The answer to the question in the title is very simple: I buy from small businesses because I know that every time I do, I am supporting somebody’s dream.
Think about it for a moment. Once upon a time there was that little girl, let’s call her – Mary, who liked to create beautiful clothes for her little dolls. She would take an old t-shirt from her father, cut it in small pieces and indulge in the magic of creation. A couple of days later her doll – Ann – would get a new layered dress and a matching jacket, and yes – don’t forget the ribbon for her gorgeous curly hair! Mary would dream that one day she will open her own fashion house and make clothes for all the little toys and all their little owners in the whole big world. Mary grew up to be an accountant, working long hours and even though succeeding in her career, still feeling as if her life is not what she wanted it to be.
A couple of days ago I attended a TEDxWomen event. There, at the networking session I was once again faced with that classic phrase: “And who are you? What do you do?”… Somehow those two completely different questions are often put together as if they mean the same thing. Yet, obviously “who you are” does not equal “what you do”. Moreover, even “what do you do?” is not the best question to ask. In a networking situation, you are not that much interested in what a person does, you want to know if you two can connectand bring each other certain value. You are interested in the 2nd degree connections or in skills that this person has. You might want to know what drives that person and what makes him go the extra mile. You might want to know if you can share the journey.
All this made me think about “boxes”: those voluntary categories we gladly put ourselves in. “I am a lawyer”, “I am a nurse”, “I am an engineer”, “I am a pilot”, “I am…” So you truly believe that this one descriptive is supposed to explain who we are? Continue reading Our voluntary “boxes” and asking better questions→
Kids change your life — that’s a given. It is not only about practicalities, but mostly about mindset. However, both the practicalities and the mindset are in your power. You will need to adjust and adapt, yet you don’t have to forget who you are.
A while ago I have written an article for the School for Personality development ReFresh (article is in Russian language) entitled “Balancing on the new verge: What should you think about when moving on to a role of parent” (see link here). Of course, it is mostly relevant for those who are only about to become parents for the first time, yet might be interesting also for long-time parents, who are sometimes feeling a bit lost and in search for harmonious balance of their inner roles. This post will talk about the same subject as the article mentioned, so if you master both English and Russian — you can pick which version you prefer to read. It is not an exact translation, yet the essence is practically the same. Continue reading The new reality: Becoming a parent without losing your own identity→
For a price of one latte at Starbucks you can literally master the art of making cheesecakes in all different ways and with various ingredients.
I mean it — this is a cookbook like you have never seen before. You can call it “cheesecake coaching” or the ultimate cheesecake making guide. This book does not list recipes, but actually teaches you to think outside the box and work your magic with what you have. Even the recipes described in here are not just a list of ingredients and cooking steps, but an actual explanation of why you need to do what you are doing, as well as ideas of how you can substitute ingredients. You will be guided through the whole process: from learning some of the easiest recipes to mastering the most sophisticated and non-traditional ones.Thus, if you have ever scrolled through cheesecake recipes and got frightened to even try, this book is definitely for you, as it will change your perspective big time! Continue reading If you want to make perfect cheesecake – my NEW BOOK is what you need!→
One of these days I praised somebody for the great work she had done. After receiving my compliment she said something like: “That’s actually not that big of a deal, and I am not the only one responsible for the end result, but… thanks“. However, actually it was a big deal and the end result was mainly thanks to her. It made me think about compliments and “properly” accepting them.
Those of you who are active on social networks or have blogs of their own, you crave likes, don’t you? You want as much people as possible to give you that “thumbs up” – a modern equivalent of “a good job!”. Moreover, if your activity did not receive the desired amount of likes you almost feel like something important is missing. Recognition. We all crave recognition. Nevertheless, if actual recognition beyond a simple “thumbs up” comes their way, it somehow makes a lot people try to … apologize. Continue reading Compliments: how come we crave them yet fail to accept?→
Family Life CEO 