“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?” — Benjamin Franklin

What makes YOU stand out?

One of my greatest mentors once told me, “No  matter how hard you try, no amount of training will help you truly excel in your areas of weakness. You just can’t be good at everything. But if you work WITH your talents, instead of AGAINST them, you have the potential to be extraordinary.”

Great advice from a great man.

But how in the world does one identify these elusive “strengths” in the first place?

Self-reflection hasn’t exactly been one of my strong points. I’ve discovered my talents, like most – through trial and error. Noticing projects that I was enthused about, skills that I excelled in, as well as things that were completely beyond my capabilities.  (Believe me, when I suck at something, I really, really suck. Ahem, MATH.)

About a year ago, my business partner suggested that we read a book called Strengths Finder and complete their online assessment. Her thought was that by comparing results,  we could identifying each other’s gifts and use those talents to work for the betterment of our lives, careers and, of course, clients.

I’m so thankful that we did!

In reading the material and taking the quiz, I found my personal  top five strengths to be:

• Woo “People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.”
• Communication “People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.”
• Activator “People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into actions. They are often impatient.”
• Significance “People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.”
• Strategic “People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.”

The discovery of these specific strengths (some of which I instinctively knew and some I did not) have been helpful both personally and professionally. Talk about emotional freedom! I got see in black and white the type of person I was and just as importantly, WAS NOT.

Let me tell you, this type of insight has the potential to change the way you look at yourself forever.

I truly believe that each of us has a unique contribution to make to the world, that no-one else can duplicate. So it makes sense that by improving our natural talents we can positively impact our family, career, and overall quality of life. 

If you every find yourself asking yourself the question “What am I great at? What should I be doing with my life?” Strength Finders is a great fit for you.

BTW: Each Strength Finder comes with it’s own personalized code for you to use to access the online questionnaire. You will find that your resulting strength themes are incredibly detailed (way beyond what is listed above) and even include suggestions for how to best use your core capabilities. (For example one of my Activator action items was “At work, make sure your manager judges you on measurable outcomes rather than your process. Your process is not always pretty.” So true, so true!)

I keep forgetting that people on the web don’t really KNOW me. Oh sure, you know a bit about my family, my thoughts on various subjects and, of course, my running obsession. But unless we are pals IRL, you may not know me for the true GEEK that I am.

I’ll save you some trouble and just go ahead and out myself right now: I’m crazy about Potter.

I love everything about the Harry Potter series. I’ve read all of the books and now … seen all of the movies.

((sigh))

I’m not even going to wax philosophical about how light triumphs over darkness or my love for JK Rowling’s vivid imagery and compelling storytelling. Nope. Not even going to go there. (If I did we’d be here all day…)

Instead I want to focus on the educational benefits. As in how this one series helped shape a generation of readers… a fact that never ceases to amaze me.

In a study conducted by the research firm Yankelovich and Scholastic Educational Publishers, children and their parents credited the Harry Potter books with inspiring more youngsters to read for enjoyment. Over half of the children (between 5 and 17) claimed that they didn’t read books for fun before discovering Harry Potter, and 65% even reported they have been doing better in school since they started reading the Potter books. 89% of parents in that same study reporting their children showed an improved attitude toward reading, and 76% believed their children fared better in school since starting to read the Potter books.

I know that I have personally seen my own reading-challenged son work diligently to read and comprehend the series. I’ve shared with you before the intensive interventions that we’ve undergone since he was in 1st grade. The fact that he is putting forth such an effort to read a book of this level truly underscores it’s importance.

It makes my heart melt.

Well done, Harry. Well done.

As you well know by now, I am a quote girl. I believe in their power to inspire and entertain.

In my experience, the right quote delivered at the right time can truly change someone’s life. Pithy but profound nuggets of big-picture wisdom can give anyone direction, courage and inspiration.

A new gem I just discovered is “Dance First. Think Later.” This book is a collection of 618 “rules to live by” compiled by siblings Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras. Can I just say that I adore the diversity of the quotes? They cite figures from  Marilyn Monroe to Colette to Alfred Hitchcock and beyond.
“Dance First. Think Later.” is the perfect gift for family members, colleagues, recent graduates, newlyweds, new home owners, or anyone looking for a direction. (I personally took it to work and added it to that collection.) A sampling of the wisdom you can find:

Rule No. 176

“Be aware that most people are operating on a very condensed version of the Ten Commandments: the part about murder.” – Mark Bricklin, Journalist (Ouch! Something to think about though.)

Rule No. 97

“If you’re not in the parade, you watch the parade.  That’s life.” – Mike Didka, Football Coach (My new personal favorite quote.)

Rule No. 406

“A life directed chiefly toward fulfillment of personal desires sooner or later always leads to bitter disappointment.” – Albert Einstein, Physicist (So unbelievably true!)

Rule No. 103

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” – Julia Child (Bravo, sister!)

Good news! I am giving away a copy of “Dance First. Think Later” to one of my lucky readers!

Here’s how to enter:

• Either “like” Hip As I Wanna Be on Facebook

OR

• Tweet out I entered to win “Dance First. Think Later” from @mammamania : http://bit.ly/dGI2ra

Please leave  a comment letting me know that you did one of these steps. Bonus entry if you leave me your own personal favorite quote! This contest ends on Sunday, February 27th at noon.

FTC Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own. This book is so right up my alley!

UnMarketing – Scott Stratten
UnMarketing is a GREAT BOOK. If you are in marketing (and, truly, who isn’t?) or run your own business or non-profit, this book is a must-read. Stratten covers the changing landscape of business and customer relationships in witty and fresh way. (Thank heavens! Why does everyone always have to be so damn serious?) The central theme of UnMarketing is relationships – online and offline. He flips the entire concept of traditional marketing upside down and preaches engagement rather than old school interruption-based marketing methods. Heavy on social media engagement and advice, the book gives tons of tips and practical methods for building a strategy that will work for you, your brand or non-profit.

Verdict: Buy it now. Read it. Highlight it. Read it again. Repeat.

Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
My sister originally turned me on to this series. It took me one week to read all three of these novels. One week. (Working full time even.) Not a lot of sleep. I loved them. Loved! The concept was original. The story was riveting. Did I agree with all of the plot turns? Admittedly, no. But I enjoyed the heroine immensely, even with all of her flaws. And the ending… was a sigh of relief.

I hear they are even making these books into a movie. I’m not so sure that I’ll be lined up to watch it, though. The characters really came alive for me and usually that guarantees that I will hate a Hollywood interpretation.

Verdict: If you haven’t picked up the Hunger Games series I urge you to run to your nearest bookstore or library. They are well worth your time!

NEXT MONTH: Bird by Bird – Some Instructions on Writing & Life by Anne Lamott. I’ll report more on that and others next month…

I don’t know about you but I am always on the hunt for new reading material. I am an avid reader and can usually be found juggling one or two books at any given moment. (Not to mention listening to them via Audible.)

I updated this post throughout the year both to keep myself on track as well as give brief recommendations to others who might be on the lookout for their next great read. 

• Born To Run – Christopher McDougall
• My Life In France – Julia Child
• Social Media Analytics – Marshall Sponder
• The Digital Moms Handbook – McClelland & Padilla
• Trust Agents – Chris Brogan
• The Thank You Economy – Gary Vaynerchuk
• Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy
• Love Your Life – Victoria Osteen
• Trust Agents – Chris Brogan & Julien Smith
• Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
• Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
• UnMarketing – Scott Stratten
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
• Your Social Media Roadmap – Beth Schillaci
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable – Seth Godin

We’ve had this conversation before, haven’t we?

The one where I admit that I hate to cook. Well, HATE is a strong word. I am just not very motivated to cook because of my lack of time and creativity.

All of the foodies out there might gasp when I say this but my preferred method of cooking is… um, well… a crock pot.  Don’t judge folks. I just don’t have as much time as I would like so the slow cooker is my friend.

If you feel the same way as I, you are probably dreading the upcoming baking-extravaganza-of-a-holiday-season. But no worries, because I may have a solution for you…

I just got my hot little hands on two books by Phyllis Pellman Good – the “Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook” and the “Fix-It and Forget-It Kid’s Cookbook.“  Between the two there are 650  recipes the get a time-starved parent through the holidays with nary a skillet in sight.

The recipes are divided into sections including breakfast, lunches, suppers, beverages and desserts.  (Helpful tips also include how many servings the recipe yields, as well as the ideal slow cooker size.)

Recipes include things like:

Snowmobile Soup
Ranch Hand Beef
Snappy Meatballs
Turkey Breast with Orange Sauce
Company Casserole
Lotsa Scalloped Potatoes
Wassail
Ginger Tea
Home-Style Bread Pudding (To name a few)

The kid’s cookbook will have even the pickiest eaters (like mine) trying their hand at cooking. My boys were salivating at the “Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake” and “Creamy Lasagna.” In fact, they are planning on making two recipes for an upcoming soccer party this weekend. (Bonus for mom who no longer has to cook!) And truly, the photographs in this book really motivate the kids to be creative. I am seriously impressed with the reaction I got from my tween boys.

Here’s the thing, don’t let the “holiday” theme fool you. These cookbooks are appropriate for any season. I have a feeling that mine will be out all year long.

In fact, I’m making a Hungarian Beef Stew right now… Crock. Pots. Are. Amazing.

FTC Disclosure: A lovely woman offered me the chance to review these and sent them to me free of charge. All opinions and the resulting food created are mine. Heh. Get your own.

UPDATE: Pictures from this event can be seen here. And while I didn’t fall, I DID get to meet some incredible women bloggers from the D.C. Metro area.
What a great night!  For more info on Sondra Robers handbags, check it out here.

Who wants to see me fall on my butt via live stream?

Goody!  I just knew you all would!

So here are the details – I am going to be participating in a Twitter Party for Sondra Roberts New York…and “modeling” (using the term very, very, very loosely) in a live online fashion show on Stickam this Thursday night!

Now, of course, if  seeing me fall on my butt watching me online is not enticing enough, know that you will have the opportunity to win one of the beautiful Sondra Roberts bags – because the hosts will be giving away over $800 in Sondra Roberts New York and SR Squared bags.

When: Thursday, November 19

Where: Twitter (follow #sondraroberts) and ResourcefulMom’s Stickham channel: http://www.stickam.com/resourcefulmom

Time: 8:00 – 9:00 pm (cameras will start rolling earlier – zoinks!)

I’m participating in FLASHBACK FRIDAY put on by Texan Mama! Yeehaw! Hope you enjoy this golden blog oldie.  I’m sure SOMEONE out there can relate!

My husband is a good man. He puts up with A LOT.  He and I are opposite in so many ways.

He is a detail man.  An everything-has-a-place-man. An if-you-put-things-right-back-where-you-found-them-we-wouldn’t-have-this-problem-kind-of-man. I am NOT. I try. But I am more of a free spirit when it comes to organization, especially when it comes to housework. And, of course, my husband is essentially right. (Albeit in a housework-utopian-society-kind-of-way.) But, as for me, there is always SOMETHING that comes up to thwart my efforts.

Let’s go on a journey through 10 minutes of the mess and chaos of my life shall we? One example – a pair of my running shoes that has not yet made it back into the closet. So, theoretically, I should have been able to take them off my feet and toss them into the closet. Oh, I mean, lay them gently into the designated running shoe cubby. Yeah.

So here is what happened instead. I took them off…  At that precise moment, my son yelled dramatically from the other room. I sprint over to him and find that he and his brother are pounding each other over a Light Bright design. I settle the argument and notice hundreds of Light Bright pieces all over the floor. Oh dear. (Dad won’t be amused by that.) So we make a game of it and pick them up. In the middle of that the phone rings. It is my friend reminding me it is my turn to bring snack to soccer. I run down the stairs to see if I even have something that would qualify as a snack. Nope. Put it on the list of things to do. I then notice the laundry is finished. I put a new load in and take the other out and begin folding it. Kids come running downstairs and want a drink. I get them a drink. They spill juice everywhere and I clean it up. I begin emptying the dish washer because I can’t even put the juice cups away due to the overflowing sink with dirty dishes in it. I am halfway through this task when hubby comes home.

So this is what my husband sees: Kitchen a mess. Sticky floor. Laundry strewn everywhere. Light Bright pieces not picked up. (Because they decided to dump them out again while I wasn’t looking.) And then, of course, he tripped over my shoes. Yeah, those shoes. The ones that should have been put away as soon as I took them off my feet.

And then he says…. “Jen. Why don’t you just put these away right when you take them off?”

POST #3 IN THE FITNESS FRIDAYS SERIES
Yes, I realize it is Thursday but in the interest of timing,
I wanted to get it out STAT!

(RACHEL’S) EMERGENCY TIPS FOR SURVIVING HALLOWEEN CANDY DELUGE

BUY CANDY LATE: Don’t bring it into the house before October 31

BUY CANDY YOU DON”T LIKE: You’ll have less temptation to cope with

DITCH THE SENSE OF OCCASION: Remind yourself that you can buy candy any time of the year; there’s no need to load up on candy on October 31 when you can have it anytime.

KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE: Don’t assume you can’t enjoy even a single treat, especially since deprivation is a dieting tactic that often backfires

MAKE SMARTER CHOICES: If you know that there’s no chance you’ll nibble a couple of Starbursts without tearing through the whole pack, it may be best to avoid them altogether. Keep healthier alternatives such as fruit or Jell-O on hand.

ABOUT RACHEL: Rachel Swartz-Hartje is an NASM certified personal trainer and is currently completing her degree in community health promotion.  She enjoys running, bodybuilding and torturing her clients (and friends) into submission.  She is definitely a bad-ass.  Don’t let her nice profile picture fool you. Her mantra? “Discipline is the Bridge Between Goals and Accomplishments.” Oh yeah, she also used to be in the Navy.  Don’t. Mess. With. Her.

POST #3 IN THE FITNESS FRIDAYS SERIES

As you may have noticed, last week I took a one week break from the Fitness Friday schedule to post my interview with Uma Thurman.  Seemed like an okay substitution, although some have asked if I was planning on bringing little Ms. Rachel back…. Well, of course I am!

And because I am a selfish-type blogger I kept this week’s post to something that I could benefit from – exercises you can do at work, specifically for the lower body!  Hope you enjoy and pass it along…..

Here are a few easy lower-body exercises for squeezing fitness into your day at work.Whenever you have a few minutes choose one exercise and complete the recommended number of reps and sets.  Remember to always warm-up prior to beginning any physical activity. You can do this by taking a quick 3-5 minute walk through your office.

Note: Maintaining good posture throughout the entire range of motion is critical to prevent injury and get the most out of the exercise. This means abs drawn in, chest up, shoulders drawn back and down, chin parallel to the floor, and hips tucked.  Breathing is also very important.Typically you should inhale on the first phase of the exercise and exhale as you exert force.For example, this means inhaling as you sit into a squat and exhaling as you stand up. Be sure to remove your shoes if you work in heels before performing these exercises!

Squats: Stand in front of a chair with feet hip-width apart, abs in and back straight. Keeping your chest up, slowly bend your knees and lower your butt until it just touches the chair. Pause for 2-3 seconds and, pressing through the heels, return to standing position. Repeat for 12-15 reps, 2-3 sets.

Lunges: Stand with your feet together, hands on hips. Take a step forward with your right leg, bending both knees and lower into a lunge, keeping the front knee behind the toe.  Do not allow the knee to touch the ground. Press through the heel to push back up to standing. Repeat for 10-15 reps, 2-3 sets each leg,

Hip abduction: Stand sideways to a chair or wall for support and lift one leg out to the side, foot flexed and hips, knees, and feet in alignment. Repeat for 12-15 reps, 2-3 sets each leg.

Hip extension: Stand facing the back of a stable chair or wall for support and extend right leg straight out behind you, squeezing your butt to lift leg. Pause while continuing to squeeze glutes, then lower.Be sure to keep your hips level throughout the entire range of motion.Repeat for 12-15 reps, 2-3 sets each leg.

Calf raises: Standing with your feet close together and lightly holding onto a chair or wall for support, rise up onto your tiptoes.Pause and lower. Maintain erect body posture.Repeat for 12-15 reps, 2-3 sets.This can also be done on stairs with the heels hanging off the step. *If you wear heels all day I would skip this one since the calf muscles are in a constantly contracted state. Instead, be sure to stretch your calves.

Wall sit: Stand in front of a wall and lean against it.  Slide down until the thighs are parallel to the floor (or higher for an easier version) and hold for 20-60 seconds. Your head, shoulders, and back should maintain contact with the wall.Do not hold your breath!

Throw in a few 5-10 minute walks (walking stairs is a good option too), some stretches, and you’re on your way!

ABOUT RACHEL: Rachel Swartz-Hartje is an NASM certified personal trainer and is currently completing her degree in community health promotion.  She enjoys running, bodybuilding and torturing her clients (and friends) into submission.  She is definitely a bad-ass.  Don’t let her nice profile picture fool you. Her mantra? “Discipline is the Bridge Between Goals and Accomplishments.” Oh yeah, she also used to be in the Navy.  Don’t. Mess. With. Her.