Stretched Too Thin?

I committed to being in two places at the same time on the same night. Ugghhhh! It's exciting that I've found enough ways to get involved out here in LA, but clearly I need a better calendaring system to track everything that is going on. I love my iPhone and don't know how I survived without it, but I can't stand the calendar on the iPhone. I miss my Blackberry calendar like crazy. It would sync with my work calendar and the only negative would be the reminders ringing through the evening or weekend. Now, I am trying to keep a paper calendar and a calendar on Outlook at work. By my latest goof up, you can see how well this system is working and now, I have to figure out a way to undo my commitment to something. This situation coupled with all of the other things I have going on (intense training for two more half marathons, teaching two spinning classes per week, projects in preparation for the upcoming training class at work, taking on more coaching at work because it's a way for me to make the impact I want to make at work, advisor duties with ADPi, trying to start a networking group and being a puppy mom) put me over the edge. Maybe it's not a calendar issue, but a stretched too thin issue?

On my walk home from the office to feed my dogs (I really miss Joe when he is traveling because he takes care of our buddies on Wednesday nights before my spin class) I felt overwhelmed and in need of a break. All I wanted to do was crawl into my bed, read (another things I am trying to do more of to acquire more knowledge) disgusting and take a nap. I was grumpy and agitated. I even yelled at the gross man peeing outside for being while I was walking my dogs. (Might not have been the smartest confrontation!). I grudgingly headed to the gym to teach my class.

My entire demeanor changed when I walked into the cycle room. Some of my favorite people were taking the class and all of the bikes were full. As soon as the music started my bad mood started to lift. By the time class was over, I almost forgot why I was so agitated to begin with. The benefits of exercise are numerous. Not only does it keep you healthy and into this season's leggings, it de-stresses you and puts you in a better mood. Tonight's class reminded me that I am here to make an impact. In order to make an impact, I am going to be involved in a lot of things. I want to serve the community, help mentor and shape the sorority experience for the women of ADPi, work out like a crazy woman and strive to hit new goals and take on more at work. I like being busy and giving back. Sure there will be times (like today) where I feel stretched way too thin, but I know I'll bounce back to my positive self and be thankful for all of the opportunities I have. Now I just need to figure out a way to stretch the hours in day.

Here is my mood uplifting play list.

Beachball (Myon & Shane 54 Remix) - Nalin & Kane

Bodyrock - Moby

Give It 2 Me (Paul Oakenfold Remix Edit) - Madonna

Now You See It - Honerebel feat Pit Bull & Jump Smokers

Run This Town - Group Cycling Volume 11

Memories (Featuring Kid Cudi) - David Guetta

I Like That - Richard Vission

Wonder - Dj Tiesto & Armin Van Buuren

One Night In Bangkok (Vinylshakerz Screen Cut) - Vinylshakerz

Greenlight (Freemasons Remix) - Beyonce

Lifter (Original Mix) - Alex Kunnari

Show Me Love (Club Mix) - Michael Mind

If We Ever (Featuring Makeba) - David Guetta

Stay - Radius

WIN BIG

A while ago I was having lunch with my boss and we were talking about success and getting ahead. He told me that I can't keep doing the same things and expect to get different results. Around the same time I was reading the book The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (seriously inspiring!) and thought about creating a networking group. I did a lot of networking in STL for my job and because it was easy to do in the city. I enjoyed networking and meeting new people. (I met my amazing wedding photographer at a networking event.) I missed meeting new people and making connections here in LA. It was getting old just working out and going to work. I researched networking groups in downtown LA and didn't come across any that interested me or worked with my schedule. (Wednesdays are spin class nights!) I decided to create my own group to meet my needs.

It took me a while to execute on my vision. I described my vision to my study group at work and got the feedback that it is better to have a few good quality relationships rather than a bunch of people you'll never contact. My group encouraged me to build some strong relationships and not bother with the hassle of organizing an ongoing networking group. Despite their advice, deep down inside I knew I wanted to try to start a group. One day I was walking my dogs and it hit me. Create a networking group for women in downtown LA. I am very interested in women in business and want to meet more women professionals who are focused on success. Targeting a specific group of people in a specific place seemed much more doable than just creating a networking event.

I came up with the group name WIN BIG. WIN BIG stands for Women Into Networking for Bigger Impact and Growth. WIN BIG connects women focused on success in downtown LA. The women of WIN BIG want to impact their lives, careers and businesses. I created a Facebook page, twitter account and email address. I designed a logo (very simple and was created in word, definitely room to upgrade) and started to promote the event. I was hoping to get about 30 women at the first event.

I chose a trendy Mexican restaurant as the venue for the first event. I know the manager and Joe and I patronize the venue all of the time. (It's all about who you know!). I made name-tags, sign-up sheets and name-tents for the tables at the venue. Just a few women showed up, but they ended up being the right women. One of the women who attended the event even said she was interested in quality relationships. (Maybe my study group was onto something after all!). Even though I did not meet my attendance goal, I left the event feeling happy. The group decided they would like to have an event in October and we discussed strategies to increase attendance. (More personal invites are a must!). I created this group to help other women WIN BIG, but it turns out that I won big tonight. I got some great support from colleagues and reconnected with someone from college. It might have been a small group, but it was a good group. I think it is important to have a strong foundation. WIN BIG officially started and I am looking forward to the group growing, but more importantly to building quality relationships.