June Inspired Leap™ "Ah-Ha!" Newsletter
June 2008

Do You Connect Like These Women Do?

Dear Dianna,

Early this month I had the honor and pleasure of leading a small workshop for a gathering of phenomenal women-featured in the picture above. My friend Linda meets annually with fellow alumni from the Glenwood, Iowa high school class of 1965. After one high school reunion, they decided that meeting every 5 or 10 years was too infrequent, so these lovely women now gather every year at a different woman's home. I'm so thankful that this year the gathering was in Austin.

This group of wacky and wise women call themselves the ASSETS (Amazingly Spirited Sisters Entwined Treasured Souls). While they have fun every year, Linda mentioned that the work we did together as a group led to much deeper conversations and connections. That doesn't surprise me because when we take time to remember how fabulous we are ourselves, we have the strength to share more of ourselves to others and the ability to listen on a deeper level.

In the workshop, we spent time talking about how important it is to be able to really look into a mirror and say "I love you" to the beautiful face looking back at you. This isn't always easy work, but when you spend even a few minutes acknowledging the strength, intelligence, beauty and lovabilty of the person looking back at you in the mirror, you begin to open your heart. And, when you open your heart magic happens in the form of deeper, more powerful connections with the family, friends, and community around you.

An open heart means a direct connection with the wisdom of the right hemisphere of your brain. So, even the person who says this "connection stuff" is too soft and sappy for me has a part of him or her that is longing for just such a connection. When we honor that part of us, we open up to all of the power and intelligence that side of us has to offer.

In her compelling book, My Stroke of Insight, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor (www.drjilltaylor.com), a neuroanatomist, wrote about the stroke that wiped out the abilities of the left hemisphere of her brain at the prime age of 35. She offers a detailed account (as only a neuroanatomist could) of what happened on the day of the stroke and during the long recovery process.

As part of her story, Dr. Taylor shared what she experienced about the true differences and roles of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. It is your right brain that longs for deeper connections with others and that understands the Truth of the statement that we are all connected.

My stroke of insight is that at the core of my right hemisphere consciousness is a character that is directly connected to my feeling of deep inner peace. It is completely committed to the expression of peace, love, joy, and compassion in the world. [p. 133, My Stroke of Insight] Freed from all perception of boundaries, my right mind proclaims, "I am a part of it all. We are brothers and sisters on this planet.

We are here to help make this world a more peaceful and kinder place." My right mind sees unity among all living entities, and I am hopeful that you are intimately aware of this character within yourself. [p. 141, emphasis added]

My question to you is, "are you aware of this part of yourself?" When you take time to truly connect with the consciousness of your right brain, it is easy to create the deep and rich connections that nurture your soul and lead to the meaningful, powerful relationships that help you create the successful, rewarding life you desire.

When you tell yourself that you're too busy, not interested, or not good enough for the kind of connections the ASSETS group of women work on strengthening every year, you are literally starving the part of yourself that is creative, joyful, and, as Dr. Taylor notes, is the key to achieving the inner peace most of us want.

If you don't have a group like the ASSETS to connect with, or you're not a "group" person, consider one-on-one connections with a friend. Or, if you find the strongest way for you to connect with the world around you is through nature or pets, then take time to deepen that connection.

During the summer of 2008, honor the need of your right brain to acknowledge how wonderful you and the people around you are in whatever way speaks to your soul. When you take time to do this, you'll be amazed at how it leads to elevated performance by the rest of your right brain (it's just so thrilled you're finally giving it some attention that your right brain can't help but be more intuitive and creative!).

What are some ways you can deepen your connections this summer?Consider these possibilities:

• Take off for a weekend with a group of new and old friends:
• stay at a condo on the beach;
• go fishing and camp near the lake;
• enjoy luxurious spa treatments at a 5-star resort; or,
• play endless rounds of golf in a new part of the country or world.
• Spend time walking or hiking in nature alone, with friends, or with your dog.
• Attend a retreat or extended workshop where you'll have the opportunity to create some powerful connections with new people. (see details on Renee Trudeau's women's retreat or my week in Hawaii below)
• Consider that the most important connection for you might be the connection with yourself. If that's the case, take time to look in your mirror and tell the person looking back at you how much you love her or him, forgive, honor, admire, and more. You know what you need to say to yourself and believe about yourself in order to be able to fully love and connect with others.
  

Finally, if the idea of deeply connecting by sharing more of yourself sounds scary, consider starting with offering to be on the receiving end of someone else's desire to connect. When you do this, you step on holy ground and cannot help but lose some, if not all, of your fear of connections. For as a wise author, Rachel Naomi Remen says, "the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen."

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention...A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

-Rachel Naomi Remen, author of Kitchen Table Wisdom (quote found at quoteland.com)

Upcoming Events and Workshops:

Envision Your Way to Success Monthly Tele-Class, Next Session is Wednesday, July 9 at 7pm Central! What should you be visualizing while you're swinging in a hammock and sipping lemonade this summer? We'll briefly explore a different facet of the power of visualization and how the conscious practice of visualizing is a key component of a successful life - however you define it. You'll then have the opportunity to tap into your intuitive wisdom and the power of your imagination in a guided visualization (we'll do a different guided visualization each month).

Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued Workshop, Postponed until this fall, as I'm focusing on writing this summer.

Second Annual New Year, New You! Vacation Retreat in Hawaii, January 17-24, 2009 at the Sheraton Maui Resort. Save the dates! More details to come on this inspiring, relaxing, and phenomenal way to launch yoursef into a magnificient 2009.

I'm excited about the opportunities I have to connect this summer with old and new friends. I hope you have planned some right-brain-loving-connections this summer. And, if you can only do one or two things, consider this wise quote: "the best mirror is an old friend" (Peter Nivio Zarlenga), and like the ASSETS, spend time with friends who go way, way, way back with you!

With sincere wishes for an inspired, connected summer,

Dianna Amorde President, Inspired Leap Consulting Inc. Comments or questions about this newsletter? Email me at damorde@inspiredleap.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

. . .

If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what's new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).