Thursday, January 22, 2015

A Tool for Your Goals: The Confidence Factor with Brian Tracy

When I work with clients, one of the tools I use is "The Confidence Factor" personal assessment.

Why?

Because statistics show that when a person is self-confident, it impacts their ability to successfully experience happiness, a feeling of accomplishment and overall well-being.  So even the most goal oriented person can be lacking in well-being, for example, if they aren't aware of how their self-confidence is impacting the goals that they strive for and how well they effectively accomplish those goals.

Furthermore, studies have found that all strong achievers seem to have this one quality or characteristic overwhelmingly in common.  As you probably well know, self-confidence can make you more imaginative, more creative, more willing to take risks, more powerful and plainly, more successful.

Although there are various models out there on self-confidence, I chose to partner with Brian Tracy as an affiliate (and earn commissions) because his program has created the best results in my life.  The program helps people eliminate the fear that stops them from succeeding, and move quickly towards the success they deserve!


By knowing where your confidence lies, you will feel empowered to overcome your doubts and fears, and discover potential you didn't even know you had! And even if you already enjoy self-confidence, the assessment below will help you assess your current confidence level and provide you with a tool to re-assess when you have a job change, life change or shift in perspective.


You can take "The Confidence Factor" personal assessment for FREE by clicking HERE.

Get Brian Tracy's Self-Confidence Package & Get Goals Done!
The link to the free assessment above includes a quick 50 question assessment followed by a rating score sheet and a Progress Chart.

If you want further support for your self-confidence to make sure you accomplish your goals for 2015 and make this the best year of your life by getting breakthroughs where you previously were not able to, then you can get Brian Tracy's package "The Science of Self Confidence".  It is worth every penny of your investment!

Que
@QSwerve
Curva-Lish
Email Us!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Dangerous Curves Ahead

Kim Kardashian recently displayed her significant assets in a jaw-dropping magazine shoot. J-Lo is famous for her booty.  Beyonce' has created a word that's been added to our normal vernacular: "bootylicious".
Do you consider yourself a curvy or thick woman?
You aren’t alone. Statistics say that black women represent the largest demographic of obese Americans. According to Paul Campos, author of The Obesity Myth, black and Hispanic women are also less likely to suffer from medical complications related to obesity than white or Asian women.
Perhaps that is why black and Hispanic women are more likely to embrace their curves.
When a friend remarked that I was thick, I almost smacked him! As a mixed white and Hispanic woman, I had never heard the term “thick”, at least not when it came to my body.  Most of my childhood friends were white. White girls tend to obsess about being thin.  Therefore, being called “thick” was the ultimate insult.
Let me give you a little background about me: I’ve always been fat.  I also am darker than my siblings, who mostly take after my mother’s Casper-like complexion of lighter hair and blue-green eyes.  I resented the Barbies of the world who could eat whatever they wanted while staying slim.  So I ate more.  I told myself that I was simply curvaceous. I was a bold and beautiful Hispanic woman.
I ate myself into morbid obesity.  That means I was 100 pounds overweight.  I didn’t think about it much, except when I tried to find cute clothing. Plus size clothing in the 90s was NOT cute. Despite my size, I was still fairly active and healthy. That all changed when my grandmother passed away. I realized then that I was no longer curvy, but out of control. I needed to stop being thick, both in body and in the head!
I am happy to see so many ethnic women embrace their bodies, no matter what size they are.  However, there is a fine line between embracing your size and being proud of obesity.  Obesity leads to a poorer quality of life.  I almost died from an obesity-related surgery when I was only 17.  Where is the pride in that?
When I look back at my former attitude, I realize I was lying to myself.  I was trying to convince everyone else that I was happy.  I wasn’t.  But, I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until I lost 100 pounds. When I shed that weight, I also shed my misconceptions about my curves.
Many people say that weight is just a number. That is true, but also misleading. Weight is a number. But, can you think of any number that does NOT impact your quality of life? Whether it’s your age, your income, your degree(s), or number of children, those numbers often outline how you live your life. I am still curvy, but in a much smaller way. I may call myself a former fat girl, but that refers more to my attitude than my size.
The last thing I would suggest to any woman is to jump on the next diet bandwagon. Those diets are a waste of time! It is no coincidence that the word “diet” just happens to begin with “die”. No thanks!
It took me over a year to lose the weight and become who I am today. That year involved a lot of testing and experimenting to find a process that worked. My mission is to share that process with beautiful women just like you. Women who are curvaceous, who have a lot of passion to offer, but feel disappointed with how they feel in their body.
It’s never too late to find out who you will become! With the New Year fast approaching, isn’t it time you embraced the healthy woman inside?
Grab your FREE gameplan at www.weightlesschronicles.com/go/lose5now/

Jennifer Espinosa-Goswami
jegoswam@bweightless.com
www.weightlesschronicles.com
 
Jenn Espinosa-Goswami is a health coach and motivational speaker at Weightless. A member of the National Weight Control Registry, she is a loving mother of two daughters and wife to a wonderful man from India. In her spare time(!), she loves making flavorful food and enjoying exercise. 

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Connecting One "Girls Nite In" at a Time!

In our world of social media and calling casual acquaintances friends, what are we to do?  It used to be that neighbors lived next to each other for 20+ years and connecting with friends and family happened over a great phone conversation, annual family reunions, weekly dinner parties, etc.

I know for me, I have literally lived in six different states in my life from childhood through to adulthood.  My friendships have changed, evolved and somehow even though my social media account says I have over 1,000 "friends" on all the different platforms, I don't feel that way at all!

Our Great "Girls Nite In" Group
So, me being me, I wanted to do something about it.  Since I am a small-business owner, blogger and overall love meeting people, for 2015 I wanted to facilitate small at-home "Girls Nite In" sessions where women can connect over our mutual desire to be happy, live with joy, be in great relationships and share our struggles for wholeness.

It is basically taking the message of this blog's core purpose of authenticity and taking it on the road here in Texas!

So when I sent a simple Facebook message out to some local friends to host me and their friends at their home, I was so happy when my friend Mairo Simpson of The Working Wife heeded the call!

So last Friday, Mairo and her friends and co-workers gathered at her beautiful home.  She had wine, chicken wings, fruit trays, and other great snacks.  Her husband and children left for the movie theater and we were excited to learn and share our wisdom together in what I themed "Using the Wisdom of the Exceptional Woman".

I brought the tools that I have used with some of my life and career coaching clients, wisdom shared at one of my leadership groups, my own experiences and used a discussion format for others to share.  There were tears, plenty of laughter and high-fives!

The mission was accomplished!

So I would challenge you to connect in a meaningful way with your friends, co-workers, board members, fellow moms, etc.  Not just by keeping track of their social media posts but hosting a "Girls Nite In"!

As a discussion tool for your Girls Nite In discussion (and one of the tools I use with clients and when I facilitate these groups) can be accessed complimentary HERE!  I use this assessment to start the discussion because for most people, getting a clear gauge of where their confidence level is can be a great indicator of how to frame and go after the goals that will give their life the most meaning!

If you need help with programming for your "Girls Nite In" or need help interpreting and utilizing your confidence assessment results, send me an email and get my "Make 2015 Your Year" coaching training special!  I would be happy to help!

Que
@QSwerve
Curva-Lish

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Foodie Paradise with Pirch!

Adding fresh herbs to the potatoes
I always seek a way to support businesses that do good.  My introduction to Pirch was because they do good!

When I volunteered with the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) before Christmas at Northpark Mall, one of my responsibilities was to round up the cake from Pirch and Chef Connie that they were donating for auction to pay for 300 NTFB meals!

So I promised Chef Connie I'd be back to support their store.

Today I had the pleasure of spending the day with my new friends Chef Connie and Chef Simon at the Dallas Pirch location for their "Saturday Sourcing" event.  Pirch is technically a modern appliance store that has brilliantly figured out how to woo-in high-end clientele and designers: create an environment that is inspirational, sleek and light and add a heavy dose of cooking, demonstrations and fun!

Their list of events is so vast that I honestly couldn't believe they don't consider themselves a part-time restaurant!  And it works!

As we sliced, diced and made some of the most yummiest food you can imagine, there were customers venturing into and out of the kitchen to get a front row seat of how the wood burning oven, Thermador and other appliances actually worked...I thought that was brilliant!

Chef Simon Demonstrates Cutting Technique
Cooking Class:
Pirch's Saturday Sourcing cooking class is limited to 12 spots and fills up FAST!  And they only book in-person at the store and only four weeks in advance.

I felt lucky that they fit me in so that I could experience it!

I particularly love Sourcing Saturday because, according to their website: "Mother Nature called. Your groceries are ready. A member of the PIRCH culinary team will gather fresh produce and meats from local farmer's markets. Then you'll help produce a dish from those ingredients."

Our brunch menu also included pancakes (with the option of chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, bananas, etc.), farm raised eggs and delectable potatoes (recipe will be posted tomorrow!).

Our class was brunch themed and started with a lesson from Chef Simon on the proper way to cut a tenderloin.  I couldn't stop staring at how skillfully he sliced off the excess and how beautifully colored the meat was...nice!

Chef Connie was equally a patient and informative master cook who gently supported participants as we flipped pancakes, sliced up onion, fruit and potatoes and she made sure everyone was having a great time!

Tenderloins Cooking in Pirch's Wood Stone Oven

Gorgeous Steaks, Potatoes, Eggs and Pankcakes

  
The Fun and Hard Work Pays Off


I would highly recommend you find a Pirch in your area and attend one of their many classes.  It is well worth your time and aspirational goals to see how it's REALLY done!

Shout out to Chef Connie, Chef Simons and Teagan for hosting me!

Do you live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area?  If so, join me and have a Curva-Lish fun time with Pirch at Sourcing Saturday on February 28, 2015!  Limited to the first eight fabulous Curva-Lish fans so please only sign up if you are sure you can attend!  RSVP to curvalish@gmail.com!

Que
@QSwerve
Curva-Lish
curvalish@gmail.com

Friday, January 16, 2015

First Smoothie of the New Year!

Smoothie Preparations
One of my goals in getting my health back to where I want it to be is drinking smoothies again.  So last night, I went to Central Market (a fancy grocery store like Whole Foods) because they have a robust vitamin and nutrition section with a dedicated employee to help you answer questions.

There was a super friendly employee and vitamin expert there named Phil.  He was in his 60's but didn't look a day older than early 40's with the exception of some gray hairs.  He was naturally fit, vibrant and smooth skin.  I had struck gold!

I ended up talking with Phil for 20 minutes on everything from vitamin supplements to what I was there for...whey protein for my smoothie!

Phil directed me to a great brand that's good for my needs: somewhat of a meal replacement that I can easily make first thing in the morning to get in some needed nutrition.  For the past three months I have been doing an uber sin: I have been skipping breakfast and just drinking coffee so that I can get my startup work going first thing in the morning! I know, super bad right?!?!?

So I purchased individual packets in order to try it out...this is the picture of my ingredients made with the Magic Bullet I received fro Christmas from my sister: coconut milk, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, spinach and the plant-based Vega One nutritional shake mix I'm trying out.

I must admit I was a bit taken back by the green-grey color of the drink...not appealing to the eye whatsoever!  However, I wanted to give it a fair chance before I judged whether I liked it or not.

And surprisingly, it was GOOD with a slight gritty taste.  The slight gritty-ness didn't totally bother me and I drank the shake fast! Yum!

There was only one problem: I didn't make the shake until 9am (three hours after I woke up for the day) and by 11:30am I was already hungry again!  So I popped in a Lean Cuisine...hey, don't judge me.  It was a healthy one and was better than hopping in my car and going to a fast food restaurant! LOL!

Tell me if you have any shake recipes that you love so I can try out and share on the blog on my way to getting my health back! Just make sure it's not complicated and #frugalista approved!

Que
@QSwerve
Curva-Lish
curvalish@gmail.com

Note:  Curva-Lish is an affiliate partner with Amazon.com and so I will receive a small commission from sales through the links above...I include links for your shopping convenience!

An Education on Paleo featuring Two Fabulous Die-Hards

Photo Credit: LoubiesandLulu
Yesterday evening I had the pleasure to listen to two great champions of the Paleo lifestyle at Barnes&Noble.  Even though Paleo is not new, it was new to me and I found out about the event through the Instagram bloggers network.

First of all, let me be clear in that I am NOT a diet kind of girl.  I genuinely love fruits and veggies but also love meat just as much so when I heard that the essence of Paleo is "meat, fish, fruit and veggies", I was immediately interested in learning more.

The event centered around popular Paleo authors:
  •  Ciarra Hannah (@Popular_Paleo) whose mission is to help people "Eat with Intention" by promoting wellness through whole foods centered around meat, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats. Her book is titled "The Frugal Paleo Cookbook"; and
  •  Stephanie Gaudreau (@StupidEasyPaleo) whose mission is to help people make the Paleo lifestyle work for athletes, runners and fitness competitors.  Her book is titled "The Performance Paleo Cookbook".

There was a diverse crowd at the bookstore.  The first thing I noticed was that neither of the authors were size 2 stick figures.  Personally, as soon as I go to any health event and the main speakers look unhealthy, skin pale, jaunt cheeks, etc., I turn right around!  I've been to so many health events where the people who are sharing information about the program are not necessarily people I aspire to be like...just saying!

The Authors with Paleo Fan/Blogger Andrea
I was particularly interested in Ciarra's book "The Frugal Paleo Cookbook".  As I wrote in my first 2015 post of the new year, I live a simple and frugal lifestyle in support of my work for my startup companies.  I get so much enjoyment and pleasure for what I do that unfortunately, it's all I do and all my money has been directly reinvested back into the company.  So my health has suffered but I also don't want to spend a fortune on whatever healthier food choices I make...in other words, I'm looking for more balance.

Here are some tidbits that stood out to me from the event about the program:
  • A great way to start the Paleo lifestyle is choose either to go all-in, cold turkey and stick to every thing on the Can Eat and Can't Eat lists OR ease into it by choosing a single thing to eliminate at a time.
  • Coffee is a CAN on Paleo (This was especially important to me!)
  • Ciarra, apart of a family of four with two small children, has had great success in adopting Paleo for her whole family.
  • Be prepared with grocery lists and prepare what you will eat in advance, which will support you making proactive choices.
I must admit there was one point where I thought I would literally run for the hills!  A guest asked how the authors dealt with eating raw liver.  I thought I had misunderstood her question but no, I had heard correctly.   Since I'm new to understanding Paleo, I'm not sure at what point they do this but eating organ meat is apart of the healing and dietary aspects of Paleo....ok?!?!

So all in all, I learned some things last night, I loved some of the recipes as I flipped through the books and I can completely see how Paleo is a lifestyle.  However, I am not going to say I think I'll be a die-hard.  I will adopt the things that I think will help me get over my sluggish-ness and get on the road to better health but I'm also okay with telling you: I'm definitely going to leave the organ meat out!

Let me know if you have any thoughts about Paleo or suggestions...I'd love to hear about it!

Que
@QSwerve
Curva-Lish
curvalish@gmail.com

Note: Curva-Lish is an affiliate and partner with Amazon.com and so I receive a small commission on sales using the links above...I include links for your convenience!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Things I Love: Glamboxes!

I bumped into the world of Glamboxes on Instagram.  I liked them because they are made of clear lucite acrylic and can be matched to any decor. They are also easy to keep clean!

The Glamboxes bring style and organization to chaos.  Don't believe me, see for yourself in this before and after!

Photo Credit: Glamboxes Instagram

Glamboxes give you a glamorous way to organize, store, and display all of your jewelry from necklaces to rings, earrings and cuffs.  It also provides great storage for beauty products that you use frequently but takes up a lot of counter space. 



Glamboxes are becoming quite popular and I love that each Glambox is custom made by hand in the USA!






P.S. Curva-Lish is affiliated with Glamboxes which means I will receive a commission on sales.

I hope you like yours as much as I do!

Que
@QSwerve (Twitter and Instagram)
Curva-Lish
curvalish@gmail.com

New Year, New Life Transitions

Happy New Year!  I hope you enjoyed your holidays and are amped for 2015 to be the best year of your life!

As I prepared to create the Curva-Lish New Year series, I found many articles and posts on resolutions, creating a new you, etc. but I wasn't able to find anything regarding the point that I am at in my life...transition.

Quenita Fagan ("Que")
I turned 40 a couple of months ago and my life is continually evolving.  A New Year doesn't present a new year to make resolutions for me but it does present a time for me to reflect on how the transitions I've experienced have impacted my life, my level of happiness, whether I can see progress and positive change, etc.  I care about these things because I don't want my life at 40 years old to resemble my life at 50 years old.  So unless someone makes a concerted effort to assess their life in its different transitions, your life won't positively evolve.

As I've written about before, I created Cuva-Lish as a positive action to honor my mother who passed away suddenly at the age of 52 years old in 2007.  I wanted her birthday to be replaced with a memory of something that has impacted my life in an awesome way.  I made my first Curva-Lish post the day before what would have been her 57th birthday and I haven't looked back!

So for this new year, it took me a few days into the new year to decide what I was going to share with y'all about what my new life transition would be focused on for the 40 year old woman that is me.  After consideration, I came up with the items below:

2015 Theme: "Authentic Transitions"

My Declaration: I will focus on those things which I know give me the most joy, peace and surrounds me with a sense of well-being.  I will stop saying "yes" to those things that are outside of what adds to this well-being even if I used to do it.  I will write more, serve the clients more for my companies, get over my fear of selling and be more aware of those energy drainers that cause me to not give and be my best!

Activities:
Vintage Lover:  I have loved vintage since I was a teenager but for some reason have not been as focused on it in the last 10 years.  I guess busy-ness at my demanding corporate job caused me to do what most people do which is to search out the easiest and most convenient way to shop which is ready-made outfits from department stores.  No more.  You will see my passion for vintage reflected in future posts.

Style vs Fashion:  I believe in style and not trendy fashion.  There is a difference.  The more you define your style, the more authenticity you reflect to the world.  You will see more information and inspiration for defining your unique style in future posts...it's going to be fun!

300x250 banner Health & Nutrition: One clear thing that has suffered from me running a startup is my health.  I've gained weight and feel sluggish even though I'm a naturally high energy type person.  No amount of coffee can replace what I know to be the energy that comes from optimal health.  I'm not embarrassed or shy about how I am clueless about what it means to have great health: healthy and balanced eating, consistent and regular exercise, managed stress, and proactive health checks.  I will post about my journey of learning about these key areas...subscribe so we can share our journey together!

Finances:  Another area that has suffered in my startup life is control over my finances (managing cash flows of my companies, paying myself first, balancing fun, etc.)!  Ugh!

I know, I have been judged multiple times for choosing the pathway to bootstrap versus getting some big bank loan.  Most people knew me in my six figure days and scratch their heads at what I chose to do. It was my choice and I don't regret it.

It's been extremely hard with sacrifices I never imagined but my goal was to always have creative and financial control over my companies with awesome women entrepreneurs including Spanx Founder Sarah Blakely as my reference point (she bootstrapped starting Spanx with $5,000 of her own money and reached the status of billionaire because she owned her company).  Plus, I have adopted a frugal and simple lifestyle so I know how to work miracles out of a dollar!  Stay tuned for future posts as I interview some of the greatest minds and their ideas on handling finances.

Travel and Fun:  Since I have used every penny earned for the last two years of my startup on reinvesting the capital, my "social capital" has dried up!  Boo!  I have cut out nonessential travel, have lived off a social budget near zero(!) and can't remember the last time I went out for a long night of drinks with friends.  What's interesting about this though is that the 40 year old me doesn't event want to do the same social things I used to do...future posts will focus on what my travel and social life looks like now that I am older, wiser, frugal but also excited about what I can do on a more strict budget (meaning, no longer paying $100 for a round of drinks when I was 28 because I could and had no real responsibilities)!

With all of this said, I can honestly say that as the page turned from 2014 to 2015, I sat back and smiled that good, bad or indifferent...this is MY LIFE!  No regrets, no looking back, no fantasies about what I wish I could do...I accept my life for where I am and who I am.  Is that not the ultimate sign of a life of well-being...I'm on the road!

Please feel free to share your 2015 themes, goals and areas that you'd like to give more energy to...I'd love to hear about it!

P.S.  Besides these personal activities, you will see Curva-Lish go to the next level with videos, sponsored events, more partnerships, style-ized shopping, and more posts tapping into our global readership...pure fun, inspiration, empowerment and purposeful ideas all to support YOUR evolution to authenticity!

Que
Curva-Lish
curvalish@gmail.com