What I am MOST grateful for…..you’ll be surprised by the answer
steffani

What I am MOST grateful for…..you’ll be surprised by the answer

Hi my friend,

With Thanksgiving around the corner we’ve been talking a lot about what we’re grateful for. We have a big chalk board in our kitchen above our sink and we’ve been writing daily what we’re thankful for.

I know I’m supposed to say I’m most grateful for my family. And believe me I am. I’m not THAT person.

But there’s something I’m even more grateful for. No, not my husband, (sorry honey) or my Mom (please don’t ground me).

It’s actually accountability.

Ok hear me out. I’ve been in masterminds and accountability groups for over 20 years. Most of them I’ve been running. Accountability has been ESSENTIAL in my success. It’s honestly made me who I am as a woman, and as a parent.

Sure my Mom helped with that too. But with that alone and no accountability I’d be a totally different Mom. And my husband is ABSOLUTELY responsible for the love and abundance I have in my life. But without the accountability and the groups and the people in them I don’t know that I would have been ready to be the person I am and therefore marry him and have kids.

So you see I LITERALLY have accountability to thank for EVERYTHING.

 

My first accountability group was an actors group that I started right after college. I majored in Theater and didn’t know any other actors in Chicago. So I started a group. This was before the internet. Wow, how is that possible.?! So I put up a sign at a local acting school and asked people to join my group. We met monthly and held each other accountable for things we wanted to accomplish in the business. It was a HUGE success. The biggest one had 30 people attending for a few months. And it’s still an active group now, over 20 years later. I don’t run it anymore. Or even attend. But it’s still a group, now on meetup.com, that I started in my living room. I still stay in touch with a lot of people who I met in that group. Many of who are still working actors. I started another mastermind group after I attended Afest in 2012. The group was made up of 12 of my favorite entrepreneurs. We had 3 things in common. We’d all been to Afest. We had all attended a program called Lifebook. And we all had an abundant mentality. That group was 100% responsible for me starting my coaching business. If it wasn’t for them I would still be saying “I should start my own thing..”

Through more accountability groups I’ve now started 3 businesses, I’m in the best shape of my life, I signed a big commercial deal, I completed a ½ ironman, landed my dream job, landed my next dream job, booked dream speaking gigs at conferences and retreats, filled my private client base, bought my dream home, and I can say I finally after 8 years and after massive accountability understand my kids and feel really solid in my parenting. What what?!

Needless to say ACCOUNTABILITY can completely change your life for the better.

Do you have one?!

You NEED one.

Now that you’re hopefully convinced let me share some simple steps you can take to

starting your own mastermind group.

Step 1. Find 3 or more people with a common goal or similar interests
2 people does not make a mastermind. You can have 1 person hold you accountable but trust me, it doesn’t create a mastermind dynamic. 3 or more is ideal. 20 is usually max.

Step 2. Choose the date and time
Will you meet weekly or monthly? I found weekly is ideal if you’re trying to create the most impact.

Step 3. Create an agenda
This is key. You need a productive agenda for the whole group to follow. Happy to suggest a few. Email me if you’re interested in hearing more.

Step 4. STICK TO THE AGENDA
Can you tell by the all caps that this one is important? 

Step 5. Celebrate your success.
Continue to encourage each other. Celebrating every little win along the way. Showing up for weekly meets is a win in my book. So CELEBRATE.

It’s really that simple. And it can create the most powerful positive change in your life that you’ve ever imagined.

I have a new OPRF Mom Squad accountability group starting in January. If you’d like to join us please email me and I’ll send you more details. This group will be all about community, accountability (of course), growth, support and happiness. You WILL come out on the other side of this group with more daily happiness than you ever thought possible. Hope to hear from you.

Holding you accountable,

Steffani

I Cry Everyday
steffani

I Cry Everyday

I cry every day….

People who know me will not be surprised to read this. 

But I honestly cry EVERY DAY. 

I don’t cry out of sadness or anger or upset.  Sure I have as many challenges as anyone else in this life.  I have stresses and frustrations and family members who are ill.  But still, that’s not why I cry.

Every day I cry for a different reason. 

I used to feel ashamed of my tears.  My deep emotions.  I wanted to be less emotional.  I used to work at controlling my emotions and tried hard for years to keep my tears in check. 

Until one day a woman in a workshop who sat along side me took my face in her hands when my eyes filled with tears and said “I wish I could FEEL like you do”.

It hit me, that some people don’t get to FEEL all this. 

And I shifted. 

I felt grateful.

And I cried. 

I then decided to let it all out.  To live loud and proud in my tears.  And to share with people why I cry.  I’m sure I still look over emotional.  It might make people uncomfortable.  But at this point in my life, I don’t care. 

I still cry. 

I cry every day.  And here’s why…

I cry because this life is pure magic.

I cry out of gratitude for every breath.

I cry for beauty.

I cry at art.

I cry when I see moments of kindness.

I cry when I hear beautiful music.

I cry when I sing.

I cry when I reflect on life in the shower.

I cry when I say goodbye to a friend.

I cried eating a blueberry muffin at Starbucks once.  That was really really good. 

I cry at commercials.

I cry watching my kids sleep.

I cry when I travel.  When I fly through the air and look out the window. 

I cry when I walk into a church.

My husband jokes that I cry at mall openings.  I have never cried at a mall opening. 

But I have cried at the opening of the Olympics.  And the closing ceremonies. 

And my sons soccer game yesterday.

Basically I cry when I feel connected.  I cry when I FEEL this life.  When I feel alive. 

Unapologetically I cry.  And I look forward to the moments in my day, those vulnerable, beautiful, tear-filled moments where my heart feels so full I can hardly breath. 

When I sip air in through my nose and my eyes well up with tears.  Only to be sucked back in moments later when I compose myself.  It was a moment of sheer bliss.  A moment of REAL life.  To feel alive.  And grateful.  And connected. 

I’ve never counted how many times I’ve cried in a day.  But I might start now.  And I invite you to start with me.  Can we FEEL alive and connected 2 times, 5 times, 10 times a day?  I’m willing to try.

This is LIFE.  This is really living. 

Cry with me. 

13 years ago, today, on my birthday my boyfriend checked in to rehab
steffani

13 years ago, today, on my birthday my boyfriend checked in to rehab

13 years ago, today, on my birthday my boyfriend checked in to rehab.   

I was working at a golf outing for my corporate job.  I was on the 13th hole, on my 32nd birthday.  I remember thinking “why the hell am I still doing this”.  I got a call half way through the long day in the sun from John and he said he was checking in to rehab. I had 2 immediate thoughts “Thank God!” and “Holy Shit!” 

It hadn’t really sunk in yet.  The total ramifications of my boyfriend of 7 years checking in to rehab for drugs and alcohol.  I just remember thinking “this is something that has to happen”.  And I hung up the phone wishing him well, thinking it was over between us.  I had walked out 2 days earlier after finding pain killers next to his bed.  Again.  After he’d SWORE that he wasn’t using any more. 

A little background,…my Dad was an alcoholic all my life.  So I was DETERMINED not to follow suit and be with someone who was an addict.  Yet I’d been doing exactly that for 7 years.  And somehow now, I was getting out.  Now it was over.  The girl working with me at hole 13 on the golf course was thoroughly entertained by my life stories.  She couldn’t believe what was happening.  And was really  impressed with my composure.  I later went to dinner with my whole family in Greek town.  No one asked about John.  It never came up where he was. 

It started sinking in….he checked into rehab on my birthday.  And even with that thought running through my head constantly things actually got better.  My life started looking up.  First, I let him go.  I realized I didn’t’ want to be with an addict.  And that was my life with John.  I was almost relieved that it was over.  I couldn’t picture a life with someone in recovery.  He was only 28, so that wasn’t even an option.  I called my mom and told her that we had broken up, and that he was in rehab and it was over, again.  She was sad for me but understood and expressed that it would be hard for her.  For HER.  But I got it. 

A week went by and John called me from rehab.  I remember the minute I talked to him feeling like he was BACK.  That the John that I knew and LOVED for so long had returned.  He was charming and interested and silly and sweet and really engaging.  That wasn’t the man I walked out on 1 week ago.  Now he was asking me to come visit him.  What?!  In rehab?!  Why would I do that?!  

I realized why.  Because he really was back.  It was like he came to life again.  The man I knew deep inside was back.  And he was as loveable and compassionate and thoughtful as ever.  

I went to see him and we were back together again instantly.  After only 1 week in rehab.  He told me he was doing it for me, and for the life he could have with me.  I asked one of his counselors if that was ok.  “Can someone get sober for someone else?  I thought you needed to do it for yourself?”  He told me that sometimes being with someone you love raises your rock bottom.  And he told me he thought John would be sober for life.  They don’t say that about 1st timers.  There’s normally only a 30% success rate.  I checked in with my heart.  And I KNEW this was a lifetime decision for him.  See I didn’t want to be with an addict.  But I did want to be with John, the real John, the sober John. 

Now 13 years later, married and with our 2 kids, we celebrate his sobriety anniversary and my birthday together. 

Here’s one thing I know for sure… our worst day now is better than our best day then. It isn’t always easy.  But it’s a lot better than it ever was.  And I am constantly reminded how hard we fought for this life. 

Reflecting on this day 13 years ago makes me even more grateful for every day of our lives together.  We’ve earned this time together.  We’re still constantly striving to be our best selves for each other.  And for our kids who deserve that version of us. IMG_8726

My birthday will forever remind me of Johns commitment to this life we have.  That we wouldn’t have if he didn’t choose it.  And if I didn’t choose him. 

For anyone suffering from an addiction there is hope.  And if you’re with an addict not all stories are as successful as ours.  But it is possible.  I hope you check in with your heart and make the choice that’s right for you. 

Celebrating John today and every day.  Celebrating this life we built together and every day that we get together.  46 years around the sun feels really good.