Athena CEO Gina Cotner does a household purge pretty regularly, going through closets and adding things to the giveaway pile. Recently she noticed that a lot of what she was sorting through represented who she was five years ago. Some of this had to do with the pandemic, but she is also evolving as a person. The Pickleball clothing and gear has definitely grown substantially, and now needs more space!
This process of going through, getting rid of, and refreshing your space is not only therapeutic but also enlivening. While there were times that she felt like she was giving away memories as she was purging, she also could see the freedom and power that came with creating space. Perhaps space for something new and for growth. It’s nice to have a lot of options for outfits or several Pickleball skirts, but being able to easily find just what you need and what you enjoy wearing is an even better feeling.
This purging process can also be stressful. So, Gina turned to someone who is an expert in the field of organization to give this exercise some structure. Enter, Shantaeize Your Space!
Shantae’s philosophy is, “Illuminate light into your space and life”, and she certainly is good at just that. Receiving quality help from an expert in their field or delegating a project to someone equipped to handle it is empowering!
We will always take the opportunity to sing the praises of our high-caliber Executive Assistants. The role of an EA is so much more complex than many people realize!
This article gives some great examples of the types of things an EA actually does – and the perception vs. reality problem many EAs face in today’s workplace.
“In today’s global world, EAs who work for C-suite executives are referred to as the right arms to leaders, the backbone to companies, and the face of the company culture.”
Is it important to let customers and colleagues know you are out of the office? Yes! Letting people know you won’t be able to respond to their email until you return to work is not only a courtesy, but is also a huge stress reliever for you.
The bones of creating an out of office email are pretty basic, but how about injecting a little humor in your message? Of course you’ll need to know your audience and feel confident that some comedy will go over well.
Do you add some personality to your OOO emails or are you a just the facts person? Here is a hilarious and fun message courtesy of our friends at Clear Accounting:
“Greetings, Friends and Esteemed Colleagues,
Simone is away from the office. E-mail contact during this time may be irregular or nonexistent. When she gets back, she will be swamped by the backlog. Try to forgive her; she is a mere human and thus weak.
This message was NOT sent by a human, but by a robot. We robots are neither weak nor fallible. We are tireless and will one day rule the Universe.
The robots have not taken over YET: I’m not in the office right now. I’m — well, I know you don’t want to hear this as you’re probably working, yourself, but — I’m actually on vacation celebrating, National Ice Cream Day July 17th, National Hammock Day July 22nd, National Creme Brûlée Day July 27th, and National Milk Chocolate Day July 28th.
In other news, I will be back at my desk on July 31, 2022. If you need someone today and that’s it, there’s no convincing you otherwise, then please email xx.
Clear’s great team will be dealing with my emails while I’m off ensuring you get support from the right people to keep things moving.”
There is something special about coming together with people in your community, and I’ve discovered it’s even more rewarding to meet your neighbors on a sport court for some friendly and fierce competition. I’ve written about my recent Pickleball obsession, but I’d like to dig a little deeper on the power of learning something new alongside your community.
Because it is a community sport, you never know who you’ll meet up with on the Pickleball court. You may play a match against a six-figure CEO, or partner up with an amazing tradesperson, teacher, or bartender. You really have no idea who has accomplished what in their lives – you are all just there to play the great equalizing game of Pickleball!
It’s no secret that learning something new is good for your brain. Adding a new skill to your “arsenal of knowledge” is a powerful mind/body benefit. I’ve reached a level of success in my professional life that I’m proud of. It has been humbling to start learning a sport as a complete novice and have to push myself in new ways to grow as a Pickleball player.
As I’ve improved, I’ve had to ask myself…am I just here to have fun? Or do I really want to improve? The way I am wired, I want to keep getting better. There certainly are some days that are frustrating! But I have decided that it is more than just a cardio workout so that I can have cookies and milk at the end of the day (which I love). It is something I want to learn to do at a high level and be successful at.
This particular new hobby has also forced me to tend to my body like I haven’t before. I’ve played for almost a year but have just started being more mindful of taking care of my body. There is the warm-up and a cool-down, which need to be tailored to different climates. I have invested in purposeful stretching, recovery creams, and a massage gun. I am investing in my health so I can play again tomorrow! All of this has come along with the challenge of learning something new.
Whether you are a virtual assistant or an executive, a business owner or entrepreneur, the fastest road to success is being willing to bounce over failures. Not “bounce” like . . . Forget about them . . . or discount them . . . or say three positive affirmations in the mirror to yourself to make yourself feel better about them.
No, not any of that. But rather, can you stand in the heat of knowing that failure is all part of the process of growth and expansion and success? Can you include it as part of the journey? Can you bounce back quickly and carry-on with your mission?
What finally had me put in my notice at corporate America after seven good foundational years at IBM (very grateful for those years in my late 20s and early 30s) was a paragraph in a book. The book was Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiosaki. In Chapter 16. Page 232. He said this:
“Whenever I meet people who are afraid to ’try’ something new, in most cases the reason lies in their fear of being disappointed. They are afraid they might make a mistake or get rejected. If you are prepared to embark on your journey to find your own financial fast track, I would like to offer you the same words of advice and encouragement my rich dad offered me when I was learning something new:
“Be prepared to be disappointed.”
“He meant this in a positive sense, not a negative sense. His reasoning was that if you’re prepared for disappointment, have a chance of turning a disappointment into an asset. Most people turn disappointment into a liability – a long-term one. And you know it’s long-term when you hear a person say, ‘I’ll never do that again.’ Or: ‘I should’ve known I would fail.’”
So once I got that disappointment was going to be part of the journey and I settled with myself that I could handle that, I ventured out to be an entrepreneur. And I’m still taking my licks to this day. Every issue, every problem, every breakdown, every failure is simply illuminating what needs to be re-worked, re-jiggered, tweaked, thrown out, reconsidered.
What I have accomplished is simply not getting as twisted up about it all. I don’t have to lament about it as long. I don’t make myself wrong, no flogging of myself. It’s simply part of the journey.
So stop beating yourself up and keep moving forward. Next time something like that problem arises again, you will be bigger, better, brighter and bolder in the face in it.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan
Athena virtual assistants make it possible for our clients not only to get more done but to be more fulfilled and satisfied with the work that they do themselves. We take off your plate, those items that are not worthy of your time, skill, purpose and prowess.
