve got time to clean.
3. Double folding is our bag.(if that’s a bit harder to understand – go get a meal and see if your bag is double folded….I fear it may not be….)

Clearly Sobi was engaging in #1 and #2 of our sayings. No standing around at our McDonalds! As we began to pick up trash in the lot, he said, “Do you think you’re doing a good job?” “I do!” I responded. He looked at me and said, “Vicky, if you spend your whole life waiting for people to tell you that you’ve done a good job you’re not going to get very far in the world. Sometimes people are too busy or they don’t want to tell you. If you let that stop you, that will be your fault, not theirs.”

I seriously took that to heart and realized I could become someone through hard work or wait to become someone because someone else said I was good enough. I’ve opted for knowing myself more than waiting for another to tell me. I’ve also learned to tell others when they’ve done a terrific job.

I stayed at McDonald’s and saved enough to go to Purdue in January 1976. I was part of the All American Team. I was a Swing Shift supervisor. And I took everything good from the company that was offered.

I’ve never lost my taste for McDonalds – literally and figuratively. And yes, I know that fat content is high….but did you know a little fat makes for a shiny coat??!

Though I never worked at McDonald’s again, I’ve eaten there regularly over the years. Secretly “shopped” the store and looked critically at what was happening (I still do this!) Fretted about the bad reputation they’ve acquired over different issues, watched Supersize Me in horror, and from time to time sworn off their delicious but fatty food. I bought and retain my McDonald’s stock. STILL wear my Ronald McDonald watch that I won in 1977, have all my original plush characters, and generally support them.

As I travel the world, I always find the local McDonald’s from Australia to Italy to Russia to Israel.

You now know it’s dear to my heart. And my psyche. In the last couple of weeks my faith was shaken in this great organization but it has been restored. More soon.

Today on our radio show, Smart Women Talk Radio, Katana and I had the pleasure of interviewing Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach.

Author of over 14 books that have been translated into numerous languages, personal Dream Coach to Jack Canfield, and having appeared several times on Oprah, the Today Show, and her own PBS-TV special, Marcia walks her talk when she says, “it’s never been a better time to reach for your dreams.”

On our show today, she generously shared her process and knowledge about how to step fully into your life and say yes to your dreams.

There are the dream killers, those who say we can’t have what we want. That it’s not the time. That we don’t have the money. And that if we’ve failed before, what makes us think we can succeed this time?? And how often is that voice our own?

In Marcia’s work, she talks about how to ‘answer’ that voice, whether our own or another’s with clarity, focus and purpose. And it’s through knowing our own purpose that we can then design dreams that are on purpose and sustainable.

Personally I’ve gone through two of Marcia’s programs and am a Certified Dream Coach and Dream Coach group leader. She has terrific programs that can be of tremendous benefit to you.

To learn more, please go to www.DreamUniversity.com  If you sign up for any of her programs, enter “SmartWomen” in checkout and save $500 instantly.  

Marcia’s parting words today were: “Today, do something to begin to work on your dreams. Look in your own heart and believe in yourself.”

Remember: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

To listen to this show or our archives, please click here and sign up free on itunes to get a download of all our future shows.  You can also listen live on Tuesdays at 8am PST at SmartWomenTalk.com