What If?

Sitting in the ICU waiting room in Nashville today feels surreal. I feel so lucky to see Katie smiling, talking to me and I know she is going to be okay. And while I should be rejoicing that she made it through a very scary night in surgery and ICU, I have a knot in my stomach that won’t go away…the “what-ifs” keep playing in my mind.

And I know we aren’t supposed to do that but I couldn’t help but wonder things like does she know how important she is to me? Have I told her enough how much I value her friendship, advice and support. Did I tell her recently that laughing with her can cheer up even my worst day? Does she know that I admire her artistic talent? When was the last time I told her I loved her?

As cliché as this may sound – I realize time is precious and time is wasting. And it shouldn’t have taken this scare for me to think about all the things I should have said to her recently.

We are all guilty of this, believing we have all the time in the world. Or maybe we just get too busy. Or we feel silly expressing our feelings. Or we assume those we care about already know.

Tomorrow is not promised so we must be present in today. Go make that phone call, send that email, write a note or drop by for a visit to all of those you love and care about…go to sleep without the worries of “what-ifs.”

A Bike Ride with My Daddy

Everytime I go back home, I always say I am going to make a trip to Three Oaks Winery. They have the best sweet wine I have ever tasted and it gives me an excuse to head to Florida. I mentioned to my daddy how much fun it would be to take the motorcyle and of course he was excited (any chance to ride his Harley does that). My momma looked a little worried because it was not a quick trip but we promised to call when we got there.

It was a perfect day to be on the bike. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. It was just me, daddy and the open road.

We arrived at the winery and the owner inquired about our visit. When I mentioned I was only in town for the week and my daddy agreed to ride me on his bike to get a case of wine, her eyes lit up.

She reminded me that special times for daughters and their dads are limited once we become women and for me to cherish the time I have with him. With tears in her eyes, she talked about all the memories she has of her daddy, who is no longer living.

As we climbed back on the bike, I couldn't help but take in what all she had said. And my ride back home was filled with memories I had made with my daddy. My daddy has always been my personal security blanket. With him, I have always felt safe. All it takes is his presence for me to know everything will be okay. And although I can't fit in his lap and rock like we used to, that doesn't mean that little girl in me doesn't wish I still could.

Any chance I get to hop on his Harley with him, I will. Because I know it is a chance for me to make new memories with the first man I ever loved - my daddy.

Redneck Woman

I love Gretchen Wilson’s big hit song, Redneck Woman and this seems to confuse lots of my friends and family. They have made comments that very few of the lyrics remind them of the woman that I am. What they don’t understand is the real reason I love this song.

Gretchen Wilson grew up poor and only had an eight grade education. Her father left the family when she was still in diapers. She was living on her own by the time she was fifteen and began bartending. By most people’s account, her future would be limited.

But Gretchen continued to dream big. Her passion was singing country music. And she would sing at the local bar she was tending whenever she had the chance. She wanted to make it in Nashville and wasn’t giving up.

Her hit single, Redneck Woman, rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the country Billboard charts and radio charts, marking it the fastest rising artist's debut single in over a decade.

Pretty impressive for a bartender with a big dream isn’t it?

That is the reason I love this song – it reminds me to dream big no matter what hand life deals me. When my girlfriends and I attend her concert in August, I’ll be wearing my cowboy hat and singing at the top of my lungs not because I am a redneck woman but because I have big dreams too!

Can I Have it All?

I had the opportunity to hear female race car driver Lyn St. James speak at a recent women’s networking event. She gave an inspiring and motivating talk about how she became successful. I was fascinated by her success in a male dominated world and enjoyed hearing her speak.

At the end of her talk was a Q&A session. One woman from the back asked her “How did you, as a women, find balance to have it all?”

Lynn’s response to this question was dead on.

She said she didn’t have it all. Having it all isn’t realistic for a man or a woman. The reality is that something in her life had to be sacrificed to achieve what she wanted. For her, the sacrifice was a husband and children. She threw her heart into her passion – racing.

If you have a dream, a passion, you have to be prepared to sacrifice something whether that be sleep, finances, a husband, children, etc.

James R. Ball said it best, “To get what you want, right on the heels of deciding what that is, you must also decide what you will do in exchange for the results you desire.”

A Lot to Learn from Geese

Whenever I get together with my 810 girlfriends, I am always surprised at what I will learn and lake weekend was no exception.

We were sitting in the boat soaking up sun when we saw two geese followed by six or seven babies swimming near our boat. This led to a whole conversation about geese with one question we all wanted to know, “Do geese mate for life?”

Not long after the lake trip, Mona sent out a note confirming that geese do indeed mate for life. She also sent us valuable lessons about teamwork (that we could also apply to our friendship) from geese that she found during her research.

The lessons from geese was based on the work from Milton Olson. I bet after reading these lessons you will have a newfound respect for geese.

Fact one: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the bird following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if the bird flew alone. Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Fact two: Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the “lifting power” of the bird immediately in front. Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go (and be willing to accept their help as well as give ours to others.)

Fact three: When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another flies at the point position. Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard task, and sharing leadership with people, as with geese, we are interdependent on each other.

Fact four: When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay until it is able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or catch up with the flock. Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we, too, will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strongest.

Smart animals don't ya think?

Makin' Rain

I was honored to be asked to serve on the Advisory Board of a networking group called Rainmakers. Rainmakers is a group of dynamic business people in Indianapolis with one unified goal – to help each other.

They believe what you give will come back to you. So we don’t spend our networking time trying to “sell” ourselves to each other but rather learning about how we can help one another. We search for ways to refer business back and forth. The amount of business passed has been amazing…members have helped other members close deals from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

I am thrilled to give back to this organization, to soak up the energy and knowledge of members, share in successes with dear friends and have the opportunity to apply one of my life’s philosophies to business.

I believe if you aren’t giving, you aren’t really living. And I encourage you to adapt this philosophy to your business if you want to see true success.

Start Makin’ Rain today!

A Lesson from a Five Year Old

Spending a week with my five year old niece meant answering lots and lots of questions. She has an amazing memory and is very inquisitive. We engaged in lots of conversations, one in particular, that taught me a lesson.

Mary Stewart - Holly, are you ever going to get married?

Me - I hope to one day.

Mary Stewart - But you loved that boy whose name began with a ‘C’ didn’t you?

Me - Yes and why do you ask?

Mary Stewart - Well, if you loved him why didn’t you marry him?

Me - Sometimes things don’t always work out the way we hoped or planned.

Mary Stewart - But sometimes they do?

Me - Yep, sometimes they do.

And off to ride her big wheel with my nephew Daniel she went. Such a simple explanation was all she needed. And so it should be with us.

We have been told a thousand times that life is not fair. And we already know that things don’t always go our way. So why, do we as adults, often overanalyze outcomes that are not in our favor or throw pity parties?

Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t…so jump back on your big wheel. There is a world of opportunity waiting for you.

Back in the Saddle

It has been a while since I have written in my blog. And thanks to request and lots of questions about where I have been, I'm back to doing something I love - writing.

I have had difficulty carving out time for something I enjoy that doesn't directly relate to my work. I felt if I was writing it should be to grow business. But I am changing that mindset.

Writing, for me, is therapeutic and relaxing; therefore, I am committing to writing at least once a week (as long as I have something to say).

Thanks for your encouragement and support for my passion. I hope you enjoy the plethora of post that follows tonight.