<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Identity &#187; Believe</title>
	<atom:link href="http://identitymagazine.net/tag/believe/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://identitymagazine.net</link>
	<description>Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.™</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:23:23 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	
		<item>
		<title>B.I.G. Feature of the Month:Robin Pato Davis</title>
		<link>http://identitymagazine.net/2011/05/02/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-robin-pato-davis/</link>
		<comments>http://identitymagazine.net/2011/05/02/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-robin-pato-davis/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 May 2011 18:48:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Identity</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Achieve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Achieve Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[B.I.G.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Believe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cash for Gold]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity Magazine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Empowerment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://identitymagazine.net/2011/05/02/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-robin-pato-davis/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.&#160; Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.&#160; Robin Pato Davis, who resides in Livington, NJ, calls herself a &#8220;Dual [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img alt="big" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-45" height="53" src="http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/image004.jpg" title="B.I.G." width="132" /><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://identitymagazine.net/sponsors/premium-sponsors/">Identity Sponsor, B.I.G.</a> (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.&nbsp; Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.</span></em><span style="font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><a href="http://identitymagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Picture-1.png"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1055" src="http://identitymagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Picture-1.png" style="width: 146px; height: 240px;" title="Robin Pato Davis" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14px;"><a href="http://identitymagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_1925.jpg"> </a> Robin Pato Davis, who resides in Livington, NJ, calls herself a &ldquo;Dual Entrepreneur.&rdquo;&nbsp; Davis is a Realtor for Elite Realtors of New Jersey and an Event Planner/Appraiser-Buyer&nbsp; for American Gold and Diamond Buyers. While many entrepreneurs strive to get one business of the ground, Davis has successfully merged two very different career paths into her life.<br />
	</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14px;">&ldquo;When I lived in NYC, I owned my condo on 19th Street. When I decided to sell my condo 20 years ago, I&nbsp;became very interested in real estate and decided to pursue my career in residential real estate upon returning to NJ,&rdquo; said Davis who lived in Manhattan for 10 years after she studied at University of Maryland, College Park. &ldquo;While in NY, I worked as an advertising copywriter and also had a second gig selling gold and&nbsp;diamonds in the Jewelry Exchange on 47th Street.&nbsp; Last year due to a life change and the real estate market&#39;s current conditions, I decided to pursue another career in addition to real estate.&nbsp; I became involved in buying Gold, and now have a thriving CA$H4GOLD business,&rdquo; said Davis, who offers hostess parties and fundraisers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Davis leaped into action when she realized real estate couldn&rsquo;t solely support her and her family. Davis had sold some of her own gold a few years prior, as well as knew a realtor co-worker who was in the Gold Business, so her interest had been sparked. She began as an Event Planner &ndash; Davis&rsquo; ambition propelled her to study and become an appraiser.&nbsp; So, now she plans and buys/appraises at her own events! Davis does face challenges much like all other entrepreneurs. &ldquo;When I began selling real estate, my daughter was only two years old, so it was challenging to be a realtor and a full time mom,&rdquo; said Davis. &ldquo;In the Gold Business, my main challenge was to build my business to the point where I had steady work.&rdquo; Davis&rsquo; Gold Business has grown to the point where she is booked several months in advance!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">For Davis, being a &ldquo;Dual Entrepreneur&rdquo; means double the rewards!&nbsp; &ldquo;For buyers, in real estate, it means finding a home that they are completely in love with in a town where they want to settle and raise&nbsp;their families.&nbsp; Sellers are most happy and grateful when I help them achieve a quick, profitable sale so they can&nbsp;move up to another home or move on to pursue their dreams,&rdquo; said Davis. &ldquo;In my CA$H4GOLD business, the most rewarding and heartfelt part is seeing the astonished, surprised, and exhilarated look on my clients&#39; faces when they see just how much their gold is worth and then counting out the actual cash for them in hundreds of dollars!&rdquo; Davis adds, &ldquo;Everyone needs money, and I am helping them raise money for something important or just getting an extra special treat for themselves!&nbsp; It is a gift to see their joy!&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Helping her clients pursue their dreams, be it a new home or lots of cash in their pocket, is what Davis cites as her motivation. Especially, Davis says, when her clients recommend her to their friends and family&mdash;that, she says, is the biggest compliment.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">In both Davis&rsquo; businesses she is an independent contractor. In real estate, Davis is supported by the broker/owner of the company and in the gold business Davis works with a partner and has support from a management team and owner of that company.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">&ldquo;Fortunately I have been able to balance my two professions daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally.&nbsp; Real Estate and the Gold market have an inverse relationship in the present economy. When real estate is down, gold is up. Seasonally, real estate is slow during the winter/holiday months and summer months, which is when gold is very busy,&rdquo; says Davis, who as an independent contractor, coordinates her schedule to her convenience.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">&ldquo;I am extremely grateful that these two careers have meshed so well together in my life, and I appreciate both of these opportunities. I am successful in two different careers, although they are both in sales, the services I offer to my clients are unique in their own ways,&rdquo; says Davis.A DUAL ENTREPRENEUR</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em><strong>In keeping with Identity&rsquo;s mission of Accept Appreciate Achieve, below are some more questions that fit in with that theme:</strong></em> <strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>1. What have you accepted in your life that took time? </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">&ldquo;This is a tough question being that I am at a place in my life that I never dreamed I would be in. And that is to be a divorced woman after 24 years of marriage.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s a very tender and tenuous place to be at this stage of my life.&nbsp; But what I am beginning to realize and truly accept is that it is OK to be in this &lsquo;place.&rsquo;&nbsp; I am trying to learn to put myself first.&nbsp; Because the most harsh and cruel aspect of a life change like this is LOSS.&nbsp; I have not only experienced the loss of my partner, but the loss of many friends. And the biggest loss of all was having to find new homes for my two dogs, my babies that I raised for seven years.&nbsp; Writing about this right now is bringing tears to my eyes and crying is one thing I have learned to do this past year.&nbsp; Another difficult aspect of my new separation is learning that there is life after divorce&#8230;but I must create it for myself.&nbsp; No one else will.&nbsp; All I have is me (and of course my very supportive family)!&nbsp; I have found peace in my life and that is priceless.&nbsp; And I have made MANY new and wonderful friends who I never would have known if I was &lsquo;stuck&rsquo; in that old place. I have also learned to create a new &lsquo;business life&rsquo;&nbsp;for myself in order to survive and now I am a multi-faceted entrepreneur&mdash;and very proud of it.&nbsp; I always knew I was a &lsquo;survivor&rsquo; but now I&#39;m feeling more like a &lsquo;thriver!&rsquo;&rdquo; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>2. What do you appreciate the most in your life?</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Reflecting on how lucky I have been&hellip;that up until now&#8230;I have had very little LOSS in my life (I was a 50 year old woman with a grandma who lived until 98)! I truly appreciate my family&mdash;my brother, sister, and parents who have been so supportive and there for me during this past year. They have shown me the love and loyalty I needed to create a new life for myself.&nbsp; And my 21 year old daughter, Hayley, who is graduating from Indiana University in two weeks&#8230;makes me proud!&nbsp; She is a beautiful person in many ways, and I admire her independence and sense of self. Maybe the fact that she is an only child has something to do with that!&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">&ldquo;One of the most wonderful experiences I have had so far occurred many years ago when I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1977.&nbsp; I embarked on a four-month journey to Europe with a backpack and a friend. We spent two months in Israel and two months in Europe.&nbsp; The journey of traveling and living within other cultures was such an eye opener for me. Being able to live and feel the lifestyle of others halfway around the world was so rewarding and enlightening.&nbsp;Those four months shaped my life, and I am forever grateful that I had the desire, drive, and guts to take on that adventure!&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>4. What is your not-so-perfect way?</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">&ldquo;This is also a tough question.&nbsp; I probably have many &lsquo;not-so-perfect ways&rsquo; but the one that comes to mind lately is falling into old patterns.&nbsp; Interestingly enough, on my new path of life I have discovered characteristics about &lsquo;me&rsquo; that were buried for a very long time. Some of which I love and the introspection and renewal of self discovery is enlightening, but along with that comes the old patterns and habits which have also resurfaced.&nbsp; Learning how to deal with these aspects objectively, like an outsider looking in, is what I need to perfect so I don&#39;t repeat the same mistakes of yesterday!&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>5. How would you complete the phrase &ldquo;<a href="../category/appreciate/i-love-my/">I Love My&hellip;</a>&rdquo;?</strong> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">&ldquo;I love my&hellip;desire to stay fit and healthy.&nbsp; More than anything, what has gotten me through this new chapter in my life is realizing that the best life insurance I have is to eat healthy and stay in shape.&nbsp;I have found that having a good, healthy body within creates a good healthy body and mind!&nbsp; It&#39;s also good for the soul and self image. There is nothing more refreshing and invigorating for me than to be outside running and walking hills knowing that I am doing something good for my mind, body, and soul. And of course, rediscovering my former dance teacher in NYC, who I am now dancing with again, is the best therapy ever! He is an example that staying fit keeps you young and healthy.&nbsp; Ned is now 81 years young and hasn&#39;t aged a day since I met him 30 years ago!&rdquo;</span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://identitymagazine.net/2011/05/02/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-robin-pato-davis/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>B.I.G. Feature of the Month:Debbie Hoffman</title>
		<link>http://identitymagazine.net/2011/03/30/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-debbie-hoffman/</link>
		<comments>http://identitymagazine.net/2011/03/30/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-debbie-hoffman/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:58:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Identity</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[B.I.G.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Believe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity Magazine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meeting other Women in Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Business Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Business Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Empowerment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://identitymagazine.net/2011/03/30/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-debbie-hoffman/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.&#160; Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted. B.I.G. Believe, Inspire, Grow &#8211; that&#8217;s what B.I.G., a women&#8217;s support, education, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img alt="big" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-45" height="53" src="http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/image004.jpg" title="B.I.G." width="132" /><span style="font-size:14px;"><a href="http://identitymagazine.net/sponsors/premium-sponsors/">Identity Sponsor, B.I.G.</a> (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.&nbsp; Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.</span></em><span style="font-size:14px;"> </span></p>
<p>
	<a href="http://identitymagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_1925.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-969" src="http://identitymagazine.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_1925.jpg" style="width: 121px; height: 182px;" title="IMG_1925" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">B.I.G. Believe, Inspire, Grow &ndash; that&rsquo;s what B.I.G., a women&rsquo;s support, education, and networking organization, stands for. B.I.G. facilitates its members&rsquo; desires to connect with other women to help them achieve their business dreams and goals. Debbie Hoffman, senior director, program management at B.I.G., took her own advice to &ldquo;go for it&rdquo; when she joined the leadership team that launched B.I.G. from an idea into a business.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	&ldquo;After staying home to raise my children, I knew it was time for me to re-enter the work force. I was looking for &lsquo;what to do next,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Hoffman who resides in Basking Ridge. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always believed that in order to be successful, I needed to be willing to take a risk. It&rsquo;s what I always encouraged others to do &ndash; and I didn&rsquo;t want to be a hypocrite. So, when I was faced with the challenge of becoming part of a start-up business that I believed in, I took a risk to &lsquo;go for it.&rsquo;&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	Her risk paid off &#8211; B.I.G. is flourishing. Hoffman cites keeping up with the organization&rsquo;s rapid growth rate and expansion as the biggest challenge. The most rewarding part, says Hoffman, is knowing that because of B.I.G. other women are able to move forward with their goals and dreams to find fulfillment and happiness. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	&ldquo;Not only have I found what I needed to feel complete, but I am, in some way, helping others to move forward towards this end. We are making a difference, and it is rewarding.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	Hoffman says concentration and organization are the skills she uses daily to balance it all and to stay focused. At first she didn&#39;t consider herself an entrepreneur.   &ldquo;Since I never gave much thought to being an entrepreneur, I needed to look up a true definition. &lsquo;Entrepreneurial: willing to take risks in order to make a profit&rsquo; &#8211; I guess I am an entrepreneur!,&rdquo; said Hoffman. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	Hoffman adds that B.I.G. is expanding daily and new leaders emerge consistently.&nbsp; She says daily the B.I.G. team makes plans to improve upon what they have accomplished, offer new products, and formulate ways to best meet their members&rsquo; needs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	</span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em><strong>In keeping with Identity&rsquo;s mission of Accept Appreciate Achieve, below are some more questions that fit in with that theme:</strong></em></span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	1. What have you accepted in your life that took time? </span><br />
	</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hoffman: &ldquo;I have grown to accept in life that you can not necessarily change others, but you absolutely can accept the differences in people and change how you choose to deal with each person as an individual.&rdquo; </span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 14px;">2. What do you appreciate the most in your life? </span><br />
	</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hoffman: &ldquo;In life, I appreciate love, acceptance, and good health. </span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 14px;">3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?</span><br />
	</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"> Hoffman: &ldquo;My family is my most rewarding achievement.&rdquo; </span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 14px;"> 4. What is your not-so-perfect way?</span><br />
	</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"> Hoffman:&nbsp; &ldquo;My not so perfect way&hellip; I believe I am still a bit insecure.&nbsp; While I have come a long way and my logical mind knows, &lsquo;you can only do your best,&rsquo; I can&rsquo;t always stop my emotional side from wondering, &lsquo;did I do the right thing?&rsquo;&rdquo; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>5. How would you complete the phrase &ldquo;<a href="../category/appreciate/i-love-my/">I Love My&hellip;</a></strong></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><strong>&rdquo;?</strong></span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br />
	</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px;"> Hoffman: &ldquo;I love my porch in the springtime when the flowers bloom and the warm air surrounds us.&nbsp; I will rock in my chair, listen to the waterfall of the pond, feel appreciative of life&rsquo;s simple pleasures and feel complete.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p>	&nbsp;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://identitymagazine.net/2011/03/30/b-i-g-feature-of-the-month-debbie-hoffman/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>June Most Wanted-Prosperity Spin Band</title>
		<link>http://identitymagazine.net/2010/05/30/june-most-wanted/</link>
		<comments>http://identitymagazine.net/2010/05/30/june-most-wanted/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 May 2010 15:39:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Identity</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Most Wanted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ask]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Believe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prosperity Spin Band]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Receive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wendy Sosik]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/?p=223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Prosperity Spin Band Are you looking to create more prosperity and success in your life? Our Prosperity Spin Ring will help you build and attract the life you richly deserve. If you focus your thoughts and energy on what you want to bring into your life, it will come to you. Ask for what you [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-210" title="Prosperity Spin Band" src="http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/image003.jpg" alt="prosperity spinband" width="146" height="134" /><a title="Prosperity" href="http://www.a-ha-design.com/index_new2.html" target="_blank">Prosperity Spin Band</a></strong></em></p>
<p>Are you looking to create more prosperity and success in your life?  Our Prosperity Spin Ring will help you build and attract the life you  richly deserve. If you focus your thoughts and energy on what you want  to bring into your life, it will come to you. <strong>Ask</strong> for what you  want, <strong>Believe</strong> it has come and <strong>Receive</strong> all that you ask.</p>
<p>Wearing our jewelry will be a powerful reminder every day, no matter  where you are, to create the ideal state of mind to cultivate the life  you have always wanted and to become the best person you can possibly  be.</p>
<p><em><strong>Get your product in front of  thousands of women!</strong></em></p>
<p>
<!--cforms name="Rewards"--></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://identitymagazine.net/2010/05/30/june-most-wanted/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>B.I.G. Feature of the Month</title>
		<link>http://identitymagazine.net/2010/05/28/b-i-g-featured-women-of-the-month/</link>
		<comments>http://identitymagazine.net/2010/05/28/b-i-g-featured-women-of-the-month/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 14:34:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Identity</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Achieve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Achieve Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[B.I.G.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Believe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity Magazine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inspire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jackie Somers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meeting other Women in Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rebecca Hull]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stay At Home Moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tara Gilvar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women Entrepreneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women in Business and Women Entrepeneurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women Small Business Owners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Business Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Business Networking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Empowerment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work at Home Moms]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/?p=64</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.&#160; Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted. June Feature: B.I.G. Founders A bumper sticker, &#8220;Remember Who You Wanted to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><img alt="big" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-45" height="53" src="http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/image004.jpg" title="B.I.G." width="132" /><span style="font-size:14px;">Identity Sponsor, B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow) is an nationwide networking, support and education group for women entrepreneurs. Together Identity and B.I.G support women like you to make or continue your move in life.&nbsp; Follow your passion. You deserve to be featured and spotlighted.</span></em><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	<span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><em><strong>June Feature: B.I.G. Founders </strong></em></span></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	A bumper sticker, &ldquo;Remember Who You Wanted to Be&rdquo; not only caught Tara Gilvar&rsquo;s eye one day in her children&rsquo;s school parking lot, it inspired her to take action. </p>
<p>	After being frustrated with her unsuccessful attempts to become professionally fulfilled and maintain her personal responsibilities to her home and family, Gilvar wanted to build a support system that would enable her and other women to achieve professional and personal fulfillment. </p>
<p>	&ldquo;I sent an email to the many smart and intelligent women I knew in my community and invited them to my home to discuss the life challenge that bumper sticker presented,&rdquo; said Gilvar. &ldquo;And, 42 women showed up. So, there was a real need for a platform like that where women could ask themselves, &lsquo;what obstacles are preventing us from moving our life goals forward?&rsquo;&rdquo; </p>
<p>	Gilvar, a graduate of Boston College with more than 25 years of public relations and marketing expertise, says magic happened in her living room that day through sharing stories and joining together to find real solutions and support one another as they began building confidence in one another to take those next steps in each of their lives. &ldquo;The concept of believing (B)&nbsp;in each other, inspiring (I) each other with support and confidence and helping&nbsp;each&nbsp;other grow our ideas and businesses&nbsp;(G)&nbsp;quickly became B.I.G., in both the figurative and literal sense,&rdquo; said Gilvar, founder and CEO of B.I.G. </p>
<p>	Rebecca (Becky) Hull was one of the 42 women who showed up in Gilvar&rsquo;s New Jersey home that morning more than a year ago and is now B.I.G.&rsquo;s chief operating officer. Hull graduated from Yale University and Columbia Business School&nbsp; and has more than 20 years experience in marketing and business management. So, two women with corporate backgrounds joined forces with the other women in their community to take a leap of faith into the entrepreneur pool. </p>
<p>	With Jackie Somers, a Merrill Lynch refugee, heading up the B.I.G. leaders, as Director of Leader Development, the company was formulated. </p>
<p>	&ldquo;It feels great being an entrepreneur. It allows me to get out of the corporate comfort zone that I relied on and has enabled me to grow as business person through that. I personally feel much more confident about my ability!&rdquo; says Hull. </p>
<p>	So, who is B.I.G.? Well, on their Web site justthinkbig.us it&rsquo;s clearly defined as a community of women from all walks of life who are working towards attaining their dreams in life. B.I.G. offers a forum for these women to connect and brainstorm with each other, learn from each other, and nudge each other forward to continue on their journey to achieving their goals. </p>
<p>	&ldquo;The most rewarding part of being part of B.I.G. is when women tell us that there is nothing out there like B.I.G.,&rdquo; says Hull. &ldquo;We know there are many networking organizations, job boards, and women-only support groups. Our three-pronged platform of face-to-face support through local monthly meetings, networking and education coupled with a phenomenal Web site that provides our members with a educational articles, and videos as well as a Facebook-like platform to communicate and make connections is pretty unique.&rdquo; </p>
<p>	Hull and Gilvar agree that hearing the stories of the women who attend their meetings is inspiring and has been an invaluable experience. They love hearing their members&rsquo; success stories and being able to create an environment where women can work to make dreams into reality. Along with the rewards B.I.G. presents to its members, there are also challenges. </p>
<p>	&ldquo;The challenging part is that there are not enough hours in the day to do all that we want to do for our members as we expand throughout the United States,&rdquo; says Hull. &ldquo;As women, we become each other&rsquo;s support group. We&nbsp; understand each other&rsquo;s challenges as we try to fit what could be a 24-hour work day into a manageable life/work/balance scenario.&rdquo; </p>
<p>	B.I.G. currently has communities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts with interest from women in Illinois, California, and Ohio. Gilvar and Hull are looking for strong leaders who want to bring B.I.G. to their towns all across the country. </p>
<p>	&ldquo;The journey we&rsquo;ve been on for the past year and half has been worth every dollar and every moment of our time,&rdquo; says Gilvar. &ldquo;It would be great to just keep that journey moving forward and bringing this positive B.I.G. concept to other women.&rdquo; </p>
<p>	To learn more about B.I.G. visit<a href="http://justthinkbig.us" target="_blank" title="B.I.G."> justthinkbig.us</a></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> <br />
	<strong>In keeping with Identity&rsquo;s mission of &lsquo;Accept, Appreciate, Achieve&rsquo; below are some questions, known as the Identity Five:</strong></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> <br />
	<span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><em><strong>1. What have you accepted in your life that took time?</strong></em></span></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> <em><strong> </strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	<em><strong>Hull:</strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> I have accepted that there are certain things in my life that are somewhat out of my control. Having moved cross country twice with four children, I have learned that sometimes the best way to deal with situations is to assess the situation and give it some thought, and then react to it. Immediate reactions are not always the best way at a problem. <strong><em>Gilvar: </em></strong></span><span style="font-size:14px;">I&#39;ve been very conscience of delegating throughout this process rather than trying to have everything done my way, by me.&nbsp; So I guess, giving up control has been a challenge for me, and I can happily say that whenever I do give up exclusive control on an issue,&nbsp;it&#39;s&nbsp;been very freeing and satisfying. </p>
<p>	<span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><strong><em>2. What do you appreciate the most in your life?</em></strong></span></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	<em><strong>Hull: </strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;">I appreciate my health and the love and support of my family and friends. <strong><em>Gilvar: </em></strong></span><span style="font-size:14px;">I think most people would have the same answer: my&nbsp;family.&nbsp;What&#39;s been so nice about B.I.G. and&nbsp;is that I&#39;m really able to offer my two daughters a female role model that they can follow throughout their lives and give my son &quot;a birds eye&nbsp;view&quot; of what women working together can truly accomplish. </p>
<p>	<span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><em><strong>3. What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life?</strong></em></span></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	<em><strong>Hull:</strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> I am amazed that we have been able to truly help the women who have been a part of the B.I.G. community. Beyond the wonderful family that we have created, I would say that providing women with the forum we have created in B.I.G. is very rewarding. <em><strong>Gilvar: </strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;">I would have to say that building B.I.G. is definitely heading near the top of&nbsp;my achievement pile. </p>
<p>	<span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><em><strong>4. What is your not so perfect way?</strong></em></span></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	<em><strong>Hull: </strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;">My not so perfect way is to use common sense first to assess situations. This has worked for me throughout my professional career&mdash;numbers and research can back me up, but it seems that my gut reaction comes first.&nbsp; Certainly not the most conventional way, but it works for me. <em><strong>Gilvar: </strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;">I&#39;m a better talker than a listener &#8211; I need to work on that! </p>
<p>	<span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><em><strong>5. Susan also has an &ldquo;<a href="http://acceptappreciateachieve.com/2010/05/17/i-love-my/" target="_blank" title="I Love My">I Love My&hellip;</a></strong></em></span></span><span style="color: rgb(151, 38, 85);"><em><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">&rdquo; section of her Web site where you can say something that you love&hellip;it can be anything&hellip;I love my cat, I love my friends, I love the weekends&hellip;.how would you complete the phrase &ldquo;I Love My&hellip;&rdquo;?</span></strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </p>
<p>	<em><strong>Gilvar: </strong></em></span><span style="font-size:14px;">I love my&#8230;..B.I.G. sisterhood!! <strong><em>Hull: </em></strong></span><span style="font-size:14px;"> Same here! It is fulfilling and fun simultaneously!</span></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://identitymagazine.net/2010/05/28/b-i-g-featured-women-of-the-month/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

