Archive for Perspectives
Fears and Faith – Stepping into the Unknown
Posted by: | Comments
Do you remember how you felt when you were very young and your birthday approached? You were excited and anxious. You knew you would certainly receive gifts and other special treats. But some things would be a surprise. It wasn’t a question of “if” you would receive anything; instead the question you pondered was actually “what?”
Imagine that you held this same perspective around the “unknown”? What if you took that step out of your comfort zone and instead of fearing the unknown outcome, you had faith that there was a gift awaiting you on the other side. Just as birthdays combine assurance and anticipation so does faith!
In my early morning Facebook posting yesterday, a dialogue on the topic of faith began. Here’s how it went:
Shannon – “Faith is learning to be OK with the unknown. It’s learning to embrace the “I don’t know” and seeing this as the open door to the many possibilities that are beyond what you could ever hope for or imagine.”
Friend #1 – “Living in the unknown also increases your faith…it’s all divine. 
”
Friend #2 – “I’m intrigued and interested in learning how to be more faithful in this regard… The “unknown” frightens me and freezes my ability to act freely.”
Can you relate to Friend #2? I know I can, along with every one of my past, present and future clients!
We all have fears and the truth is these never go away completely. On the other hand, you can turn your fears into excitement when you choose to be courageous and act in spite of them. In doing so, your faith grows because you find the gifts that are available as you step into the unknown. This changes your fears to faith as you let your anticipation for these unknown surprises give you courage along the way.
Here’s what Robert G. Allen suggests around fears and faith as you step into the unknown:
Hold up your hand and assign one letter to each finger:
FEARS = Failure, Embarrassment, Abandonment, Rejection and Success.
How do you over come your fears?
With FAITH.
FAITH = Freedom, Abundance, Inspiration, Triumph, and Happiness.
As you read this post, what’s being stirred in you? What fear will you overcome and what’s the action step of faith that you’ll take today, either in your life or your business?
Living courageously is exhilarating and scary at the same time, and it’s not meant to be done alone! Find a mentor, hire a professional coach, or get an accountability partner.
As a first step, I’d like to challenge you to share your fears and your courageous moves of faith with this community of blog readers. Let’s use this blog as a form of accountability for that one step into the unknown where your surprise gift awaits.
So I’ll start….I’m on a mission to grow my community of newsletter and blog readers and yet I haven’t directly asked for your help. Today I’m moving beyond my fear of embarrassment and rejection and asking you to send this post to 5 of your friends as you invite them to sign up for our blog and newsletter. Why you might ask? I’m looking for 500 new women and Mompreneurs to join our lists as we expand our network and impact with courageous women who are ready to overcome obstacles to discover who they are, as they boldly take action to live their inspired life vision.
Thank you for referring your friends, family and colleagues. Here’s to living courageously, overcoming fears and growing in faith!
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.”—Eleanor Roosevelt
Catch and Cradle: A New Approach to Fulfillment
Posted by: | Comments
“The daily life satisfaction of women has gone downhill consistently in relation to where they were 40 years ago,” according to Marcus Buckingham, Author and Researcher. That’s a startling statistic that makes me curious. What about you? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being absolutely satisfied, how fulfilled are you in your life?
According to Buckingham, this shocking fact “is true of women in the work force, those not working, those who have kids or don’t, and it’s even true of 12th grade girls.” If this is the case, what’s the answer to fulfillment?!
Buckingham has found that you must find your “strength zone” because its critical to a sense of being valued, efficient and fulfilled. As a life coach, I agree that when you leverage your strengths in your roles of wife, mother, business owner, and woman, you will be more alive and fulfilled as your strengths are engaged and called upon in your daily activities.
There’s a perspective shift that is critical to finding this increased level of purpose and satisfaction. Instead of “juggling” the many tasks of your life, Buckingham suggests you should “catch and cradle”. If you recognize the challenge of life is not to juggle, but instead to catch and select a few clear strong moments from each aspect of your life, you can reach for those and find greater joy.
How do you catch and cradle? Follow these steps by Marcus Buckingham to find a new approach to fulfillment:
- Define the specific moments in your life that renew your energy and bring you joy.
- Go after these moments and imbalance your life toward creating more of these specific moments.
- Learn who you are clearly enough to say “yes” because you want to engage in activities that make you come alive; this is contrary to the traditional “say no”.
- Understand that these moments won’t be the same for your sister, your next-door neighbor or your co-worker.
In this “catch and cradle” approach, Buckingham states “in contrast with manic juggling, there is a deliberate reaching for specific moments to cradle. When you cradle a baby, you concentrate on it, feel its weight, and allow it to move you; you’re very responsive to it. Cradling is a very nurturing position. You’re not grasping it to you; there’s hopefulness to it.”
What do you think ? Share your comments on this new approach to fulfillment.
To discover the role you were born to play, take the Strong Life Test developed by Marcus Buckingham. For more support in changing perspectives and living from your strengths, be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter.
Forget Perfect; Be Excellent Instead!
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s a swirling undercurrent in the river of life that’s attempting to drown life from your heart. It’s subtle and it’s stealth-like, as this thing called “perfectionism” comes in through the back door to thwart you.
Over the past week, a repetitive theme of perfectionism has emerged in the coaching of my clients. When this happens, I assert that there are more of you out there experiencing the same frustration and defeat that comes as a result of this striving for perfection.
Before I make this assumption, let me ask you a few questions.
- Are you exhausted because you can never reach the high bar that’s been set, because it’s continually being raised higher and higher?
- Do you find yourself running ragged trying to manage your household, your business, your relationships and everything on your To-Do List, to the point you feel chaos swirling within and around you?
- Is your life running you?
If you find yourself answering “yes” to any of these questions, I give you full permission to “Forget Perfect”! It doesn’t exist and the more you chase after it, the more elusive it becomes leading you to a life of inner chaos, overwhelm, and defeat.
Michael J. Fox said it so profoundly when he said, “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.”
Let that soak in for a minute. Breathe in the truth of that statement as you give yourself permission to reconnect with your humanness!
It’s time to make the bold commitment to “forget perfect”, since after all that’s really God’s business. Let’s all choose a perspective of “excellence” instead!
Here are three tips to assist you in the reach for excellence:
- Define Excellence. If this were a new value that you used as a filter for your life and work, what does it mean to you? Since values have an internal sense of rightness, make the definition personal and use this as an internal barometer for all that you do.
- Be your Best Self. Who are you at your best? What qualities and characteristics show up? Being excellent means bringing forth these attributes consistently and intentionally into your life and work.
- Extend Compassion. Remember you are human; you have strengths and weaknesses. The more you embrace the whole of who you are, the easier it will be for you to stay on the path of excellence. Let your life experiences be your learning tool that keep molding and shaping you into a more “excellent” you.
So what do you think? Let me know by posting your comments below.
Be Present & Enjoy
Posted by: | CommentsAs summer winds down, are you feeling overwhelmed or fragmented because of too many things on your plate?
The next two weeks are often the most difficult for Mompreneurs. Through the transition, there is an overlap of activities for the end of summer and the beginning of fall, all happening at the same time! You’re probably finishing vacations, wrapping up those summer barbeques and trying to shop for supplies as you get your kids back on track for the school year. With this extra flurry of activity, you feel the intensity of juggling added responsibilities it’s hard to be present and enjoy your life.
Instead of being frustrated, exhausted and perhaps “done” with summer, I want you to to experience the priceless opportunity of connection, fun and lasting memories.
So how do you navigate this transition time? What will bring ease and grace so you aren’t robbed of the joy that’s available?
Today Hannah Hollett, my guest author and client has provided some powerful tips on being present so you can fully enjoy.
Reconnect with your body and listen to what it is saying! Learn what it feels like (physically) when you are honoring your values and being present. Do you feel light, flowing and full? Notice what happens when you are not being present. Do you feel tightness in your chest, shallow breathing, and tension when you are ignoring what is important to you? Listen to your body as it will never lie to you. Use your body as a guidance system and make the choices and changes needed to “be present”.
Carry a small object that you can literally wrap your fingers around as a reminder to be in this moment. As an example, keep a smooth stone in your pocket to act as an anchor reminding you to be present!
Trust that you are exactly where you are supposed to be right now. Even when things are challenging there is always a gift to experience. Being present will keep you conscious and aware allowing everything to be your teacher.
What will you do right now to “be present” and “enjoy?” Share your thoughts in the comments below.
If you like what you’re reading, be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter so you have access to additional support.
Finding Fun: A 3-step Approach
Posted by: | Comments
Are you having fun?
If you’re like most womenpreneurs, you are probably in a struggle when it comes to finding fun. As a business owner and probably a wife and mom, your life is filled with many demands and responsibilities from running a business to managing a household. You’re probably wondering, when exactly am I supposed to schedule my “fun”?
Let me share the definition of “fun” from Webster’s. Fun is playfulness, enjoyment or pleasure. While it can be an activity such as a sport or recreation, fun is actually a state of being and that’s the perspective shift I invite you to make today!
Here’s a three step approach to finding F-U-N in your life:
- “F” stands for “Fully engage”. Look for and commit to finding fun throughout your day. What’s in the mundane that brings enjoyment? Laugh. Smile. Find a song on You Tube and dance like no one is watching.
- “U” stands for “Understand what fun means to you.” There’s a quote that says, “Life won’t bring you what you’re not clear about.” Have an idea of what makes you feel playful, brings a sense of enjoyment and pleasure to your life.
- “N” stands for “No more waiting”. Stop getting ready to get ready! If you keep waiting until you have a day off in your calendar to have some fun it might never happen. Say “no” and start today by changing your perspective and enjoying some FUN with a Capital “F”! You deserve it.
So I ask the question again…“Are you having fun?” Post your comments below and let us know!
