Powerful Women Magazine Fall 2011

6 Page18

Powerful WomenWaterloo-Wellington Edition

Ignite Your Passion for Success Magazine

From rags to riches:motivated to succeed

Moving along on life’s journey

Finding our G SpotCover photo by Melanie Gillis

Fall 2011

MOTIVATED toinspire with desire and audacity Page 12

2 Powerful Women Fall 2011

Fall 2011 Powerful Women 3

Fall 2011

“Ability is what you ’re capable of doing.Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

– Raymond ChandlerLike most people, there are times

when I procrastinate, and then there are times when I’m highly motivated to achieve a goal.

In general, I’m not put off by most challenges, as long as I believe they are within my capabilities, and I oftenexcel when completing a new and challenging task. But I do need to enjoy what I’m doing within that challenge or at least be able to visualize a successful end result.

For me, while I can’t seem to motivate myself to run a marathon (I don’t exactly enjoy running and was never good at long distances even as a teen, so I cannot visualizea successful outcome), I am def initely motivated tosucceed with my business. I enjoy what I do and have a vision of where I want to be. That’s not to say I don’t have the odd off day, which to me is like a road block, but I usually give myself a swift reminder as to why I need to get motivated.

It would seem that, no matter what the goal, if we don’thave the desire and can’t visualize the outcome, then nothing is going to motivate us to achieve success. Havingthe right attitude is def initely a strong motivator, and often a swift reminder of our desired outcome on our off days is all that’s needed to motivate us again.

I use lists a lot – mostly as reminders of all the tasks to do on my busy days – and they are a big help when I hit that proverbial road block. To me, items on a list are like stepping stones to a marathon runner – they help us navigate an obstacle that’s blocking our path.

Running a successful business, and managing to stay motivated through its road blocks, can be compared to running a marathon with several small creeks to cross, or indeed, life in general. As long as you have the desire, your goal is in sight and you use stepping stones to get there, you ’ ll get there in the end.

And, I’m sure, if I changed my attitude, I could even run a marathon.

K aren Coleman, Publisher

Motivated for Success

Designed and published byKaren Coleman,

Kaz Design Workswww.kazdesignworks.ca

Contents

g

Available online atwww.powerfulwomen.ca

Recipes for success:Power Smoothie ................... 8

R i f

Regular Feature

What’s Inside

Publisher’s Note: The views and opin-ions expressed in this magazine are those of the individual writers. If you have any concerns about any of the con-tent, please write to the publisher [email protected]

To advertise or submit an article in the next issue ofPowerful Women

call 519-267-5050 or [email protected]

Powerful WomenIgnite Your Passion for Success

It’s your baby .......................... 4Motivated through life’s

challenges ........................... 5Moving along on life’s journey .. 6Motivation: the whole

balancing act ....................... 9Don’t lose sight of your goals . 10MOTIVATED to inspire with

desire and audacity ............ 12Motivate yourself through

attitude.............................. 14Finding our G Spot ................ 16Waiting until tomorrow is

not an option ..................... 17From rags to riches:

motivated to succeed .......... 18Organize your office .............. 20Become assertive ................... 21Employee motivation is key to

higher retention rates and productivity ........................ 22


It’s your babyI love my job; on a daily basis I have the pleasure of meeting with clients who are in the initia l stages of starting up their new small businesses and these cli-ents are overf lowing with excitement and enthusiasm. Often referred to as the “honeymoon stage,” these cli-ents have endless amounts of drive and dedication, are boundless in energy levels and convinced that custom-ers are lining up at their doorstep eager in anticipation to do business with them right away.

For a very small percentage of these cli-ents, it might happen depending on the

product or service they are trying to sell(I would have to emphasize a very small percentage).

However, for the vast majority of these eager beavers, it is a long walk on a short pier and it doesn’t take long for bewilder-ment, exhaustion and frustration to set in and force those proverbial honeymooners to remove those rose-coloured glasses, only to fi nd themselves knee deep in a reality check.

Bottom line is it takes time to get a busi-ness up and running and it takes a lot of per-sonal motivation to keep things moving. It is up to each person to pull this motivation from deep within one’s self and, the funny thing is, it has a different process and mean-ing for everyone.

I have been motivationally challenged on several different occasions in my life and if I could offer any advice it would be the following:

1. Make sure you set business and per-sonal goals (both short term and long term). If you don’t have a roadmap or a plan of where you intend to go, it is pretty hard to remain motivated in order to get there.

2. There will always be obstacles/road-blocks along the way, but it is how you manoeuvre them with the right mindset that will make the difference; in essence, road rage is not the way to go. Considering obstacles as a positive learning experience rather than a negative occurrence will not only make you stronger but better prepare

you to handle the next one on your journey. 3. Surround yourself with a strong, sup-

portive network of family, friends and most importantly, other small business owners. Networking with like-minded peers will help build confi dence, source out opportu-nities and provide you with a mentor who will give you a swift kick when you need it (not to be confused with the whiners club; don’t join in as it will only bring you down).

4. Invest in yourself. Take courses, attend lectures or training seminars, and read ev-erything you can get your hands on. It will help arm you with confi dence and informa-tion, two things that are crucial in running a business.

5. Finally, reward yourself an hour every day to do something just for you. We are creatures of habit; we need to be rewarded for our efforts, and since you are the one who is most important to your business, it is necessary to keep you satisfi ed and mov-ing forward. A walk in the park, a workout, or even a coffee in your favourite café will help give you balance and the opportunity to recharge your batteries.

Last but not least, believe in yourself. It’s your business, your baby and you are the only one who is most passionate about your business. There will be people who won’t feel the same way or try to bring you down, but you need to stay committed to loving that baby no matter what happens; stick to the plan and things will be just fi ne.

Kristel ManesGuelph-Wellington

Business Enterprise Centre


Linda Ockwell-JennerMotivational Steps

Motivated through life’schallengesAs a small business owner, I am often asked how I managed to stay motivated through all my challenges and continue to build two successful businesses.

I want to share some of the things I did that helped me remain motivated and

move forward.Financial Challenges

After divorce I worked three jobs but had challenges paying the mortgage and other bills. What worked for me was to make an appointment with my bank and chat with a fi nancial advisor. I was com-pletely honest and I asked for help. To-gether we worked out a payment sched-ule and this helped me greatly.

Health ChallengesAs a two-time breast cancer survivor, I

knew that my health and well-being came fi rst. I maintain a balance between work and personal life, and I delegate work to people I trust. This means I can con-centrate on my speaking engagements, writing blogs and many other important aspects of my business.

NetworkingI was born to network but found early

on that face-to-face networking is not al-ways possible. Integrating a solid foun-dation split between social media and tra-ditional networking works well. Building relationships of trust really does pay off. You have to set short- and long-term goals and realize that not all of your con-nections will want to use your services.

Success is different for everyone. For me, true success is being healthy, happy, loving my work and being able to give back. If you do want to succeed, I would say that three things are crucial:

• Passion• Determination• BeliefThese three things will help you re-

main motivated and focused on achiev-ing success despite life’s challenges.

Missed an issue?Visit www.powerfulwomen.ca to read it online!

Powerful WomenMagazineIgnite Your Passion for Success


Carol BremnerOnline Success

When a baby is learning to crawl, successfully moving forward motivates her to con-tinue. Eventually, that crawling becomes walking, then running and climbing - each successful step motivating that child to strive to do more.

Movingalong on

life’s journeyIf that baby’s attempts to crawl never

resulted in any movement, maybe she would have eventually given up and re-mained where she was. So it seems that three factors help to motivate us: a desire to move from where we are; a willing-ness to try new things; and some success to encourage us on.

I look at my own life and see how I’ve moved along in this journey called life. Adulthood included staying home to care for my six children. Since I had only a grade 10 education, I fi nished high school during those years. When my youngest child started school, I found a position at a university library and was trained on the job.

Years went by and, although I learned new tasks, work no longer challenged or motivated me, until the day came that the library computerized. I was so intimi-dated by the thought of learning to use a computer that I transferred to the day-care on campus and took care of babies instead.

After a year, I missed the students and transferred back to the library. I be-gan taking computer courses and found myself inspired and motivated again.

The next step was a transfer to another department where I could use my com-puter skills even more. Eventually, I took a package from the university, enrolled in a self-employment program and opened a computer café in Toronto.

It wasn’t long before I realized that having a physical location wasn’t what motivated me. Instead, it was helping people learn to use computers and inspir-ing them to try more than they imagined they could do. I closed the cafe and be-gan home training, then approached com-munity centres and began teaching there as well. To get me out of my comfort zone, I also started doing group presen-tations. Although I felt physically ill be-fore I spoke, I knew how much it helped my confi dence to take risks and try new things.

I’ve also learned that a journey isn’t meant to be taken alone. Along the way, we need mentors to encourage us on. There are many people in my life who have inspired me. These include:• My mother who, at the age of 86, still

takes computer courses, blogs, and even creates e-books that she sells online. I’ve seen fi rst-hand in her life


how computer use gives her purpose, challenge, even community.

• Stay-at-home mothers, not only caring for their children, but running a home business as well.

• Individuals of varying ages who have left the security of an unfulfi lling job to work at their own businesses.

• Those who choose to work with a non-profi t, sometimes even in a volunteer capacity, to help their fellow man.When you feel unmotivated, what can

you do to get back on track? Here are some suggestions:• Read inspirational stories of others

who have achieved in spite of their dif-fi culties.

• Choose something you can do and show someone else.

• Learn something new.• Take a risk and try something out of

your comfort zone, but not too far out of your reach.

• Take your eyes off of yourself. That baby had to look ahead to realize there was more to reach.We were all created with a seed of

purpose – when you touch that purpose, you’ll be motivated as well. What about you, are you reaching ahead?

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Graphic DesignWebsite Design

for your evolving small business


by Dr. Erika Holenski, ND, KW Health Connection

In a blender add the following and blend until desired consistency:1 banana1 cup frozen blueberries1 scoop rice or hemp protein powder2 tsp fi sh oil (mercury-free,

purchased at health food store, most are lemon fl avoured)

2 cups milk (cow, rice or al-mond)

Protein powder will give you the lasting energy to keep your task moving quickly.

Blueberries provide high doses of antioxidants to keep the blood and oxygen fl owing in the brain.

Fish oil is an excellent source of EPA (Eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) which not only provide an instant burst of energy but en-hance brain power and improve your mood!

This combination of foods provides the body with the nutrients to get you motivated and stay motivated.

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We all want to bathe in the refreshing waters of motivation so that we can inspire before we expire and effect change for the greater good. However, motivation can be a tall and lofty word when we have f ifty things to do before bedtime and then another f ifty things to do tomorrow before noon.

Motivation:the whole balancing act

The modern woman has been trapped in the role of being all things to all

people, all of the time. A healthy approach to this is balance. To achieve a balanced state, we must be kind to ourselves and this is obtained by feeling good from the inside out, at which point motivation is so much more attainable.

When taking an airplane ride, in the event of emergency, we would be asked to put the oxygen mask on ourselves fi rst before assisting anyone else. So how do we apply this action to our everyday lives? The key component is to make ourselves a priority, which ultimately helps others. We can do this with good grounding techniques and balance.

Gladly, we appear to be on the preci-pice of change. Women today, whether stay-at-home moms, retirees, business women or entrepreneurs, are starting to fi nd ways to keep themselves nurtured through a variety of healthy lifestyle choices so that they may develop and introduce new concepts whilst still meet-ing their everyday responsibilities. When promoting a balanced lifestyle, we can

creatively effect substantial and benefi -cial change in everything around us.

Many women are now using medita-tion, yoga, massage, exercise and other outlets to tap into that personal whole self space and fi nd that inner peace.

Refl exology is one such alternative health care therapy that holistically con-siders the whole self, nurturing the body, mind and spirit by using a massage like technique of specifi c pressure sites known as refl ex points on the feet, hands or ears, which effect change or response to other areas and systems of the body, with the

Continued on Page 11

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Natascha VollIsagenix Cleanse Coach

As an Isagenix cleanse coach, I am committed to helping people live healthier and longer. Part of my work with cleansers is supporting their motivation to make lasting changes in their lives. For some, motivation is a diff icult thing to maintain.

Don’t lose sight of your goals

I heard that Angelina Jolie is constantly writing goals. Goal writing costs us

nothing and becomes a compass in our lives. I encourage people who cleanse to write their goals as they embark on mak-ing changes.

When we cleanse, we remove harmful impurities from our bodies. We become focused, sleep more soundly and release

unwanted pounds. Summer is a time of socializing, but September is a time of re-newal as we set out new goals. Remem-ber: you cannot do the same thing and expect different results.

One of my goals this year was to run a half marathon with some fabulous girlfriends. Having never run a race, my training schedule was uncomfortable and diffi cult, but in the end I completed it while still having the energy to celebrate it. Setting running goals made all the dif-ference in the outcome!

Changing habits is often uncomfort-able. One of my marathon mates wrote: “Pursuing the next level, whether it is a healthier body or a more fulfi lling rela-tionship, is going to be met with some level of challenge. Oddly enough, the things that challenge us today are the things that, when repeated often enough, become comfortable tomorrow.”

Another one of my Isagenix leaders says that “we must be willing to do to-day what others won’t so we can do to-morrow what others can’t.” How true is that sentiment? Of course it is easy to set goals; however, the getting of goals is an-other matter.

Here are some tips to help you stay motivated:

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of motivation. What is it that you’re working for?

2. Educate yourself. Many people think they’re incapable, but they’re actu-ally just uninformed.

3. Enlist support. Going it alone is a recipe for failure. When you invite others to join you, you exponentially boost your rate of success.

4. Your environment is paramount to your success. Remove temptation.

5. Write your goals. They become a re-ality for you.

When you attain your goal, really cel-

ebrate! If you fall off the wagon, don’t give up! Everyone makes mistakes. Learn to do better and keep going. Nu-tritional cleansing, as with any health change, is a process too.

Just remember: we are all capable of great things. We can live a life of pur-pose, a life of manifesting dreams and desires. Pursue your goals with abandon. Be willing to be uncomfortable. Know that anyone who ever achieved anything worth achieving braced the discomfort, grew as a person and did not quit.

Go for it!

aim to create total balance within. Ten-sion, illness and fatigue experienced in daily living can all cause stress, and expe-riencing refl exology can bring back har-mony and equilibrium to the body, helping us to achieve what is known as homeosta-sis, the state of natural balance.

The alleviation of stress and the intro-duction of relaxation are just a few ben-efi ts this therapy can offer. It is important to remember that this modality is meant as a complementary therapy, however, and is not a substitute for other traditional treatment.

A carefully chosen certifi ed and li-censed refl exologist will never diagnose, prescribe or treat a condition, but rather aids clients to be more aware of their own bodies.

In short, the benefi ts of regularly using some form of “me time” leads to a bal-anced mental and physical state which is the fi rst step to vitality and good health. Ultimately, this will contribute to a stable and calm presence of mind with forward-thinking and positive attitude, which in turn will provide energy and the ability to pro-duce wonderful things.

So before we can have our “light-bulb” moments, our fi rst step must be to take

care of our whole person, so that we may feel dynamic and empowered, with in-spiration becoming second nature. Now we can take the hand of motivation and glide along the exciting pathways of life towards our personal successes.

Motivation: the whole balancing act... Continued from Page 9

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Different people say it differently, but they all say it. There is no doubt that

Shevaun has a special gift. And she is ready to share it with the world.

Shevaun, a native of Kitchener (and passionate advocate of Waterloo Re-gion) lives with her husband Steve and their four children. Shevaun is the Pub-lisher of MOTIVATED magazine, a now internationally distributed publication with the intent to inspire and create shift in people’s lives. Shevaun shares the re-freshing goal of the magazine simply. “It invites world leaders to share their stories and advice fi rst-person, from the heart. Their message isn’t diluted or tainted by the views of a reporter; they tell their own story. So my measured intention is to inspire readers to go within; it’s up to readers to decide whether they will, and if they will, what they will do with what they fi nd.”

Shevaun’s star is rapidly on the rise, with a successful magazine, a fl ourishing speaking career, and many other emerg-ing platforms to spread her unique and inspiring message. But these stripes have been earned. For Shevaun, the trigger to embrace her calling came from life-al-tering, external events. In the span of six

months, Shevaun and Steve’s son Declan died, and Shevaun self-diagnosed Paget’s Disease and had a mastectomy. “Holding death, and staring at it in the face, forced me to ask, ‘Why are you really here? Have you done what you were meant to do?’ When the answer was ‘no’, I spent a great deal of time seeking the answer as to why.” After some serious soul search-ing, Shevaun realized she had always inspired others on a small scale, but was playing small. She knew she had the abil-ity to do it on a much larger scale.

And thus was born MOTIVATED magazine, a complete labour of love and pure intention. MOTIVATED is pub-lished by Declan McAndrew Publishing, named after Shevaun and Steve’s baby son. One of Shevaun’s most cherished phrases these days is “in perfect timing,” alluding to the fact that opportunities will unfold as they should. In the beginning, with limited time as a new mum (baby Ireland was welcomed at the same time as Shevaun purchased and took over the magazine), Shevaun focused on ensuring interviews and articles were ‘from the heart’, which in turn would touch read-ers’ hearts. In determining content, She-vaun’s strategy is simple. “Because it be-

Recently, Shevaun Voisin received a note from an audience member who at-tended a Toronto event where she was delivering a keynote entitled “The Power of Audacity.” In the letter, the writer said, “Y our presence on stage was incredible. It was as if there was a rod of positive energy connecting you to me… You truly shine brightly, from the inside out. I have never met such an engaging human being that resonates kindness, compassion and authenticity like you do...”

MOTIVATED to inspire with desire and audacity

By Carolyn Parks, President, Outstanding Women Speakers


gins in the heart for me,” she says, “every issue explores a theme that has interested me! Happiness, Audacity, Fear, Mentor-ship, Tenacity, Risk… it seems whatever I have recently explored on a personal level becomes the spark for an issue.

Shevaun’s pure vision is clearly on target; her magazine is now distributed through two bookstore chains in the U.S. and all major airports. It is also distribut-ed to thirteen countries around the world.

When asked what motivation means to her, Shevaun is candid. “For me, be-ing motivated is completely an internal affair; it comes from within. It’s the fi re within us, a bursting fl ame, pure desire, that when paired with intention, results in creation.” But for those who need a bit more grounding in how this seem-ingly mythical process works, Shevaun explains that “if we take the initial desire and we allow it to lead us to the rich ex-ploration of endless possibility, and that possibility is accurately translated into intention within the mind, it activates the brain to create a result.” And here is where Shevaun has another favourite term: audacity. She says, “It’s clear to me why my favourite word is audacity. Au-dacity cuts through the negative thoughts of the mind and heads straight to inten-tion and results.”

Are there times when she fi nds it harder to stay motivated when faced with challenges? And if so, how does she tackle that reality? Shevaun’s response – as with any of her responses – is given with refreshing Truth (with a capital T). “Essentially, I look at ‘the challenge’ and determine the context in which I want to choose to see it. It will always come down to the mind again,” she shares. “Having said all that, I think one of my greatest lessons out of Declan dying was realizing how temporary everything is. I thought at the time I would never be happy again; that my joyful spirit and my

love for wearing red and my spontane-ous playful nature died along with De-clan. What I learned is that everything is temporary, and it’s a great perspective to have. I feel emotion fully, but recognize that tomorrow is a new day, and it’s a gift to be given breath; it’s not a given.”

Shevaun is careful to point out that not everyone needs to travel the diffi cult road she has trod in order to fi nd this spark within. “You don’t have to face ca-tastrophe to be motivated! You can fi nd the spark, the light inside, and determine what to contribute to the world.”

One cannot really get enough of her light (in referring back to the words of the audience member at the beginning of this article). And the reason we cannot get enough of her light is that, delightfully,

Shevaun Voisin, Publisher,MOTIVATED magazine



Motivate yourself throughattitude

Regardless of the season, a good attitude is always a “must have” in your wardrobe – it has the power to create a fulf illing and happy life full of great opportunities and experiences. So what attitude are you wearing? Are you someone who makes things happen or are you watching from the sidelines as life passes you by?

Roblynn HunnisettTouchstone Event

Management

The exciting thing is that we all have full control over our attitude – it’s the

one thing in life that you always have the power to change, regardless of how hard that may seem at times, and no-one can take it away from you.

Your attitude is a choice about how you want to feel, how you are going to re-act, and what you are going to do about a given situation. Your reaction determines what happens in your life and the mean-ing you assign to it creates your attitude.

So just like your wardrobe, you get

to choose what attitude you’re going to “wear” each and every day.

Now as simple as that sounds, we all know that choosing a positive attitude can at times be really hard! Taking full responsibility for your life will give you the results you want, both personally and professionally, but that means you have to stop blaming, quit feeling guilty, give up self-sabotaging and instead decide to wear an attitude that conspires with you to achieve success.

We’ve all had times in our lives when


we’ve been really motivated to get some-thing done, maybe because a particular situation had become too uncomfortable to deal with any longer. At that point, you would have experienced a complete change in attitude and your life changed to some degree. You expected more for yourself and you changed your attitude in line with that.

How can you get to that place regularly and sustain the attitude and motivation you need to live a better life?

Firstly, you need to have a clear vi-sion, or goal, that you wholeheartedly want to achieve, and then you need to choose the attitude required to get there. For example, if you want to fi nd a job you love and are passionate about, you need to have the right attitude to make the vision a reality. If you want to change career, instead of saying to yourself that it’s not possible to have a job you love or that you can’t change career because of your fi nancial responsibilities, be de-termined enough to fi nd a way to secure a job you’re inspired by and one which complements your lifestyle.

Your attitude needs to match your vi-sion and, on top of that, you need to be

committed to “wearing” your attitude ev-ery day. It needs to be a part of who you are and you have to live and breathe that attitude at all times.

So take a moment now to think about one thing you would really like to achieve in your life. Get a clear picture of what that looks like to you, hear the sounds that are going on around you, imagine how it feels to be in that moment and what it means to you to reach that goal.

Once you have that picture clear in your mind, ask yourself: What attitude do I currently have about achieving this goal? What attitude do I need to have to achieve this goal?

Now that you’ve identifi ed the ideal at-titude to help you achieve success, “try it on” and see how well your new attitude fi ts. Wear it, test it out, make sure it’s comfortable, and see what results it gets. Notice the changes you experience as a result of your new attitude, and review the changes to make sure they support your goal.

You cannot always choose what hap-pens to you, but you can choose what happens in you.

she cannot stop herself from shining it. Shevaun concludes with “the reality is that it all starts within, and anyone that continues to let precious time pass buy-ing into the concept that they ‘just don’t know what they want’ hasn’t done the sometimes diffi cult work of going with-in. I believe if the desire is there, the rest is easy. It’s also important to remember that so much of the joy of life is in the process, not in the fi nal product or des-tination. Enjoy each step. Pay attention. Give yourself permission to fail so that you can succeed on a spectacular level.”

She is a calming presence, a person

who walks softly and carries a big stick (to give us the bonk on the head with the cosmic two by four that she so often refers to in her own life). The urge is to tuck her away into our handbag/portfolio so that we can have a shot of inspiration just when we need it.

But this is the thing with Shevaun. She is trying to tell us that we can do this on our own. Motivation is about desire and audacity. She’ll continue to shine her light on everyone she meets, and we will all hopefully start to feel what she’s talking about and allow our own lights to shine.

MOTIVATED to inspire with desire and audacity... Continued from Page 13


Most of us know what the female G Spot is, but both men and women have a hard time f inding it and mak-ing it happy. Since it’s so hard to f ind, I luckily discov-ered and created another! But what does my discovery have to do with f inance or motivation?

Findingour G Spot

Everything! You see my discovery is a state of euphoria. It is an exag-

gerated physical and psychological state of well-being. Most will experience this state with accomplishment of something that consumes and takes over both body and mind. It is an extreme high from the excitement of achieving a goal or observ-ing others achieve theirs. Your G Spots are unique to you, as is the climax of emotions you feel when reaching them.

Money is not always required to have a good time. But come on, let’s face it, it sure helps and does make this crazy world go around! You see, most of every-thing that has been taught about fi nance is logical. We’ve all heard it: don’t buy your morning coffee; cook at home; write down every penny you spend; do your own hair and nails; don’t buy those de-signer shoes; and so on.

How many of us actually do the logical thing? Not many. Why? Because we are motivated by emotion.

Emotion and logic are like oil and wa-ter when it comes to money. You know you shouldn’t do it, that’s what “they” tell you. But living for today and fi nding those G Spots is what it’s all about. Of course, we need to be ready for tomor-row as well.

Finance for most is boring, misunder-stood and painful to think about. That has all changed with the G Spot.

It’s time to get sassy and take control of what you work so hard to earn. No lon-ger does budgeting have to be like a diet – strict, hard to follow and unrealistic.

Embrace those emotions and get moti-vated to take control of your hard-earned cash!

Because isn’t that what it’s all about?

Jenn KillinsDollars & Sense

BUY THEDAMN BOOK

& F ind Your

Spot!www.dollarsandsense.info


Valerie MeyerSickness Benefits

and Finance

Too often I, and many other insur-ance/investment advisors, see people

who want insurance protection too late. It often takes a scary visit to the doctor’s offi ce or a health scare within one’s own family that really motivates people to get insurance protection.

Insurance advisors are in the business because they really care about wanting to help people. I lost my husband suddenly six months ago and can honestly say, “He did not leave me enough life insurance!”

The main risks in life are living too long (especially if you have family lon-gevity in your genes), dying too young (with a mortgage and other debts), or becoming critically ill/disabled in your working years. By sitting down with an insurance advisor, you can learn where you are at risk, and the advisor can show you various protection plans that can help you avoid a fi nancial disaster that could take away your savings, assets, or even your home.

You can’t walk into a store and buy personal insurance off the rack, and since insurance companies have been selling insurance for years, you need one of their licensed reps to legally put your protec-tion in place. Insurance advisors can still visit you around the kitchen table, which can effectively save you a lot of time.

The insurance industry often looks at your age at your nearest birthday. Wait-ing past the six-month anniversary of your birthday will cost you more on a monthly payment basis.

As well, as we age, we develop more health problems, and that can lead to pay-ments that cost you more too. The insur-ance company knows how your health condition can increase your risk of pos-sibly dying too soon. My best advice to you, as a woman, is to get yourself pro-tected as soon as you can. Too often, we see our best friends getting cancer (most often, breast cancer), and it motivates us to think hard about our own mortality.

We are told that more and more people are developing diabetes, whether young or old; and this is a health condition that in-surance companies do not like. Insurance

EDUCATING WOMEN WITH PERSONALIZED KNOWLEDGE

Individual Meetings AND Workshops

www.sicknessbenefits.com

VALERIE MEYER [email protected]


Procrastinating on your “Protection Risks” will cost you – guaranteed! You are never as young and possibly as healthy as you are at this very minute.

Waiting untiltomorrow is not an option


What immediately struck me about Tahani was her sense of humour.

She’s frank, easy to talk to and has a warm charm that is instantly disarming. She’s not only a successful motivational speaker and self-made millionaire, but also an im-migrant to Canada and a single mother of two children. Initially, challenges such as these motivated her to pursue business in order to survive, but her perseverance led to a success in the real estate world that to-day is unmatched by most female realtors in Ontario. Tahani’s story is a modern day rags-to-riches tale, one that hopes to inspire women to redefi ne their independence and to pursue fi nancial freedom.

Born in a refugee camp in Jordan, Tahani clearly started with humble beginnings, and at just fi fteen years of age, her life drastical-ly changed when she joined her now ex-hus-band in Cambridge, where she learned Eng-lish and completed high school. After three years of marriage, although Tahani was expected to start having children, she badly wanted to continue her education past high school. Tahani chose a three-year program at Conestoga College, during which she struggled to balance school and marriage.

A few years later, Tahani had her fi rst taste of the business world when she opened a dollar store in downtown Cambridge to help her brother who couldn’t start the franchise on his own. Tahani secured a loan after be-ing refused by nine banks and turned the store into a profi table business. Later, Tahani left her marriage. “When I left him, I didn’t have anything. It’s so hard to start a life as a single mother raising a family. But I thought, how lucky am I to be a woman in Canada.” Even without money or a partner, Tahani was fi ercely motivated to support her family, “I didn’t feel sorry for myself. I was a relentless hard worker. I thought: I’m going to survive. I’m going to make it on my own.”

Tahani stayed positive, but it was a chal-lenge to pursue a career with children, “I cared more for my kids than I cared for my-self, but I wasn’t going to go back to a mar-riage that I was unhappy with, a life that was unfulfi lling… a lot of women stay in mar-riages because of fi nancial security. They think that they can’t do it on their own.” This motivation to survive urged her career for-ward, and utilizing the business skills that she possessed since she was a young girl in Jordan, Tahani began her journey in real estate.

After obtaining her realtors license in 1995, Tahani worked at Remax for eleven years. She started selling houses, but her passion for real estate investment trumped her interest in home ownership resale. She began meeting investors, and realiz-ing she was making them a lot of money, she decided to start investing in proper-ties herself. Without any fi nancial backing, her fi rst property made her over $150,000. “It wasn’t just the selling and buying that motivated me; it was the business of buy-ing property and making a profi t from it. I started buying house after house and then I started buying land and developing it. I evolved into one of the top realtors for the region.”

In the fall of 2009, Tahani started a devel-opment company, through which she buys land, develops it and then hires contractors to build for her. At the same time, she also started a real estate brokerage, focusing on servicing investors who are interested in buying and selling real estate investments. Land developing is renowned for its risk,

From rags to riches:motivated

to succeedA small woman in heels will usually deliver vita l information if we give her the chance to speak. Self-mademillionaire and motivational speaker Tahani Aburaneh seems like she’s never had a problem getting people to listen to her – though she may beg to differ.

By Paisley Cozzarin


and Tahani acknowledges that it is a starkly male-dominated world. “I was told I was the fi rst female developer in Cambridge. It was really scary to take that big step forward, but I did,” she adds with a smile, “I even bought a pink hard hat.”

This testosterone-charged real estate fi eld wasn’t always easy on Tahani and created insecurities that could have crushed a less determined woman. “Men, even if they are insecure, they don’t show it… I lost touch with my feminine side. I became harsher. There were a few years in my life where I would never cry.” Still, Tahani’s motivation never faltered, and once fi nding success, found that both her self-doubt and severity faded. “I softened a lot… and I’m still kick-ing butt.”

In the Spring of 2010, Tahani landed a book deal with Wiley Publishing and will be the fi rst female realtor in Canada to pub-lish a how-to book on real estate investing. It’s meant as a step-by-step guide on how to start a real estate investing business. She credits Don Campbell from the Real Estate Investment Network for inspiring her to write the book. “He believed in my work and in me.”

Tahani continues to speak on main stages all over Canada, hoping to inspire women into taking control of their life and believ-ing that they can do it on their own. She sends a powerful message: “It doesn’t mat-ter what background a woman has or where she comes from; it doesn’t matter if her husband is good or not; it’s what she can do really, by herself. We constantly blame our circumstances, and we lose sight of how grateful we should be in Canada. Stop blaming and take responsibility. In my life

companies will not offer protection to anyone who is insulin dependent. There-fore, as we see younger children become more obese than in past generations, their parents should consider getting them in-surance protection at a younger age, so that they can have some insurance in their lifetime.

Don’t let this important protection for your income, your health, or your life be

delayed until next week, as often next week becomes next month, and next month becomes next year, and then it could be too late. If you know that you have to protect your house and your car just in case they get damaged, would it not make a lot of sense that the person who pays for that insurance be protected as well? Call any insurance advisor today,as we are here to help you.

Protect your income, health and life now not tomorrow

Tahani Aburaneh

now, I want to inspire women to take con-trol of their future, families and fi nancial freedom.”

Although it has not been easy forTahani Aburaneh, she is proof that, when motivated, women can take charge and gain fi nancial freedom. Tahani is a small woman in heels, truly motivated to succeed.

Continued from Page 17

Read next issue’s article comparing the differences between two cultures and both the challenges and benefi ts of moving to Canada from Jordan.


“Whether your home off ice is command central for run-ning a business or the collection point for all paperwork related to running a home, it needs to be organized and orderly.” Clutter Cutters

Organize your offi ce

Cathy MendlerA New Leaf

It’s diffi cult to motivate yourself to work if your offi ce is out of control.

Location and LayoutIs your location ideal? Do you meet

with clients in your offi ce? Are you the only person who works there?

Change your offi ce layout. Try a num-ber of layouts to decide what works best.

Desktop

Only items used daily should be kept on your desktop. Items used several times a week can be stored in a desk drawer or close to your desk. If you only access items on a weekly basis, store them close by. Items accessed once a month can be stored further away.

Office Equipment and Supplies

Laptops save space. Are you left- or right-handed? Position your telephone so that you can make notes. A desk light should be 100 watts. Purchase one piece of equipment that will print, fax, copy

and scan. Avoid placing your printer on useable desktop space.

Supplies stored in decorative boxes on shelving keeps them easily accessible. If you prefer items to be stored out of sight, consider a pantry-type cabinet, and use containers, baskets or trays inside to sep-arate items. Store similar items together.

File Cabinet

Clean out your fi le cabinet; 80% of what you fi le will never be looked at again. Don’t discard any business-related records that need to be kept for tax pur-poses.

Paperwork

Use a tray or basket as an inbox – ei-ther on your desk or hung on the wall. Have a routine to keep paperwork under control. Designate a spot for fi ling and a time to fi le your paperwork. Do a quick tidy up of your offi ce at the end of the day. That way you’ll be more focused when you start the next morning.

Rewards

An organized offi ce will increase your effi ciency and productivity. Whatever your motivation – whether it’s spending extra time to grow your business or im-prove your work/life balance – an orga-nized offi ce is worth the effort!


Jennifer KrugerThe Inspiring Minds

What is assertive behaviour?Assertiveness is the state of being confi -

dent and able to articulate thoughts clearly, in an honest, respectful and non-threatening way. An assertive person is able to express needs while being open and considerate to-wards the opinions and feelings of others.

Unlike aggressive or passive behaviour, assertive behaviour does not take aim at intimidating others, avoiding confl ict and being taken advantage of or settling for whatever everyone else wants. People who engage in assertive behaviour are respect-ed by others and achieve what they want through effective and direct communication. How do you become assertive?

Replace “you” statements with “I” state-ments. By using “I” statements, we avoid potential confl ict and eliminate blame and defensive behaviour towards another per-son. “I felt overwhelmed when asked to complete this report in two hours. I would like some assistance with the report.”

Develop positive affi rmations! Remove the “I wish, I hope, it would be nice if” state-ments with “I have, I am, I need” statements. For example, if you’re in debt and want to get out of debt, refrain from saying “I’m in debt and want to be debt free.” Try saying, “I am paying my bills easily and want fi nancial prosperity” or “I am fi nancially prosperous.”

Separate facts from emotions. As hu-mans, we tend to react with our emotions rather than assessing the facts of the situa-tion. When faced with a confl ict or problem, ask yourself: What are the facts? How does the situation affect me? What do I need?

Communicate effectively and listen attentively. Be attentive to the person you are talking to. Make direct eye contact and let the other person speak. Paraphrase what the person has said so their message is un-derstood. Ask open-ended questions and be clear when making a point.

Becoming assertive takes practice!

Being assertive enables us to communicate effec-tively with one another, whether in business, with family or with friends. Assertive behaviour enables a person to express their needs and achieve what they want in a non-threatening way. When we fo-cus on being assertive, we create a win-win situation for everyone involved, essentia lly creating fulf illing relationships.

Become assertive

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Employee morale and employee retention go hand in hand. If employees do not feel motivated at work, they will most likely start to look for new jobs elsewhere. Tracking employee morale is essentia l for measuring retention rates within a company.

The only precise way to measure em-ployee morale is fairly easy: ask the

employees directly. This can be done us-ing polls, surveys, suggestion programs, or even informal-type interviews for smaller businesses. The results can be quite shock-ing. Typically, employees are enthusiastic and have a high morale when they fi rst start a job, but in a study done by Harvard Busi-ness School, they found that in about 85% of companies, employees’ moral drastically declines after their fi rst six months on the job. This continues to decline as their ten-ure increases.

Employees are often looking for three key goals that motivate them throughout their employment. These are equity, achieve-ment, and camaraderie. Equity deals with being respected and treated fairly in terms of pay and benefi ts. Employee achievement is established when employees feel proud of their job, their personal accomplish-ments, and their employer. Lastly, cama-raderie is generated when employees have close, productive relationships with other employees. In order to have high retention rates within a company, employers must en-sure that they meet all these goals. Employ-ers and management can do several things to ensure they meet the employee goals. Three main practices can be put into place to begin to increase overall motivation:

Instilling purpose within a company typ-ically comes from a dynamic organizational mission statement that gives all employees a reason for coming to work aside from com-pensation. Individual departments can have

purpose or mission statements as well that focus on their main goals. These statements not only give an employee purpose, but a sense of importance, camaraderie and be-longing as well.

Focusing on employees as individu-als will boost morale within a company. Providing employees with recognition, or coaching them for improvement shows them that the company is showing interest in them and that they are being appreci-ated for their work. Receiving recognition for achievements shouldn’t be overlooked since it is one of the most fundamental hu-man needs.

Opening and promoting channels for transparent communication between em-ployers and employees is a quick way to boost respect, and thus increase motivation. When employees feel that they are respect-ed, trusted, and involved in workplace func-tions, all three goals are met. Transparent communication does not just mean commu-nicating fully, but listening to and involving employees wherever possible as well.

Employers often disregard lack of moti-vation as a factor of a high turnover rate and retention problems, but motivation prob-lems quickly permeate into other aspects of the job, eventually causing employees to search for something new. Being aware of motivation levels within a company is the fi rst step to improving overall retention, not to mention increasing productivity and ef-fi ciency as well.

Sources: hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/5289.html,www.inc.com/magazine/19970101/1146.html

Tanya WaleschBeyond Rewards Inc.

Employee motivation is key to higher retention rates and productivity


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Created out of the concern and passion to helpthose less fortunate have a Special Christmas.

Through the generosity of its donors, Power of HOPE donates toys and pyjamas to various agencies in Waterloo Region, Wellington County and Perth County. As well as providing for children, Power of HOPE donates pyjamas, socks, linens and toiletries to

single moms and low-income families.

To continue this work, we are very proud to announce thatPower of HOPE is now a registered not for profi t organization.

Throughout the year, we hold a variety of events, such as Christmas in July, to help us raise awareness and fi nancial support for our efforts. This July, we received donations

of 56 pairs of pyjamas, plus many other items as well as cash donations.Please look for us at the Healthy Choices Wellness Show in September.

We need YOUR support! To achieve our goal of “Helping Other People Everyday”, these are just some of

the items we collect: new or gently used stuffed toys, new pyjamas for all ages andgenders, baby blankets, socks, knitted items (hats, mitts, scarves), linens and toiletries.

For more information about Power of HOPE Community Organization, our events, the agencies we assist, or how to help us help them, please visit our website

www.powerofhopeontario.ca or call Penny Jamieson at 519-848-5024

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Powerful Women Magazine Fall 2011

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Transcript of Powerful Women Magazine Fall 2011