Q3 International, LLC: WOOP!

OK, Inspiring Girls and Guys, here we go!

Q3 International is official!  Check out our website at www.q3international.com, share it with your friends, colleagues, and anyone else you think might benefit from knowing that we are open for business. And don't forget to download our brochure (located on the About Us page).  

We know from experience that word of mouth and referrals from those we respect is the most powerful marketing tool, and I believe deeply in your personal power to help us share our message and build our business. Here's a heartfelt thank you for everything you have already done, and appreciation in advance for what each of you will do to support our efforts going forward.

News to Date

Our soft launch in July brought us an inspiring new client and my work line-up for September includes speaking at the Cities of Culture in Nature seminar and China International Friendship Cities conference in Chengdu, China.  

Exciting...check.  A little intimidating...yes.  An adventure to savor...absolutely! 

How IGE Fits In  

I'm going to keep this blog as my forum for personal and professional thoughts and inspiration. That is how it was originally intended, and while I admit that in the past I've used it far more to share personal perspectives than professional insights, for me it's all interconnected and it would feel insincere to create a new blog for professional thoughts only. In addition, our amazing group of Inspiring Girls (and Guys) continues to grow - thank you! - so I feel like we're onto something here. No reason to mess up a good thing, huh? Let's keep the momentum going! (You can do this simply by encouraging your friends and colleagues to follow IGE!)  

IGE Blog will no doubt evolve and the path it will forge remains to be seen, but for now it just feels right to keep it intact and really boost activity. So I'm going with it.   

On a Personal Note

For us to officially be embarking on this journey - one where my professional passions, experience, and expertise are melted together into an entrepreneurial endeavor, feels so right. Q3 International reaches across the world and provides a tangible way to include my family in my goals for giving back in a meaningful way. It feels, dare I say...intensely satisfying!  

It's true that remembering to enjoy every moment while still looking ahead with enthusiastic anticipation is challenging, but staying true to myself means embracing it all with a smile in my heart. It's simply the only way I know to forge ahead. And I'm up for it!

So, as my summer of thinking, and creating, and building, transitions to an autumn of hard work, adventure, and promise, it brings me sincere pleasure to share our exciting news with you and ask for your ongoing support and help in spreading it. 

Thank you for being a part of our adventure!

Kindergarten

Luji started Kindergarten yesterday. The Big K.  

Over the years, I've listened with awe as my friends and colleagues talked about the intense feelings they experienced on their kids first day of kindergarten. In fact, I remember distinctly the deep emotion expressed by one of my childhood friends on her son's first day of school. Yes, I have always listened and hugged and empathized, taking comfort in knowing that I would not react that way when it was time for my kid to go to school. Not me.

Ahem. 

Turns out I didn't even make it to the first day of school. I was a wreck the day before school started. I of course had no idea why I was so off balance all that day. No idea why nothing felt quite settled - except time with Luji which somehow always  seems to bring me back towards center. It wasn't until yesterday morning rolled around that I felt myself let go. Relax. Breathe. 

And then yesterday came and went. Happily. Without a hitch. I didn't even cry. Luji certainly didn't cry, and of course her daddy just beamed with pride. We all smiled. Big. We were too happy and excited for the start of this new chapter to cry. Too happy. Just like that day in China, four and a half years ago, when Luji's nannies placed a perfect 9 month old bright-eyed child in our arms.  We didn't cry then either (which is saying a lot for me!).

Ahhhh.

Thank goodness I got it all out of my system early! It left me free to enjoy the moment and relish the joy of my little uniformed daughter holding my hand and bouncing down the hall to her classroom. That bouncy little body is home to a wise-souled little girl who has an uncanny ability to take everything in stride with her innate, unabated enthusiasm and exuberance.  

The first day of kindergarten turned a page in our lives, just as it has for millions of families through the years. And I think I finally understand how it feels to experience that intense emotion, watching my child take steps into the unknown of school life, smiling as she walks in, takes her seat, and trusts the universe to take care of the rest. I'm proud to be a part of that trust, and nothing means more to me than being a part of her universe.

I understand that it's not about losing that little kid you love or pining for the sweetness of those toddler moments that will never return. For me, it was (and is) about embracing the moment, sharing hugs and smiles, and celebrating the awesome power of one child's hold on my heart. 

We were all smiles yesterday. And I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Luji's Poem: The Sky is Blue

The Sky is Blue

The sky is blue in the day time.

The sun is up in the day time.

The moon is up in the night time.

And when it’s evening it’s kind of bright.

But not as bright as the moon is night.  

Forever. 

And the sunset and sunrise is perfect.

The sun is bright in the day time.

And always.

The sun is the specialist thing in the world.

And forever the sun and the moon will be there.

And that’s all. That’s my poem.

by Luji, Age 5.  July 24, 2012

Coming Around

Some find it funny, some interesting, and some downright confusing that I have been fortunate enough to meet and work with some pretty influential figures around the world in today's business and political environments - and yet I am a huge country music fan.  Yep.  Country music.

I grew up in Utah, and country music was always on in our house.   Johnny Cash. Loretta Lynn. Hank Jr. Tammy Wynette. Those are just a few of the voices from my childhood that echo through my mind on long drives across the desert southwest, or sing me to sleep on flights to Europe and beyond. My husband still revels when those old songs come on the radio and I sing every word.  Even though I haven’t heard them for years! 

Looking back, I realize that taking a break from country music (a long break that started in my teens) was a good thing.  Of course, I never totally said goodbye...Reba and Garth, Tim and Kenny, Martina and Tricia were always there in the background, drawing me in to pause the radio dial for just a few minutes every now and again, even when alternative had my heart and pop and hip hop deserved exploration.  

Now, in my (ahem) very early forties, I have found myself over the last few years coming back around to Country.  And loving it.  Maybe it's because I relate to so many of the songs, maybe it's because I can feel good about my five year old listening (and watching videos - and singing almost every word if it's Taylor Swift, The Band Perry or Kenny Chesney, and lately, Pontoon!).  The songs just make me feel good. They are about things I care about. That matters to me.

For the last few months, one song has spoken to me every time I hear it. And I'm finally getting around to sharing how it makes me feel when I hear it: confident, proud, happy, and in good company.  'Comin Around by Josh Thompson is a typical country song...and the chorus hits home every time. If you know me at all you'll know the significance of these words in my life right now, and in my journey overall.  I hope they inspire you to appreciate your journey as well!   

From ‘Comin Around by Josh Thompson:

I'm comin' around, I'm figurin' out

A lot of things I thought I knew

I never deamed I'd be seein' things

From this point of view 

Still a little ways from slowin' it all the way down

But I'm comin' around

Windy Motivation 2

My inspiring girls/guys totally rock.  

That's what I was thinking at 7 AM as I passed mile two.  The run was great and while pretty damn windy, it was a beautiful morning!  Added bonus: seeing Luji and Jeff at the finish line cheering me on!  It made that last little push a smiling one.

Thanks to you all for sharing your fabulous energy! It carried me through every windy step.

......Oh!  Wait!  Wow!  Can you feel that?  Here it comes....right back at cha.

Windy Motivation

Hello Inspiring Girls!

I'm in need of some quick, deep inspiration this morning so I'm reaching out to my go to girls (and guys) for a little love.  Today is my fourth race of the year - right here in my home town.  The wind is and has been raking since 4 AM and I must leave in 15 minutes to walk a mile to the starting point of the race.

I'm not very motivated.

That's where you...and Aristotle...come in.

I know that putting good energy out there will make me feel better (that's where you come in).  And soaking up a little inspirational philosophy can't hurt (that's where Aristotle comes in).

So, this post is my attempt to actively share good, motivational, can do energy.  Soak it up.  And share it.  Please.

And I'll leave you with a little A-advice to help us both. This one hits home this morning:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

                                                                                                          - Aristotle

Aaaah.  I'm feeling better already.  Thank you!

Off we go!

Time TIME time tIME TimE

Keeping ourselves in check when we don't have all the time in the world can be tricky.  My writing is certainly suffering right now because I'm chin deep in amazingly fun new stuff!  Inspiration hits me nearly every hour it seems, but my ability to sit down and capture those thoughts is simply lacking right now.

But it's temporary, so please hang in.  If partial posts with half-developed ideas (or better yet, jotted lists of randomly related ideas) were interesting, IGE would be overwhelmed with wonderfully inspiring posts that lack structure or flow and therefore the impact that they may otherwise impart.

The perfectionist in me just can't let that happen.  In fact, even the "good enough" part of me can't bite the bullet and post mostly undeveloped thoughts.

Hmmm.  Except perhaps this one.  I sincerely hope you will stick around until I can take a nice, hot iron to my time and address those wildly creative but less-than-perfect jots.  I'll do my best to make them worth the wait.