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Articles from Joy Chudacoff | Selfgrowth.com
- Smart Women Are In Control Of Their Ride - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThis summer, our family went to an amusement park in Park City, Utah, for a day of fun. When you take the chairlift up to the top of the mountain, one of the rides offered is the Alpine Slider. The Alpine Slider is a bobsled track that runs for about 3000 feet down the mountain. As we approached ...
Views: 650 - Smart Women Are Like Christopher Columbus - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2008 from Joy Chudacoff“Mom, when we get home I need to show you something really cool!” exclaimed my 8-year-old son Jack when I picked him up from school the other day. When we got home, he opened his backpack, pulled out his Social Studies book, opened it up to the last few pages and said—“Look, isn’t this cool?” ...
Views: 822 - Smart Women Are Like Harry Potter - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, my son Jack and I went to the local bookstore in search of the book Harry Potter 4. We have an agreement that we will read each Harry Potter book in the series together and then watch the movie. This has two wonderful benefits: One, I get to spend quality time reading a great series ...
Views: 704 - Smart Women are Like Rocket Ships - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, I was having lunch with my mom and my children at an outdoor café and all at once we were shaken by this rather large “KABOOM!” After a few minutes of shock and silence, everyone in the café started to speculate on what caused such a sound. Later that day, we found out that it was ...
Views: 713 - Smart Women Are Lucky - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffThe other day, while standing in a very long line at a coffee shop, I struck up a conversation with the woman behind me. We began chatting about everyday topics--the weather, the holiday rush, and then we stumbled on to that dreaded topic of the moment--the economy. I asked her a question: "What ...
Views: 674 - Smart Women Are Nutritious - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2011 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, on two separate occasions, I had the topic of what I refer to as “nutritious” people come up. I was speaking at a women’s convention and I asked them to write down at least 3 “nutritious” people” they have in their life right now. I also had a conversation with a woman in my Success ...
Views: 606 - Smart Women Are Nutritious - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, on two separate occasions, I had the topic of what I refer to as “nutritious” people come up. I was speaking at a women’s convention and I asked them to write down at least 3 “nutritious” people” they have in their life right now. I also had a conversation with a woman in my Success ...
Views: 598 - Smart Women Are On the Slopes! - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, while on a family vacation in Park City, Utah, I was helping my 8-year-old son, Jack, get ready for a day of skiing. It was sunny, 35 degrees and gorgeous outside. I handed my son his face mask and he looked at me puzzled and said, "Mom, there is no way I'm going to need this ...
Views: 692 - Smart Women Are Possibility Thinkers - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffOne morning not long ago, I was driving to the Inn at Playa del Rey for one of my Women’s Success Circles. It was a beautiful day in Pacific Palisades---blue skies, sun shining—glorious. What a great day this was going to be! My mind turned to possibilities for the day. As I made my way down ...
Views: 643 - Smart Women Can Be Action Figures Too! - by Submitted on Jul 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffIn my Success Circles, women create vision boards which represent their big ideas, dreams and plans for living a life filled with energy, passion and purpose. I invite them to bring in favorite photos or magazines they enjoy reading, as possibilities for their board. This week, Dawn, a Circle ...
Views: 685 - Smart Women Create - by Submitted on May 24, 2011 from Joy ChudacoffWomen are the most creative beings on earth. You have inspiring ideas and daring dreams, however it can sometimes be a challenge to get the dreams out of your head and onto paper so you can design a plan to make it happen. Most likely, your “to-do” list is overflowing and your Big Idea hasn’t ...
Views: 1229 - Smart Women Create the Right Environment - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, I took a road trip with my family from Los Angeles to Napa Valley, California. During my visit I learned that it takes a different environment (soil, temperature, irrigation) to grow different types of grapes to make wine. For example, you cannot create a great tasting chardonnay ...
Views: 609 - Smart Women Create the Right Internal Environment - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, I was having a conversation with another smart woman and we found ourselves on a familiar topic to many people with children: schools and education. This woman has children in middle school and high school and she was sharing with me that the schools have two tracks in which to ...
Views: 918 - Smart Women Create The Right Web - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffEarlier this week, I was taking an early morning walk with a good friend and smart woman and we ran into a few spider webs (literally!). It’s the time of year when spiders are spinning and carefully crafting their webs together in a way that will serve and protect them. This got me thinking ...
Views: 668 - Smart Women Dare To Dream - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, in one of my Women’s Success Circles, we had a conversation about the difference between a dream and a goal. The majority of the women agreed that a goal is something that is attainable while a dream is unattainable. One member said, “It’s something you think about but it would ...
Views: 671 - Smart Women Develop A Mindset – “Ready, Fire, Aim” - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThis past weekend, our family went out to Palm Desert to visit my in-laws for Mothers Day. I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Greg’s father, Lowell. I enjoy my “chats” with him. He loves business and marketing and always has great ideas. One of the topics we landed on was ...
Views: 657 - Smart Women Face Their Fear - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffA few days ago, I was cleaning out a backpack that my daughter used last summer when we were in Park City, Utah on vacation. This backpack was one that she wore every day to her skateboarding class. At the bottom of the backpack, I found a piece of crumpled paper and pulled it out. It was an ...
Views: 705 - Smart Women Get a “Personal” Check-Up - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, my husband Greg was in the hospital for a health issue. He started in the emergency room and was eventually admitted to the hospital. This experience created a lot of thought and reflection for me on many levels. One that I think might be helpful to you is how Smart Women occasionally ...
Views: 649 - Smart Women Get an “Entrepreneurial” Checkup - by Submitted on Feb 27, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffWhen we get sick, have the flu or some other ailment that we can’t seem to cure on our own, we go to the doctor for a checkup. The same is true in our businesses. If you feel like your business is not growing the way you had envisioned, maybe it’s time for an “entrepreneurial” checkup. This ...
Views: 627 - Smart Women Get Back On The Pogo Stick - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThe other day as we were driving to school, my daughter Jenna boldly stated, “Mom, for my birthday, I want a Pogo Stick.” This statement made me curious so I asked her, “Jenna, why do you want a Pogo Stick?” Jenna’s reply was “Mom, it’s easy. You just get on, fall off, get back up, and get on ...
Views: 660 - Smart Women Get It Off The Ground - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffDuring our recent vacation to Park City, Utah, one morning I was enjoying my coffee while overlooking a peaceful pond, and was surprised by several hot air balloons making their way high up into the sky. The colors of each balloon were bright, vivid, and unique. Some were like rainbows; others ...
Views: 802 - Smart Women Get Off the Fence - by Submitted on Jun 07, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffWhile driving along Sunset Blvd. a few days ago, I thought about a conversation I had earlier that morning with a friend about how difficult it is for some people to make a decision. This process can be a challenge and create a lot of anxiety. I'm not sure if people are aware that "sitting on ...
Views: 710 - Smart Women Get Uncomfortable - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffI’m 48 years old and I have never been on ice skates. That is, until yesterday. My 5½-year-old daughter, Jenna, has taken an interest in ice skating and I typically take her to the ice arena here in Park City where we are on vacation. I watch her skate while listening to the most incredible ...
Views: 652 - Smart Women Give it Away! - by Submitted on Apr 24, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, my 8 year old son Jack, came running into the house with the Sunday paper exclaiming, “Look, they gave us cereal!” And sure enough, there was not one but three mini boxes of cereal included with the newspaper---all sugar cereals they had never tried. My children were jumping up and ...
Views: 668 - Smart Women Give Themselves Permission - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, I was having a conversation with a woman when she asked me a crucial question: “What are the steps I need to take in order to live a life filled with passion and purpose?” It’s really a 3 part process. When a woman is ready to create her own extraordinary life, she needs to first ...
Views: 748 - Smart Women Have A Good GPS - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThere is a beautiful, peaceful bed and breakfast in Santa Monica, The Channel Road Inn, where I am fortunate to spend time with women who are ready to explore, evaluate, and make a plan for their future. It’s the perfect place to think about a big idea or any goal that you want to set into ...
Views: 611 - Smart Women Have An Attitude - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, the Women’s Club in my community celebrated men and women over the age of 90 by hosting a dinner and entertainment event in their honor. I read about this event in the local paper and was struck by one interview with a woman who was born in 1912 (she’s 96!). Her photo depicted a woman ...
Views: 784 - Smart Women Have Dreams Too! - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffMy son Jack came home from school today with an excited, “Yippee Mom, there’s no school next Monday because it’s Martin Luther King Day!” A few minutes later he comes running back into the kitchen and asks, “Mom, who is Martin Luther King anyway?” Wow---what a question. How do I answer that one ...
Views: 632 - Smart Women Have No Boundaries - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffOur family is vacationing in Park City, Utah this month. I enjoy sitting on the deck which overlooks a large pond that is frequented by ducks and geese. It’s a peaceful, quiet place to sit and ponder a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose. The other day, I noticed the gardener mowing ...
Views: 629 - Smart Women Ignite Their Fire - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffAs I was getting ready for a day of skiing on a recent family ski trip, I had one goal in mind: Stay warm! I knew it was going to be cold and windy that day, and I wanted to make sure that I kept my body heat inside. This got me thinking about how Smart Women who are living a life filled with ...
Views: 774 - Smart Women Keep Their Inner Door Open - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2011 from Joy ChudacoffOur family went to the Santa Barbara Zoo this past weekend. I love this zoo because it’s not overwhelming (you can see everything in about 2 hours) and Santa Barbara is a favorite spot of mine to relax. When we entered the exotic birds area, a sign on the door read, “For the safety of our birds, ...
Views: 739 - Smart Women Know How To Make Music - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffWhile on our way to school listening to a solo piano CD this morning, (it's a great tool that I use to calm everyone down after a hectic morning rushing to get out the door!) my 5 year old daughter Jenna asked me, "Mom, how do you make music?" It reminded me of when I was a little girl and my ...
Views: 708 - Smart Women Know How to Work the Puzzle - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffThis morning, my 6-year-old daughter Jenna decided to work a new puzzle that she received for her birthday. The puzzle, when put together, would represent our solar system. She dumped the pieces out all over the floor and began to realize how “big” this process was for her. I could feel and see ...
Views: 676 - Smart Women Know the Difference between a Job and a "Calling" - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffI am fortunate to spend time with a lot of Smart Women. A topic that comes up on a regular basis is this idea of a job vs. a "calling." What's the difference? How do you know what a "calling" is? Jobs are something that we do in our lives to keep ourselves and our families together. A "calling" ...
Views: 841 - Smart Women Know What They Want - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, after my husband Greg read my article “Smart Women Are a Lot Like Rocket Ships,” he had an interesting question: He said, “Every week you write about the same thing—making your Big Idea happen, Reaching your Goals and Dreams, getting the right support, blah, blah, blah… when are you ...
Views: 633 - Smart Women Know When To Let Go - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffEvery day as I leave my house, I am drawn to a large tree across the street, with beautiful branches and leaves. For awhile now, it has been shedding its leaves. Yesterday I noticed for the first time that all of the leaves have fallen off, leaving the tree bare. Nature has a way of making room ...
Views: 730 - Smart Women Know “All About Me” - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThis is a big week for my son Jack who is in first grade. It’s his “All About Me” presentation. We spent some time this weekend gathering all of the items that he believes are a representation of who he is right now. This morning, I was walking behind him and watching him carry his box full of ...
Views: 719 - Smart Women Know, Commit and Practice Their Values - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffMy son Jack recently joined Cub Scouts here in our community. His "den" leader is an older man, sort of a grandfather type who is very wise and shares some interesting information with the boys (did you know that if you're in need of the police, you should dial 311 and not 411?). When a boy ...
Views: 1060 - Smart Women Love a Good Party! - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffRecently, we hosted our daughter Jenna’s 6th birthday party at Tumbleweed Day Camp. Tumbleweed Day Camp is this secure, natural haven above West Los Angeles that makes you feel as if you are out in the wilderness instead of 10 minutes from one of the largest cities in the world. It is a rustic, ...
Views: 688 - Smart Women Make Amazing Things Happen - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThe month of March is a very important month if you are a basketball fan. It’s “March Madness” and there are games from every team around the country participating in playoffs and finals all month. We are big basketball fans at our house. I was watching a game this week with my ...
Views: 610 - Smart Women Make Great Choices - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffDo you have a hard time making decisions? When given a choice of A,B,C, and D---can you choose easily? I ask this question because I have found that having to make choices can sometimes be paralyzing for many of us. I was having dinner recently with a small group of friends and the waiter had ...
Views: 612 - Smart Women Move Forward Faster - by Submitted on Nov 07, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffI woke up this morning with two questions on my mind: (and no, one was not, “Do I have time to run to the local coffee shop before my family wakes up?”) “Is what I’m doing in alignment with where I want to go in my life both personally and professionally?” and “What are the things I can do now ...
Views: 660 - Smart Women Never Miss an Opportunity - by Submitted on May 08, 2009 from Joy ChudacoffRecently our family took a trip to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It was a great trip that was both fun and educational for the entire family. Did you know that the Falcon and the Cheetah are the two fastest animals in the air and on the ground? I also found it interesting just how effective ...
Views: 735 - Smart Women Paint Their Magic Circle - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffI took my daughter Jenna to her Karate class the other day, and after the instructor welcomed all of the children to the class he asked them to “paint your magic circle around you.” I sat there and watched a group of children take their hands and paint an imaginary circle around their bodies ...
Views: 632 - Smart Women Plant Their Seeds - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffLast Friday, my children and I went to an Eco-Fest at my son’s school. It offered creative ways to think about living organically and sustaining our planet. At one point my 5 year old daughter Jenna wandered to a booth a few feet away from me, and I noticed that she became very focused on what ...
Views: 560 - Smart Women Practice Gratitude - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffLast week, I was at my Mastermind Meeting and my good friend and Smart Woman, Chellie Campbell, mentioned that she had read an article on how expressing gratitude may be one of the keys to being a happier, healthier person. The very next day, I picked up a magazine which actually cited ...
Views: 613 - Smart Women Prefer The “Limited” Lifetime Warranty - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffI received a catalog in the mail the other day from a well-known company that provides fine cookware for the cooking enthusiast. As I flipped through the pages, I came upon an ad for these whimsical cupcake pans that just looked like they would be fun to use. I noticed at the end of the ...
Views: 592 - Smart Women Rarely Hallucinate - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2011 from Joy ChudacoffAlbert Einstein said, “Vision without execution is merely hallucination.” The first time I read this, I thought it was so powerful and spot on. Since the beginning of the New Year I’ve been writing about taking risks, realizing your dreams and goals, and taking inspired action on your big idea. ...
Views: 660 - Smart Women Take Risks In 2008 - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffRemember Risk? I wrote about taking risks recently and it really hit a nerve with many women. Women were emailing me, stopping me in the grocery store, on the street in my community. And you know what each of them said? “How did you know?” “You were talking about me, weren’t you?” Well, yes and ...
Views: 637 - Smart Women Take the Leap - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2008 from Joy ChudacoffThe other day, I was listening to one of Madonna’s great dance tunes, “Jump.” It’s a fun song that makes me want to jump up and dance around the room. It also motivates me into thoughts about the “jump” in my own life–to take the leap to the next ...
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