On Saturday I had a coaching session with one of my business coaches. I believe in coaching (obviously if I am one, but true coaches are also coached by coaches!) I thought it would be a typical run through with homework at the end. At one point in the session she shared with me all the value I offer. It was strange and powerful. And actually I started to cry.

I think many of us as women “know” we provide value to others. We “know” we are appreciated for what we do every day. Inte...

Learning to not take it personally is one of the hardest lessons in life to learn! When someone that barely knows you says something that seems mean it can fell so damaging. We all know intellectually that it’s not about you – it’s about them, but when it happens, taking that intellect into your heart is hard.

How do you not take it personally?

Ask another woman to share something with you that you love. We all have things we love; romance novels or vampire novels, soups or cookies. Saying to another woman: “I just LOVE soups, do you have a favorite recipe I can try?”, makes a woman feel good.

What can you ask another woman for today?

Stop pretending to be “fine” when you are not “fine”! Why is it that “fine” and “nice” become something that women are “supposed to be? Who wrote that rule and why did we fall for it? If you are not fine, that is great. Sometimes you cannot be nice and do what needs to be done – that’s great too!

What can you do to stop living the lie of “fine”?

Being gracious to others is such a simple way to feel great. Opening the door for someone, offering to help an elderly person with their bags, calling the checkout person by their name, saying good morning to the toll booth person – all simple yet powerful ways to be gracious.

What can you do to reach beyond yourself and be gracious to another?