by Erin Owen | Feb 26, 2013 | Ezine
We all want to feel good in our bodies,
Free of stress and full of energy.
With a positive outlook and the sense that all is well.
This is what it feels like to live a juicy, creative life.
A life where your passion for your work is irresistibly attractive to others,
And generates the creative flow and prosperity you deserve.
But what gets in the way of feeling this way every day?
And how can you cultivate your own juicy, creative life?
When you’re overwhelmed by your responsibilities and time commitments,
Running from one thing to another without awareness of the big picture,
You lose perspective.
And when you forget to take care of yourself,
Not eating enough healthy foods, or taking enough time to breathe and move your body,
Failing to connect with yourself and the important people in your life,
Then you feel disconnected from life and what’s most important.
When you are disconnected and stuck in this rut of modern busy living,
You lack vision and creativity, you lose focus & productivity, your health and relationships suffer, and you under-perform at work.
And if you own your own business or run your own organization, then you see your financial metrics and customer/client retention factors under-performing.
So, how do you turn things around?
It begins with a clear, inspired idea of who you are
And the positive impact you want to have on the world.
Then, using that clarity about what you want,
Align each feeling, each thought, each spoken and written word, each decision, to support the immediate and exciting creation of your ideal life.
But, if you haven’t paused to look ahead,
If you’re not sure exactly who you are,
Or what you really want out of life,
Then it’s time to examine what is muddying your waters.
Most likely what’s getting in the way of this clarity is the disease of “TOO MUCH”
How do you know if you have the “TOO MUCH” disease?
- If your mind is busy, full of thoughts without end, and waking you with anxiety in the wee hours, then you have TOO MUCH going on.
- If you are feeling sluggish, carrying extra weight, and wishing you felt better in your body, then your body is holding on to TOO MUCH.
- If your calendar is jam-packed, with meeting after meeting, and no room between commitments to pause and reflect, then there is TOO MUCH in your schedule.
- If your desk is full of disorganized, scattered papers; if your bedroom is full of piles of laundry and odds & ends that need to be put away; if your house is generally in dis-array, then you have TOO MUCH stuff
Your busy schedule, your go-getter lifestyle, the fast pace at which you’re living life, leaves you no room to treat the “TOO MUCH” disease.
That means it’s time to clean house at every level. And this is THE best time of year to do so. Why?
Less than a month remains until Spring officially begins,
And as the hibernating “yin” quality of energy comes to an abrupt end,
As the powerful, uprising “yang” energy of new Spring life begins,
This time of year is THE time to dust out the cobwebs,
Weed the garden of your mind,
And clear away the sluggish congestion in your body.
It begins with your mind, then extends to your eating habits and your time commitments, and even your relationships. Then, of course, your home, your office, your computer files and email in-box, and even your car.
But, where to begin? What to do first? How to build on initial successes? And how to stay on track?
With my new home study course for decluttering your life, you can follow my lead through the 6 primary lessons – or go at your own faster or slower pace.
You can listen to the audio recordings as I guide you with humor and practical tips to lighten your load mentally, physically, and in your home/work environment.
Or you can use the detailed workbook to read (or skim through) all the same written ideas that are shared in the audio recordings PLUS space for taking notes and setting goals and staying aware of priorities and keeping track of your successes.
EXTRA: If you’re the “let’s get to the point now” kind of guy or gal, you can skip straight to the quick guide to get the top 3 tips for each lesson and decide straight-away where you’re going to focus each week.
Any way you decide to make use of the rich resources of the Clutter-Clearing, Performance Boosting Home Study Guide, you’ll make immediate, tangible progress toward your goals of lightening your load, refueling your energy, getting back in control of your calendar, and more – all by following by simple, easy-to-follow steps for decluttering mind, body, and physical environment.
Click here to RESERVE your copy of the home study guide at my special PRE-RELEASE PRICE. More details here.
In the meantime, keep breathing, dreaming of what you want out of a juicy, creative life, and take note of what is getting in the way.
Here’s to your optimal performance and living an inspired, conscious life!
by Erin Owen | Feb 18, 2013 | Ezine
I’m super excited to share with you this week a guest post from Scott Noelle.
He has inspired me for a few years now to be a more mindful and present parent to my children.
Recently, he has expanded his message to include us grownups too.
I hope you enjoy this post and consider following him yourself!
Here’s to conserving and boosting your precious life energy by taking the path of least resistance!
Erin
The Path of Least Resistance
(Excerpted from The Daily Groove, by Scott Noelle)
Take a moment today to observe the motion of water drops descending on a window, windshield, shower wall, or sink.
Each drop follows its own “path of least resistance” toward Ground, which is rarely a straight line. It flows around obstacles in the easiest possible way. When the obstacle is another drop, the easiest way might be to merge with it.
Sometimes the easiest path is that which has been established by previous drops. Sometimes it’s easier to stay put until another drop comes along.
In every case, there is no trying, no effort. There is only ease and surrender. That’s Nature’s Way. Evidence of this is everywhere — in the growth patterns of wild plants, the movement of animals, and the behavior of children.
Today, set the intention to flow like water through your day and with your children. Notice that when you feel stressed, you’re resisting in some way.
And when you feel good, you’re going with the Flow.
* Permalink:
http://dailygroove.net/path-of-least-resistance
* Subscribe to The Daily Groove:
http://dailygroove.net
Copyright (c) 2013 by Scott Noelle. Reprinted With Permission.
by Erin Owen | Feb 11, 2013 | Ezine
This week, I was planning to write about different ways to love yourself.
It is the week of Valentine’s Day, after all.
But, that seemed so “been there, done that”.
Instead, I’m inspired to write about why it’s important to infuse your business—and your way of doing business—with love.
Why?
First, my clients tell me that as a result of our work, they love themselves more and there is more love in their overall life. That our work together re-ignites the passion they have for their work in the world and inspires them to dream bigger and do better. I love hearing that!
Second, I heard John Mackey, Co-CEO of Whole Foods, speak last week about his new book Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business. And, believe it or not, he spoke about love!
Third, the most pure form of energy in the world is love. It vibrates at the highest level, it heals all wounds, it’s at the core of all good things—relationships, good business, and peace. (Read Anita Moorjani’s book Dying to Be Me if you want to know more.)
Read on to learn what John Mackey has to say about how LOVE fits into his own personal best practices—what I call Platinum Practices (see chapter 7 of my book for more details)—and what love has to do with good business.
John defines conscious business as business that …
- Operates for a higher purpose
- Is mindful of its stakeholders
- Has leaders who have a higher degree of emotional intelligence, spiritual intelligence, and sense of stewardship, and
- Cultivates a culture of consciousness.
He emphasized that: “conscious business requires conscious leadership.”
He describes conscious leaders as people:
- Whose actions must transcend the ego
- Who invest in self-improvement and professional development
- Grow in Emotional Intelligence (he emphasized this as being absolutely essential)
- And Who allow LOVE to permeate the workplace (something, he feels, that women do more naturally).
John Mackey’s 3 Platinum Practices
When I stepped up to the microphone and asked him what his personal best practices were—the things he does on a daily or weekly basis that help him to be a conscious leader and continue to evolve, he answered:
1. S.O.U.L.
John practices SOUL, an acronym he made up to describe the following practice:
- Stop what you are doing.
- Observe what is happening.
- Seek to Understand more.
- Bring LOVE to the situation. (As in: acting from a place of love.)
2. BE in the moment.
He described this as being a practice of simply noticing where your thoughts are going, then bringing yourself back to the moment. He didn’t say it was easy, but that it was really important to do this throughout the day. In the first chapter of my book, I emphasize the importance of carving out time each day to quiet the mind. If you haven’t read it yet, download this first chapter here.
3. Be Honest, Authentic, and Speak the Truth.
He admitted he’s received a lot of criticism for doing this, but that it’s the only way to run a business consciously. I teach my clients to align their thoughts, feelings, words, and actions with their vision—and this is consistent with living and working in a positive, conscious way.
NOTE: John did not once explicitly mention yoga, or mindfulness, or meditation, or any other Eastern-inspired practices, but I can clearly see that he gets it: it’s important to quiet your mind, to let go of the ego and listen without attachment, and to be compassionate.
Lastly, John shared this: If you are operating from a point of view that you can either be profitable or do well in the world, then it’s time to shift your paradigm.
He said, and I quote: “Tradeoffs are generally a failure of creativity.”
The whole point of John Mackey’s work in the world and the subject of his book is that you can operate profitably while making a positive difference in the world. I know this because I spend time with most of my clients working on their Mindset, helping them to adopt an expansive view of life and work, leaving behind the “fixed pie” mentally that is painfully limiting.
In my business, it’s simple but true: I LOVE my work, I LOVE my clients, I LOVE helping people improve their performance so they can make a positive impact on the world.
So, what’s LOVE got to do with your work and business? How does LOVE help you perform at a more optimal level? I’d love to hear from you! Reply to this email or follow me on Twitter, connect with me on Facebook or LinkedIn.
by Erin Owen | Feb 4, 2013 | Ezine
Today in China (Feb 4th), and actually beginning yesterday (Feb 3rd) in the United States, is the start of Spring according to the Chinese calendar. And while the Chinese don’t celebrate the New Year officially until the 10th, the Year of the Black Water Snake has begun!
First, let me know say that I actually don’t read my own horoscope. It’s something fun I used to do when I was a teenager—you know, to see when I might fall in love and things of that nature. I don’t talk about astrology in my current coaching or consulting work, but…
Ever since living in China, studying about Chinese culture and language, celebrating its holidays and traditions alongside people for whom this is as important and real as our holidays, I’ve been intrigued with the Chinese horoscope system!
So, what does it mean for you to now be living and working in the Year of the Snake?
Well, it may not be of interest to you. But, as you know, I love to dig in and try to better understand the philosophies, histories, and perspectives of Eastern cultures, and how we can use this information to improve our health, our well-being, our prosperity, and our overall performance!
JUST FOR FUN: Read on if you’d like to learn a bit about the meaning of a Snake year, as well as what it might mean for you personally (depending on your Chinese zodiac animal sign).
HINT: I’m a Rat (born in 1972) and it’s predicted to be a year of rebirth and renewal for me. How perfect, given I just published a book called Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize, am continually developing myself personally and professionally, and am exploring new and different ways to reach more people!
Why is this year called the Black Water Snake year?
All things that are dark, quiet, down low, inside, passive, cooler, slower, etc, are Yin (instead of Yang). Nighttime and the moon are Yin. Water, which flows down to the lowest point, is Yin. And the color Black (dark, the color of nighttime) is considered Yin and also associated with Water in the Chinese Five Element system.
The Snake is also considered a Yin animal in the Chinese Animal Zodiac system.
Hence, we have entered the year of the Black Water Snake.
Did you ever think you’d say to yourself: “Be the Snake… Be the Snake…”?
How to Embrace the Energy of the Snake…
Snakes move gracefully, slowly, steadily, but sometimes they do rise and strike quickly. They are strong and capable of eating things much bigger than their own body size, and they live in a huge range of habitats and weather conditions.
The phrase “biting off more than you can chew” does not apply to snakes. So, by going with the flow in a snake-like way, you may be able in 2013 to accomplish great things.
To live and work in a Snake-like way is to truly be in the flow. It means moving methodically, and considering your options mindfully. If you act too spontaneously or take on too much at one time, you could get burned out or ruin your chances of doing really great work this year.
Approach your bigger picture vision and your goals one step at a time, breaking down each project into smaller and smaller pieces, and acknowledging each positive step forward you make toward the finish line.
But, snakes can and do bite. So, be aware and cautious. When moving into a new contractual relationship (buying real estate, working with a new vendor, etc), take the time to read the fine print and make sure your needs and desires are represented and not compromised.
Snakes also represent health and healing—just look at the old and new symbols used by the American Medical Association. It is said that the mythological view of the Snake even went beyond the healing of the physical body to a spiritual view of positive transformation.
If you’re ready and open to it, perhaps the Snake energy of 2013 will help you move beyond any blockages at a physical, emotionally, mental or spiritual level, to create your life and grow your business in the way you’ve long envisioned.
In this year of the Snake—and every year—energy can move slowly or quickly, it can flow freely or get stuck. And since EVERYTHING is energy, keep in mind that these principles of energy apply to everything: love, money, health, business, and more.
I’ll soon be announcing a new offering that will support you in free-ing up your energy to bring more of what you want (love, money, health, business) into your life so you can perform at a more optimal level. So, keep your eyes open for that announcement toward the end of February. Be the Snake… Be the Snake!
What can you take away from this new knowledge about the Year of the Snake and Snake Energy? If you move forward mindfully, in a steady and peaceful way, keeping your eye on the prize and being true to your vision, you’ll reach the end of 2013 with more of your goals met than if you had burst out of the gate and pushed too hard to try and get things done.
Wondering what 2013 has in store for you personally? It can be fun and sometimes truly helpful to look at your situation through another lens. That’s why it’s so incredibly empowering and transformative to work with me as your coach!
Snakes also shed their skin. So, if this too is a year of transformation for you, then you can let go of old habits, ways of thinking, activities and (perhaps) people just like you are shedding a layer of your skin.
JUST FOR FUN: If you’re curious to see what Chinese astrology has to say about the year ahead for you (or your colleagues or your kids), check out the links below (and ignore the silly ads!).
NOTE: If you don’t know your Chinese astrological animal sign, then you can click here and scroll down to see the corresponding years.
Rats in 2013
Ox in 2013
Tiger in 2013
Rabbit in 2013
Dragon in 2013
Snake in 2013
Horse in 2013
Sheep in 2013
Monkey in 2013
Rooster in 2013
Dog in 2013
Pig in 2013
Here’s to a year of quiet, solid, positive growth in our lives and in our businesses!
by Erin Owen | Jan 28, 2013 | Ezine
Earlier this month, I attended a professional development workshop hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of NAWBO (the National Association of Women Business Owners). There were two compelling presenters there: Lena West of Influence Expansion and Gary Fedor of Capstone Training and Development (part of Sandler Training).
Among the many valuable “ah-ha” moments I experienced, was the realization that I still have a lot of head trash floating around in my mind that is getting in the way of me positively transforming more people’s lives and businesses.
What’s head trash?
While teaching us that up to 80% of our business can come from client referrals, Gary said the hesitancy we experience when reaching out to clients to ASK for referrals is rooted in head trash.
Ha!
It got me thinking about chitta vritti, the yogic term for the turnings of the mind. These can be distracting thoughts, busy activity that prevents us from focusing, really anything false that gets in the way of us realizing our true nature.
Head trash! You won’t find that term in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras or any of the Vedas.
Gary challenged us to clear out that head trash and practice asking for referrals.
So, here I go. Big and bold. Doing it right here in public format.
[And if you’re in a business where you too could benefit from getting more referrals, then follow along to learn how this goes…]
STEP ONE: Bring in the garbage truck to remove the trash. [Note: I added this step to Gary’s approach, as it’s a critical first step in starting any new endeavor!]
Head Trash Item #1: “You [my readers, my clients] don’t know anyone who is stressed out, feeling overwhelmed by their obligations at work and home, or who complains about feeling derailed from their original hopes and dreams. “
Of course you do!
GONE – cross that one out and throw it in the back of the garbage truck!
Head Trash Item #2: “You are too busy to think about who in your circle of influence would benefit from working with me.”
Really? It only takes about 5 to 10 seconds at most.
GONE – tossed into the dumpster, ready to be loaded into that truck!
Head Trash Item #3: “Even though you know the value of my support far exceeds the monetary investment, you feel it’s not your place to suggest other people should invest in themselves the way you have so successfully done for yourself.”
Of course you want to see other people loving themselves and life even more and enjoying the success that comes from performing at their optimum level and living in alignment with their dreams.
GONE – hog wash! Wiped clean and presently being crushed by the powerful jaws of the trash compactor.
STEP TWO: Thank you for the positive feedback you’ve given me.
I truly and deeply appreciate that you have taken the time to tell me in such detail about the positive impact I’ve had on your personal life and your professional life.
Seeing you experience such an incredibly positive and meaningful transformation is exactly why I get up every day and do this work!
STEP THREE: Let you know that referrals help me to continually improve my offerings to you.
You may not know this, but client referrals are not only some of the most enjoyable new clients to work with, but also…
When a majority of my new business comes through referrals, my time gets freed up to focus on ways to be a better coach, a more creative writer and communicator, and continually improve the ways in which I help you create breakthrough results.
Instead of spending time marketing myself and my business, I can focus more time on providing better support to my existing clients.
And with more free time, I invest even more in my own professional development and studies of ancient Eastern practices that help us live and work in a way that is simpler, more effective, more enjoyable, more meaningful—and ultimately more prosperous.
I am then able to share these ideas with you: in my writings and audio/video recordings, and in my coaching programs.
STEP FOUR: Ask for a referral.
A great referral for me is someone who is still living under the illusion that working harder and working more hours is the way out of feeling overwhelmed, overworked and exhausted.
Or someone who you’ve noticed complains a lot about being stressed, who is continually late, missing deadlines, getting sick a lot. Someone who has trouble drawing or managing boundaries and is continually getting sucked into doing more and more for others.
Someone who could really benefit from taking a breather and getting some perspective on what’s most important and how to achieve goals by simplifying and doing less – not only for themselves, but for those who count on them – their colleagues, family members, clients or customers, even people in their community.
Who in your personal or professional circles of influence might benefit from a call from me?
STEP FIVE: Thank you for the referral.
I’m sorry to hear how much he is struggling, but you’re right: it does sound like he could really benefit from my support.
I very much appreciate your trust in me. When I reach out to him, I will take care to be as present and warm and supportive of him as I have always been with you.
Thank you!
Wrapping It Up
Whew! I did it! I cleared out my head trash and asked YOU for a referral!
It feels great to lighten the load of false beliefs and limiting thoughts, and I hope you too benefit from using this approach in your own work life.
I look forward to receiving more of your referrals AND I look forward to hearing how you do trying this approach and asking for your own referrals.
Remember: The secret to performing at your optimal level and achieving success is learning how to do less in such a way that you generate better results—for your overall life and for your business!
And when you do so, we ALL benefit.
Erin
P.S. Stay tuned, as I’ll soon be announcing a new offering designed to not only clear out your head trash but free-up your energy to get better results in your work life and more enjoyment in your overall life…
