by Erin Owen | Sep 24, 2012 | Events, Ezine, General
It’s dark. So dark I can’t see in front of me more than a few inches. But I am intensely focused on the sound of my strained breathing and the strange scraping sound of my feet dragging through the scree (loose stones that resemble gravel).
Occasionally I hear a cough from someone in the line of climbers behind me, and each time I stumble, our guide says “pole, pole” (meaning “slow, slow” in Swahili).
It’s the final ascent up Kilimanjaro. They woke us at midnight, fed us popcorn and hot black tea, then led us away from our rocky, mountainside campsite through a pass in the cavernous rocks to the open trail. The sky was thankfully clear, with the full moon shining brightly overhead.
But, in these final hours, it seems the moon has disappeared. In fact, all sense of reality and direction has left me completely. I feel lost, with my awareness switching between two dominant states.
One state of mind is focused completely on surviving – breathing rapidly, trying desperately to take in a quick succession of breaths to get enough oxygen at this high altitude of nearly 19,000 feet above sea level.
I feel as though I have absolutely no reserve in the depth of my bones; no energy to tap whatsoever to take another step, to get to the top. How can I go on? What did I sign up for?
Then, my awareness rapidly switches to the other dominant state of mind: excitement, exhilaration; reminding me that “oh yes, I am almost there. Almost to the top of Kilimanjaro! I’ll see the sunrise soon and look out over the Tanzanian and Kenyan landscapes to the vast wild world of African below. I can do it!”
Each step up and “forward” feels defeating. As I lift a hiking boot a foot step ahead, my boot sinks into the loose scree and slides back downhill almost as far as I stepped ahead. Only a few inches of progress a minute, it feels.
“Oh my god, will this ever end?” I don’t have the energy to look forward or even up at my desired destination: the top of Kili. My head hangs heavily, exhausted; my eyes glazed and unfocused, with only my peripheral vision taking in vague, grayed images around me.
There are times in my business when I feel like this. Everything feels like a slog. The literal and painful experience that epitomizes the saying “two steps forward, one step back.” When I’m in this low place, I find it hard to keep my head up. Hard to focus on the big picture, my desired destination that is my vision for my business and my life.
I know you experience these moments too. And sometimes those moments stretch to days, weeks, months – and sometimes years.
But, there’s hope.
When we reached the top of Kilimanjaro and turned around to take in the view, it was both everything I’d every imagined – and a bit disappointing.
See, we were promised that if we left at midnight to hike up, we would arrive at the top to see the sunrise. But, our progress was slower than expected and so the sun was already up once we arrived. And the cloud cover blocked the view of much of the African landscape, offering just bits and pieces of what lay below, along with the not-too-distant peak of Mount Meru.
And yet – a dream come true! I had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in all of the African continent; 19,314 feet or so above sea level. An amazing achievement and incredible experience to share with my new husband Matt on our 3-week honeymoon trip to Tanzania in East Africa.
I share this personal story with you from my life ten years ago because I want to help you to – not only climb your version of Mt. Kilimanjaro – but do so in a way that feels enjoyable, effortless, and allows you to get to the top sooner so you can see the sunrise from the top.
I’ve been there. I’ve experienced many challenges in my life and business ventures, and also (thankfully!) had many more successes.
And now I want to support you in identifying your Mt. Kilimanjaro – your big, bold vision for your life and your business – by cultivating the mindset and practices that will get you to the top sooner, with greater ease.
As I mentioned in last week’s ezine, I recently published my first book. You could say this is another mountain scaled in my two-decade long career. And I’m celebrating in every way I can!
To share my joy with you, for a very short period of time – and to support you in climbing your Mt. Kilimanjaro, I’m offering a 50% discount on my 1-day Performance Breakthrough Retreats.
This is a HUGE gift to you, and I’m so excited to extend this offer to you.
To find out more about my 1-day retreats and if it’s right for you, click here.
If you’re ready to get started, or simply have a few questions, please schedule a Performance Breakthrough Coaching Session here to assess if a 1-day retreat is right for you now and fill out a performance background evaluation form here. When scheduling, use the discount code “RetreatSpecial” to receive 50% savings!
If you’re still not sure if a 1-day retreat is right for you, no problem. Just book the breakthrough session with me here and I’ll answer any additional questions you may have.
And if you’ve already met with me for a coaching session and now know the time is right to move forward to the 1-day retreat, email me here and we’ll set-up a time to talk and confirm the date and time for the retreat that works best for you.
Erin
by Erin Owen | Sep 12, 2012 | General, Wednesday musings
The year was 1993. I was visiting a dear friend in
Los Angeles when, somewhere in her vast house, I
lost my Rolodex.
Now, for you younger readers, a Rolodex is like a
set of business cards all filed alphabetically —
it’s how we all used to keep track of our contacts
before smart phones.
We looked everywhere in her house. And since I had
the Rolodex when I arrived and never took it with
me when we went out, we knew it had to be there.
But, it was never found. Not to this day!
At the time I thought to myself: I wonder if there
is someone in my Rolodex that I’m not supposed to
stay in touch with. (I tend to look for meaning in
even the smallest moments and experiences.)
And sure enough, years later it became clear. I
had gathered back together every single person’s
contact information but one. [I won’t reveal his
name here!]
The reason this experience came back to me is that
yesterday I discovered that somehow nearly all of
the people on my contact list had been deleted
from the database of the contact management
website I use. It happened in the 2nd week of
August, right before I went on vacation, and right
before I sent out the final 3 email newsletters
inviting folks to my annual performance
breakthrough retreat to Bali.
We don’t know how the contacts were deleted, and
we may never know. But, what we do know is that….
…the last 4 ezines I sent out went to only 57
people. A tiny fraction of the hundreds of people
on my list. The 4th ezine was the announcement of
my new book, which we’ll be sending out again once
the list is restored.
If you’re not in the business of staying in touch
with clients and potential clients, you may not
realize that my contact list is almost the most
valuable part of my business – second only to my
own intellectual capital. It’s how I stay in touch
with my tribe, and it’s a critical tool in sharing
my latest thinking and inviting folks to study
further with me.
In the midst of trouble shooting what had happened
yesterday, I found myself pausing and wondering:
hmmmm, I wonder if this is another instance in
which I’m meant to narrow my focus to a smaller,
more relevant group of followers.
As with the Rolodex experience, only time will
tell. So, until then I need to let go of any
over-analyzing or worrying about “what ifs” –
which would simply be an inefficient and draining
use of prana (life force energy).
And if you don’t already know this already, let me
share with you that — in general — focusing your
emotions and mental energy on what is NOT happening
in the moment (worrying about the past or spinning
stories in your mind about what might happen in
the future) directly and negatively impacts your
performance at work and at home.
The good news is my assistant had made a back-up
copy of the contact database and we were able to
recreate a majority of the original list. But not
everyone.
So, yes, this is a cathartic piece of writing
meant to share with you the importance of letting
go and being open to finding meaning in the
unexpected. Even when it might initially be
perceived as a huge tragedy or loss.
This time of year is an important time of year to
pause, reflect, and notice what you’re harvesting
from seeds planted long ago. I’ll write more on
this topic in my next ezine.
If you haven’t heard from me in the past several
weeks (owing to this weird technical glitch)—or if
you’ve never received my email newsletter—I invite
you to sign-up for either my free gift (on any
page of this website) or the free first chapter of
my new book here, both of which will add you to my
list.
In the meantime, next time something seemingly
upsetting or challenging or unexpected happens to
you, I invite you to pause. Let go of any
judgments or story-telling in that monkey mind of
yours, and observe. Just watch what unfolds.
And let me know what happens in the space between
the mental chatter and worries!
More soon…
Erin
by Erin Owen | Sep 10, 2012 | Events, Ezine, General, Media
I’m very excited to announce I have released my first book: Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize: Your Guide to Taking Back Control of Your Time and Energy.
Click here to download a free copy of the first chapter.
This book teaches you how to succeed using the wisdom of Eastern practices
Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize shares the Eastern-inspired performance techniques I use with my clients, all aimed at helping self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs achieve more by doing less. The wisdom of ancient practices such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yoga, Reiki, Ayurveda, and Buddhism informs my work and helps my clients eliminate sources of stress and re-energize their personal and professional lives.
By applying the principles of Yin and Yang to our Western lives, I show you how to:
- Manifest more of what you want in your life and business
- Avoid getting derailed
- Experience fewer setbacks
- Recover more quickly
- Stay on track to realize your vision
Refuel, Recharge, and Re-energize guides the reader through seven techniques ranging from quick meditation and yoga-based exercises to nutrition and time management. My simple, flexible, portable, and free approaches, with an emphasis on becoming a “single-tasker,” are supported by additional materials, including guided audio meditations, recipes, and organizational principles on my website.
The new way of working is to be really clear about the life you want to live, take care of yourself first and then – and only then — build your business around that. In this way, you’ll actually see much greater productivity and performance in your business and be able to reach your goals of making an incredible impact on the world, not to mention living a life that makes it all worth it.
Click here to download a free copy of the first chapter.
by Erin Owen | Jul 30, 2012 | Ezine
You need vacation time. You know that already.
But when is the best time for you to take vacation?
You might think one of these is the right answer:
(A) When things are slow or you have no demanding
projects demanding your full attention
(B) Once you’ve saved some extra money
(C) When your child’s/children’s school is on
break (if you have kids)
(D) When your spouse/partner wants to take a break
(if you have a significant other)
(E) All of the above
(F) Other [this is a trick question]
But, actually (F) Other is the correct answer.
This is a trick question! [This is my post, so
I get to make the rules.]
To be more specific, the correct answer
really is:
(G) Before you need a break
Why?
You are your business.
If you’re stressed out, tired, and struggling to
keep things together, consider what effects this
is having on your business, your clients, your
growth potential.
I was reminded of this last week, when I hit the
wall.
(Yes, even I have my limits. My often too-high
expectations of what I can accomplish within a
certain time frame push me to those limits. I am
often reminded of who I used to be in my
consulting days – as my dear friend Julia once
said “you can take the girl out of corporate, but
you can’t take the corporate out of the girl.”)
These past few weeks, I’ve been pushing pushing
pushing to get all the supplemental resources for
my new book finished and put up online. And even
though I was getting many signs that I needed to
let go of my own internally-imposed deadline… the
video editors were behind schedule, my assistant
was on her own vacation and could not help me
until she returned, and my Word program
mysteriously seemed to have a break-down each time
I tried to launch it… it wasn’t until my own coach
said: “you know, it probably doesn’t make sense to
talk about what’s next for your business until you
take a day off – you sound exhausted.”
And there it was. Everything laid out before me to
support me in taking this day off. I’d already
asked my sons’ former babysitter to do some work
for me the next day – and she was more than happy
to step back into the nanny role for a day. I had
no other fixed commitments other than drop-off and
pick-up for my older son. An unread fiction book
called my name from the bookshelf in my living
room. And one of my go-to massage therapists
texted me back to say “yes, I have an opening at
11:30.”
Building on last week’s post about
what makes expert entrepreneurs so successful,
it’s important to ASK for this time off – ideally
before you need it – in the following ways:
(1) First and foremost, give yourself permission
to take a break regularly – a personal day, a
vacation day, a mental health day, whatever you
call it – ideally once a month or more if you can
swing it.
[In fact, I’m building one of these into
my new Fall schedule twice monthly and I can’t
wait to enjoy the fun and freedom on those
Fridays.]
(2) Take these breaks before you need it – or if
you’re already past that point, then right away.
Remember: one of the benefits of having your own
business is that you make your own hours!
(3) Be open with those around you – let them
know you’re exhausted, mentally depleted, have no
creative juice left, etc, and that you’d love
their support. Be a role model to your clients,
customers, colleagues, and children.
What kind of person is going to say no to you
taking better care of yourself?
(4) When you do take time off, turn off your smart
phone and leave your laptop/tablet at the office.
Unplug fully to melt stress, have fun, and
recharge. Do something fun. Go somewhere you’ve
always wanted to go. Read a book you’ve been
thinking of for months.
Then, return to work with more energy, vitality,
and fresh ideas to reinvigorate your business and
those who work with you.
(5) Take note of all the benefits that come from
you taking a physical and mental break. Ask others
what they notice is different about you upon your
return. Write down all these observations.
And, refer back to that list next time you’re wondering
if you can “afford” to take a break from your busy
life.
(6) Read the third chapter “Own Your Calendar So
It Doesn’t Own You” in my soon-to-be-released book
to learn more about how to build vacation time
into your schedule and invite others to support
you in doing so.
Recharge, Refuel, and Re-energize: Your Guide to
Taking Back Control of Your
Time and Energy will be released within days –
I can’t wait to share it with you!
If you’re still saying it’s “not the right time,”
“can’t justify the expense,” “next year,” or “my
[……. fill in the blank …..] are counting on me,”
then consider this…
Do you invest as much in YOU, your well-being, and
your development as you do in your office equipment?
your telecom expenses? your accountant? your vehicles?
You can’t run your business without them, and you
certain can’t run your business without you.
For you – and by extension your business – to be
successful, you need to perform at your optimal
level. And if you’re expecting better results from
operating in the same old way, then it might just
be time for a change in your thinking and your
“same ol’ way of doing business.”
I invite you to join me for the ultimate vacation
– one that can be written off as professional
development for your business – to Bali. This
year’s performance breakthrough retreat is October
26 through November 5, and only one month remains
until registration closes.
Why Bali?
• Completely unplug and relax to a deeper level
than you’ve experienced in years – maybe decades
• Wipe clean your slate and let go of the bad
habits and thought patterns that are holding you
back
• Further clarify and recommit to your vision –
for your life and your business
• Discover the Eastern practices that will get you
back on track and keep you there, and
• Come back fully recharged and ready to take
your performance and your business to the next
level.
More details here.
Erin
