WHY NOT TRY IT?

When I was 20, I started working as a radio DJ. Sure, all men said it’s not a woman’s job and I won’t make it. 10 years later I am still doing this, pretty well I might add. Same happened with taking Karate lessons and being a good karateka, starting web design and now owning a web design business and a over 30 site network. Sure, most people who dared comment said I won’t make it.

Before you renounce your dreams and hopes, why not do the best thing you can and TRY? There are some things I’d also have in mind:

Why does he/she say I can’t do it?

Maybe he/she is envious, maybe he/she doesn’t know what’s all about. Most people are very good with coming with solutions, especially when they have no idea about the problem. Do the people who try to keep you from doing something new really know you that better? Do they have experience in that area? Are they JUST JERKS?

What do I need to have in mind before starting doing it?

When it comes to driving a car, you need to take lessons and that license. When it comes to starting on a new sport regime, you should try see your doctor first and know you can exercise. Most of the time you’re healthy and there’s no reason not to try it. For a new business venture you need some money and to know that business. Get to reading, get to solving all the problems and then GO FOR IT!

Accept advice, don’t accept negativity.

When someone you know comes with constructive advice and ideas, take it into account, when they just try to tell you once again ‘it’s a lost cause’, just stop talking about it. You need REASONS to know why they think you won’t make it. Try to ask them about these reasons and see how many can actually tell you something real and not realize they don’t have any, just the fact they don’t want you to try. Their not wanting you to try is no reason, so mind your own business and again: DO IT!

And sometimes, it’s true .. you can’t do it.

From all the things I wanted in live some were accomplished and some not. I wanted to be: a teacher, karate instructor, web designer, I wanted to be able to drive a car like a “man” and also work as a radio DJ. I don’t teach (even if I have studied for this for 9 years), because I realized this is not something I’d do. I don’t like working in a class that much, so I just moved on. I won’t be a karate instructor ever, because of my health issues (bad back) and the fact I won’t be able to train as much as I’d need to become more proficient. It’s been a dark day, when I realized this, but now I know. Still, many other things I had in mind now are reality and I am GOOD in all these areas.

I am always happy I DID TRY to accomplish anything I had in mind. Sure, some of the things that were important to me won’t ever be real, but at least I did my best. I never took anyone’s advice that I won’t make it, I knew what I had to do and did it.

Instead of letting others run your life, why not KNOW what you want from it and GO FULL SPEED? Not succeeding is better than knowing you were never this strong to at least try.

I am 30 right now, have been sexually active for more than 10 years (late starter, I know). Number of sexual contacts? Never counted them, still, a lot, normal for a person who’s been into steady relationships all this time. Number of abortions? ZERO!

There are many women who had the same “luck” and there are also many who were forced to think about a way to not give birth to the unwanted child. I have friends who still think ‘it’s not gonna happen to me’ and I know many who still get pregnant, even if they say they were careful.

When I started growing up, even if I didn’t have a boy friend, I read ALL I COULD about this subject. I knew most of the contraception methods and what and when could go wrong. And I was always scared there are huge chances of something to go wrong.

Normally a pesimistic mindset is not something I’d like to have, but in this case I always thought I don’t have any luck, so why take a chance? If I just felt like the condom broke, I took the “second day pill”, just in case. After this love style proved to be too adventurous for me, I went on the pill and took it religiously. It’s working like a charm.

I knew a woman who’s same age as I am and I taught her (she was 26 back then) about the pill, the “second day pill” if something goes wrong and other contraceptives. She has a kid (7 years old) and had 6 abortions in just few years. She was shocked to find so much information, a bit too late if you ask me. All her life she enjoyed the good sex without thinking about the consequences. When she got pregnant the last time and wanted to keep the baby (she was married now and the little boy she had wanted a little sibling) she miscarried. She’ll never be able to give birth again from complications after all these abortions.

My advice for any woman is simple: never think “it won’t happen to me”, because it might happen. When I was 20, getting pregnant would be the end of the world. I had a not so well paid job and also was in college and knew it would be a tad difficult to also take care of the baby. I was so scared about this, I took all precautions I could and I don’t regret it. I still enjoy  making love and know I am safe. I had the worst case scenario in my mind and was careful for it to not happen.

There is no place for recklessness or “luck” in this matter. If pregnancy happens you have to deal with a lot of possible issues and life changing decisions. An abortion is a traumatic experience and, if you can prevent it, why not try? Why just have fun and leave it all to chance?

After finishing the first 8 years of school it came the time to chose a high-school (this is the system in Romania). My folks told me that becoming a primary school or kindergarten teacher would be a pretty good choise: it’s a nice “warm” place, I love kids, I can earn a wage and be able to sustain myself financialy. We were very poor back then and it was a good deal.

I was able to get into the high-school after a grueling set of aptitude exams and the normal set of tests anyone would have to pass. It was hard, but I made it. I had to stay there for 5 years (as compared to the “normal” schools, where the high-school years were just 4).

All went fine, I graduated and was ready to also try some college. After 5 years of learning how to be a good teacher I turned my back on this and wanted to go into the radio business. My folks were shocked, mad, you name it. I went to a local radio station and made it through the interview and the voice tests. I was accepted there, at 20, the youngest and the only one with absolutely zero radio experience.

I wanted to learn so I worked like crazy. For half an year I didn’t get paid at all since I was in some sort of a trial period and my family was mad at me. Instead of a small wage, but still money, I was working 5 times more then I would do in a class and got paid nothing.

Yes, I was into a good “business” indeed.

Still, I knew that once I was accepted as a full time employee I would get paid. After 6 months I was approached by one of the executives there and he told me they all have studied my progress (it was an amazing one and I could stay at the same level with people with 15 years experience) and they were pleased to tell me I will be hired officially. The new shows schedule was ready and I was the first one to be asked to chose a “spot”.

Hard work had paid off. I was earning 4 times more than I would as a teacher and was also in college to (maybe) turn into a high-school / college teacher. My folks still had the dream I’d be a professor one day and I wanted to go to those courses.

I have finished college and remained in the radio station. My wage was still superior to any professor I knew and I knew that I don’t want to go to this career if I can prevent it, even if I had now 9 years of hard work and studies.

Six years ago I started my first site. It was (and still is) a hobby and after some time I realized I like this. I created some more sites, got some very very small clients (who paid though), so after some time it was clear to me: I love web design and web business and I want to grow in this area too.

Last year I made all the official papers to start my very small web design firm. I am the only one still, I don’t have a fancy office, but I work more and more and develop step by step. I still keep the radio job (it pays well and it’s not taking too much of my time), but I am thinking about the day when I’ll leave this too and go full speed on my web design venture. It would be the second time I leave a career (I have worked for 10 years already, it’s not an easy step to be made) to go on something better.

I don’t regret any of my moves, I am better each day and earn more. For me it was important to see the opportunities and try to go there. Sure, I kinda regret spending 9 years to become a teacher and 10 years in the radio business, just to leave these. I have 6 years of web design and maybe one day I will find something better, that would keep me busy and happy.

Many of the people I know are scared to try something new, even if with no risks. They are happy where they are, even if they know it’s a “dead end street” and they can do better.

One of the few people I know who weren’t scared to take the plunge is a coleague from high-school. She worked for years as a teacher on a miserable wage and last year started working (first part time, then full time) at a tourism company. She was a guide on the route to Greece and then she was noticed and offered an exec. job in the company. The wage is at least 5 time bigger than in the previous teacher job and she is now accomplished. The teacher’s wage was very small, this one lets her afford a better life.

She confessed she still thinks about the old job, because she “wasted” all these years there. I asked: “Are you happy on the new job? Do you earn way better? Than what?” and she replied she never looked at this like this. Sure, we love our old dreams and maybe got fond of a job. But when you find something way better, that also makes you happy, why not take the leap?

My coleague is enjoying more the perks of a better job, even if she never prepared for this. I am embracing my new careers and am curious to see what lays ahead. Maybe in 10 years I’d like to become a lawyer or a boxer. Who knows?

What I know is that I won’t look behind. Not at the poverty, not at the years spent for a job, not on old jobs or work places. I will look in the future and be prepared to embrace whatever new comes in my way. Maybe I won’t die a web designer, there are so many possible careers to chose from

And when it comes to more than just a one night stand, a woman thinks about the “perfect” guy and tries to find him in the man she dates. Sure, many women might want the impossible (we all dream about the best looking guy, filthy rich, a genius too, awesome in bad and with great manners) .. what’s wrong with this? Nothing.

Still, when it comes to the regular guys (we don’t meet Prince Charming that easy), it’s important to have lesser expectations, but still know what to look for in him. I never wanted a very handsome guy or a rich one (had both these in a guy I dated and none of the “qualities” made for a perfect relationship. In the end it was about me and him and not being able to function as a couple, beauty and money sometimes even got in the way). Still I had my own “list” of things I wouldn’t stand in a guy and I never dated a guy who broke one of my “rules”.

Almost seven years ago I broke up with a man after almost 3 years together. He wanted to start a family, I was a committment phobic (or at least I didn’t want to get married and start acting like a wife), so we broke up. I wasn’t able to offer him the family he wanted and it was better to part ways. We are still friends and, even if we don’t meet often, there is still space for a “hello” and “how are you”.

So, getting back to our story: I was alone and don’t know how, but most men I came in contact with KNEW this, even if I didn’t say anything. And sure, all were interested. I had 2 guys who were in a relationship and wanted to date me, which almost made me kick their butts, and 5 other ones who were single and nice guys.

I was like Snow White with the seven dwarfs. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by men who all wanted be to be their lover and again for the first time in my life I took the advice from one of them: “Ramona, act like a man. Have a list and look for the qualities and things you dislike in a man. Then see the result”.

For a woman it’s difficult to keep lists, but I took the advice and I found it to be pretty nice. Here is how my small list looked like:

• he’s not very handsome (I don’t need a “prince”), but he has to look nice. I am very skinny and tall, he needs to be at least as tall as me (this got one of the guys off the list, he was way shorter than me)
• I don’t need a rich guy (I earn my own money), but I want him to be employed and serious about this. I was 23 back then and wanted a guy who did earn his money. I wouldn’t be a burden to anyone, but I didn’t want to work for 2 people right from that moment.
• it’s important for us to be able to discuss something more than the weather. I have read quite a lot in my life and I need a guy who would intelectually challange me too. I could ignore the fact he hasn’t been to college for instance, but he needs to be a smart guy and with a good sense of humour. For me a lover is also a good friend, we need to connect and be able to have a decent conversation and a good laugh. I am looking for a “partnership” too, not just sex.
• I might have nothing against him smoking (even if I don’t), but I won’t stant to be with a guy who gets drunk. I have a phobia when it comes to alcohol and would never ever accept a guy with (even a mild) drinking problem.
• I don’t fight, I discuss calm all the issues. I dislike a drama queen and men who need to shout or break something to get their opinion heard. I will not accept such a guy, nor will I accept to be scared he might slap me.

Overall I think these are “normal” requirements for a guy. As you can see, I don’t want Mr. Perfect, but I do want a guy I can rely on to and who would make me happy.

I was able to cut from the list 4 guys. One was a bit of a drinker, another one wasn’t from the city and would move after finishing college (I was looking for a long term thing, not a summer), another one wasn’t too serious when it came to employment and lived off his parents even if it would have been normal to earn his own money.

Weird as it might seem, in the end I didn’t get any of the “finalists”. My current BF appeared out of the blue and till now (7 years after) I can tell you he is the perfect guy. He is a very sweet man, has a very nice baby like face, he’s as tall as me, works hard and is able to sustain us both if needed. He’s one of the smartest guys I know and always makes me feel like a kid when compared to his extensive knowledge. We laugh all day and share the same wicked sense of humour. We drink 1 beer together, he even stopped smoking, just because he didn’t feel like smoking anymore.

It’s important I think to draw a line, to create a realistic list of qualities and stick to it. Maybe the height issue is not that important (I know so many couples where she’s way taller and they love each other a lot), maybe the age thing matters less, but getting together with a womaniser or a raging alcoholic is wrong. Just think there are less chances for you to change this guy and, if you want a long term relationship or even marriage, you need to chose carefully.

And no, the good guys are not all married or gay, so there is always a chance to find your own ‘mr. right’.

How does your “list” look like? What are the things you wouldn’t accept in a guy?

Before you enter such a life changing regime, let’s try to set the record straight in some aspects you might not know or just wished to ignore.

1. Not all slim women look normal.

I can give you at least 2 names to support my theory: Calista Flockhart (Ally Mc Beal) and Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy). Please tell me these two look like normal healthy women and I’ll just go to sleep.

So, not all you see is right and healthy. I assume you also know that most magazines use a nice software (I also use in my designs) called Photoshop. Aside creating amazing website layouts (yep, needed to push myself a bit again) Photoshop is used to brush out some skin imperfections and also make huge thighs looks less “imperial”.

Would you like to look just like an anorexic chick you saw on TV or like an image that has been edited, thus unreal? Nope, because you’re smart and you know better.

2. What’s your healthy weight?

Nope, no one tells you this. Maybe you don’t know it, but for some people for instance, being a bit “chubby” is healthy. I had a Karate instructor years ago. She was a bit smaller then me (height wise) and had 15 kilos more than I did. I am 1.70 m high and weigh 50 kilos. She was shorter and a bit “stronger”.

You know what? She had her perfect weight such as I did. For me this “combination” has been going on since I was a teen. I gain 2-3 kilos and lose them afterwars, naturally without caring too much about this. I am not on a diet, sometimes I eat less and “stress” more and it shows. When I get to eat a decent meal and maybe rest some more, I start looking better with 2-3 kilos more.

My instructor was on a diet some years ago and she was sick afterwards. She was one of the best athletes I saw in my life and would outrun me at any second. Seeing she’s almost fainting at 55 kg, she realized this weight is not for her. So, she reached her healthy and normal weight and felt right.

So, it’s again tricky: I look good and feel Ok at 50 kilos, but you might get really sick. Your body might need more for it to function normally, so always take yourself into account and not other women’s situation.

3. If you want to start losing that weight, start now.

We all know those “new year resolutions”. I have tens of them and never achieve anything. So I just decide to do something NOW and will do it. I don’t wait for my birthday anymore, nor for Christmas.

If you have already decided to lose weight and took into account the things I wrote above, start moving into that direction NOW!

4. Don’t plan a “crash diet”.

I am sorry to bring you the sad news: if you want to look amazing the day after tomorrow and fit in that very very small dress, you should have thought about this months ago. Instead of killing yourself by not eating and depriving your body of all it needs to work properly, get a bigger dress and enjoy the party.

A diet is not something you achieve overnight. It’s something you work a lot for to achieve a desired healthy weight and then to keep it there. Losing weight can be done easy, but staying thin and fit, it’s another story.

We don’t aim for short results that might get you into the ER faster than you can say “hungry”, we focus on something you will work on and achieve step by step.

5. This is your new lifestyle!

As I said before: you can lose weight, gain it back, then lose again or you can lose it once and then keep it that way. If you want a new life, you have to be able to live it. It’s not easy for someone who gains pounds easier, everyone knows. I can eat junk food a lot and not gain anything more than I should have. Others just look at food and the weight piles on. It’s not fair, that’s true. But this is your life and, in order to live a new one, you have to be prepared to succeed on the long run.

Instead of letting yourself starve in all kinds of diets, try to think about this on the long term. You can’t make it to old age if you don’t eat for many years. So, instead of not eating and killing yourself, you can have a good healthy diet and also stay as thin as you want.

Which leads us too ..

6. The diet.

If you think eating just carrots for 2 weeks to lose pounds is gonna make your body happy, let me know how it works. You cannot renounce the “ingredients” your body needs, just because you want to lose 20 kilos in 3 days.

Don’t start dieting out of the blue, discuss with a nutritionist. It’s very important. You will put a lot of stress on your body with the new changes in your eating habit and you need to know how much you need to be healthy, what foods provide you with the vitamins and minerals and what’s a healthy eating plan.

Remember, it’s for a very long time (even for the rest of your life). Have a specialist advise you and be careful to any sign your body might give you that something is not OK. Don’t just stop eating, take a well planned diet and have the specialist guide you. It’s your health and even life we’re talking about.

7. No pain .. no gain, get your lazy behind to work out!

Sorry again for bringing more sad news. In order to have a chance to look like a godess and feel like one, we all need to work out. And, no matter how “cute” walking and taking the stairs are, we need to do some more. Sure, it’s a good idea to leave the elevator and take the stairs, try to walk some more, but, in order for your body to eat up the surplus and for you to shape it a Venus like body, you need sports.

I would gladly recommend aerobics and Tae Bo. Both mean a lot of running, jumping and kicking and, after successfully surviving (or just slightly fainting during the class), you will love it. The first classes are horrible. I am a fit person and still, after not working out for some months, I need a wheelchair to get home. Don’t get discouraged, you will make it. And, after some classes, you’ll start feeling amazing and believe me, if you keep it up, you will look amazing.

I took Karate for 5 years (will return in the dojo in 2 weeks and I am thrilled) and I felt awesome. I was skinny all my life, but the “look at her, she’s like a twig” kind of skinny. Since we’re only girls here: I had no abs, I had no ass.

After few months of sports I started looking pretty nice: good looking behind (firm and round), nice legs, flat abs. I wasn’t a twig anymore, I was “athletic”. This will also happen to you. Even if you won’t lose all the weight you will start walking more like an athlete, have firmer abs, nicer legs. It will show and you will be filled with energy.

So, don’t be afraid of this. If you find a nice gym you will just love it. With a professional trainer and some nice coleagues the hours will fly and you will curse the days you can’t be there to train with them. You don’t have to become a professional sports woman, you have to work out and start being healthy.

I am sure most of these things are familiar to you, but I felt it was my ‘duty’ to repeat them. Before you start with this weightloss plan, just know all the facts, get in touch with a good nutritionist, see your doctor and also have a chat. Prepare for this experience and be courageous. You want to do this, you know how to do this and, if you are walking this road one step at the time, it won’t be a very hard journey. You will make it!

Relationships are not as strong as they used to be, or at least the new woman doesn’t feel forces to live in an unhappy marriage for instance just “for the sake of the kids” or for fear she’d remain penniless.

We feel it’s normal to ask for more when it comes to our men, we feel it’s normal to be able to just turn and walk away when the relationships gets abusive or we just don’t see ourselves living with our lover or spouse.

This freedom still needs a solid foundation and many women who are still suffering from abuse can’t move away because they cannot support themselves. This is why we ask you: ARE YOU FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT?

Our projects is geared towards promoting the “super woman”: the one who’s still able to be a good wife and mother and also achieve success in her career. No, we don’t put down the “SAHM” woman (stay at home mother) since they have chosen their family before any other things, but we try to inspire them to have a bit of a financial independence too. Being at home doesn’t mean they can’t earn money, even if this is more of a “residual income” than a regular wage. And still, it’s important.

So many women who are living at home are able to run small “business” like projects, they bake or knit. Some trade stocks or run successful sites. An internet connection and a bit of time is all they need to make something. Or just the talent for some delicate work and dedication to create wonderful things.

Why is this so important in the end?

So many women are living happily with their supporting spouse and still we keep on telling them how important is to have they own money. Why do we care about this?

Sure, there are many women with amazing husbands and a perfect family life. They don’t care too much about this independence since they won’t need it. Still, for those who want to prepare for the worse times too, this is something that gives you faith in yourself.

I love earning money, I love it when I make more than my BF in some months. He’s proud of me and he knows that no matter what, I’ll never become a “burden” for him. We can plan vacations, we both have our own cars, we can go shopping knowing that, no matter what, there is some more money we can depend on.

I won’t discuss about society still forcing women to dedicate their lives to the family, instead of working as they like, it’s not our topic. There are many women who chose a “family life” and no one is forcing them, most important: THEY ARE HAPPY.

Still, I think some of them would also like to fill in some of the very little time left with something different than housework. Some are entrepreneurs who cannot just be a mom and a wife and need the thrill of earning some money, even if we talk small money here. For them, I have decided to try list some ideas that might help them into creating their own “make money at home” system. Sure, should you have more advice, please let us know.

1. Yes, you can make money by staying at home!

I am writing this article from home. My headphones on my ears, I am also watching “Ally McBeal” when tired of writing. This month my salary as a radio DJ went for my bank rates (I got a new car and will pay 250 Euro/month for 4 years) and the insurance for it. My entire salary. Still, I was able to withdraw some money from my Paypal account (300 USD once and I still have some more should I need) and be able to pay for the groceries and so on.

This money I make comes from my almost 40 site network (the blog you are reading is the latest project). As you can guess, I am typing on my computer (laptop to be more specific) in my bedroom. My dog is sleeping near me and the family is watching TV.

Yes, I make money at home. And so can you.

2. Now that we know YOU CAN make money by staying at home, let’s see WHAT you can do to earn money.

I am a lousy cook and I haven’t been knitting for 15 years at least. I am good with the PC though, I create sites, I write articles, I manage forums, install scripts, run a small web hosting/web design company (it’s just me there, don’t let the word “company” fool you).

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you are known to bake some yummy cakes, why not try to do some baking, have some friends “test” it and then maybe offer the cake to some nearby restaurant or grocery shop. Be careful to make it perfect and don’t worry: if it’s good, people will love it. Maybe your marmelade is amazing .. have you ever considered you might earn some money from selling some jars filled with this amazing stuff?

I had neighbours knitting all kinds of sweaters and caps, gloves, thick and colourful wool socks. They would sell them at the local market. Sure, it’s not a huge income, they can’t go on a cruise in Ibiza, but they can buy some good food or even purchase a skirt or a blouse.

When I was 17 and still in highschool my parents were struggling to offer me the least they could. We were very poor and I found out I know some English (I am a Romanian) and that I can earn some bucks from teaching others. No, I didn’t earn a lot, but I was able to buy myself some sport equipment I needed for school and a pair of jeans.

Now it’s your turn: see what you are quite good at and just prepare to earn some money: knitting, baking, teaching, baby-sitting, web development, blogging. ANYTHING you feel you have some experience and would provide a good result.

3. START working

You need to see what’s needed for your new business. Maybe a new computer, some good ingredients, coloured wool etc. See what the legislation in your area is regarding this rezidual income and prepare for some paperwork, if you want to do it correctly.

It’s a good idea to plan this, but don’t waste a lot of time thinking about this. Try to make some room for this in your already very busy schedule, so that you can also do this and not neglect your kids/family. Start slowly and try to reach your optimum pace. Don’t be afraid: you will make it, if you put your mind into it!

4. Let the people know!

Your new products/services need to be found by your clients. Approach a local diner to offer some samples, have a small party and “advertise’ the new cake, send some marmalade jars to the local shop. Tell ANYONE you can that you bake/cook/design/knit/sculpt etc. These will be your first clients or at least the ones to also help promote your work.

5. Prepare for it to become serious and learn to delegate!

I don’t think that insuccess is something you need to worry about. Your investments should be minimum and the work is something you already like. Even if it’s a very slow start, it’s still success. It will get better.

WAY BETTER.

Then you’ll have to face another problem: your small rezidual income ‘job” can become a full time job already, if things go well. You left the office or your regular job to become a happy wife/mother and now you have so many clients that you can’t sleep at night from all the work you need to do.

It’s time to think: would I do this or would I like to get someone to work for me, so that I can also get some rest?

You can always hire someone to do the things that need you less (”routine work”), but take a lot of your time. By now you should get a pretty nice income already that would suffice a decent life, maybe you earn more than your husband. It’s not impossible, now it’s the time to think about delegating though. Try to find someone to work with you and share some of the profit. You can also try cutting back work (should you wish to remain alone in the business), but it’s a better idea to work with someone you trust. Don’t let her/him manage too much, just the things that “eat” up time and someone else can also do.

There are success stories in this topic. Women who are still enjoying an amazing family life, raising their kids, being at home all the time and still managing to put some food on the table too. They are SAHM who also run a small business, who can be the entrepreneur they always wanted to be, while also being a mom and a wife as they wanted.

Are you such a success story? Share your journey with us. Do you believe you can do this?

For the women who are interested in “serious literature” this is just some chick lit that’s not gonna make you use your brains too much, but still it’s a good read for the modern woman.

Bridget is the “normal” woman if you like, the woman living in this society, still “forced” to be a perfect wife/mother but wanting to be something more too. A woman who’s trying to find true love, who wants to have the freedom to get into bed with a guy and still dreams of becoming a married woman eventualy.

Her life is not easy. She’s 33, almost all people her age are or should be married with children, her parents (mother especially) are expecting her to do her “duty” to the society, she’s the paria in most meetings since most relatives/friends are married and she’s still a “spinster”.

Her friends are more “normal” though, even if they are also either in an abusive relationship or plain gay. The normallity comes from their lifestyle in the end. They know to have fun (sometimes this has a hangover as the result), they disect each and every aspect of their lives while also being very well informed on the latest “news” in the “self-help” books area.

I found the book to be amazingly funny. A witty style and some unexpected expressions made me burst into laughter when reading it. And since I did read some of it on my way home while also walking (don’t ask, an old habit of mine), I had people stare at me because I wasn’t just “sleep walking” with a book under my nose, but was also laughing my self senseless.

I found many similar aspects in my life too and I am sure ANY woman who’s reading the book will have the same opinion as I have. We are not Bridget Jones altogether (I am not on a constant diet since I am skinny, I have 2 careers without the “accidents” she’s facing, never had to worry about a boyfriend since this autumn marks our 7 year anniversary etc.), but still most of us face SOME of the issues she’s facing.

Many older relatives of mine are still shocked to see my “way of living”, still consider pre-marital sex to be a very big sin, can’t understand how I make money from just “playing on my computer” etc. The idea in the end is to just focus on ourselves and on our own dreams and ideals, such as Bridget does. She’s got something in mind and she’s really trying to accomplish it. The mistakes she makes mare her HUMAN. She can’t keep on a serious diet, she can’t renounce smoking, her drinking habit also needs work.

But she’s planning her “bettering herself” action and does what a normal person does: tries. Sometimes she’s failing, sometimes we feel like she’s “there”. Sometimes WE feel like we’re there.

So, if you haven’t read the book, try it. The movie, even if more famous is still inferior to it.

Welcome to our Women blogs

Hello, I am Ramona. This is my “brainchild” (love this word) and I am so glad I was able to start it this soon. The idea came to me as I was lying on the beach in Croatia (will blog about this too, don’t worry and surely show you some amazing pictures) with nothing to do, except for turning my belly from one side to another to avoid a serious sun burn.

We already have our Women Only Forums project and I am so fortunate to have known some amazing gals there. This is a “sister” project if you will and we’ll do our best to do something that’s called “cross promotion” on these two. The forums will help our blogs grow and we’ll be able to chat even more about life as a woman on the community, not just these blogs.

The idea of this project is simple: we want to teach women to be sucessful in their lives and also find happiness. No, this is not a community of “gurus” or “wizards”, we are just people who are happy with our lives as women, who already have some life experience and love helping others find their way. You’ll read lots of “empowering” articles and praises for the “strong independent woman”. We don’t ditch the idea of a happy stay at home mom, we don’t even promote extreme ideas such as some feminist concepts. We try to find BALANCE and HAPPINESS and share our experience with you.

We want you to find out that life as a woman is a wonderful thing and that NO ONE has the right to abuse you or hinder your own spiritual growth. Most these ideas are personal, so please see them as that.

Feel free to comment on our articles and share your own experience. It would be amazing to get to know you well.