Inspired By Laundry - Turning my Baggage into BAG

"Mom!!!!!!! where is my tennis uniform?!?!" Yes, I am your mother and how would I know where you left your uniform? Logic would tell you that I picked it off of your bedroom floor, scattered with clean and dirty clothes, but these days doing laundry just isn't that important. Why do you think everyone in the house has 2 weeks supply of underwear? Hey I actually wore a dress to work the other day. Everyone asked me what the occasion was and I replied, "I didn't have anything else to wear and laundry day is 3 days away."

Well as usual the laundry has piled up and today was marathon laundry day. I really was in the zone, but thinking to myself why the heck do we own so many clothes that I can let laundry go this long? Seems pretty wasteful. That got me thinking about my closet. How many times have I thought to myself, "look at all these clothes"? Old, too small, too big, FLANNEL, pleats in the front that make my belly look puffy, out of date. I have been thinking this for at least a year.

A job I thought was going to take hours took exactly 2o minutes. Like I said I was in a zone today. Here's what I learned from letting go of the baggage of old unworn clothes.

1. Keeping a range of clothes sizes 8-16 whispers in your ear that you can not maintain a healthy weight for your life time. I gained some confidence today only keeping the stuff that fits today and will fit in a few months because I will strive to become more fit and healthy.


2. If the weight I could lose equaled the weight of that pile of clothes I would be a size 0. Size 10-12 is more realistic.


3. Front pleats can not look good, even on a 100 lb runway model. PLEATS???WHY???


4. There is an irony in buying 20 plastic hangers from Wal-Mart one day and the next gaining 41 more which no longer hold old ugly clothes.


5. Your 6 year old son can be self sufficient and get his own snack (strawberries with sugar)when mom is busy on a mission.


6. A JUST DO IT attitude works when birthing babies AND cleaning out your closet.
   

Money, Power, Superwoman - All That and a Lifetime of Free Massages? I Think NOT!

If having money, being powerful, snatching up that promotion, and imitating Superman was all that and a lifetime of free massages we (women) would have gone up, up and away through that so called glass ceiling, scattering glass across corporate America and the blogospere. They're even talking about a glass ceiling for women bloggers, a topic at the Blogher conference. I'm not going to categorize all women together, but humor me while I generalize about this subject.

Let's go back to the 1943. World War II had taken away much of the manufacturing workforce needed to produce goods for the war. Rosie the Riveter was born out of the government's desire to summons women's patriotism. Women answered the call, "We Can Do It!" On average these woman worked for $31.41 per week, while men doing the same work earned $54.65. After the war most were told, "Thanks for your patriotism, now go back to your homes and let the men do their work."

Their act of patriotism probably did open many doors for women in the workforce, but I would have been fuming mad if I had been treated that way. I know exactly what I would have done with that energy. Set out to prove myself, which women have done and almost to a fault. I would say that today we misinterpret this icon to mean "We Can Do It All, with a baby on our hip, while running the household,while blah blah and blah blah blahing.

Rosie the Riveter, a believable strong women, has morphed into Superwoman, an unrealistic super hero. I love this iconic poster, but I am rethinking what it means to me and I hope you can look at it and find your own definition of being a strong successful women, whether you are in corporate America, run your own business or orchestrate a somewhat smooth running household.

Here's my Believe Act Go challenge to you today. Don't be a Yes lady and pile one more layer of Kryptonite on top of your Superwomen mentality. Be your own, Lois Lane, and try a few of these strategies.

1. Learn some lessons from our "sometimes" smarter halves - Men usually do not ask permission to engage in male bounding time. Schedule downtime to be with yourself or girlfriend(s) without asking permission. PUT IT ON YOUR SCHEDULE JUST LIKE TIMMY'S BASEBALL SCHEDULE. If we don't "schedule" this time we will fill it with more chores.
2. Success List - Write down what is really important to you. Maybe categorize them by your roles. Write down your typical actions. Connect the lists. Will your actions help you achieve the things that are important to you? Select an action that doesn't line up and stop doing it.
3. Can You Believe She... - Your BAG (Believe Act Go) is not her BAG. Her BAG is not your BAG. Women have a tendency to be hard on each other. This can add to our guilt because we value other women's opinion. Often we are reflecting our own fears onto other women. Next time you start to say, "Can you believe that so and so........STOP and think why you care. Replace with, I can't believe I .....
4. Ask for Help - Asking for help is not, I repeat, IS NOT a sign of weakness. Many times we hesitate to ask for help and before we know it we are in over our heads and reach a state of being overwhelmed. Overwhelmed? Ask for help.
5. Balance Your Roles - When you're not fulfilled in one role we tend to over compensate in another. Re-balance your roles and energy spent in each worthwhile role.
6. Take your own best advise.

I have found that when you have spent 15 years working towards a somewhat borrowed belief that success = a new home, new cars, promotions and buying your children pretty much anything they want, it takes a little time letting go of that false sense of security.
A wise women once told me (in not so many words) that it is not our beauty that gives us our strength. It is our strength that give us our beauty.

What's Your BAG Age? - Oh Those Summer Days

Ditch your dog years and act like a child. I like to think I am at my best when I am acting my Believe Act Go ages of 12-17. I discovered my true self during those years. I hadn't fully buried my Born Beliefs with Bought and Borrowed Beliefs. THINK ABOUT THOSE SUMMER DAYS FROM YEARS PAST AND DITCH YOUR DOG YEARS and unearth your Buried Born Beliefs.


Friendship, teamwork, road trips, goofy times between games. I had these experiences and so is my daughter. Watching her play sports with her friends and being herself with her friends is a source of great joy for me. She is so much like me and as I have been looking deep inside myself these days the more I feel, I need to be more like her (me). The more in touch I am with myself the closer I am to her.

Several weekends ago we were busy with a soccer tournament and taking my daughter to church camp. It beaconed me back to unforgettable summer days that journeyed me towards womanhood. These days were some of the most fun and memorable days of my life. Reflecting on these days, as my daughter approaches teenage-hood, puts a huge smile on my face and in my heart.

Between soccer games we took the opportunity to relax under a small retractable tent. My son and husband were tossing a football, my daughter and her friend were recharging for the next game laying on the blanket listening to tunes and I was sitting back soaking it all in. Other games were being played; cheers, whistles and younger siblings were playing and laughing.
Rewind 25 years. Nothing wore me out like swimming with my friends on a hot summer day. I would retreat to my towel oasis to apply the sun tan lotion and eat a snack. The warmth of the sun made my eyelids heavy. I fell into a state, which couldn’t be called sleep and knowing what I know today, it could have been considered a state of meditation.


Back to 2008, I take my turn lying on the blanket under the tent. I close my eyes as my senses soak in everything and hearing a distinct sound seals the deal. I hear a plane overhead. Weird! I can’t pin point why that sound brought on this overwhelming feeling of days gone by. I just accept the power of all my senses and am grateful that they brought me back to reflections of these days.

Smell of Fun in the Sun

I am left wondering who invented the smell of sun tan lotion/sunscreen? On a side note, I have a strange attraction to the smell of rubber. The only thing I can think of is that I had the hots for a guy who worked on cars. My girlfriend and I would hang out with the guys at the car shop that stocked tires.

Feeling – JOY

All of this left with an overwhelming feeling of joy that weekend. I am so grateful for my children. I have much to learn from them. To be me I need to be more like them.

Let’s spread joy, shred fear and have more fun!!!

From Baggage to BAG - My Husband Doesn't Mow the Lawn. That's OK!

Traditionally the man of the house mows the lawn, but I am happy to take the job. And all those single mothers out there with young children are thinking what's the big deal. We can watch the children and mow at the same time and by the way we shovel the snow too.

10 thoughts that turn my baggage of my husband not mowing the lawn to my Believe Act Go fuel.

#10 - I enjoy seeing the spiders and crickets arise from the depths from the vibration.

#9 - It beats sitting on my butt in my windowless office all day.

#8 - Hubby spends 50% of his days outside. This gives him more couch time. Good for him.

#7 - This is one of the few times when it's ok to go in circles.

#6 - It avoids getting a nasty letter from the city. They are anti-jungle.

#5 - It avoids nasty glares from our lawn anal neighbors. I do not mow at an angle and I only fertilize once a year. I like mowing but not that much.

#4 - I mow the weeds at the same time I mow the grass. 2 for 1 YAH!!!

#3 - I consider this as "me" time. The humming is very thought provoting.

#2 - I can say that I sweat without lying. I actually feel sweat drip down my legs.



#1 - I get an instant sense of accomplishment. I need a few easy wins in my life.

Your BB's - Born, Buried, Borrowed, Bought Beliefs

We carry different kinds of B's along with us in our Traveling Sanctuaries. We have a mixture of all these BB's.

• Born Beliefs·
• Buried Beliefs
• Borrowed Beliefs
• Bought Beliefs

What does a baby believe? Well at first probably just that they need food, a dry diaper and a warm blanket. Soon we notice they have their own special personality and as they grow they become so acutely aware of their Born Beliefs. And just as soon as they become aware, the world influences can turn those born beliefs into Buried Beliefs. Conform, conform, conform, conform, young grasshopper! Hey, I know it's difficult riding that fine line between guidance and conformity, but what a gift in nurturing a child's uniqueness. I have my own evidence that I was born with a belief in my true self, but that's a long story that I can share at a later date.
As I'm writing this, I'm listening to XM 70's on 7. 70's music totally unearths my Buried Belief that I am one funky mamma. Just give me a dance floor and disco ball. John Travolta has nothing on me! (random thought, as my daughter would say)

Your born beliefs may be just below the surface or they may be buried deep. If your parents didn't bury your born beliefs, you may have buried them yourself with Borrowed and Bought Beliefs the world was offering. Hey, they even hand out free B's, just look at the media. Too bad they didn't come with a warning. "By accepting this bought or borrowed belief you may need to surrender your born given right to your own B". It has been my experience that when I was afraid to be myself or afraid that what I had to offer wasn't enough, I bought and borrowed beliefs that were not my own.

Buying and borrowing is not all bad. There is hope for these B's. Buy and borrow things that fuel your own B and that you can afford. But, if the stuff (affectionately called cr_p) you buy distracts you from acting on your born beliefs, reassess and reprioritize. Here's an example. If we buy this camper we will spend time together as a family, we will enjoy the outdoors together and become a closer family. Well, the camper will not make this happen. Your born belief that family time is valuable, should be realized before buying the camper. The camper should be the fuel for that born belief, not the thing that robs the fuel.

We Believe we have born beliefs, buried beliefs, borrowed and bought beliefs. We will Act on our born and buried beliefs. We will fuel our Traveling Sanctuary with bought and borrowed beliefs that align with our true selves. Action will shred fears that disguise themselves as beliefs. And finally, GO GIRLS GO!!!

GIVE ME A "B"!

Why Be a Yes Lady When You Can Be an OH Yes Lady?

Copyright Kim Lampe 2008

I've got a small little challenge you can't pass up. I'm looking for my founding Believe Act Go Ladies who will be very influential in defining the direction of my outrageously crazy, fun venture. Modern B.A.G. Ladies provides women with their daily dose of Believe vitamin and charge women to Act, because women deep down desire to Go to places they thought were only in their dreams. We will spread our new found joy, shred our own and other's fears and just have more fun. We are real! We are not yes ladies! We are OH YES Ladies and it feels damn good!

I could bore you with all the details now but what FUN would that be. Instead I'll just give you a little taste of an OH Yes moment and A B.A.G. Challenge.

One of my recent OH Yes Moments: The other day I sent a very good friend of mine a little crazy challenge just to lighten up the day. I challenged her to sing her song even if she didn't know all the words. You know, bang your head kind of singing your song!! The next day she left me a singing voice mail. I love laughing out loud in my office all by myself (she inspires this laughter thing in me often). It makes people wonder what the heck I'm doing in there. Well, I had to Google the lyrics to the song. I emailed them to her (adding some of my own words) because she obviously didn't know all the words but that really didn't matter.

My OH Yes followed the B.A.G. & the B.A.G. fuels more OH Yes: Why did I send that little message to my friend? Everyone needs a little help Believing in themselves. When I do not Act on my belief that I am here to spread joy, shred fear and have more fun I am not being my true self. When I do the B and the A, I Go to the place where my dreams meet my reality.

Copyright Kim Lampe 2008

Who Is This BAG Lady Anyway?

You're probably wondering who the heck is this BAG Lady and why is she writing these posts. Well there was no election, so I wasn't voted in as "THE" BAG Lady, but there in lies the beauty of it. All women are welcome and there's no test, no panel of experts and no debates. I just basically volunteered because I've observed the women around me seeking some Believe Act Go power. I thought, "Self, we (women) could use some collective BAG. My sincere hope is that I can inspire

the Belief in yourself
the desire to Act
the vision to Go where your dreams meet your reality



If you find the information helpful I am honored to provide it to you. If you have suggestions on topics to address, let me know.


Q & A Time.....
Q: Are you a certified mental health professional? A: NO

Q: Are you an expert at anything? A: Yes my life, but aren't we all even during the icky cycles.

Q: Do you follow the advise you give? A: To the best of my ability. Try Try Try. Small Change = Big Benefits

Q:What fuels your Believe Act Go? A: Top 5 - Family, Friends, Music, Solitude, Taking Action. I try to balance my fuel tank level with my fuel consumption. Running on E means I'm outside of myself pushing my life up hill. I better get in better shape because this happens sometimes.


Here's some other stuff about me that isn't too interesting, but go ahead if you're interested in reading some boring resume kind of stuff.

Kim Lampe is the founder of Modern BAG Ladies. She was determined not to be a casualty of corporate America. Her journey through life and business has prepared her to trade in TEAM CORPORATE for TEAM WOMEN. She is grateful for her 20 years experience in corporate America. MBAGL puts a unique spin on her acquired leadership skills to the benefit of women. She adapts her experience with business process improvements, customer service operations and leadership skills to the MBAGL model. She's not redefining myself, but rather realigning her inner purpose with her outer purpose, which is helping women experience more OH YES moments.

Spread Joy! Spread Fear! Have More Fun!

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