I would like to publicly apologize to my Dad.  You see back in the day, when I was growing up, I used to think it was down right cruel of my father to hide his stash of Pepsi from his kids—especially me!

He had gone so far at one point he actually started locking his favorite cereal and candy in a drawer in his filing cabinet.  At the time I thought it bordered on child abuse.  Now I think it was nothing short of the desperate act of a man simply trying to enjoy a cold soda.

Fast forward a few decades to my own desperate acts as a parent and you will find my own stashes hidden now too.  Just the other day I literally laughed out loud as I reached for my stash of chocolate, popcorn and Diet Dr. Pepper.  My Dad would be so proud.  My hiding place not only has a lock—but a fridge!

You taught me well old man!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

They say don’t sweat the small stuff, but maybe it is the small stuff that actually matters.

I have been thinking about all of the weight we give to the big decisions in life. How much pressure we place on ourselves to make the right choices when it comes to deciding on a career path, buying a car, picking a place to live, whether or not to keep this job or that.

Think of all of the time and energy you put into the big decisions in your life…

Yet we virtually ignore the small decisions in our lives. We hardly give a second thought to all of the tiny matters throughout the day. Whether or not to stop on our way to work for that $5 cup of coffee, to eat or not to eat that second chocolate chip cookie, to use the treadmill for a workout vs. a clothes hanger, whether or not to buy just one more tube of lipstick while we grab that loaf of bread.

Maybe the decisions we aren’t making are the very ones that are deciding the true direction our lives take…

Many people ask me how I got the money to start Femail Creations. It pretty much came down to French fries.  When I say that people look at me like I am crazy. But it was the simple choices, like giving up fast food and going to the movies twenty years ago that allowed us to save every penny we could toward the down payment on our first home.  And it was ultimately mortgaging our house many times over that allowed me to get Femail Creations off the ground over a decade ago.

Small decisions lead to big dreams.  Sometimes it is as simple as skipping that side order–and believe me that was the true definition of delayed gratification for a girl addicted to French fries!

More and more I have come to believe it is actually the small seemingly inconsequential decisions that are making up the fabric of our lives.

Recently I have been facing a lot of big decisions and today I remembered, it’s the small stuff that matters, always has been, always will be.

Here’s to the little things in life!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®

It is my tradition on each New Year’s Eve to make a list of everything I want to release from the year—and burn it.   It’s may way of making sure I let go whatever isn’t working for me so I can head into a New Year with a clean slate and a fresh start.

Some years my list makes it’s way to the fireplace, some years we have had a fire pit in the back yard, and some years I am lucky enough to be at the beach with a bon fire.

It’s liberating to throw your list into the fire!   Try it!

Happy NEW Year!

Lisa Hammond
The Barefoot CEO ®