What's It Mean When Even Oprah Isn't Rich Enough?
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 4:42PM What Does It Mean When Even Oprah Isn’t Rich Enough?
There are 89 women billionaires on the Forbes list of richest people and only 14 of them are self-made. Seven of these women are from China. Oprah? She’s 400th on the list. What does it mean when even Oprah isn’t rich enough to qualify as one of the world’s richest women? Maybe not as much as you might think.
Money equals power and happiness, right? Well, let’s look at that belief. On the one hand, we’ve been taught that "money can’t buy happiness," but inside do we really believe that? Seventy-percent of CEO’s that answered this question responded yes. (I’m not sure how the average working woman would answer this question.) Yet, research from Dr. Edward Diener who conducted a 13 year study cited in Hoyt’s book The Ethical Executive, shows that "the amount of influence money has on our happiness is less than 2%."
What Does The Average Women Know That CEO’S Don’t?
I talk to women all day every day and what do I hear them saying about what they value? Time with family and friends, time for themselves, community and church involvement, caring for their home, animals, yards. I don’t hear that they LOVE making money, for the sake of making money. It’s what money can purchase for us, in terms of the above, that increases life satisfaction and fulfillment.
But, how much money is enough? We all know that struggling to pay the bills is no picnic. Peggy Orenstein, of the New York Times Magazine, says that financial independence is not a billion dollars, but somewhere around $40,000 a year. What? We have been socialized (trained) to think that the more we make the happier we’ll be, but it’s not true. Research shows that the happiness that comes from getting a raise or even winning the lottery lasts a short time (only 18 months even for lottery winners) and then we return to our previous level of happiness.
My coaching tagline is: "I support women to make more $$ and have more FUN." Am I saying we shouldn’t desire to make a good living? Not at all. But it is important to evaluate how much money you really need to be happy. The energy we expend on our business does take time away from the activities that bring greater life satisfaction. The question is how do we stay true to what we value and have more FUN doing while making money.
Upcoming Events
Are You Feeling Scattered, Distracted, Stressed or Stuck These Days?
Are You Having Difficulty in Any of the Following Areas?
When: Saturday April 24 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Springhill Suites 1901 W. Orangeburg, Modesto
Fee: $47.00 (Limited to first 20)
Register: Click here
Mid-Life Divas In Connection with Valley Wellness & Dr. Lisa Hunt
This monthly seminar is for you if you’re:
- Tired but wanting to feel energized, joyful & alive
- Running so fast, it’s hard to catch your breath
- Stressed and searching for alternatives
- Experiencing physical symptoms related to mid-life such as fatigue, weight gain, anxiety/depression, memory changes
- Stuck & wondering how to re-gain a sense of purpose
Seminar includes an assessment of health, wealth, happiness & purpose.
Lynn will share traditional & body-mind strategies in the spirit of fun, exploration and growth.
When: Wed May 5, 2010 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Valley Wellness Center 1300 Mable Ave., Ste. C, Modesto
Fee: $45.00
Register: Call Valley Wellness (209) 577-2799
Personal Note
Whew. What a month – There have been highs and lows. First the low: my husband, Dave, and I had to put our 14 year-old German Shepard, Maggie, to sleep. Really hard. I look for her every time I walk in the house. It’s amazing how much of a void her absence has created. She was a rescue dog and we were blessed to have her for 12 years. And, yes, we will welcome another dog into our lives sometime this year. Loving is always a risk, and one worth making.
The highs: It’s spring – sort of. It’s been chillier than usual this spring and the gift is that my white long stemmed tulips have lasted a month. I can almost taste the air on the warm days
as the aroma from the orange tree blossoms waft in through the window. Heavenly.
Spotlight
Kim Kelly, Professional Woman polo Player for 18 years and now successful real estate associate in La Quinta, CA.
I’m really happy and proud to spotlight my cousin Kim this month. You might know that there aren’t many women polo players in the world. This is for good reason – it’s one of the toughest and most dangerous of sports and it’s usually played only by those with lots of capital to buy and support all those ponies.
Kim played professionally, with the men, for 18 years. I saw the dedication, the drive, the plain hard-work it took for her to become the horse woman, polo player and business woman that she is today. While she no longer plays professionally, she still tournaments and recently was named MVP at the Women’s Championship Tournament at the Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, CA. She says “winning is extra fun and I was one of the oldest players in the games.”
Kim also sells real estate and works primarily with investors. Her tagline is "I’ve got what you want" and she does.
Check out her real estate blog www.k2sells.com. She’s an excellent writer and daily updates about what’s happening with the market.
Kim Kelly Cell 760-285-3578.
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