What defines a successful woman varies based on personal preference, priorities, and matters of importance. However, what makes a woman successful can be shared across the board. Here are 9 top secrets to success every woman needs to know.

A successful woman is:

  1. Everything she does is done with full on fierceness. Everything she does is done to the best of her ability.
  2. Persistent and driven. Having passion gets you nowhere without persistence and drive.
  3. Understanding that perfection is something to shoot relentlessly for, but doesn’t see failure—only opportunities for growth.
  4. Understands the value of partnership. She sees strength in herself, as well as others and knows how to delegate tasks appropriately and communicate effectively.
  5. A risk-taker. She’s not afraid to fall and when she does, she gets up, spending little to no moments wallowing in self-pity.
  6. A negativity rejecter. She keeps it real and she keeps it positive. She wakes up with time to meditate and mentally prepare for her day. She sees no time for negative self-talk or spending too much time around negative and pessimistic people.
  7. Surrounded with the right people who will give reliable and sound advice, even when she is in a leadership position. She understands that there’s no point in leading if it isn’t done well. She takes immense pride in learning from the best. She is always looking for ways to learn and improve. She walks in humility and welcomes truth to be spoken to her from trusted people.
  8. Focused on quality versus quantity when required. Sometimes it’s about the numbers and quantity should prevail, but when a product or service is the end result—she knows that quality needs to beat out quantity. In those instances, she doesn’t over-promise, gives herself plenty of time, and concentrates on delivering a superior product or service.
  9. Always sure to make time to give recognition and encouragement. She isn’t insecure with her own work-ethic, talents, and abilities, so she is able to freely hand out kudos to others who do fantastic work.

Now go make it happen! <3

It is important for our mental and emotional health for us to have social interaction. Some may wonder, with the popularity and availability of online social networks, will that suffice or not?

National Social Media Day is June 30th.  It is a way to recognize social media’s impact on global communication, and social media is a mostly positive thing in that regard. But I think we all know that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing and it can be tempting to over-indulge.

Here are some ways to tell if you are on track with social media and not in need of a digital intervention:

  1. You spend less than an hour a day on social media.
  2. You log in only during breaks or when there is not something more important to be doing, such as work or sleeping.
  3. You opt to talk to the person sitting next to you rather than view their social media profile.
  4. You don’t feel the need to post every.little.thing that is exciting—lunch, name-dropping who you know, events, get-togethers, or something your man did—just in an attempt to impress others.
  5. You don’t interrupt fun or special moments to take a selfie and post it for followers and friends to see.
  6. You don’t look at everything for its post-potential and how many likes it will get.
  7. You don’t incessantly check how many likes your photo or post gets and delete it if it doesn’t perform well.
  8. You don’t digitally stalk someone who: a) you don’t personally know, but wish you did, b) is not someone you consider a good friend, c) is your ex, or d) is an ex of your man.
  9. You don’t have to snap a pic of your food to post before you eat.
  10. You prefer to call, text, or visit someone in person rather than looking at their wall to see what they have been up to.
  11. You don’t compare, judge, or turn green with envy when you see others’ posted pics (how they look, where they went, what they’re showing off, how much fun it looks like they had, or how many likes they get), the amount of “friends” they have, etc.
  12. You don’t stage things just to get a photo and you don’t travel to exciting locations just for a photo op.
  13. You don’t feel depressed, jealous, guilty, creepy, or dirty when you log off.

If this describes you, your social time is A-OK in my book.  Keep up the FANTASTIC work! <3

Nothing beats a hot grill, cold drinks, and some friends to dine with. Grilling can easily be one of the healthiest ways to cook and cleanup is usually a breeze! But before you invite your friends over for a backyard gathering, keep in mind these tips to a healthy grilled meal!

 

  • Grilling: it’s all about the meat. The healthiest choices are fish, chicken breast (skinless), and ground poultry. While a little more challenging to grill correctly, if done with skill, you and your friends will forget about red meats as you enjoy your savory grilled salmon! Sometimes though, a good burger can’t be beat. For those times, choose turkey over beef for a healthier alternative. If you do decide to go with beef or pork, choose “choice” or “select” grades of beef and “loin” or “round” cuts of pork.
  • Color, color, and more color! While most people think “meat” when they hear a sizzling grill, your favorite vegetables can also provide delicious flavor and numerous health benefits! The trick to cooking veggies on the grill is all in the cut: you want them to grill quickly and evenly. A little healthy oil drizzled over your potatoes, squash, or zucchini can keep them from sticking to the grill. You can also use heavy tin foil or a grill basket.
  • Yeah, yeah, we have to watch our portions at a grill-out as well. A healthy portion of any meat is about 3 ounces and definitely not more than 6 ounces. That’s roughly the size of a deck of playing cards if you’re a visual person. And if your vision of this amount looks small, keep in mind all those colorful veggies that you just grilled up to accompany your meat!
  • Spice things up! Marinating or rubbing spices can add amazing flavor with much less salt. About ½ a cup of marinade or 1 tablespoon of rub for each pound of food will do just fine. The Food Network has several articles outlining some tasty marinades for your use in the backyard!
  • Bye bye bye bad fat. Remember when I said to keep your chicken breast skinless? Well, don’t forget it! Also try to trim away any visible fat on other meats. Marinating with healthy oils can also save you here as well.
  • Keep it natural. Grilling already brings out a ton of natural flavors from meats, veggies, and fruits. Don’t ruin a good grilled meal by drowning it in salty sauces or heavy dressings. Red meat tends to have quite a bit of natural flavor while chicken and fish can easily be perfected with a little lemon or lime!
  • Watch your buns. If you must include bread, be sure to choose the whole-grain buns to compliment your grilling. Don’t forget that a good lettuce wrap can help you ditch the bun!
  • Foods on the side. It’s very tempting to go to the store and pick up a can of beans or some macaroni salad, but homemade versions of these American favorites can be many times healthier. Don’t forget about some fresh greens as well! A simple salad or even a fruit salad can be the perfect complement to your grilled feast.
  • Get fruity. The high heat of a grill can caramelize the natural sugars inside fruits giving them an extra sweetness. Sliced fruits such as apples, pineapples, pears, or even banana halves can certainly amaze!
  • A shiny grill is a happy grill. And believe me: the next time you go to grill, you’ll be happy too! Cleaning up is never fun, but it’s essential to a good grilling experience. At minimum, the grilling surface needs to be scrubbed down; but I’d also recommend cleaning the flavor guards (if you have a gas grill) and ensuring that there are no grease fires next time by cleaning out other food debris. Weber’s blog contains an excellent

Alright, now that my mouth is watering, it’s time to start planning my next grill-out with friends! Let’s be sure that we keep these 10 tips in mind as we begin to enjoy cooking outdoors this summer! Bon appétit!

 

It is the height of road-trip season when we all are itching to get away. It doesn’t have to be someplace far away for a week; just for the weekend will do just fine! Here are the top 5 day-trip musts this summer. If you are having too much fun, add on a night’s hotel stay and head back in the morning.

  1. The Alamo. At a little over 4 hours away in San Antonio, the Alamo is a must see for Texas. Afterwards, enjoy dinner at the River Walk.
  2. Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley, TX. At around 4 hours away, this park offers hiking, picnicking, and a swimming hole with natural spring fed waters. For swimming, the less crowded times are when they open or after 2 or 3. Between then, you may have to wait a bit due to their capacity limits (which is a good thing).
  3. Blanco State Park. In Blanco, TX and just under a 4-hour drive, this southern destination has everything to do with outside summer fun. Rent a canoe or tube, swim, fish, or camp.
  4. Natural Bridge Caverns. Also, a San Antonio visit at the 4-hour drive, you can stay cool in the caves through a variety of tours, including a hidden passage and lantern tour. There is also a 3-4-hour adventure tour involving rappelling, hiking, and climbing. In addition, this attraction offers an outdoor maze, zip lining, and a canopy explorer course. Get tickets in advance and allow a couple of hours.
  5. Visit Galveston. Pier 21 offers boat and dolphin tours, or visit one of the many beaches to swim, relax, play beach volleyball, watch a sand castle competition or listen to live entertainment.

It’s good for the mind, body and spirit to get away and relax. Have fun! <3

National Cancer Survivors Day is coming up, and according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, this day is a celebration for those who’ve survived, inspiration for those recently diagnosed, support for families and an outreach to the community. Here are 3 ways to celebrate the cancer survivor in your life.

There are 15.5 million cancer survivors in America. Help celebrate the survivor in your life by:

  1. Giving your friend a gift certificate for a massage or salon visit. Check out some Groupon deals to see about a massage, spa or salon visit gift.
  2. Hosting a party. Plan a cancer celebration party and invite all those who supported, encouraged and helped them along the way. Have everyone write a special message on a canvas or something that can be transformed into framed art centered around the date they beat cancer.
  3. Donating to a cancer foundation. A donation given in your friend’s name is a special way to honor your loved one’s strength and help others find theirs.

Not only is beating cancer a cause for celebration, but it is the opportunity to see how someone with a second chance at life, LIVES.

For more information on event organization, gifts, or downloadable social media graphics, etc. visit, www.ncsd.org. <3