All day yesterday (Nov. 5th), I couldn’t stop thinking about the Obama family and how they must be feeling.  What would it be like to savor victory after a two-year, hard won battle?  What is it like as a father to be able to show your daughters that success is truly within their reach if they set their minds on what they want and go for it.  How thrilling must it be to know that they will be the first African American family in the White House. 

While I’ve had plenty of successes in my life, for which I am truly grateful, I still can’t grasp what it must feel like to achieve something of that scale.  I imagined the Obamas relaxing in their living room the morning after.  Personally, I would have headed right for the spa.  But then, I wondered, can they do that?  Would it be considered elitist to spend the day at the spa, knowing it’s a luxury out of reach for many Americans? 

Politics aside, I think all of us can appreciate and congratulate the Obamas as a family, knowing that ALL of them incurred sacrifices during the last two years.  I hope one day my own family will feel the satisfaction of achieving what may have seemed like an unobtainable goal.  Fortunately, I think my little family of four and I are on the brink of achieving something, though on a much smaller scale than the presidency, that no one else in our family has been able to do.  Perhaps that is why my thoughts are on the Obamas now.  Will I, too, soon be savoring victory in my living room? 

For some time now, I’ve been collecting ideas on what to write in my very own blog.  Now that I have one, I found myself hesitating for a long time before starting.  What I realized is that this is an old habit of mine that still occasionally raises it’s head when I venture into unknown territory.  It’s NOT procrastination.  It’s the effort to get all the facts and details lined up perfectly before I start something, so I can be at the top of my game. 

While that sounds good in theory, it’s absurd in real life.  What I’ve found, and try to put into practice as much as possible, is that GETTING STARTED is what’s most important.  It’s hard to stop momentum once it’s starts.  Further, course correction is key to success and actually more efficient once you get going than trying to anticipate everything in advance.  100% anticipation is impossible and becomes an easy excuse not to pursue opportunities. 

I’ve heard the space shuttle is off course 90% of the time, and it’s the astronauts job to keep putting it back on target.  I think we should view life the same way – it makes the ride a lot more fun and less stressful!

So, here I am at the launch of my first business and the publication of my first book.  Considering that I left my corporate career at the end of February and it’s now October, the speed to which everything came to light is phenominal.  I have to admit, there were days where I felt overwhelmed and didn’t get a whole lot done.  I beat myself up pretty bad over those days.  Now that I’m here, I realize how foolish I was to feel bad about those delays.  How much faster could I have really gone?  It’s time for me, and my fellow driven, ambitious, take-on-the-world friends, to give ourselves a break and embrace the journey once in awhile!

I hope all of you get a chance to explore my website, and check out our book, My Mommy’s on a Business Trip.  The book is getting RAVE reviews from parents across the country, which is so rewarding.  I’ve actually had readers get tears in their eyes as they read the book – which tells me there’s much more of an issue here than just making the kids feel OK about travel!  We’ll explore that a lot more in-depth on the DolceVita Forum and on this blog. 

Please keep sending in your comments on the book, and now, on this blog! 

I hope all of you have a wonderful day!

Cheers,

Phaedra