Roll On

I was running on the treadmill yesterday in an attempt to alleviate the stress and negative thoughts I was feeling in regards to the fact that there is NEVER enough time to get it all done.

My husband very succinctly gave me his view on this before leaving the house for a 22 minute “stress” run outside (with our dog I might add) before we rushed off to the first of the 3 games we were attending this particular rainy Saturday (2 soccer, 1 football). “There will never be enough time. Get over it and get used to it!” he said not very sympathetically. I “harrumphed” a little to myself and started to watch (and really listen) to the music video playing on MTV in front of me while I kicked up the treadmill an angry notch. That was when I found a kindred spirit or soul mate of sorts – in the unlikeliest of people… Kid Rock.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Kid Rock – puhlease! But seriously, the lyrics to his new song ‘Roll On’ really resonated with me. He sings of the roller coaster that life is – enjoying the ride and being wise enough to look back and see how although we may have made mistakes, we corrected them and learned from them along the way. We all long for our kids to grow and have kids of their own and hopefully we are wise enough and aware enough to share with them our experiences and what we believe is the secret of life.

The central message of the song – for me anyway – is excerpted below:

“We're one day older and one step closer
Roll on there's mountains to climb
Roll on we're on borrowed time
Roll on Roller coaster
Roll on tonight”

I may be reading into the lyrics a bit too much. Maybe it was just my mood. Maybe I was just blindsided by the fact that we all mature and grow up – even someone like Kid Rock. That said, I encourage watching the video and judging for yourself: Kid Rock "Roll On" Video

Wild Ride

I haven’t watched much CNBC since my broker days. Of late however, I’ve been an avid watcher, glancing at the screen with increased frequency over the past few weeks. My viewing of this “wild ride” has been somewhat detached as my husband’s career has always been in marketing - in one capacity or another – not trading. But, many (I might even venture to say most) of our friends have jobs in fields directly related and impacted by the moves of the Dow, the S&P and the Nasdaq. These are not easy times.

Fortunately we have not really felt a direct impact in regards to our business. We’ve tripled our rep force since last year at this time, boutique stores are still buying (and reordering) and house parties and multi-vendor events are still being organized and attended – both by our reps and their customers. In fact, direct sales companies are said to be “recession-proof” because as tough financial times set in (be it on a personal level or a nationwide effect like we’re seeing now), women enter the work force in an effort to help support their families. The direct selling industry is a perfect fit for this type of work as women can usually just add this kind of job to their existing daily schedules.

But I won’t go so far as to say we have not been affected at all. Nor do I have any tarot card reading skills or foresight powers to predict what’s coming for any of us in the future. What I do know is that it’s hard enough to start a company (with your husband no less) out of your house in an entirely new field with no existing companies after which to model yourselves. Now try to do it in the middle of what some say is the start of a major recession, in an election year with financial markets jittery as you are trying to seek investment capital for your said start-up. But actually, I joke that with the volatility of the market these days, investing in a start up like ours may actually be a safer bet than some of the blue chips!

So despite the uncertainty of the financial climate, we’ll still continue to meet with potential investors and hope to find others that share our vision for the company’s future. And while we wait, we’ll put our heads down, strap in and do what we’ve been doing - the work at hand, the best that we can.

A Foreign World

At 6:50am yesterday morning, Lily – my 5 yr. old – lightly padded into our room and woke Ken and I up. She then proceeded (as is her usual style) to chatter incessantly about what’s on her mind. She went on for several minutes about her favorite new book and how cute our dog, Maisy, looked snuggled in her chair – all while Ken and I were still dozing, barely acknowledging her every once in a while with half open, unfocused, sleepy eyes.

Suddenly, her eyes wide with wonder, she changed topics. “Did you know my friend Casey’s Nanny lives on an island?” she said. “Isn’t that cool?” I was now awake as I had a feeling I knew where she was going with this conversation, as my favorite show is Lost and my kids have become obsessed with Flight 29 Down – a series on the Discovery Channel with a similar premise of an airplane crashing in the middle of the Pacific, but focused on more age appropriate subject matter.

“Lily, Casey’s Nanny doesn’t live on a tropical island”, I explained. “She lives on Long Island.” “Wow”, Lily replied, “a long island. It must be hard to survive there”. Before correcting her I chuckled inwardly as I thought that many of us New Jersey natives have often wondered the same thing – how do people actually live on Long Island?!?!

The Start Of Something New

I did it – and it was quick and painless. I hired 2 additional people to help with operations and inventory. They were both recommended by a friend. The interviews went well and both women seem up to the challenge of our increasingly busy manufacturing demands. It was important to add to our staff prior to the start of the holiday shopping season. What a relief to have found not one, but two people so quickly!

Now, let the training begin. We’ve perfected a system that works – for now anyway. Hopefully it is one that can be easily taught and communicated to someone starting fresh. And one that is adaptable to our growing needs. I want to have everyone up and running – FAST!!

Also, I’m curious to see the change in dynamics of our work environment with the addition of two new personalities. Hopefully we’ll all work harmoniously. Otherwise, I’ll have to utilize some of my newly acquired conflict resolution skills – they seem to be coming in handy a lot these days. Although I like things done a certain way I think I'm easy to work for (and with). Time will tell. So will I…

Around To It

I attended services this past Rosh Hashanah holiday. In between passing Tootsie Rolls and gum to my kids, gossiping with my sister, fiddling with my short skirt and pleading with my husband to take one more walk to the bathroom with our 5 year old, I actually paid attention and took to heart the lessons of the cantor’s sermon.

She referred to everyone’s busy schedules nowadays and the sentiment of knowing that you need to do something (i.e., calling out of touch friends and relatives, etc.) but will attend to the task when you get around to it. Don’t put things off. Easier said than done – believe me, I know. Procrastination is a temporary fix – my words not hers. Think how much better you’ll feel if you get it done today!

Okay, maybe saying “do it today” is too much pressure. I’m all about being kinder to oneself, enjoying down time, doing the right things first, blah, blah, blah. But it’s a noble exercise to take a moment to evaluate what we’d like to accomplish and then set a path to make it happen. Forget the pressure of an immediate time frame but keep reminding yourself that (just like your exercise workout) you may not want to endure the process, but you’ll feel fabulous once the job is done.

The cantor at our synagogue had buttons made up for each of us to take home donning the phrase “around to it”. The buttons also displayed the Jewish New Year date as a reminder that this is the year to GET IT DONE. While I won’t be sporting my new button on any upcoming outfits, it does sit on my dresser – a reminder to not put off tomorrow what will positively effect not only my life, but possibly someone else’s as well. In this way, we can all have an impact and make the world a little bit better – simply that simple. Happy New Year.