Inspired Leap

Yesterday a coaching client received deep, authentic praise from an industry expert both for where he’s at now with his songs and voice and for his ultimate potential for success in the music industry. It was the kind of praise that we all dream of receiving in whatever our chosen career or life calling is.

As you might imagine, he’s flying high and had trouble sleeping last night. This is a beautiful sign that he’s on his way toward fulfilling his life dream and it’s also a very important sign that he might have some more inner work to do before the dream unfolds.

When we respond so dramatically with joy and happiness at praise that suggests there’s a part of us that deep down doesn’t really know that we’re capable of achieving our dream. The external praise floods in and fills up that hole and causes us to flip cartwheels in our mind about the great feedback.

This has happened to me many times and happens to most of us a time or two on our journey toward whatever our big stretch goal is. But if you don’t catch yourself and do the inner work when this happens, the dream or big goal might always stay just beyond your reach.

In Integrated Energy Therapy (R) (IET) one of the nine integration areas is the throat and lungs. In a session the practitioner (I’ve attained Advanced Certification in IET) imprints in the client’s energy field the energy of Spiritual Pride.

Spiritual pride is “the energy that allows you to feel worthy, open, and filled with self esteem as the energy of your soul’s purpose unfolds. This is not ego pride that is boastful, but spiritual pride that is humble.” (© The Center of Being, Inc. from the Basic Level Guide)

 When spiritual pride about our work emanates from our Being, the joy we experience from a heartfelt compliment easily flows through us because we already know our worth and our talents and also understand that our talents flow to us from the Divine.

When we get to this place of deep knowing about our self worth and the value of our talents, we begin to vibrate in alignment with the energy of our dream. So instead of feeling like it’s a BIG dream requiring a big leap, the dream now becomes the right next step in our progression. .And, now we can trust and relax that it’s simply a matter of time before our dream arrives.

 Any big stretch goal will likely generate a gap in our knowing of what we’re capable of, so we’ll need to do the work to make this inner shift in our understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of.

So, do you have any inner blocks you need to release or holes in your self esteem that might need to be filled with spiritual pride before your dreams can unfold? If so, consider visiting an IET practitioner (or having a session done remotely), working with a coach, or doing your own healing process to help you do just that. And from this place of deep knowing of your value, relax and let the dream come to you.

P.S. To learn more about IET or to find a practitioner in your area, go to www.LearnIET.com and www.CenterOfBeing.com. We’ll also be working with this energy in my new group coaching program, the Aha! Coaching Circle. I’d love to have you join us. Registration closes September 10^th.

Have you ever felt that buzz of excitement flow through you when you knew you were on to something great? Maybe it appeared after experiencing an Aha! Moment about a challenge or a brilliant new idea. You know you’re fully aligned with whatever you’re doing, so your stomach does a happy dance and you feel the buzz of the energy of excitement and anticipation flowing through you.

That’s how I feel about my new Aha! Coaching Circle, a brand new group coaching program that starts September 14th. When a few friends reviewed the description of the program they said they could feel the heart energy coming off the page! They felt my energy of excitement and alignment. This occurred because this program fully embraces all of who I am and what I feel called to share.

When we’re 100% lined up with offering work that fully embraces who we are and what we have to share that buzz of energy occurs. When there’s a disconnect, we’re just going through the motions. And, we’ve all experienced both offering and receiving this kind of weak energy.

Have you felt that buzz of excitement recently about the work you do? If not, what energy blocks do you imagine are in your way? Is it that you’re not fully sharing who you are? Or, might it be simply that the work doesn’t resonate with you and isn’t part of your calling? These are just a few of the possible reasons why you’ve been blocked from that joyous flow of energy.

Ask yourself what steps you could take to bring you and your work more in alignment and trust the answers that pop into your head. You’re looking for any small or large shifts you can make in your energy to allow blocks to dissolve and energy to flow. Consider joining the Aha! Coaching Circle if support from a group of like-minded souls is just what you need to get you buzzing in all areas of your life.

We all deserve to feel that buzz of excitement daily, so take a step towards your ‘buzz’ today!

I can feel it. I don’t care what the news says about the economy. Over the past two weeks, I’ve heard story after story of positive news from friends, suggesting that maybe it’s time to start believing that good things are on their way.

“Something Wonderful Is About To Happen” is actually a bumper sticker I picked up a few years ago and talked about in my book. I love how this statement gets my imagination to begin coming up with all sorts of possibilities about what I might define as “something wonderful.” That glorious sense of anticipation that reminds me of birthday parties and Christmas as a child.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer evening then to start daydreaming about the wonderful things that are on my wish list or vision board. Hmmm I can see my invitation to spend a week at a beachfront condo with friends (all expenses paid) now. Or, maybe it’s all the registrations coming in for my new group coaching program I’ll be announcing next week. There are so many possibilities…

How about you? What wonderful things would you like to see happen in your career and life right now? Start anticipating and looking for something wonderful to show up in your life in August. I can’t wait to hear what actually shows up for you. Because the more energy we put into our dreams, the more likely they are to show up. Aha!

I’m thrilled to be on The Queen of Dreams (Tina Ferguson) Talkcast tonight, Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 8:00pm Central. While Tina and I have never met, one look at her website (www.tinaferguson.com) told me I’d found a soul sister.

In the past, thoughts of “Are you crazy? This is your competition. Why would you appear on her talkcast?” would have entered my head. Perhaps they’ve entered yours too in similar situations. However, I’ve come to realize the benefits of connecting and even co-creating together far outweigh any negatives.

My friend Tonya Hoffman, founder of Your Local City, reminds fellow networkers that your best referral source just might be the competitor down the street. We all experience times when a potential client is just not a fit for us right now. Graciously directing them to a respected competitor is a win for all.

In addition, if you feel your work is your mission, then you’ll want people to explore all of the myriad ways they can to engage with your particular passion or mission in life. Who cares if it’s through you, someone else, or more likely – - a combination of like-minded individuals.

And, if you’re a solo-preneur like me, finding peers you can exchange ideas, best practices, and laughs with is a priceless gift. No two people approach the same topic the same way. We bring our unique personal history and way of processing and sharing information to our work.

Is there someone in your professional or personal life, you’ve been viewing as a competitor and keeping away from? Perhaps it’s time to relook at that relationship and see what opportunities could be generated by connecting and working together.

I can’t wait to connect with Tina Ferguson because we have so much in common; yet, we present and approach our work of inspiring people to trust themselves, go for their dreams, and listen to their intuition differently.

I’m eager to find out how this conversation about the power of Aha! Moments to help you through change unfolds. If you are too, please join us tonight (or listen to the recording later) at:

WHEN: 8pm CENTRAL (6pm Pacific, 7pm Mountain, 9pm Eastern)

WHAT: Tina Ferguson Interviewing Me on Her Talkcast about “Aha! That’s It! How to Generate More Aha! Moments to Help You Through Change”

Talkcast Phone Number: 724-444-7444
Talkcast ID: 39674#
Non-Talkcast Members press 1# after the talkcast ID.

OR Listen Via Webcast: www.talkshoe.com/tc/39674

Have you tapped into the amazing wealth of wisdom, experience, and new ways of viewing the world available to you over the phone or internet? With the advent of all-inclusive long distance phone call packages and free webcast technology, the leaders and new entrepreneurs in the self-help, alternative health, and spiritual transformation movements are teaming up to create some truly informative and inspiring programs that cost you nothing.

Over the last few months, I’ve had the pleasure of joining with hundreds of other people around the globe to listen to the wisdom of leading experts and masters in their area of expertise on Adoley Odunton’s Wellness Revolution Summit program (ends July 16th) and Jennifer McLean’s Healing with the Masters Spring 2010 program (the fall edition begins in September 2010).

What I love about both of these programs is the host of the program thoughtfully interviews the guest speaker in order to share compelling information about the speaker and his or her work. And, where appropriate, listeners are given an opportunity to experience a bit of the expert’s work via an interaction with either the host or a caller. At the end of the call, the speaker has an opportunity to talk about the special offer or deal they’re providing. And that’s how the host and the speaker make money. Yet, there’s no requirement to purchase. And, if you’ve been inspired by a speaker, the promotion package is truly a gift because you get to experience their work at a special rate.

Like me, you may have experienced some programs that are so geared to selling you the product or program that you feel as if you’ve wasted your time hearing one long sales pitch with very little content. So, not all of these programs are worth the time and energy investment. Yet, with programs like Odunton’s and McLean’s, you’re exposed to ideas and experts you might not otherwise have had the time or money to experience – - all in the confort of your home office or where ever else you might sit down to contemplate the ideas you’re listening to.

The beauty of these programs is you can even listen to a free replay for up to 48 hours or longer after the live show. It’s easy to tell yourself you don’t have time for all of this, but is that really true most of the time? Isn’t it possible to ignore the tv for an hour to listen in or to get up early to check one of the replays out?

I encourage you to seek out some of these incredible learning series this summer and to get on Jennifer McLean’s mailing list for the fall edition of Healing with the Masters. Even if you only listen to one call, you’re taking advantage of a powerful resource. And that one free call could be the one that provides you with a life-changing Aha! Moment.

FREE Guided Visualization

For Healing of the Gulf and Reawakening Belief in Your Dreams

 Thursday, June 24th, 8:00pm Central (45 minute call)

The reaction I’ve received so far to my announcement that I’ll be leading a free guided visualization to harness our energy and imagination to help bring healing to the Gulf of Mexico has been extremely positive. It seems many individuals want to help, don’t know how, and are so traumatized by the images shared about how badly the ocean, shoreline, and animals are damaged that they’ve been ignoring the disaster.

This guided visualization is a way to honor what so many know to be true – - the power of their own healing energy combined with like-minded individuals – - without engaging in negative blaming and worry about the disaster.

As I discussed in my June newsletter and reported in my book, the work of The Global Consciousness Project (GCP) is showing that the consciousness of the planet can even affect machines – - random number or event generators.

The Project’s purpose is to “examine subtle correlations that reflect the presence and activity of consciousness in the world. We have learned that when millions of us share intentions and emotions that the GCP network shows correlations.” (noosphere.princeton.edu).

The truth is that more and more research confirms we can pick up on changes in the energy fields around us and we can influence those fields as well, especially as a united group of individuals.  

(p. 123, Aha! Moments: When Intellect and Intuition Collide)

What if your intention to heal the planet and find a solution was combined with thousands of other people’s intentions and influenced the dreams and consciousness of the people who play a direct role in creating, managing, and implementing a solution to this disaster?

Visualization is a powerful way to begin to positively affect the consciousness of everyone involved with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster. You engage your imagination and direct your energy toward manifesting whatever you desire – - including healing for the planet and loved ones.

We’ll be using a beautiful guided visualization to help each of us unite and direct our energy towards finding a solution to the oil spill and toward bringing about healing to the people, the creatures, and the Gulf of Mexico herself.

We’ll then engage that powerful energy to reawaken a belief in our own dreams and healing whatever blocks are keeping us from making the difference in the world we dream of.

 If you’re inspired to participate, there is no need to register. Just call in. I’ll be sending out a few reminders and can’t wait to join with your voice and energy to make a difference.

 Call Details: 8:00pm CENTRAL time (6:00pm Pacific, 7:00pm Mountain, 9:00pm Eastern), Thursday, June 24th

Call in Number: 712-432-0600

 Access Code: 741724#

On the trail this morning, a new friend who moved to Austin from Los Angeles, started talking about how being such a decisive person got her into trouble when she bought her house. She felt pressured from the real estate agent and ignored her unusual wavering over the decision and said “yes” when she now knows she should have said “no.”

I grew up hearing “Make a decision even if it’s wrong.” This can be great advice when we’ve spent days, months, or years going round and round in our heads about a decision. However, for those of us like me and my friend who already have a bias towards action, this well-meaning advice only makes us more uncomfortable with waiting for clarity.

Sometimes we jump forward or backward in our anxiety to move on with our careers or lives when a time out or waiting period might help us get aligned with the best answer for ourselves. If you find yourself anxious to make a decision or feeling pressured by someone else to say yes or no, deliberately pull back from the decision.

Take a few minutes, an hour, or a day to breathe deeply, relax, and focus on the wisdom of your intuition or heart. Ask yourself if you really, truly need to make the decision right now. Chances are the answer is “no.” Let that understanding help you to relax and not force a decision.

Trust that the answer is within and allow it to reveal itself to you at the right time. And giving yourself mental space to allow the answer to come to you when it’s ready usually means the answer will come quickly!

While sitting quietly or walking alone in nature, ask yourself what the right decision is and release it. That means letting your intuitive mind, heart, and soul work on it.

Your thinking mind will want to figure it out, looking at every angle and possible ramification of the decision. Distract it! Remind yourself that the answer’s coming and focus your attention on something completely different, like your breath or the beauty around you.

After about 20 minutes of peaceful distraction, gently ask yourself what the answer is. If nothing comes to you right away, trust that it’s being worked and will come. Be okay with being in that “not knowing” place. Remind yourself that you’ll know the right decision when you’re supposed to and go about your day.

And if you forget all about this and make a ‘bad’ decision, your work is now to learn from the mistakes and turn your attention to all of the good things that came out of that decision. In my friend’s case, she now has much more clarity about what she really wants in a home and neighborhood. And, she has the time to look carefully for just the right place. Aha!

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In the midst of reading Gregg Braden’s fascinating book Fractal Time, I’ve been thinking about what time is and how I experience it. To explore the mystery of time, Braden shares a very simple and profound view of time by physicist John Wheeler: “Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.” [p. 95]

Quantum physics tells us that time is a human construct, with the past, present, and future happening all at the same time or all accessible at any given time, so Wheeler’s definition makes sense. Time is our friend because it keeps us sane (from overload) and is ours to manipulate. Or, as author Gay Hendricks tells us in his powerful book, The Big Leap, “You’re where time comes from.” [p. 160]

Hendricks takes this wisdom and teaches us the secret of Einstein Time which includes acknowledging that since we’re the creators of time, we can make more when we need it! I highly encourage you to read his book for a variety of reasons, but understanding the concept of Einstein Time is reason enough.

While I haven’t mastered the art of creating more time, I am slowly, but surely remembering to engage my mind in the concept, as well as in acknowledging with gratitude the gift of more time.

For example, this morning I was running late (according to the clock) to drop off my car for servicing. Part of the reason for the delay was a stop for hot tea and breakfast in anticipation of a potentially long wait to receive my loaner car. On the way to the dealership, I kept telling myself to relax because I’d be arriving at exactly the right time. That inner dialogue gave me permission to take care of my needs – - breakfast and tea, even though that stop would ensure I arrived late.

When I pulled up to the Subaru service area, the service associate was waiting for me with paperwork and a loaner car and no stress or issues about my late arrival. Within 5 minutes, I was on my way for the day! I had clearly arrived on time and received a bonus of even more time which fueled my expectation that this would be a great day.

How do you view time? Is it your friend or enemy on most days? What if you could make friends with time and begin to witness the power you have over how time flows in your days? How might your stress go down and your effectiveness and mood go up?

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“Third time is the charm” is a phrase we use in the U.S. to convey the idea that there’s something magical about attempting to succeed at something the third time. We’re encouraged to keep trying for something we believe in.

However, sometimes trying beyond that third time eats up too much time and energy. Maybe the message is to relax, wait, and focus our attention on something else. Perhaps there are a few necessary steps that we can’t see that need to occur before our success is assured.

In those cases, pay attention to a different ‘third time.’ This is the third time you hear, see, feel, or sense something. This divine guidance comes via friends making the same suggestions within a few days of each other, hearing a speaker say something about the very thing you were mulling over in your head, or seeing an image in a magazine that triggers a connection to what you’d been thinking, for example.

An attendee at a workshop at Lake Austin Spa Resort recently shared with me her belief that these are “sacred echos” communicating important guidance to us that we need to heed. And, just like we seem to need to try three times for things to happen for us, perhaps the universe needs roughly the same number of shots at getting us to pay attention and heed a message.

This happened to me a few weeks ago. I’ve been offering workshops, retreats, and coaching while pursuing speaking engagements and promoting my book. Oh yeah. I’m also chairing a conference for 500 women in Texas that occurs on November 11^th! (check out the 19^th Annual Money and Power Conference at www.womenschambertexas.com).

Over a period of three weeks, I heard gentle comments about focusing my attention on my coaching business, which is flourishing, and my book, which inspires me and will lead to the speaking and other options. Yet, I had workshops on the schedule, enjoyed doing them, and so I made no decision.

HA! The universe had other ideas. Within a few days, I clearly heard the message to focus on coaching. The last time I heard this suggestion on Thursday, October 1^st from a fellow entrepreneur, coach, and friend, I laughed out loud.

I may have a lot of things on my mind right now; however, it’s hard to miss something that keeps coming up from different sources. This time I listened and dropped all of my workshops through the winter. Once I got the message I acted and have been feeling great about the decision ever since.

Is there something you’ve heard about or have been reminded of two or three times in a relatively short span of time? Take a moment to check in with your inner wisdom. Is this a big clue from the divine or the universe to take action in a new direction?

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While getting my dog settled in the back seat of the car yesterday morning, in anticipation of driving to a favorite trail for a great hike, I looked out at the street and noticed orange safety cones carefully placed down the center of the road. As it was a quiet Sunday morning, I was a bit mystified as to why they were there. I soon found out those cones were only the beginning.

The on ramp to the freeway was blocked off and side streets were barricaded closed. “What’s going on?” I asked myself. Of course I had no answer, but I kept fretting about it. And then my mind jumped to wondering how I would get back to my house later that morning, after the hike. Would the road be completely blocked off then? Very quickly I had myself worked up, with detailed visions of the challenges that would await me coming back home.

Do you ever do this? Do you find your very active imagination jumping to conclusions and actively creating worst case scenarios? That’s your inner critic, monkey mind, or little voice as I’ve heard this part of the mind referred to. It finds a way to jump in and pull you down when you’re very happy, high on life, or excited about a new opportunity. Worrying about what might happen is a trick our mind plays to calm our system and bring us back down to our old emotional set point or level.

This is great when your active mind is reminding you of good things to bring you back up to a ‘normal’ state of hopefulness, but not so good when it’s trying to bring you back down from a state of excitement and eager anticipation. When you want to make changes, you need to stay alert and witness how your mind jumps to different topics and mental pictures in order to scare, anger, or depress you.

In my case, after a stressful week, I was happy to be feeling the joy and healing of an amazing Reiki session Saturday afternoon and experiencing excitement about getting back to a trail I hadn’t been on in months because of the drought and heat. With lots of rain the past month and cooler temperatures, I anticipated a beautiful hike. I had moved to a higher, more positive emotional state.

Thankfully, I was alert enough to notice the foolishness of the thoughts I started thinking about the traffic redirection and the way it was affecting my mood and bringing me back down from my ‘high.’  I began to redirect my thoughts toward the hike. Again. And again. Don’t underestimate the power of your mind. I had to be vigilant in catching myself and redirecting my thoughts to the joyful experience of walking the trail – - to being in the present moment.

The hike was amazing. After not hearing the sound of flowing water on that trail for about a year, it was heaven to walk along and through the creek and see my dog happily playing in the water. The drive home? Easy. No blocked roads. No blocked entrance. Once again I had another opportunity to laugh at myself!

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