Get some new insight. Expand your mind.

You are pretty conversant in what you already know, let's hope. Your industry, your hobbies, your kids, your neighborhood. Great. You should be. That's easy. But what have you done lately to expand your mind, your knowledge? How have you challenged yourself?

I just attended the Marketing to Women Conference in Chicago for the second year, and I love going because I always learn new things. Because I'm outside of my typical focus on entrepreneurism and real estate, my mind gets a break and a chance to focus and expand via a different channel. Sure, marketing to women is one of my passions, but it's not often I have a chance to mingle and share information with a group of people who share that passion. It's amazingly mind-expanding. And what, you ask, did I learn? Here's just a sampling for your consideration!

• Today's women are living fully kinetic lives, according to a Lifetime TV study. 84 percent feel they are busier than the generation before them, and busier now than they were five years ago. They are leading multi-tasking lives.

• Today's men are pitching in more, but it's far from equal at home. The interesting news is husbands who do pitch in have more sex. Go figure.

• Stress is on the rise. 55 percent of all women say they are frequently stressed out, while 85 percent have trouble sleeping. Women are searching for simplification and an unscheduled day every once in awhile.

• Oh, and while there are fewer vertical and horizontal corporate barriers, only 12 Fortune 500 CEOS are women, and women still only make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. Leading to the rise of my passion—and many of yours—women are turning to entrepreneurship.

You don't need to travel to expand your mind. Head to the bookstore and pick up a “how to” or business book (subliminal plug for Real You Incorporated inserted here) about a topic you've always wanted to learn more about. If you have a Kindle, you don't have to leave your home for an entire wealth of knowledge to be delivered into your hands. Of course, the Internet provides a huge, immediate resource, but it also provides innumerable distractions so if you want to focus, and if you want to learn, I'd suggest making time for it through. A book. A conference. Or taking an online course.

In today's multi-minding world, make sure your mind has a chance to focus on expanding, and not just moving from task to task. Enlightenment and learning opens your mind and can change the direction of your life.

Get your Daily Dose of Laughter

As a mother of four and full-time business woman, I understand the pressures moms face. Unfortunately, many women have accepted that stress has become part of their daily lives and are finding it harder and harder to relax.

Prolonged and increased levels of stress not only affect our home lives, they also affect our health. Our bodies are well adapted to dealing with short-term stress, but prolonged stress can cause serious health problems. Your stress levels can affect your nervous, respiratory, reproductive and immune systems.

To help reduce your stress and make life more enjoyable for everyone in your home, I recommend laughter. We all can benefit from a healthy daily dose. Research shows that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones, stimulates the immune system and helps you connect with others. What a perk!

Best of all, if you have kids, they should keep you laughing on a daily basis. Kids are masters at this, as they haven’t yet been infected with adulthood. My advice is to loosen up, try to lighten your daily load by enlisting the help of your husband, kids and others. No one—not even you—can do it alone.

So to help start you on your way, here is a video clip that always makes me laugh.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk&hl=en&fs=1]

A mother’s work is never done. Just remember to slow down.

With endless days filled with meetings, luncheons, doctor’s appointments and kids’ activities,it’s hard to cram everything I do into a 24-hour period. It is no wonder working moms feel overwhelmed.

Mothers across the country are reaching out and starting support groups and communities. On an episode of Oprah, An Overwhelmed Mom’s Deadly Mistake, a grieving mother, Brenda Slaby, spoke about her unfortunate accident that she described as her “wake-up call to slow down”. In trying to be everything to everybody, she lost her daughter. Slaby chose to speak out about the tragic event because she wants to share her knowledge with others. She doesn’t want other moms to live through the same tragedy. To hear more about her story, go to Oprah.com.

So in order to slow down, don’t go it alone—and ask for help. While it’s easier said than done, if you’re trying to do it all—without the help of your spouse, kids, friends and co-workers—you won’t survive. Women are notorious for trying to do it all. But life moves at an accelerated pace, and frankly, it’s impossible to do it all alone. Asking for help is a sign of strength and confidence.

So, the next time you’re trying to balance life and work, stop, take a breath and ask for some help. Those who support and understand your dreams and passions will be there to assist you. Working moms are amazing women!

And in the words of Slaby, “the house doesn’t matter, the perfect dinner doesn’t matter—the kids matter.”