New Perspectives on Valentine's from Facebook!

It has been entirely too long since my last post! I have made it a priority to get back to a regular schedule & post a lot more regularly - so that is the plan starting today.

On to the post...

I have an idea of what I want to say about the following subject, but it could go in 100 different directions, so I'm a bit curious where it will end up. Love has been on the forefront of my mind this past week. Without getting too personal, basically I have been with my boyfriend for about 9 months and I have felt like we are at a bit of a crossroads. Not really because of any specific situation, and maybe it is just the planner in me - but every so often I like to step back and take a look at what I'm doing in my life and evaluate how it is benefiting me. My poor boyfriend, of course, didn't have any idea that we were at this "crossroads" and we all know how much men love to have serious relationship discussions. But I will give him credit and say that through all of my crying & bitching he listened to everything I had to say without raising his voice or storming off. In my eyes, that's progress! It seems as though we are both willing to work on a few things, and time will tell. Relationships are work -- and if both people want it to work I do believe it can. If there is one thing I have absolutely learned it is that NO relationship is perfect....but people are more than willing to give their opinions. And it is amazing to me how people's perspectives on the same situation can be so completely different - which leads me to what I really wanted to focus on in this post - Valentine's Day!

We are 1 week & 1 day past Valentine's day, and for some reason (probably because I was in a relationship this year) I walked away from this day with some new perspectives on this holiday. I actually think facebook has played a major role in these new perspectives. I am not going to go into my tangent of people professing their love & everything personal through status updates & wall posts. It has become a a major pet peeve of mine - and not because I don't think it is sometimes cute to send sweet messages to the one you love. But there is just something troubling in the fact that things don't seem to be private at all anymore. Anyway, that is for a whole other blog. Back on track -- Valentine's Day and new perspectives --

1. I realized how strongly a lot of men hate this holiday. One of my male friends on fb actually posted as his status, "Valentine's Day is like Christmas for women and Tax Day for men. Screw this holiday." And he has a girlfriend. I truly think that men would not hate this "holiday" if they looked at it from another angle. Men out there -- most every woman I know does not expect loads of money to be spent. It is more about the thought! Honestly, a sweet card & a single flower is enough for most. Or at least it is for me, and girl's I hope you can back me up on this. It's all in how you look at it. Sure it's a made up holiday designed to make money for restaurants, card companies, and florists. And if you want to focus on that fact then go right ahead, but why is it a bad thing to take a day to appreciate the people you love? I think that most people are consumed by work, blackberries & Iphones, facebook, television and all the other distractions in the world that we don't stop enough to really & truly appreciate the people in our lives. My boyfriend was sweet and got me a bunch of stuff from Victoria's Secret (not the sexy stuff, but the PINK stuff I love). But if I'm honest - he didn't have to spend that $90. I spent about $10 on his - but I put A LOT of thought into it. Not that he didn't -- but it was a different type of thought. I do believe there is a difference in degrees of thoughtfulness - and what might seem incredibly thoughtful by one person might be completely overlooked by another. Hello - there is a reason that the book on love languages has sold millions of copies!

2. Then there is the other extreme -- the girl's who say that Valentine's Day is just another day & doesn't really mean anything to them. Here is a post by a female friend on fb: "Glad Valentines is over :) even though [my boyfriend] was super sweet. Thanks babe. I just don't think there should be 1 day for overpriced flowers and cards. If you love someone, let them know everyday. Look them in the eyes and tell them you love them." Can I just take a second and quote one of my favorite movies How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days - "Bull$*&t"!! And I would love some feedback on this - I just find it incredibly hard to believe that if her boyfriend had skipped over the entire day without mentioning anything that everything would've been completely fine! Just like I don't think it is necessary to overspend and go overboard - I most definitely believe it needs to be acknowledged. As I said in the beginning - no relationship is perfect - there are ups and downs. And for a woman to say that it really doesn't matter is just hard for me to believe. At the heart of everything I think we all just want to be loved, by our friends, parents, & significant others. And when the initial "romance" phase is over in a relationship it is days like Valentine's Day that sometimes helps you regain that feeling & excitement. Everyone knows that those first 3 months you are blissfully happy, your new boyfriend/girlfriend can do no wrong, and you overlook everything just to be with them. And so when that time is over and you actually start the "real" relationship it is so important to not forget the romance. Again, they sell books on this men! There is actually a book called Romance for Dummies. So girls, lets not confuse our men with these statements that it is just another day, and doesn't matter.

So that is what I walked away from 2/14/11 with --

How was your Valentine's day? I would love to hear your feedback!

Lifetime Beauty Brief: Day at the Office

I Love My...

What You See Is What You Get

One of the things that I love about Mary Kay Inc. is the emphasis to our sales force on personal growth. Mary Kay Ash was so far ahead of her time, and one thing she taught from the very beginning was, "What we think about, we bring about". In an age of self-help sections at the bookstore & motivational speakers, this type of thinking could be thought by some to be cliche. And I have to admit that I was a skeptic, at least in the affirmations department.

If you aren't familiar with affirmations, they are positive statements you tell yourself in an effort to reprogram your mind from the negative & manifest your dreams into reality. The average person is naturally negative in their thinking, and it truly takes a concentrated effort to remove all the negative thoughts that run through our minds every day. It is no coincidence that depression is one of the fastest growing "diseases" in society today. Have you watched the news lately? Read the paper? How many of the stories are positive?

About three months ago I decided that I needed to make a change in my life & that I needed to start with my thinking. I was frustrated with my business & realized that even though overall to outsiders I was a very positive person, in my head I was constantly fighting with self doubt. I would tell people outwardly that I wanted to accomplish certain things, and immediately in my head think of all the reasons why they wouldn't happen. I'm embarrassed to say that even though I had taught this concept to my Mary Kay consultants for years, I had never truly practiced daily affirmations in my own business. I decided that I had nothing to lose by trying it out. So I compiled my list of positive statements, and really figured out what it is that I want for my future....I put them on my mirror, on my desk, recorded them on my ipod so I could listen to them anytime, and even made a movie with pictures of the things I was saying. It became part of my routine!

Now, three months later I can honestly say I see them working! I won't get into specifics, but I will say that I have seen huge changes in my personal & professional life. I still struggle with fighting those negative thoughts, and I am sure I always will, but it so easy now to go straight to my list and start reading or turn on my ipod. It is a process and something that takes time! And even though I am not where I want to be just yet, I AM A BELIEVER!

Of course, starting on this journey has opened my eyes even more to the concept of positive thinking. And I have noticed more & more when successful people talk about their journey, even if they don't specifically say that they used "affirmations", they do talk about their thinking. I was watching the 2010 Tony Awards last month, and was truly touched by one of the winner's speeches. Katie Finneran won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Promises, Promises. I found myself in tears at the end of her speech, because I knew exactly what she was thinking. It is a true example that "What you think about, you bring about!":

"I couldn't help but wonder...."

I am counting down the days! This weekend Sex & the City 2 hits the theaters, and I cannot wait! To get ready I have been watching past episodes of the original series, and re-watched the movie for what seems like the 100th time. What is it about these girls that gets me so excited? Even though I love the fashion, the scenes of NYC, and the crazy dating scenarios...I think the thing that sucks me in is the friendships between the characters! And I think that is what attracts the majority of fans. There is something comforting about watching a group of women who love & support each other through failed relationships, new jobs, babies, marriages, and just the ups and downs of life. Although, the Manolo's and fabulous lifestyles don't hurt either! Only 3 more days...

Nashville Flood

Nashville Rising

This past weekend Nashville experienced the worst flooding in over 100 years. It was "Katrinaesque" in damage, andis going to take months to rebuild & will cost close to $1 Billion. It has been amazing to see the response of people, and the National FEMA Director says he has never seen such volunteerism. Last night on Anderson Cooper 360, Anderson said, "I have never seen such a response from a community after a disaster". And this is why I love this city so much!

It has been so heartbreaking to see the pictures of the areas affected, including many of of Nashville's city treasures like the Ryman, 2nd Avenue, & Opryland Hotel. Many homes were lost in the flooding, and one of those was was my friend & sister Sales Director Candy Johnston. She was able to get most of her clothes, and her Mary Kay office was spared on the second floor along with her computer & inventory, but her house had 6' of water in the downstairs for 2 days. Unfortunately, like most people in Nashville, she did not have the flood insurance to cover all that has been lost. Here are a few pictures of the damage:




To help with some of the cost, an account has been set up at Nashville's Avenue Bank for donations & contributions to her situation. To donate, you can either call Tiffany McGee directly at 615-503-2983 or you can send a donation through the mail to:

CC: Tiffany McGee
101 International Drive, Suite 100
Franklin, TN 37067

So many people are in the same position, and it is almost overwhelming to know where to start in the process of helping them through this disaster. Here are some other ways to help:

Tide Loads for Hope trucks arecoming to Nashville on Wednesday, May 12. The Tide staff will literallywash, dry, and fold clothes for our neighbors who need it. Please contact Tide at 800-879-8433 (press 0 for operator) and let them know Nashville needs Loads of Hope. The more calls they receive the bigger priority we become.

Visit http://www.hon.org to find out about specific volunteer opportunities.

Thank you for your thoughts & prayers!