Giveaway | Life & Love – creating the dream

Giveaway in collaboration with Business Mamas

With Christmas just around the corner and the year quickly drawing to a close, now is the perfect time to have a brief look back at the past year before returning my focus to the future. A future that is about to look a whole lot different thanks to my ongoing studies with Business Mamas.

I’m currently half way through my 12 month online Business Diploma studies with Business Mamas and finally on the right track for my new and improved online business (launching in 2016). A business that will have me working smarter not harder to create the dream. A dream where I can stay true to myself and my ‘family always comes first‘ values. A dream that has me continuing to help others in my own quirky way. A dream that is so very close, I can almost taste it.

Mind you there is still a lot of hard work ahead of me and like any business start up, it isn’t going to be all smooth sailing but thanks to my studies and my Business Mamas mentor, I might be following my dreams but my head isn’t stuck in the clouds. I’m more grounded than I’ve ever been. I’m feeling ready for just about anything life can throw at me.

Life certainly has thrown more than a few curve balls my way this past year but with the curve balls have also come some amazing opportunities and inspiration. Even if I haven’t been able to say ‘YES’ to each and every opportunity, I continue to be inspired.

Inspiration for me comes in all shapes and sizes. I’ve been fortunate enough this past year to meet and be inspired by some amazing people. Far and wide. Virtual and in real life. Just recently it was an evening with Oprah. I must confess, I’m still digesting my second encounter with Oprah (yes I flew to Sydney five years ago for her show at the Opera house) and while there were several inspirational take homes from her latest show in Perth and not a gifted car in sight, I’m not sure I was ready to hear all of them.

If I’m honest, I struggle with the whole finding your purpose. It’s a lot like ‘find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life’. Sounds ideal. Find a job that follows your passions and you will be on easy street… but seriously, it’s not that easy and not an option for everyone. Even if you discover what you love in life and make it your career, it’s still a job. What job doesn’t require a whole lot of hard work and effort, even if you love what you are doing?

After 22 moves across the country, mainly following hubby and his career, I’ve never really had the opportunity to even think about what I really wanted to do. It’s always been about finding what opportunities were available and would slot in with our three under three girls. Always taking into consideration the limited and expensive child minding on offer and the fact that we were never near extended family.

Throw into that mix, the contract work and constant fear that we may need to move every 12 to 18 months. It doesn’t lend itself to thought out career options on my part, more seeking opportunities. More often than not, needing to find opportunities where none actually existed. Cue my Virtual Assistant business, which had me doing virtually anything for virtually anyone. No where near my dream job but it certainly kept me busy.

Thankfully this year, Mr C’s job here in Perth officially became permanent. It means no more short notice moves across the country. No more uprooting our girls. No more excuses for why I can’t follow my passions with a passion. But it still means lots of trips to sea for hubby. It still means I need to put family first, even though our girls are now all in high school.

With my girls a little older and Mr C now permanent, I found myself at a career crossroad and increasingly unsatisfied with the virtual assistant work and mystery shopping.

All I knew was the career I’d studied hard for and made my mark in, before having a family and taking on VA work, wasn’t exactly family friendly or going to make me happy. Especially with Mr C still spending a lot of his time on survey ships in the middle of nowhere the Indian ocean, leaving me here in Perth to single parent for big chunks of time.

I had lots of great ideas, I’d found a bit of a gap in the market. It was in a field I loved. It was hard not to be excited and run with things but I was a bit overwhelmed by the opportunities unfolding and clueless as to where to start.

The Business Mamas course fell in my lap at just the right time. Although I must confess, when I was contemplating taking on an online 12 month business diploma, I was concerned that after all this time (over 20 years), I’d left things too late.

My only real regret… I wish I’d started sooner!

Take it from me, if you are thinking about taking the first step to launching a micro business or starting the next big business sensation to live happy, work happy, be happy, there really is no time like the present. You should definitely touch base with the Business Mamas team, where it’s all about you and your goals!

If the course and my blogging endeavours have taught me anything… it’s never too late to put yourself first and follow your dreams. For the first time, in such a long time, Business Mamas has me following my dreams and they look a whole lot different to what I ever imagined. A whole lot better in fact.

Business Mamas & Me?

An online business school targeted to busy mums like myself, that are keen to get their business off the ground or take their existing business to the next level. All starting with a firm foundation. A foundation to fit your lifestyle.  A fully flexible and workable plan of attack amongst the family chaos. The Business Mamas’ business diploma is setting me on the right business path, one that includes that family/work/life balance I know we all crave.

It’s the work at your own pace flexibility of the course and the top quality support on offer that has impressed me the most with Business Mamas. You really can achieve great things with the right tools and support and the business diploma is certainly ticking all the boxes and filling in all the gaps.

I’m really excited about what is to come and will continue to blog about the course and my new business endeavours in 2016. As always, I will be following my keeping it real approach to life and the blog. This will include the good, the bad and the ugly.

Considering this is the biggest undertaking, study wise for me in over 20 years, I was expecting to be sharing a lot more ugly while I found my feet but the Business Mamas team and my dedicated coach/mentor for the program have certainly been helping me ease into study and business plans.

Dream a little dream with Business Mamas & Me GIVEAWAY

I’ve shared a lot of my hopes, dreams and chaos over the past year. Now it is your turn…

Business Mamas have a copy of Lisa Messenger’s inspiration book

Life & Love, Creating the Dream for one of my readers.

TO WIN…

Comment below, letting me now what your dream career would be and how 

Business Mamas could help you achieve your dream.

• Game of skill
• Open Australia Wide
• One Winner
• Entries Close 20/01/16

MORE MORE MORE!!! Head over and case our Aussie Giveaway Linkup. There are some fabulous prizes up for grabs this month, including my ‘All I want for Christmas is…’ giveaway as my end of year giveaway party continues.