What is it about shoes that women love so much? What a passion they are for me and many others. I have a friend who has over 200 pairs in boxes in their own room. She has photos on the boxes so she can find what she wants when she wants it. She is otherwise sensible, stable and normal in every respect, but she loves her shoes. Especially high, strappy, unique little numbers. She proudly shows off the rows of boxes and regales the unaware with the history of each. A little weird maybe, but I think many of you may well identify with her. We have spent many a pleasurable hour oohing over a pair of Manola Blaniks, looking forward to the day we could afford to buy them.

Shoes give us the means to live life a little vicariously – it is like exotic lingerie with the added benefit of being seen by the general public and, in my case, it actually looks a lot better on. I seem to take on the personality of my shoes - red slingback shoes and I feel just a little naughty and daring, purple pumps and I feel stylish and funky. Black boots with silver heels and I feel sophisticated and worldly. They can give us confidence and make us feel that we have the edge, that little extra something that makes us interesting. It is the secret ingredient to success.

As I have got older my multiple shoe personalities have changed as well - I have stopped buying the high strappy numbers and have turned to the dark side………boots and low heels - but with added features of course. Two reasons – firstly, according to Harper's Index, the average increase in the protrusion of a woman's buttocks when she wears high heels is 25% and I really don’t need any more attention to that area and secondly, I am married…. need I say more???

I have this wonderful calendar that pictures a shoe for each month of the year with the appropriate personality. I examined my month in great detail and asked myself - am I

Impulsive?  Well, yes……….. Many years ago I packed up my 3 babies and sold my house and decided to tour rock bands all over Australia. My mother-in-law was singularly unimpressed. I couldn’t afford expensive shoes at that time so I decorated my own sexy numbers… sequins and ribbons… and had strappy, 3” high stilettos that I could barely walk in, but I did it anyway. I don’t regret it – in fact, it gave me many of the life skills I needed to be successful – the experience I mean – not the shoes…. They just gave me that little added extra…

Unpredictable?  Yes…...or so people tell me. I usually start off my meetings with "I have an idea for " ….  and everyone groans…. I don’t know why!!

Spirited?  Many have called me that and other not-so positive terms as I regularly argue my case for one or the other of my passions..

Friendly?  Yes, yes I love people, especially ones who share my passion for shoes of course.

Daring?  Oooh yes, I go where others fear to tread, because I want to leave a footprint on the world, and of course for that I need the right shoes….you must agree.

Therefore I can happily justify spending a lot of money to find the perfect shoes for each unique occasion. Nobody can argue with that….

I’d like to leave you with a little something I found on the internet (can't find out who wrote it though)…

It is called The Open Toe Shoe Pledge

Please raise your big toes and follow these rules when you wear sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow. I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, co-worker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good.

And finally I give you all permission to buy which ever shoes you want, guilt free, go on …… you can blame me……..

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Oh, have you joined U-Net yet? No? Why not? You owe it to yourself - it's free, good for you, non-fattening and comes with our lovely new Newsletter that you wouldn't want to miss out on!  So take a big step towards a better U and join NOW!

I am thrilled to introduce the new National Manager for Project U, Carol Scott. Carol is a fabulous lady with an amazing range of experiences and interesting stories to tell. Add to this her expertise in dealing with the issues of professional  women and you can understand why I brought her on board. Carol will be a great asset to Project U with a lot to contribute.

I have invited her to chat away on my blog and can't wait to see what she has to say.

I love my work! It's true. Everyday I spend my time doing exactly what I want with exactly the people I want to be with. I live my passion and because of that work doesn't seem like work. Am I lucky you ask? Well I would say that luck never entered into it. I know what I want and therefore getting there is a lot easier than for those who are still finding their passion. And I mean, this is a true passion for me.

I love helping people achieve their dreams and I have chosen to make a living doing it.  But getting there was never easy. I have given up hours and hours of personal time, put up with more crap than the average dude and fought tooth and nail to achieve the freedom to choose what I do. Luck never came into. Raw enthusiasm mixed with solid determination more like it.

I truly believe that finding a passion is like finding the key to a new life. it gives you the steel necessary to get through the tough stuff coupled with the motivation to achieve the impossible.

So how do you find a passion? You need to be open to new experiences and willing to explore yourself in depth. Many of us have never taken the time to analyse our motivations and therefore are unsure of what we truly want from life. Take some time out everyday to think this through. If you know what you want and are prepared to put in the hard yards, the dream is more likely to become a reality. Find a passion and life truly becomes a play time and not a pastime.

Well the last week has been spent strategic planning with a group in Singapore. Currently I am situated in an apartment building 26 floors above ground level overlooking the city. They look after you well and the city itself is very dynamic.

Singaporeans have a very intense way of dealing with business. Work days start early and finish late. Clients are constantly entertained and business is touted over meals, shows and golf. Although we do this in Australia, America and the UK, it is not as intense. Many of us have set working days and clients are entertained in a much more informal way.

Singaporeans are extremely competitive and businesses do whatever they have to do to climb their way to the top. This is a very male dominated culture and family dynasties are abundant. If you know someone who knows someone else, your future is assured.

Strategic planning is always best done away from the office environment and Singapore has proven an interesting location. You get to bond with your co-workers and think outside your home square. Many people forget that working on the business is just as important as working in the business. If you don’t take the time out to plan then your business runs the risk of stumbling along without direction or a destination or worst still going in the wrong direction.

Strategic planning means looking at your long term goals and strategies and determining the best pathway to get there. It is almost impossible to do when you are working day to day as they require two different modes of thinking. I highly recommend all strategic planning is done out of the office and Singapore is just one of many fabulous locations to visit.

Today I woke up feeling a little tired which caused me to reflect on one the major causes of overload to women. As I have spoken about numerous times before, women tend to take on the problems of those around them and I am totally guilty of this habit. I swear I have a sign on my forehead labelled "TELL ME". I do however acknowledge that I inadvertently encourage this behaviour. It makes me feel good, wanted and loved to help someone out. So what happens when I need a break and because of my past habits I still get people DUMPING (as it now feels) on me?

Well I have learnt that there needs to be clear boundaries in place. When I first realized that I was the cause of my own problem, I started to analyse how to cope with it. I now have systems in place to give ME some space and guess what? The world didn't come crashing down!

So here are a couple of tips for giving you a little ME time:

1. Phone - I don't answer my house phone after 8pm at night and before 8am in the morning. I also screen callers on my mobile so I only take an emergency call. People get into the habit of calling you when they know you are available.

2. Your family and friends are important but it is just as important for you to have some time to yourself. Take time to relax, read, grab a massage or whatever else tickles your fancy. You deserve it!

3. Employees can be friends but make sure there are clear boundaries about your conversation outside of work hours. I myself make sure that my employees respect my private time and understand that although they are important to me that I need that time to recharge so I can be a better employer.

4. Learn to say no! - This is a hard one for most women including me. I find it especially hard with those closest to me. I had to stand looking into a mirror and practice saying no until I felt comfortable with it. Saying no doesn't mean you don't care.

I absolutely believe that you are no good to anyone if you don't look after yourself whether it be physically or mentally. Take the time today to look after U!