Archive for Values & Priorities
Practicing the Art of “Being”
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I’ve spent the majority of my life “doing” rather than “being”. After all, there are places to go, people to see, and things to do, right?
This approach to life fell short for me over ten years ago when I made the bold and courageous decision to leave behind the security of my steady paycheck. I quit my “Corporate” job to pursue my entrepreneurial dream because I was exhausted and burnt out from all of my “doing” for the sake of what?!
Little did I know that I would find myself going through life transition upon life transition, starting with my divorce and the subsequent hurdles of my daughter’s health struggles.
Because of these changes, I was challenged to find answers to the questions of “Who am I?” and “What’s next?”
I could write a book on the topic and some day I just might! In the meantime, the key learning is that I am a “human being”, not a “human doing”. Out of this paradigm shift, I have reaped the benefits of living a heart centered life and I am committed to supporting women like you to do the same.
For those of you who are “do-ers” (which is 99.9% of the women out there), here are some practical next steps that will help you “to be”.
- Slow down and breathe fully. Repeat multiple times during the day!
- Go for a walk in silence. A little bit of exercise, a chance to be and not just “sitting still”.
- Get up early in the morning before everyone else wakes up. Drink your coffee in silence and breathe some more.
- Stop talking and listen. Pay attention to others and to your inner voices, your body, etc.
- Read my blog article “On the Verge of a Break Through” for more insight.
Learning to “be” is essential if you want to find inner peace, joy and greater purpose. It’s a huge shift from the crazy-making world we live, yet so worth the perseverance and commitment to find it.
So what else would you add to this list? Share your comments at Facebook and the Blog…And then, breathe and “just be”!
Going on an Information Diet
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OK, let’s get real. Are you overwhelmed by too much information? It’s a blessing to have readily accessible information at your fingertips 24-7. However, the curse is that there’s an overwhelming abundance of “too much”. So much so that I’m inviting you put yourself on an information diet!
Let me set the stage as to why I think this is important. Last week I had a conversation with a colleague about the impact of being plugged in to so much information. We both agreed that having access to the collective wisdom and brilliance of so many people provides not only inspiration and practical tips, but also calls forth new directions, opportunities and possibilities.
Just like a coin however, there is a flip side. We’ve both found that too much information can become distracting, overwhelming and worst case, it can cause you to question your value, abilities and direction.
If you’re like me, you might often find yourself reacting to what shows up in your in-box feeling obligated to read all of the newsletters, blogs, daily devotions, tips, and inspiration that you’ve signed up for. The challenge is that it can become all consuming to the point you end up working more than you’d like, once again compromising what really matters. Not to mention it can totally diminish your self-worth and esteem.
If any of this resonates for you, my suggestion is that you go on an information diet. Just like you cut back on your food intake to focus on becoming physically healthy, an information diet is about reducing the volume of content you read so you become emotionally healthy and can thrive in your life and work.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting you eliminate everything. I am encouraging you to become tuned in and aware so you can decide what content to decrease as you guard your heart.
Here are some questions to ponder and some potential next steps:
- Does this information add value to your life or work or is it a distraction? If it’s a distraction, consider opting out.
- Are you energized and inspired by the information or do you feel drained or defeated? If you are drained and defeated, it might be time to opt out.
- Do you read the information or do you just delete it? If you’re deleting it you aren’t reading it anyway so clear out the volume of e-mails by opting out.
- Is it all good and yet there’s just too much? Rate what you receive on a scale of good, better and best and opt-out of the good so you have time for the better and best.
Clearing and purging information that is no longer life giving or relevant to where you are in your life and work will have massive benefit to you. It will free you up emotionally because you will have more energy available to focus on what’s truly important. It will also help to eliminate the self-sabotage and allow you to focus on who you really are, not what you think you ought to be.
So what do you think? Share your comments at the blog and share it with your friends, family and colleagues.
Here’s to living freely and lightly!
Truth and Transformation
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I know you’ve heard it before; it’s the poignant phrase about knowing the truth which will set you free. I believe it now more than ever before as I process on my ferry ride home from The Destiny Project Retreat. It was a life transforming weekend where the hearts, minds and spirits of 11 women (including mine) have been set free to experience more of an abundant life.
If was the first ever “live” version of The Destiny Project, held as a retreat at the beautiful Gaylord House B&B just outside of Seattle, WA. Throughout the weekend, the home was filled with laughter and tears, creating a safe and courageous space for the women to experience the truth of who they are as unique masterpieces.
I hold a new perspective around the term B&B thanks to the innkeeper who joined us for the journey. It no longer stands for Bed & Breakfast; it now means Belief & Belonging which was exemplified over and over throughout the weekend. It allowed the women to fully own and believe in their true identities as they felt a deep sense of acceptance and belonging. This sacred space allowed each of them to bring their full selves to the experience.
Throughout the weekend each woman learned to embrace her humanness, including both the light and the shadow, bringing about the compassion needed for each one of them to declare, “I like me!” What a profound statement when we live in a world so focused on what’s not working as we strive to be who we are not, meeting the have to’s, ought to’s and should’s that are placed upon us by ourselves and others. With child-like joy these women came alive to embrace the truth, which provided a clear path to the life change that has transformed each woman forever.
The impact was significant! After settling into the experience, each began to trust the organic process and the truth was awakened. Every woman now has a clearer picture of her desires, dreams, values, identity, mission and yes, even her shadow. They all left with a tool kit overflowing with truth and wisdom that will be used as personal filters for moving forward with boldness and courage toward each woman’s God-inspired destiny.
As we wrapped the weekend, we moved into the making it real phase because this journey is so much more than “feeling good” about yourself. It’s about a new way of living, a God-inspired paradigm shift that allows you to find the deeper truths of who you are so you can integrate and live out this truth and transformation in practical real world ways. I refer to this type of living as the “sweet spot” where your spirit intersects with God’s so you achieve greater impact and enhanced results with less effort because there is no more striving.
As you can imagine, the ripple effect of women living from this authentic place of being is exponential. Their lives have been transformed AND the freedom and love they bring to their homes, families, communities and the world will overflow in powerful ways to others.
One of the participants, Rhonda, described her experience this way:
“I’ve lived my life with the burning sense of knowing I was meant for so much more. I filled my life with busyness and over commitment not knowing what to say yes and no to. I longed to really hear clearly from the Holy Spirit what he saw in me and where he wanted me to go in my life but never felt I could.
“The Destiny Project Retreat changed all that! For the first time I heard loud & clear from the Holy Spirit, that he definitely had an identity for me and my mission became quite clear! What incredible freedom to know what to focus my life around. The world would never be the same if every woman stood in their true identity and moved forward courageously in their mission. My prayer is that every woman would get this opportunity.”
After facilitating the Destiny Project for over 2 years, I am convinced that women are hungry for this type of experience. I’m a firm believer that each and every woman is worthy and deserving of the truth and transformation that is evoked. The genuine woman that is released and the freedom that comes is no longer option, but essential.
Where are you in journey to complete freedom as you live from your true self?
Contact me if you want to explore what it means to free your genuine self so you can find meaning and purpose while leaving your legacy behind. Also contact me if you’d like to participate or coordinate a group for The Destiny Project over-the-phone course or in-person retreat. Don’t waste another minute; the time for change is now!
Your Values Compass Points you True North
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Imagine that you have a navigational device that guides your choices and gives you insight as to which direction to take in your life and business. What would it be worth if you could experience inner peace, ease and joy on a consistent basis, and that your life and business were thriving with greater impact and less effort? Oh, how I want this for you!!!!
A compass points true north and helps you “stay the course” as you navigate your way outdoors. The same is true of a values compass which helps you discover your own internal “true north”. This values compass becomes your barometer for making heart-centered decisions, actions and choices that increase your fulfillment and positively impact the world around you.
How do you know if you’re honoring your values and following your internal compass? Think about a time in your life when you were alive, energized and your life seemed to flow with minimal effort. In this scenario, you likely have a key value that is being honored. Now think about a situation where you were irritated, angry and struggling. Chances are you have a core value that was not being considered.
Your values are the voice of your heart and give you insight into how you are wired and what matters deeply to you. If you aren’t clear about your values, you are missing a vital piece of information that will help you overcome obstacles, discover who you are and take action toward your inspired life vision.
I challenge you to make time to discover (and rediscover) your values by listening to my interview with Marcia Brixey on the topic of Transformational Goal Setting. This audio recording is a 2 for the price of 1 so to speak, because you’ll learn your values AND how to use your them to set meaningful heart-centered goals. Be sure to download the handout because this is vital to the learning.
Your values are fundamental and foundational to aligning your life with who you are created to be, and this is not a one-time activity. One of the participants in my training class last week said, “even though I’m coaching with you and have been through The Destiny Project journey, I am taking away that my values are evolving and changing as I grow and learn. I need to pay attention to this daily.”
Oh how true this is! I am so passionate about this message on values that I am boldly asking you to share this post, my blog and our team newsletter with your friends, family and colleagues and invite them to sign-up. As Ghandi said it so eloquently, “Be the change you wish to see in this world.”
A journey to a 1,000 miles begins with a single step; what’s your next step?
Celebrate and Acknowledge 2009
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I recently had the chance to pause and celebrate my past year and was amazed at all that has happened in 2009. There have been huge milestones like the launch of the new website, blogging and the venture into social media. However, when I looked beyond the obvious I was pleasantly surprised that my year was sprinkled with several small and consistent wins that have made this year a huge success for me, based on what I define as being successful.
So here’s the bottom line. You must make time to celebrate and acknowledge your wins for 2009! Why? Without knowing where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished, both inside and out, who knows where you’ll end up in 2010. Also, be sure to review your year based on your personal definition of success, not what someone else would consider it to be.
There is a passage from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll which cleverly illustrates why it’s important to know where you are headed in life, especially in this ever changing world we live:
“Cheshire Puss,” she began rather timidly, as she did not know at all whether it would like the name. However, it only grinned a little wider. “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.
“I don’t much care where,” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the cat.
“So long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the cat, “if you only walk long enough, because if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
So in the coming days, block your time and take 60-minutes to Acknowledge 2009, using this tool as your guide. Set your course onto the path that will lead you to what you want to create for 2010! And, if you’re ready to overcome your limitations, discover who you are, and take action toward your inspired life vision, it’s time to schedule your 15-minute complimentary information call to see if partnering with one of our coaches is your next step in the new year!
As your new year blossoms, may the journey of your life be fragrant with new opportunities, your days be bright with new hopes and your heart be happy with love! Happy New Year!
