Spirited Woman Blogger Team

A Very Merry UnBirthday to You!

It is the eve of my youngest son's birthday as I write this post. Zayne could not be more excited about turning five and if truth be told he has been preparing for this day for about 364 days. The day after his fourth birthday he was already telling me what he wanted for his next birthday!

I loved his optimism and excitement for what the future held but as a conscientious mom, I let him know that birthdays are not just about presents and that things can only make you so happy. I am not sure his freshly 4-year-old brain took the message in, as he continued throughout the year to rattle off exactly what he wanted for his birthday. What a dreamer.

This evening as I carefully put the bow on his new two wheel bike I realized that my only half a decade old son was actually teaching me a very valuable life lesson: Get clear on what you want and then go for it. You see when Zayne decided he wanted a new bike nearly a year ago, he was not even riding a bike with training wheels yet. He wanted to be like his big brothers so he asked to learn how to ride one of their old bikes. He mastered the peddling action and training wheels in a few days and became king of the sidewalk.

As his 5th birthday approached, I reminded him that if he wanted that new bike he needed to learn to ride without training wheels. He immediately asked me to take him out and help him take his extra set of wheels off. First one wheel off and then after about 15 minutes he was ready to go trainer free. To my amazement he was teetering around on two wheels that very afternoon. Yes, I may be a proud mama but I was truly impressed by this little human being's dedication to making his goal a reality and his complete clarity on what it was he wanted.

I must admit it got me thinking about how wishy washy my goals and dreams have sometimes been. Sure I have to-do lists and ideas of what I want to happen but all too often I let the other priorities in life come knocking and push my big dreams out of the way. How about you what is on your wish list? Are you taking steps to bring it into your life or are you letting it come in last in the priority race?

What if you didn't have to wait for your birthday to start thinking about what you really want? No blowing out the birthday candles necessary, you can wish for and begin to reach for exactly what you want today. I am so grateful to my son for reminding me that setting and reaching goals is as easy as getting clear on exactly what it is you want and then taking the action to make it happen. So as the mad hatter in Disney's cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland sang "A very merry unbirthday to you." Now go make that unbirthday wish list!

- Dawn Z Bournand  www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Click here to read more of Dawn's posts.

Oh la la, our American in Paris is back. A member of our original Spirited Woman Blogger Team, Dawn Z Bournand is passionate about empowering women worldwide to Live their Lives on Purpose. Founder and Director of Fabulously Successful she is an award-winning presenter, author and entrepreneur with a mission to help women live lives of inner and outer Fabulous Success. Dawn lives in the suburbs of Paris, France with her husband and three young boys (the lights of her life) and is currently creating a new group coaching program.

Using Art as a Helping Hand

One of the most wonderful parts of being an ex-pat in Paris is that I meet fellow ex-pats from the world over. Other cultures fascinate me and I feel it is such a gift to have the opportunity to meet people who come from all corners of the world and to learn their stories.

When I came to Paris over 13 years ago, it was to learn photography. In my classes, there were students from around the globe studying alongside me. I made a number of lifelong friends during that program - many of them extremely talented artists. One of the students that truly stood out for me, was a young woman named Miki Nitadori. Her art, even then was exceptional and it has bloomed even more since. I have stayed in touch with Miki over the years and one of the many things that is so beautiful about her is that she shares her talents for the good of others. 

Miki's work has been featured in galleries around the world which seems to be only natural for someone raised in multiple cultures and countries: Japan, USA (Hawaii), and France. She has an affinity for cultural understanding and perhaps thanks to this quality she is a very open and giving person. Through her art, Miki has worked on various charitable projects and one that she has been deeply touched by is the one she is currently undertaking: Combat for Tohoku people.

Deeply disturbed by the tragedies in Japan, Miki decided to do something to help. She therefore launched a mission to assist through her photography series entitled: Combat.  She chose to put her sought after artwork online and allow people to offer a donation in exchange for the print itself or for the print to go to the people in the affected areas. She began this effort five days after the natural disasters in Japan and it has been a great success both in support for the people of Japan and also on a personal level for Miki.

She wrote on her blog on April 3rd, "This experience of donating my works and people buying pieces from this series, I am experiencing something that is important. If I resume this experience in one word, it is "Trust". Trust in my action, my feeling, my thoughts, my instinct and who I am. In other times, when people bought my work, they trusted my work but reasons and goals varied. As this moment, I have never felt this strong sense of collaboration with people who bought my work. We are taking a common action together through this series. We know that this action is important as we are deeply touched by what is going on in Tohoku."

For Spirited Women, International Women's Day is Every Day

Spirited Women the world over celebrated International Women's Day on March 8th. Yet, what you may not realize is that many of the celebrations are still taking place all month long and if you are a true Spirited Woman you just may want to carry the celebrations on all year long.

International Women's Day celebrated its 100th anniversary this year! Is that not amazing? When you consider that countries as "modern" as Switzerland did not even give women the right to vote until just 1971 (hard to believe, isn't it?), it is truly inspiring that this very worthy day has marked its centennial birthday.

The Official International Women's Day site has a plethora of information on events happening around the world and offers a fascinating read on the history of International Women's Day (with facts such as "over one million women and men attended the first International Women's Day rallies in 1911"). It was more than a little difficult to choose which event to share with you, but here are a few facts, figures and bits of info that I think you will find inspiring, unique and motivating.

On a solidarity note - The International Rescue Committee. This worthy organization is sending out a wake-up call to get the US government to continue their threatened financial support. The committee's founding members believe that "when given a chance, women and girls can build a better world." The Rescue Committee is asking US citizens to take the simple action of telling your Members of Congress that international programs are critical to protect and empower women and girls around the world. They have made it very easy to get your voice heard by creating an e-mail system that allows you to get in touch directly with a US Senator or House Representative. 

On a stylish note - The Red Pump Project. The 2nd annual Rock the Red fashion show is coming to Chicago on March 24th. The show organizers, The Red Pump Project, raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Founded in March, 2009 by Luvvie Ajayi and Karyn Watkins, Red Pump believes that if HIV affects one, it affects us all. They use the red shoe as a symbol of empowerment to represent the strength and courage of women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The incorporation of fashion into the message of HIV prevention is their contribution to show that Awareness is Always in Style!?

Spirited Women Bloom Where They Are Planted

When I first arrived in Paris over a decade ago, I only had the intention to stay a year as a photography student before heading back to the life that I knew in the United States. Through some unexpectedly wonderful surprises though, I ended up making Paris my home. As I was seeking to plant my roots in this unfamiliar city, I kept noticing a class being offered for expat women called "Bloom Where You Are Planted." I never actually took the class but I loved the name and just reading the title was enough to offer me a very important message. I began to seek ways to find my happiness and fulfillment in a place that was different, foreign and far from those I loved and cared about.

Though I had originally intended to write in this blog post about fashion weeks in both London (where I was last week) and New York ( the snowy winter wonderland I am sitting in right now), as I began to reflect on what I wanted to say, I felt compelled to write about blooming instead. Oh don't worry, I will cover the fashion beat in my next blog but I firmly believe in following my instincts so blooming is the message this week. I think you will find it is much more valuable than knowing what Stella McCartney thinks you should be wearing next fall ( though that has its merits too).

If you are like me and most people, you have your good days and your bad days but the whole idea of blooming where you are planted is to make your day to day life full of many more good days than bad days. Do you often find yourself thinking "I will be happy when...?" Well, your only true chance for happiness exists in the here and now. Blooming where you are planted does not just mean an actual city, it also means a state of mind. It implies finding a way to enjoy where you are at in your life, at this very minute and building on that good feeling.

So does this mean that you shouldn't seek something better or more meaningful for the future? Absolutely not. It simply means that if you can find a state of happiness, gratitude and peace where you are right now, you are in a perfect state of mind to then seek the things that will fulfill you even more. Be aware though that by adapting the habit of enjoying where you are in the present, you may just find that where you are is exactly where you want to be. It is the human condition to want more and better but don't let it rule your life. Find joy in where you are and then find ways to use that joy to understand what is truly important to you.

Beauty Tips That Work & Are Easy!

The magazine piles in my office were beginning to overflow once again so I decided it was time to do some sorting and put a few in the recycle pile. This always turns into a time consuming project though because I adore magazines and can't bear to part with one if I think it has some juicy fashion find or sizzling style tip. The result is almost always a much too large "keep" pile. Today as I was flipping through this past Spring's editions, I came across the April 6th edition of Tips magazine, a French twice monthly that offers tips on just about every area of your life.

In Tips magazine experts give you their advice on their area of specialization. The magazine's beauty coach Ravshaniya Azoulay did a fascinating makeover and then gave some very unique hints for staying beautiful. Since I am fairly certain most of our Spirited Community did not get a chance to see these great ideas I thought I would share a few of Ms..Azoulay's practical tips.

Need help with dark circles under the eyes? Simply soak two cotton pads in low fat milk, and then apply for 10 minutes on each eye. Economical, simple and effective.

Has your mascara dried up? Just add one or two drops of mineral water in the tube then close and shake. It's ready to use right away.

Want beautifully supple lips? To make them deliciously soft, smooth and plump apply a thin layer of honey to your lips just before going to sleep. They will be generously hydrated when you awake.

Have an unsightly blemish that you would like to get rid of quickly? Nothing dries an unwanted bump better than fluoride toothpaste. Put a bit on that spot and let it sit for at least an hour. Rinse with water and you are ready to go.

Spirited Women Know How to Splash on The Color

Color is hot, hot, hot for this coming spring and I couldn't be more thrilled. You may have gotten a hint of this color wave coming when I included a brightly colored winter coat in my list of winter fashion must haves. With spring waiting in the wings though, color is ready to make a real entrance. Pops of color are absolutely the way to go. Though you can certainly go for all out color everywhere, neutral colors with bright touches of color were showing up all over the runways for the Spring 2010 shows (shown in the fashion world tradition during fashion weeks in the fall of 2009).

When I first moved to Paris over a decade ago, all of a sudden I wanted to add color to my life. I have always loved color but for some reason I had never really incorporated it into my surroundings until my move to Paris. In my new apartment, I wanted to hang Matisse paintings, throw on yellow bedding and sprinkle in orange, azure and green wherever it looked good. I was blooming and my apartment became the outward reflection of my inner self.

Color can do that to you. It can just make you come alive. Too much can be overkill (though some people pull off head to toe color beautifully) but elegant touches will jazz up any dull look. Why not try a few splashes of color yourself this spring? Here are some hints to make your fashion pop: 

Twist on a brightly colored scarf. You can wear one around your neck, or around your waist  or even wrapped in your hair. Pick up a vibrantly colored handbag to add just a dash of color to any outfit.  Some of the season's hottest sac colors include outrageous orange, limey green and yummy yellow. Add a perky pair of pumps or sandals. Remember Dorothy's ruby slippers? Color on your feet can boost your confidence, add a bounce to your step and dazzle those around you.

Sarah Jessica Parker - Fashonista, Mom, Actress, Business Woman, Icon

SJP, do those three letters mean anything to you? Well if you are a full-fledged fashionista they should but otherwise you may not realize that they simply stand for Hollywood super star Sarah Jessica Parker. I don't know about the press in the rest of the world, but in Europe and most particularly in the UK and France, you hardly ever see her whole name printed out, she is simply the iconic SJP.

A true fashion phenomenon, SJP is a role model for 30+ women the world over. Glamour in the UK recently ran an article about the chameleon like actress. They showed photos from the beginning of her career to today and it was fascinating to see how this modern day diva (but in a nice way) has constantly changed her looks to fit the times. Be sure to check it out for yourself here. 

Though Sarah Jessica Parker is famous from a very young age, I only truly discovered her when I saw her in Steve Martin's hilarious movie L.A. Story. She was simply a ray of sunshine in that movie. She seemed so full of life, so optimistic, you couldn't help but like her.  Now, yes I know that was her character but I tend to think that when you play a role really well, there are at least a few of those same characteristics in you.

In the late 90s, success with a capital S came knocking on SJP's door. Sex and the City was born and with it an international phenomenon for modern women the world over. The four principal actresses became household names nearly overnight but none more so than Sarah Jessica Parker. Carrie, her character, was so real, so flawed and yet so chic and friendly that you felt you just wanted to sit down with her for a New York city Sunday brunch. I certainly got hooked on the series and it remains on my favorites' list to this day.

Beauty Favorites That Don't Break the Bank

I admit that I love walking through fancy department stores and gazing at the gorgeous cosmetic counters filled with all sorts of exotic and magical potions. Who doesn't like to try out the hottest perfume, test out the latest lipstick color or sample the newest wrinkle cream? I do cave in sometimes to the temptations but at the end of the day, I often find myself simply returning to some of my favorite tried and true products. The added bonus? Every single one of them will not break the bank.

Neutrogena Face Wash - Growing up I was hooked on the basic Neutorgena soap bar. I found it kept my skin clean and clear without stripping it of natural oils. It was one quick and easy step that I never missed in my morning and evening skin care routines. Neutrogena's skin care line has expanded and evolved greatly and though the exact product I use may have changed, I am still loyal to Neutrogena when it comes to cleansing my skin.

Clinique Mascara  - Mascara is one of those can't do without makeup items for me. A number of years ago I read a magazine survey where they asked famous women what one beauty item they would take in their purse if they could have only one thing. At first, I thought that I could never narrow it down to just one but then I reflected a bit longer and realized it would probably have to be mascara. As a former luxury cosmetics manager, I have had the opportunity to try many mascaras and there are a number on the market that are wonderful but somehow I always end up coming back to my tried and true Clinique's High Impact mascara. 

Spirited Women Work The Holiday Spirit All Year Long

As a child nothing but nothing compared to the magic of Christmas Eve. I could hardly stand the excitement of knowing that one incredibly kind human being would come during the night to leave beautiful packages filled with all that my heart desired. Of course I later found out that that incredible human being was my mother but even in my post Santa Claus days Christmas Eve continued to hold much of its sparkle simply because the love, giving and sharing carried on.

The joy of the season seems to start, in the United States at least, around the week of Thanksgiving.  People begin to focus on friends and family a bit more and work takes on a bit less of the priority than it does during the rest of the year. This fabulous frame of mind typically lasts just over a month, as it carries through to the New Year.  Though some may argue that the holiday season has become overly commercialized and that the true meaning has all but faded away, it is we ourselves who can choose how we want to view this very special time of the year. 

Now what do you think would happen if we all began to take that beautiful spirit we feel and pass on during the season, and attempt to spread it out for more than just a month? I know it is a cliché concept but I still have hope that we can all learn to carry the holiday glow in our hearts for a good part of the year. If we simply make a conscious effort it could be possible.

I for one think that Spirited Women are already doing this more than the average person (because we all know Spirited Women are far from average) but it would be magnificent to try to carry that holiday joy in our hearts far more often. So what do you think? Should we start a Spirited Woman campaign to carry on the season's spirit even after the 1st of January? If we all make at least a little effort, who knows what it might do for those around us and even more importantly for ourselves!

May you have a beautiful end to 2009 and a spectacular beginning to 2010 my fellow Spirited Women!

To your Spirited Style,

- Dawn Z Bournand  www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Click here to read more of Dawn's posts.

The Spirited Magic of Music

This evening I was treated to a beautiful holiday treat when I went to see my oldest son sing with a group of about 100 other children. Each year I look forward to this event not only for the beautiful sounds but also for the amazing spirit that shines through in all the young singers.

Perhaps what is even more interesting though, is watching the effect of the joy filled music on all of the audience. Many people come into the concert hall stressed out after a long week of work, more out of obligation to their children than out of any real thought of enjoying themselves. Yet, as soon as the music begins the magic starts to take effect.

Music, especially when accompanied by angelic voices, has a way of lifting most anyone's spirit. Even in those moments when life it not hitting its high points, a magical combination of notes, and all seems better.  I remember a number of years ago when I was going through a particularly difficult period in my life I went on a whim to a holiday concert playing in a nearby town. I knew no-one performing or in the audience, but the music lifted my mood so much that I quite literally had a new take on life from that moving experience.

So though on the surface, it has nothing to do with fashion, beauty or even remarkably Spirited Women, music can absolutely be a key that unlocks your full potential. If you find yourself in a bit of a slump this holiday season or at anytime of the year really, seek out a bit of festive music to get your soul soaring.

How about you? Do you have a "lift your spirit" bit of wisdom to share with other spirited women? Though this is the season of joy, peace and love, even in the best of times we can always use a bit of extra cheer.

To your Spirited Style,

- Dawn Z Bournand  www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Click here to read more of Dawn's posts.