Today I am tooting my own horn because I have reason to be proud.
A week ago, I ran in the NYC Half Marathon and finished it!!
One might not think my time is that impressive at 3 hours 40 minutes, but for a rookie runner in her 40’s, I am well pleased.
I was in training for a full marathon when I found myself pregnant with my first son. At 17 miles in my training, I had to stop. My son is now 8 years old and I have done very little if any running in the years since his birth.
So starting to train for this Half Marathon in January was like starting anew, like I had never run before. At first, I could barely keep moving for 30 minutes. Slowly, with regular practice, I built myself up to being able to run for longer periods and longer distances. And my last long training run, a week before the actual race, was 10 miles and I walked most of it.
Arriving at the start line on the day of the race, I was texting my friend about how I so wanted to chicken out. But how could I do so at this point. How would I explain giving up to my children? No, I had to do it.
I did not run the whole way, I had to walk up the steep slopes, against the strong cold wind along one part of the race and every time I felt I was getting too out of breath, but I told myself that the key was not to stop, no matter what. Just keep moving. And so I did. And I finished the race. And was able to proudly show my children who welcomed me at the finish line, how hard work and persistence pays off.
It was a wonderful experience and I am hooked. I loved running outside to train; I enjoyed the challenge of running for a certain distance or time on the treadmill when the weather did not permit running outside; I enjoyed the way it made me feel; I love what it did to my body – losing fat and building muscle; and on race day, it was so exhilarating running down the actual city streets that had been closed to traffic to permit this crowd of every kind of person to run their own race and beat themselves. It was AWESOME! There is no doubt that I will continue running and that I will run in more half marathons as I work at beating my time.
This experience taught me a lot too as an entrepreneur. Points which I will always remind myself of as I go forward in my business.
1) the beginning is not easy! you will question yourself and your decision to take this on. But you must push through
2) you must remain consistent. Do a little every day. It all adds up.
3) there WILL be obstacles. difficulties. Naysayers. Your own negative self talk. All that and more. IGNORE them! Just keep going.
4) Be grateful for all the little victories along the way. Celebrate them, be proud of yourself
5) Smile! and just don’t stop! You WILL finish the race – your will make those sales – you WILL succeed. And when you do, then it’s just a matter of getting better. But the point is…you WILL get there!!
And Damn!…does it feel good!!! It feels like the Sky is the limit (and it is) and like there is nothing you can’t do (and there is)
BONUS POINT 6) have a purpose other than a selfish desire to succeed. I ran my race for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. I raised money from friends and family for the cause. Every time I wanted to quit, I remembered that there were some children depending on me and that some people believed in me enough to contribute. And when I pushed through and I made it, it felt good to know that I had not only succeeded for me, but for everyone that contributed and every child that would benefit from the contribution.
Being able to appreciate your own business in this same way, knowing that you are doing good for someone else….makes it all worth it. And you will love getting up in the morning to face another wonderful and purposeful day!
Many people don’t think that Katy Perry is the most talented or innovative performers in the Music industry nowadays, but I am not here to debate that. I personally enjoy some of her music for light listening pleasure. But what I really appreciate about Ms. Katy is that she always puts out a song that uplifts. “Firework” was so inspirational, the students sang it at a high school graduation I attended.
And for my sisters, as we speak about women owning their power, I think “Roar” is the perfect song. We may not all look as perfect as she does in her video, we may not all be walking through an African jungle befriending elephants either, but we are all beautiful, we are all strong and we are all over-comers and victors in our own jungles of life.
In honour of yesterday being International Women’s Day, this week’s post is dedicated to all the strong, beautiful and amazing women around the world. Here are 10 songs that serve as a reminder to all women that we are simply awesome.
From awesomelyluvvie.com
1) Run the World (Girls)-Beyoncé
This re-working of Major Lazer’s hit, Pon Di Floor took an already infectious song and made it even better. (Who run the world? Girls!)
2) A Woman’s Worth-Alicia Keys
Don’t let this song’s relaxed melody and tempo fool you: it’s really a warning to men who don’t express their love and appreciation to their girlfriends or wives. Though A Woman’s Worth was written over ten years ago, its message is still relevant.
3) The Worst (Sail Out)-Jhené Aiko
The main message behind The Worst (Sail Out) is that wanting someone is not the same as needing someone, which is something…
It’s been quiet from me for a while. Been under the weather. But here I am 🙂
And after all that Oscar excitement, with 12 Years a Slave winning the ultimate Prize right at the end of Black History Month, we roll into March and it’s time to celebrate women!
It’s Women’s History Month!!
My blog, my business and my coaching are geared predominantly to women, so this month is all about tooting our own horns! Celebrating who we are, where we came from, and what we are capable of.
No offense to our wonderful men out there and I do love them :-), but this month, it’s all about GIRL POWER!!! Women RULE! …and all that good stuff.
Please feel free to send in stories you think we should feature or women we should be writing about.
We have come to the last and biggest category and it comes with a gift. A predictor to tell you the winner. Watch this video and try it out for yourself, then dare to place your bets. 🙂
And the nominees are….
American Hustle
Now I can finally let loose on how much I enjoyed this film. It was very well written, had an excellent ensemble cast and was filmed beautifully. There was not a hole in the story, nothing I did not believe, not a moment of boredom, the characters were well fleshed out, complex and interesting. Overall, this was a very enjoyable and extremely humorous movie-going experience, in fact it was my favorite movie this year. American Hustle has my vote for Best Picture.
A con man, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.
Director: David O. Russell, Writers:Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
Captain Phillips
Captain Phillips, based on real life events, is a very well made film. The suspense was very real as it kept me on the edge of my seat and engaged the whole time. The performances, with the title character played by Tom Hanks and the supporting role played by Barkhad Abdi, were solid. It was interesting to have glimpse into a lifestyle we don’t know much about and rarely ever even think about. The dangers out at sea are real. And Piracy, which I feel is borne out of desperation and necessity in times of economic and political hardship, is very real too. I would hate to be married to a “Captain Phillips”. The pay may be good, but is it worth it? Anyway, good movie!
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Based upon the book “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea”
Director: Paul Greengrass, Writers: Billy Ray, Richard Phillips, Stephan Talty
Dallas Buyers Club
This film will have a good number of followers because of its subject matter dealing with the treatments and stigmas in the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But the subject is not what makes this a great movie, and that it is! Like Captain Phillips, this film is based on a true story, but it has a much stronger script. The telling of this story leaves no questions unanswered, shows the terrible reality of the early days of AIDS treatment and its devastation. The Characters are wonderfully interesting with very clear agendas and very honest feelings. A very touching story with excellent performances. This movie could get my vote for best picture too.
In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease.
This film is visually amazing. Watching it in 3D, in a large IMAX theatre, makes you truly feel like you might be in space. And that is scary! But it’s beautiful! Sandra Bullock and George Clooney carry the entire film as the only two characters. And eventually Sandra’s character is forced to face her worst enemy – herself! I like her story and her girl power overcoming, I like the visual effects, the experience and all that good stuff, it’s a really good movie, and I really like Sandra Bullock, but for me personally, this is not my best picture choice. Maybe it’s because there is just that teeny weeny bit of disbelief for me (and probably fear :-)), but that’s just me. This film is definitely a must see, so if you haven’t yet, go see it.
A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Writers: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón, George Clooney
Her
I thought I was not going to like this film before I saw it, but was pleasantly surprised that I actually liked it a lot. I did feel it was a little slow in parts though. Nonetheless, Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson took us on a most delightful love journey in this film set in LA in the future when computer operating systems are just short of becoming human. Brilliant imagination and delivery by Spike Jonze. Joaquin is such a talented actor. He was on the screen almost all the time and you could feel everything he felt and went through with him. It was an excellent journey into a world that may not be that far off, but do we really want to go there? Well, that is a whole other conversation.
A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that’s designed to meet his every need.
Director: Spike Jonze, Writer: Spike Jonze
Nebraska
Excellently done, sweet film about an aging dad who just wants to do better for his children and the children who want to do the same for him. I love the essence of this film and if you are in that age group where this is a reality for you, this film touches home even more. The performances were so wonderful, and the characters so myriad and warped, you could smile all the way through even though it was not a comedy at all. It’s just that the truth and the reality of things sometimes, even when they may be painful or less than favorable, just make you smile. Loved it.
An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
Director: Alexander Payne, Writer: Bob Nelson
Philomena
I am only just going to see this film TODAY…the day before the Oscars…so I can not comment from my personal experience of the film. However, from what I have seen and read, it sounds like this is a keeper. Definitely a very touching subject matter. Will give you my review of it tomorrow 🙂 (not that it will matter much any more then)
A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman’s search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
Director: Stephen Frears, Writers: Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope, Martin Sixsmith: book “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee”
12 Years a Slave
This film needs no further introduction, it is another film that could totally win Best Picture. It is a very troubling subject matter, delivered in the real-est and yet most beautifully done way, with performances that could keep you awake at night. Based on a true story, from the book of the same name.
In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.
Director: Steve McQueen, Writers: John Ridley, Solomon Northup (Book: 12 years a slave)
The Wolf of Wall Street
Nasty, Naughty, Dirty, but well made and entertaining film. Great film making, great performances, but I would never vote this as my best picture. (there is a little good girl left in me yet ;-)) Leonardo said in an interview that this was a “cautionary” tale, but I did not find enough caution in it. Seemed to me like they may have got caught, but in the long run…they got away with a lot. All this film tells me is the good old saying “money talks…”
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
Director: Martin Scorsese, Writers: Terence Winter, Jordan Belfort (book)
For the “What is Acting” portion of this post, please refer to my previous post HERE!
I wish everyone in this category could win, because they were all that good. But I guess being a “nominated” actor is not a bad thing either. It will have to do, for four of them.
There are two front runners here, and it is impossible to say for sure who has the greater chance at the Oscar, it could go either way. But no matter who wins, it would be a well-deserved win.
And the nominees are…
Christian Bale – American Hustle
Ok, so I have made no secret about the way I feel about this film and everyone in it, so it is only a repetition when I say what I must say…OMG I looove Christian Bale in this film!!!
I could not believe how he made himself look in this film. And OMG…he totally, and I mean completely embodied this guy that is nothing like the Christian Bale we know. I find Christian to be one of the awesomest actors of our time. He completely becomes his characters and is never the same way twice…except when he is playing Batman sequels. Do you want to see a talented actor at work? See Christian Bale!
Christian Bale was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales on January 30, 1974, to an English-born mother, Jennifer (James), and a South African-born father, David Bale, whose own parentage was English. Christian’s father was a commercial pilot, and the family lived in different countries throughout Bale’s childhood, including England, Portugal, and the United States. Bale acknowledges the constant change was one of the influences on his career choice.
His first acting job was a cereal commercial in 1983; amazingly, the next year, he debuted on the West End stage opposite Rowan Atkinson in “The Nerd”. A role in the 1986 NBC mini-series Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986) caught Steven Spielberg‘s eye, leading to Bale’s well-documented role in Empire of the Sun (1987). For the range of emotions he displayed as the star of the war epic, he earned a special award by the National Board of Review for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor.
Bale worked consistently through the 1990s, and toward the end of the decade, with the rise of the Internet, Bale found himself becoming one of the most popular online celebrities around, though he, with a couple notable exceptions, maintained a private, tabloid-free mystique.
Bale roared into the next decade with a lead role in American Psycho (2000), director Mary Harron‘s adaptation of the controversial Bret Easton Ellis novel. In the film, Bale played a murderous Wall Street executive obsessed with his own physicality – a trait for which Bale would become a specialist.
The Machinist (2004) gained attention mainly due to Bale’s physical transformation – he dropped a reported 60+ pounds for the role of a lathe operator with a secret that causes him to suffer from insomnia for over a year.
Bale’s abilities to transform his body and to disappear into a character influenced the decision to cast him in Batman Begins (2005), the first chapter in Christopher Nolan‘s definitive trilogy that proved a dark-themed narrative could resonate with audiences worldwide. The film also resurrected a character that had been shelved by Warner Bros. after a series of demising returns, capped off by Batman and Robin’s massive commercial and critical failure. A quiet, personal victory for Bale: he accepted the role after the passing of his father in late 2003, an event that caused him to question whether he would continue performing.
Bale would earn his first Oscar in 2011 in the wake of The Fighter (2010)’s critical and commercial success. Bale earned the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund, brother to and trainer of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg. Bale again showed his ability to reshape his body with another gaunt, skeletal transformation
In his personal life, he devotes time to charities including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation.
– IMDb Mini Biography
Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Bruce Dern has such an interesting history. I hope that this film puts him back on the map where he belongs, because he is a really good actor. I am so happy for him that he is nominated. His character in this film had me cracking up in parts but also brought home the very real reality about caring for our aging parents, wanting to spend more quality time with them and wanting to know more about their past and what brought us all to this present moment. We don’t always face this truth or want to, but it’s glaring us in the face and Bruce Dern put in an excellent performance portraying it.
Bruce Dern had established himself as the movies’ premier heavy, playing sociopaths, psychotics and just plain criminals by the time he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Coming Home (1978). Some perceptive critics had noted that Dern was a finer actor than his roles generally allowed one to believe, repelled as one was by the neurotic persona that Dern was able to project and that casting directors capitalized on.
Jack Nicholson, a close friend, claimed that Dern was the best of the new breed of actors who had been born just before World War II and were coming into their own in the 1970s. Unlike his screen image, Dern had come from a patrician background: his grandfather had been governor of Utah and a secretary of war under Franklin D. Roosevelt. When allowed to step out of his on-screen persona to assay the millionaire Tom Buchanan in the 1974 remake of The Great Gatsby (1974), he acquitted himself quite well.
Some critics said that “Gatsby” would have been better if Dern rather than Robert Redford had played the title role. Others pointed to his fine work as Nicholson’s brother in The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) to establish a case that he was an underappreciated and underutilized talent. By the time Dern appeared as the cuckolded Marine in “Coming Home,” a consensus had emerged that Dern was a fine actor. He won an Oscar nod for the role, then fell victim to the infamous “Oscar curse” that has claimed other winners, most famously in the case of 1969 Best Supporting Actor winner Gig Young, Dern’s co-star in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969).
Dern, like Young before him, was determined to break out of supporting roles. Like Young, who had been cast repeatedly as a light comedian in his career, Dern had also become typecast, but as a psycho, surpassing even Anthony Perkins in those types of roles. Dern was determined to break out of the ghetto he had found himself in before “Coming Home.” He failed, and his career suffered.
Up through his Oscar nomination, Dern had starred in 26 films in 11 years since graduating to steady employment in A-pictures withWaterhole #3 (1967). After the 1979 Oscar nod, he would appear in only a dozen feature films in the next 11 years, not counting TV movies. None of them brought him stardom or much acclaim. Dern’s star was seriously dimmed.
Since the 1990 high point of the second wave of his career, Dern has stayed steadily employed, but has never again generated much critical acclaim, nor made any inroads towards reclaiming his crown as the cinema’s premier sociopath. A fine actor, who will be remembered most vividly for such psycho/killer roles such as the rustler leader who gunned down John Wayne in The Cowboys (1972), Dern’s career serves as a cautionary tale for those actors who try to escape the ghetto of typecasting. While nothing restricts an actor’s artistic development as much as typecasting, unless they can turn that type into superstardom, trying to break out of the type can prove to be career suicide.
– IMDb Mini Biography
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
If you have not seen this film, this scene alone gives a pretty good idea of how hateful of a character this Jordan Belfort was. Leonardo captured his essence completely and entirely. He did such an excellent job, I absolutely hated him. Leonardo, like Christian Bale, has an amazing array of awesome and completely embodied performances to his name. And like I said of Christian; Do you want to see a talented actor at work? See Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio is an American actor whose portrayal of doomed suitor Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997) made him a generation’s definition of a heartthrob. Throughout his career, DiCaprio has demonstrated a high level of dramatic versatility, from his breakout film role as a mentally-challenged teenager in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), through his work with Martin Scorsese in Gangs of New York (2002) and The Departed (2006). More recently, DiCaprio earned critical notice for his starring roles in Christopher Nolan‘s Inception (2010) and J. Edgar(2011), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
Born on 11 November, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, DiCaprio is the only child of Irmelin (Indenbirken) and former comic book artist George DiCaprio. His father is of Italian and German descent, and his mother, who is German-born, is of German and Russian ancestry. His parents signed him with a talent agent when he was a child, and DiCaprio began appearing on a number of television commercials and educational shows. Although the budding actor had small roles in such TV series as Roseanne (1988) and The New Lassie (1989), DiCaprio’s made his film debut in Critters 3 (1991), a low-budget horror movie.
In 1992, DiCaprio joined what became the final season of Growing Pains (1985), playing a homeless boy who was invited to move in with the Seavers. The sitcom’s cancellation coincided with an upswing in his career, including the starring role in the film adaptation of Jim Carroll‘sThe Basketball Diaries (1995) and his heightened portrayal of Romeo in Baz Luhrmann‘s Romeo + Juliet (1996). Although DiCaprio’s Romeo raised his profile with audiences, his turn in the box office record-breaking Titanic (1997) graduated the actor to A-list status.
The majority of DiCaprio’s post-Titanic career demonstrates a high level of selectivity in his choices. In addition to numerous collaborations with Scorsese, DiCaprio has also starred in films directed by Steven Spielberg (Catch Me If You Can (2002)), Ridley Scott (Body of Lies(2008)), and Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road (2008)), in roles that encompass a wide emotional and dramatic range. This continues to be the case, evident in his upcoming film appearances as a mustache-twirling villain in Django Unchained (2012), soon to be followed by his performance as tragic literary character Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby (2013).
As someone who has gone from bit parts in television commercials to one of the most respected actors in the world, DiCaprio has had one of the most diverse careers in cinema. DiCaprio continues to defy conventions about the types of roles he will accept, and with his career now seeing him leading all star casts in action thrillers such as The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010) and Christopher Nolan‘s Inception(2010), DiCaprio continues to wow audiences by refusing to conform to any cliché about actors. DiCaprio is not merely a former teen heartthrob turned leading man, he is one of the most respected, daring and challenging actors working today.
DiCaprio is passionate about environmental and humanitarian causes, having donated $1,000,000 to earthquake relief efforts in 2010, the same year he contributed $1,000,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
– IMDb Mini Biography
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave
Here is another British actor that is taking the world by storm. The first time I saw Chiwetel was in Dirty Pretty Things and I thought “I like this guy”. I then saw him in “Kinky Boots” a totally different role and I was impressed at the complete switch he had made. This was obviously an actor who knew his craft. Since then, I have seen him in several projects and he has totally convinced me that he really is an actor that knows his craft. I love him in everything he does. Chiwetel is a front runner in this category, but he is up against some stiff competition.
Chiwetel Ejiofor was born in London’s Forest Gate, to Nigerian parents.[10] His father, Arinze, was a doctor, and his mother, Obiajulu, was a pharmacist. His younger sister is CNN correspondent Zain Asher.
In 1988, when Ejiofor was 11, during a family trip to Nigeria for a wedding, he and his father were driving to Lagos after the celebrations when their car was involved in a head-on crash with a truck. His father was killed, but Ejiofor survived. He was badly injured, and received scars that are still visible on his forehead. Ejiofor began acting in school plays at the age of thirteen at Dulwich College and joined the National Youth Theatre. He then got into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art but had to leave after his first year, after getting a role in Steven Spielberg‘s film Amistad. He played the title role in Othello at the Bloomsbury Theatre in September 1995, and again at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow in 1996 when he starred opposite Rachael Stirling, who played Desdemona.
He is considered “one of the greatest actors of his generation”, and his performance as Othello has been hailed as the best of his generation
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
The first time I saw Matthew McConaughey was in Time to Kill and I just loved him then, and I still do now. I respect his choice of roles and the fact that he totally does acting for acting’s sake, choosing to do Independent Films for the creativity instead of sticking to studio films for the big bucks. (See his Independent Spirit Award acceptance speech for Magic Mike here) I love that he is now on HBO in True Detective. I love that he completely throws himself into his roles. He is a front runner in this category but Chiwetel is sure to give him a run for his money. Should be interesting!
Matthew McConaughey, the youngest of three boys, was born in Uvalde, Texas. His mother, Mary Kathleen “Kay” (née McCabe), was a kindergarten teacher, and later a published author, and his father, James Donald McConaughey, was a gas-station owner who ran an oil pipe supply business and once played NFL football for the Green Bay Packers. McConaughey’s mother and late father divorced and re-married each other several times.His ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, Swedish, and German. He is a relative of brigadier general Dandridge McRae. McConaughey had a Methodist upbringing.[12][13][14]
McConaughey moved to Longview, Texas, where he attended Longview High School. While in high school, he was voted most handsome in the Longview Lobo Yearbook. Showing little interest in his father’s oil business, which his two brothers later joined, Matthew was longing for a change of scenery, and spent a year in Australia, washing dishes and shoveling chicken manure. Back to the States, he attended the University of Texas in Austin, originally wishing to be a lawyer. But, when he discovered an inspirational Og Mandino book “The Greatest Salesman in the World” before one of his final exams, he suddenly knew he had to change his major from law to film. He graduated in the spring of 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film. He began his acting career in 1991, appearing in student films and commercials in Texas and directed short films as Chicano Chariots (1992).
McConaughey started the just keep livin foundation, which is “dedicated to helping teenage kids lead active lives and make healthy choices to become great men and women”. He also rescued various pets stranded after the flooding of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina
From awesomelyluvvie.com 
Susan Olupitan - Storyteller 