I stepped out of my comfort zone and all things Staging Diva in October and entered an international competition for Women in Business, the first time I’ve done anything like that in 22 years as an entrepreneur. Much to my surprise, I’m a finalist in 4 Stevie Awards categories:

* Best Mentor/Coach of the Year

* Best Entrepreneur of a Service Business Under 100 Employees

* Best Blog of the Year for Home Staging Business Report

* Best Canadian Entrepreneur

Does it sound silly to say that if I actually win, I’ll be bringing home a statue made by the same company that makes the Oscars? Even though winning is a long shot since I’m competing with much larger companies all over the world, I confess I’m a little bit giddy about the whole thing!

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful birthday wishes; turning 52 barely hurt a bit! Actually, so many of you rightly pointed out that we should be grateful for our birthdays, after all it means we’re still here!

Steve Jobs, who I’ve long admired, died the week before my birthday and was only a few years older than I am now. It’s amazing what he accomplished in so little time and it’s hard not to think of how much he still would have wanted to do had he lived another 30 years.

In a poignant eulogy, his sister remarked that we all “die in the middle of our stories.” I really took that as a powerful reminder that we need to be living OUR stories, not someone else’s, and we need to squeeze all the juice we can out of it.

As you look over the past year, how much of it was spent doing what you love? How much of it did you spend on autopilot? Does how you spend your time let you feel you’re making a difference in peoples’ lives? Are you so focused on money/security that you are willing to sell your soul for it? If you’re not happy with your answers to these questions, it IS within your power to change it.

In this month’s posts you’ll learn 3 tips to choosing the right name for your home staging business, how to prove you’re the right home stager to hire, and meet inspiring home stagers, including Jackie, an out-of-work teacher who turned a bakery decorating project into a home staging career!

Thank you for being part of the Staging Diva community, and I hope to continue to be a voice of possibility for you!

I welcome your comments below. Share your opinions and/or new story ideas and I hope you enjoy this month’s posts on the Staging Diva Dispatch blog, and that it helps you grab hold of your own dreams!

P.S. Don’t forget that my group coaching program, Staging Diva Dialog, is now open to all home stagers, whether you’re just thinking about getting into the business or you’ve been at it for years. Learn how you can join us on the next call here! Hey, not only do I have 22 years experience supporting myself from a home office (9 of them as a home stager), I’m also a Finalist for the Best Coach/Mentor of the Year! Join us. We’ll have some fun, talk, and you’ll learn LOTS!