I'm laying down a challenge for you today.
This week's post shares a quick tip and friendly reminder to clear out the clutter in your heart, your home, and your life. When you do, there's a gift that comes back to you. Clearing space always makes room for something new. What that "something"
What about you? What's the Key Area of Success where you could take a moment and create some space? When you've cleared space n the past, what was the "new" that showed up for you? Share your thoughts in the comments for our whole community to enjoy.
It can be a real challenge to find even a little piece of quiet during the day. But quiet stillness is a daily must-have if you want to stay sane and allow for the blessings that come from intuitive/divine guidance.
This week's Convo features Joanna Weston, a certified Martha Beck trained life coach. We talk about finding stillness, what coaching is (and what it isn't), as well as how she's helping her clients create space for the sacred.
Visit Joanna and learn more about her "Creating Space For The Sacred" program.
This week marks the beginning of some shifting in both my life and my business. We finished our taxes, and the kids were home for the holiday, so I decided to slow things down a bit and not "push" myself to create. I explain it a bit more this week on "The Convo":
If you're in need of your own quiet stillness, consider The PEACE System as a tool to help you navigate your daily priorities.
As a small child, I knew I was called to be a performer. I remember being 2 or 3 years old (before we moved into the house I grew up in) and "performing" for my family. I'd stand up on my wooden toy box, pretending it was a stage, dancing and singing for whoever would give me the time of day. I remember the day I was too big to stand on that "stage" - my foot went right through the lid and broke the toy box.
I grew up in a community where the biggest dream most folks had was to get a good paying job in "the shop". GM practically owned Flint when I was growing up, and the parents of most of the kids I ran with were either in the shop, or served the shop workers as teachers, lawyers, or doctors. Our town was a shop economy. (more…)
In part one, Sarah Robinson and I sat down to talk about her own business evolution, as well as her book, “Fierce Loyalty: Unlocking the DNA of Wildly Successful Communities”. This is part two of a three part interview, wherein we discuss Sarah's Fierce Loyalty Model (enhanced with graphics! Ooooh! Ahhhh!).
This is the first part of an hour-long interview with Author and Martha Beck-trained life coach, Sarah Robinson (here's part two). Her book, "Fierce Loyalty: Unlocking the DNA of Wildly Successful Communities" is available in paperback or Kindle format on amazon. You can read my thoughts on her book in this previous post.
In this episode, Sarah and I discuss the evolution of her business, from professionally trained actress to mom, to life coach, to business strategist and author. We talk about what Jonathan Fields calls "The Thrash": the seemingly constant evolution-branding-and-re-branding cycle that happens as we draw nearer and nearer to our Essential Why and sharing our True Voice with the world.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vunKAS0WBCk&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
When you look at your life and work, what awareness can you develop this week around the problems you're trying to solve and the responsibilities you're taking on?
What problems aren't yours to solve? What responsibilities aren't yours to own?
Where are you making it too hard for yourself?
Where are you looking for the easy way out instead of doing the work?
This isn't about placing blame or beating yourself up, this is about developing an awareness so you can make the needed changes to see a more balanced and successful life.
Share your thoughts in the comments or shoot me an email. I love to hear your feedback!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiXWlbbOygk&hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0]
It's all well and good to strive for excellence, but excellence is about more than just putting in your 10,000 hours. Those hours need to be focused, deliberate practice. Without that, you'll be hard pressed to reach the full potential of your undeniable gifts.
Be warned: you can spend 10,000 hours of your life on anything, and just because you get good at something doesn't mean it's the thing you're supposed to be about in the world. I've spent thousands of hours doing things that I don't enjoy (and I got pretty damn good at them, too), because I thought I had to. I'm really good at a bunch of things I have no interest in, and that I know are not part of my great work on this planet.
If you're interested in digging deeper into finding your own great work, have a look at Stephen Cope's book "The Great Work Of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling" on Amazon. If you've already got clarity on your calling, and you're ready to launch into creating a plan of deliberate practice, take a peek at the Get Your Year In Gear program. It just might help you create the space you need to do the things for which your future self will thank you.
Got big dreams? Hold fast to them, and don't be afraid to pray for excellence. Many times, visionary creatives have lofty goals and ambitions, but we're met with staunch criticism when we share them. This forces us to either stop sharing, or aim lower.
Don't be that person. Instead, when things are getting to you, watch this video:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l6BZtMb3OE&hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0]
It's not enough, though to watch a video, or pray for God to make you good at something. You must also do the work. What are you going to do today to move yourself closer to your dreams?
Earlier this year, I was one of the lucky folks that got an advanced copy of It's Your Business: 183 Essential Tips That Will Transform Your Small Business. It's a book written by JJ Ramberg, Lisa Everson, and Frank Silverstein, and ripped from the show "Your Business" on MSNBC. The book features immediately actionable tips and ideas from entrepreneurs. It reads like a resource guide or a reference book, and it's sitting on my bookshelf for handy access. The book covers a range of topics, from start-up to exit planning, and everything in between.
I got a rare chance to interview JJ and get her insight into:
We also dig into JJ's own history as an entrepreneur, as she shares some of her favorite stories and tips from her journey. Due to technical issues, only the audio was available for this program
Right click and "save as" to download audio