Family Wealth Secrets Online Magazine

On a lighter note … happy “birth” day to me

Not only is it Halloween week, but it’s birthday time in the Neely house – Kaia’s birthday is Thursday and mine is coming up on the 17th of this month.

7 years ago, we were living in Miami, Florida while I clerked for a Federal Court of Appeals judge and I was 8 months pregnant. My body was clearly telling me that I wasn’t going to be pregnant for another 4 weeks as I was supposed to be. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I knew I was having a baby soon.

That Halloween I was the right shape to dress up as a pumpkin, but instead of trick or treating, we went to the hospital to have a baby. It turns out my water broke a teeny bit and to be “safe” – the doctors decided it was time for Kaia to be born. Kaia wasn’t actually born until November 2 – tomorrow.

And, yes, I was in labor that whole time; until we finally decided a c-section was in order. It happens 29.1% of the time in hospital births, so I decided to use a birth center with Noah, but you’ll have to wait until March to hear that birth story. Happy Birthday Kaia!

We had Kaia’s birthday party at the office on Saturday and with 44 kids in her class, it’s a good thing we have such a big lawn! I’m so busy that I had no time at all to plan the party, so I used the party planning services of a good friend and client of mine – Karen Patton of Born to Be Wild Parties.

Karen made pulling off this party with apparent ease and grace a breeze. The key here is “apparent ease and grace.” Karen did all the work; I got all the credit – the perfect combination of delegation and recognition for the busy mompreneur.

Honestly, the only way I am able to run my business, raise my kids and not go insane is because I have help from some amazing people in my life. First and foremost, Susan Odle – you all know her as Martin Neely & Associates Client Services Director. I’d be hard pressed to keep the office going without her, that’s for sure. And, I’m blessed beyond belief to have Melody Elder’s daughter Anna helping raise my kids. What a gift Anna is to my family.

I found these special women the same way I’ve wound up with everything good in my life. Clarity about what I wanted. It’s the key to everything really. Every single time I’ve found myself with the feeling of missing something in my life, I’ve gotten real clear about what I wanted and it showed up – every time! Of course, sometimes getting clear about what you want is the hard part.

Here’s a strategy I use with great success. Spend time sitting quietly by yourself and in your mind imagine your life without fear - a life without fear of running out of money, a life without fear of not having enough time, a life in which you are totally supported for any decision you make by all the people around you. Then, consider what you would want under those circumstances. Try not to judge whatever comes up because whatever it is – it’s what you want and you never have to hide that from yourself.

And, the first step to getting what you want is knowing what it is. Next week, I’ll share with you the best strategy I know of to get what you want once you know what it is.

Have a great week!

Dedicated to Your Family’s Well-Being,

Alexis

PS – If you want all of the appearance of ease and grace at your child’s birthday party without any of the effort, call Karen Patton from Born to be Wild parties at 310.281.3386 or check out her website – www.BornToBeWild.Biz or email her at Karen@BornToBeWild.Biz. Karen couldn’t have made my daugther’s birthday party any easier for me – thank you Karen!