wine, women & wealth

one thing i have to give phoenix credit for is that people around here LIKE TO DO STUFF. i thought this was the case in california, but that deduction was based on a comparison to folks in washington. ok, in retrospect, i see the issue. nobody steps outside in washington for good reason. once you are exposed to the constant drizzle, your hair never dries, your anti-depressant dose rises, and your body gets closer to developing a fungus. naturally, people from any other state are more likely to get out of the house. i remember moving to california and feeling like i could never sit on my couch and just relax without feeling guilty (especially when the sun was out, which was most of the time), but the second i walked out my front door it was like being whisked away in a torrential storm. sure, people in cali like to do stuff, but it's work hard, play hard, then go back to work! very intense. now, people in arizona, on the other hand...

these folks LOVE it here. and they prove it. they are always out doing something fun, something to better themselves even. and work doesn't rule their lives. in fact, my social life is better in arizona in six weeks than it was in cali in nine years! i think it could be the energy of the desert. it's powerful stuff. creativity is flowing through me like a raging class v river. (i am having a very hard time sleeping because i wake up with so many ideas and i cannot calm them down enough to drift off. i have resorted to keeping a journal by my bed.) i am drawn to certain areas of this town, like camelback mountain. it is easy to just sit and enjoy the natural beauty without feeling the need to be somewhere else and even more impressive is that although the weather is better here than in california (at least NOW...summer is another story), i can sit on my sofa with a good book without feeling like i 'should' be doing something else. it is awesome.

so, last night i attended a networking function called 'wine, women & wealth.' one of the founders is the sister of my boss, and i met her a few weeks ago at a theater night. she invited me to this function, and it was a fantastic experience. WWW is a means for women entrepreneurs to get together once every two months and network, i.e., spread the word of your business, seek specific referrals, and gain support from all of the women (70 last night) at WWW who are each amazing resources. i felt an instant connection with all of them, despite me being amongst one of the 'youngsters' in attendance. all of these women had more or less gone through what i AM going through, with the whole battling corporate america thing and being utterly miserable. not only did they recognize this insanity and decide to do something about it, but they walked away and started their own business so they could be their own boss and follow their hearts, pursue their passions, fill a niche, grow personally, whatever their individual reason was. and OH MY GOD, i have never seen a happier, driven, more passionate group of people in my life. EVERYONE there last night loves what they do, and it absolutely shows. they are energized! AND all these women want to help ME get started with my business. it was like a dream come true!

and you know what? networking, the whole schmoozing thing, typically annoys the crap out of me because i absolutely hate small talk. turns out that when you actually enjoy what you do, or what you want to do, and you have goals and want to meet certain people to help you attain those goals, networking is awesome...and EASY. there is no small talk involved. every second is precious. i found myself walking up to women with skills i wanted or interests that gel with my own and just say, 'hi! i want to talk with you.' and we were off! it was empowering. it also confirms i am going in the right direction and how off-course i am in the engineering world. oh boy, was i a fish out of water at those networking functions! pass me a pillow, please! zzzzzzzzz