It’s the color of the season, the color of an open heart, and the new black – gratitude.

Never before in my life have I felt such an outpouring of gratefulness, generosity, and caring as I have witnessed over the last several weeks. Don’t know if I was just wearing the right clothes, or smelled just so, but I have had the pleasure of seeing some amazing things first hand. And, I feel glad from it.

Everywhere around us, we witness the world. Some of it can seem frightening. If you listen to the general attention monger media, you might conclude that we should all be in a constant state of fear.

But here’s the deal – fear is a state of mind, not an automatic reaction. When we open our eyes to beauty and miracles, we see that instead. Call me a rose-colored glasses wearing optimist, but hope and forward looking visioning feels better to experience. It gives me more strength of spirit to face the issues that need addressing and to take action. Fear cripples – hope and love uplift. Fear is a choice and it is not my choice today.

In honor of this elation and well…gratitude I feel for the wondrous and hopeful things I see around me, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite causes. If you have one you love, please list it in comments below so we can all know about the good work they are doing and how we can help.

Kiva.org – Microlending site: For as little as $25 you can provide much needed credit assistance to deserving entrepreneurs worldwide. Most entrepreneurs who use microlending are women.
RoomToRead.org – Literacy program started by ex-Microsoft executive, John Wood, that builds libraries throughout the developing world. Room to Read’s programs have reached more than three million children so far and hopes to improve literacy for ten million children by 2020.
WomenForWomen.org – Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency.
Charity: Water - Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.

We have the power within ourselves to create a world of peace, understanding, tolerance, and health. Thank you to everyone who is working toward this vision – know that many of us stand in gratitude for what you do.

Together, we are stronger!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
SmartWomanGuides.com

Lately I’ve noticed some interesting changes about my motivation. I find that when I watch a lot of doom and gloom news, I lose my steam. It’s also easy to realize how much time I could waste away if I watch TV during my work day. So, I figured you might be facing these same issues too and wanted to offer some suggestions to help.

1.  Get TiVo or DVR

Rather than completely deny yourself your favorite daytime shows, try recording them to watch during a non-work time. Not only can you reduce your overall viewing time by fast forwarding through the commercials (well, except that adorably funny E-trade baby), you can also avoid interrupting your work day.

By recording these guilty pleasures and time shifting your viewing, you also avoid the resentment that comes from having to give them up completely.  It’s an effect I call the “bonbon jealousy effect” – that sinking feeling that if you were only more successful or rich or clever that you could be sitting on the sofa eating bonbons watching Oprah instead of working. Well, by using TiVo or DVR, you can have the best of both worlds!

2.  Do a mind-body connection reality check

When you are listening to the latest breaking report about an airplane crash, or war, or economic recession, take a deep breath and ask yourself how you are feeling. Are you jittery? Depressed? Anxious? Tense? Is this the feeling that you want people to feel working with you? If not, don’t choose it for your own environment either. You will absorb that negativity and you will pass it on, either to your kids, or your partner, or your clients. Dump the gloom.

I understand that you need to stay informed. But, do you have to watch hours of news about a catastrophe? You’d be better off taking action, like donating to the cause, or spending the precious time you have in this life with your family. And, more importantly, how much time do you spend watching uplifting, inspirational stories or maybe light  hearted comedys? Shift the ratio a bit and you will notice it’s easier to work and stay happy. I personally recommend the laughing babies you can find on YouTube. Major medicinal value for your spirit…

3.  Online video viewing counts as “TV”

I can’t tell you how many people I talk to that say they don’t “watch TV” but they spend hours online watching videos. Even a Twitter freak like me recognizes the perils of too much computer surfing. Not only will your arms, fingers, and shoulders begin to ache from overuse, but your eyes will start twitching and you’ll feel exhausted from viewing a glowy box for so long.

Commit to a window of time when you’re allowed to watch and absolutely, without exception, schedule time unplugged too. Sunshine is a marvelous thing and long distance viewing (versus close in like when you are watching your computer monitor) will preserve your eyesight. And, the life balance that occurs from incorporating various methods of interfacing with other people will help keep you on track.

My last thought is this – go for the good stuff. Watching reruns just to zone out isn’t really the best option. If a movie you’ve already watched comes on at 2 am when you have insomnia, don’t just zone out – make it special. Pop some popcorn, drink some wine, whatever, but refuse to participate in passive entertainment unless you are living it up when you do it – especially if it’s been there done that material.

Entertainment and distraction is an essential part of staying creative. Numbing yourself out with video isn’t part of that equation. So, pass the remote and truly enjoy what you watch. It can be fun and it can be part of a work at home life.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the  original SmartWoman

Here are some of the latest cool stories about women entrepreneurs all over the world. Enjoy!

Can the S&M Chicks pitch way to finals with sales-marketing savvy?
Edmonton Journal – Edmonton,Alberta,Canada
“Basically, the entire S&M Chicks show would be focusing on doing mini-makeovers for women entrepreneurs throughout Canada,” Duke explains. …
See all stories on this topic

Two Pinays win in Cartier entrepreneur awards
Philippine Star – Manila,Philippines
Five women entrepreneurs received the Second Annual Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards during a ceremony held at the Women’s Forum for the Economy and …
See all stories on this topic

Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals of Bangladesh
By Safeen
As women entrepreneurs, we see women are leading in the fashion world. Many of them owning their own fashion house, beauty salons, and also advertising firms. I was really surprised to learn few days back that the managing director of …
The Urban Women in Dhaka City – http://safeen.wordpress.com/

READ IN THIS STORY:
ITWeb – Gauteng,South Africa
This was one of the main questions raised at a recent series of workshops run in three South African cities for aspiring and current women entrepreneurs in …
See all stories on this topic

Talks on blogging, women entrepreneurs at UBD
Borneo Bulletin – borneo,Brunei Darussalam
Wowing the Women: Being Young, Female and Enterprising”, in conjunction with the Global Entrepreneurship Week, which ran from November 17-23. …
See all stories on this topic

Call to improve education of rural women entrepreneurs
IPPmedia – Dar es Salaam,United Republic of Tanzania
By Gadiosa Lamtey The government has been urged to refocus support on programmes geared to improving education service delivery to low-income women instead …
See all stories on this topic

Women empowerment
The Daily Star – Dhaka,Bangladesh
The three successful women entrepreneurs have set an exmaple for other micro-credit borrowers in the country. They had invested the money in some innovative …
See all stories on this topic

The  wheels of commerce are turning all over the world and every day new groups of women become entrepreneurs. We welcome all of our worldwide sisters!

Together,  we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher,  the original SmartWoman

I know sometimes it’s hard to keep up with a blog that gets updated nearly every day. So, I thought, being that we are kicking off a new month, that I would take a moment to reflect on the good stuff that was posted last month, all in one place, so it’s easy to look at.

New Articles Posted in June:

Copywriting Tip: Writing for the Helen Keller Moment

Mass Transit Mindset: Are You Too Sexy For The Bus?

Smart Women Give Themselves Permission

The Right Fragrance Can Give You a Lift – Anytime of the Day

Websites: Making Money Authentically

Why is Internet Marketing Important to My Business?

Don’t forget too that you can find over a dozen more articles, about internet marketing and various other topics at Qassia.

New Interviews Posted in June:

SmartWoman Exclusive: Evan Carmichael Interview

SmartWoman Interview: Joy Chudacoff of Smart Women, Smart Solutions

Books Recommended in June

2 selections in honor of the late Tim Russert

Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons 

Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life

My Favorite Books About Leveraging and Outsourcing

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

To understand the different ways men and women communicate:

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex

We also enjoyed several international news updates:

SmartWoman Worldwide

We held a contest where 4 lucky women were selected to attend a 3-day Women’s Empowerment Summit. Congratulations, ladies! I am planning another contest this month, so stay tuned. For those still interested in attending the event August 1-3, find out more here:
Women’s Business Empowerment Summit

I will post soon what I have planned for July. In the meantime, please accept my heartfelt thanks for your loyalty, support, and attendance. The community would be nothing without you.

Together, we are stronger.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman