This is too funny, so I had to share. A couple of days ago I shared the little business lesson of the Black Phoebe bird… Well yesterday, I made myself some lunch and went to sit and relax near the outside patio in the living room, and there he was again, sitting on one of the four chairs where I had been sitting outside the day I first saw him. We made eye contact for quite a while and then he headed off to do his thing.

The thing I find so interesting is that we spent about 10 minutes looking at each other, and in nature, that is quite a long time. I even went in search of some bird seed in one of the cupboards and came back to him and he was still there. He primped and stretched his wings to show me how beautiful he is. I think he really understands how much I appreciate him, which is a sweet human-bird or bird-human connnection. Gotta love his staying power…

Well, this morning, I was upstairs and kept hearing this bird song. When I found the illustration of him on the Internet, I listened to the Black Phoebe bird song, so I recongnized it. In wonderment, I went to the window, and from upstairs, I could see him sitting on the same spot on the chair again, with a huge fat worm in his beak. He was literally sitting there singing about it, holding it in his beak, looking toward the living room and waiting for me to witness it.

I called to him from the upstairs window, and he looked up at me and then he turned around few times, cocked his head up at me, and sure enough, he gobbled it. He fluffed his feathers and pushed out his chest nice and strong and kept cocking his head looking up at me in the window. He is such a special little birdie - an unexpected blessing who keeps putting a smile on my face and teaching me by example. I keep thanking him for my daily little lessons learned.

It reminded me that sometimes we need a witness to share in our experiences and to celebrate our success! Otherwise, it doesn’t always feel real. Or somehow it can feel hollow or less special.

It makes me think of my little brother in the summertime when he’d be doing water antics and calling across the pool, “Christine! Watch me!!!” Or when he’d be playing video games saying, “Watch this… Christine… Check this out…” The connection to what we’re doing often involves a witness.

I’m really blessed, because I’ve got the biggest cheerleading squad I could have ever hoped for in my life… My vision board in my office has love notes from the kids and Thomas reminding me to stay the course, go the distance, dream big, and be happy. Thomas tells me daily how proud of me he is and encourages me to keep going, even when I question myself. And we all do. Its natural.

My mom, Katherine Cibula - Madam Vice President & Most Valued Player (MVP), is always giving me feedback and cheering me on… Celebrating everything with me every step of the way…

Even as I write this, my MVP popped into my office this morning to share her AquaLogix workout with me. She’s so excited with her newfound discovery that she came into the office saying, “I want you to see my happy face… I had the best time today.” She laughed and even cried happy tears, because this experience is a confirmation of her living into her dreams here in California. We all need a witness…

My little brother is encouraging and sends me financial spreadsheets. His undergraduate degree in Business Finance & Japanese from Notre Dame University and MBA from Stanford Universtity gives him quite a foundation and I’m grateful for his guidance.

Dad says keep going… He belives in the power of my dreams and has always encouraged me to do what I love doing…

Lifelong friends who have no knowledge of the business per se encourage me all the time and have fun seeing me live into my dreams, even when the going has been tough. Somehow they seem to get I’m in this for the long haul and doing whatever it takes to make it work.

Friends who do have knowledge of the business, like Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Fabienne Fredrickson and Alexandria Brown encourage me to keep going through their enthusiasm, guidance and by their shining examples. It helps to have Ali say, “CC, you are so talented you should be a multi-millionaire. You’ve got everything it takes and I believe in you… I know you can do this!”

So yes, we all need cheerleaders, support and a witness as we live into the lives we’ve imagined… I believe we need it even moreso as Entrepreneurs because so many people don’t really get the life of an Entrepreneur and what it really takes in order to succeed in our own small business enterprises. One of the best places I’ve found is my personal coaching and mentorship connections with the people I admire and respect in our community.

So today, I encourage you to stay the course, go the distance and know I’m pulling for you as you live into the life of your dreams…

Live Into It… :)CC

Christine N. Cibula, M.S.
The Live Into It Expert
www.LiveIntoIt.com