|
Do You Trust Your Instincts?
Energy ManagementHow well do you manage your energy? No, I'm not talking about conserving gas by driving slower or which light bulbs are more efficient. I'm talking about personal energy management. I recently attended two "Balance Your Energy, Balance Your Life" workshops, facilitated by Robbie Houcek. It made me realize how little I knew, and often took for granted, about my own body's energy system. With a small group of other adventurers, I learned how to increase my flow of energy by understanding my meridians and chakras and acupressure points. I learned how to protect myself from external negative energy. (You know that drained feeling you get after driving in rush hour traffic or waiting in long lines at the post office? You could be picking up the negative energy from people around you.) I learned about a tapping exercise called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) that can help release energy-draining negative beliefs. I also learned about the healing power of reflexology or foot massage. So, what am I doing with all this knowledge? Just like I encourage my workshop participants who are new to universal principles, it's best to take it one step at a time. Each morning, I take about five minutes to massage my feet, paying special attention to the area just below the ball of my big toe since that helps increase energy. Soon, I will begin to experiment with some of the other things I've learned. When we arrive on this planet, an owner's manual doesn't come with us. That's why it's wise to seek out ways to enhance our experience whenever we can. Before you reach for another cup of coffee or a candy bar in the middle of your workday, consider some deep breathing and stretching or a brisk walk around the block. Or, you could really be an energy trendsetter and take off your shoes and start rubbing your feet!
|
To me, the Law of Attraction is far from a secret or some kind of magic. It’s just common sense. If you stay positive and focused on what you want, don’t get too caught up in the details, and trust in the process, you are more likely to do what you need to do and be open to the opportunities that arise. |
 |
When I decided in 2004 to write my book about universal principles in the workplace, I told my husband, Rick, that whenever I imagined myself as an author I envisioned writing my books at a beach house. Spending time at the beach always centers and inspires me. So, we started searching along the Gulf Coast of Florida, but all the homes we liked were way out of our price range.
Instead of giving up, we began to engage the Law of Attraction. We created a Treasure Map, filling a bulletin board with pictures of beach homes and scenes cut from magazines. We added postcards, our favorite family vacation photos and words like "Fun," "Family" and "Freedom." We wrote and posted an affirmation: "We love our family beach home!" We got our kids involved and started talking about how much we'll enjoy spending holidays and most of the summer at this house-swimming, fishing, bike riding, bird watching, star gazing. Together, we maintained a high level of positive anticipation and gratitude.
Within three months, we found exactly what we wanted in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I spent the summer of 2005 writing my book at that home and we continue to enjoy our time there every chance we get.
Turbocharge Your Affirmations!
Most of us are in the habit of using affirmations— brief, positive statements in the present of what we want to create in our businesses.Here's one way to infuse it with more energy by incorporating positive emotions and gratitude. Begin your affirmation with: "I am so happy and grateful now that..." Try it and let me know what develops. I learned this strategy from The Secret.
How Generous are You?
Do you tend to take moments out of your busy schedule to let people know how much you appreciate them, forward on helpful information about a website or expert, or introduce colleagues to each other because you intuitively know they will benefit from that connection?
Just as important, are you prepared to receive the generosity of others?
As I played with the principle of prosperity consciousness, I was led to post a simple affirmation on the top of my computer monitor. It read, "I am open to receive." Two days later, I received a check in the mail for $225 from someone who read my book and was inspired to send me a "tithe" in appreciation. What a gift–for both of us!
Think of the mentors, clients, associates, former bosses, teachers, authors, speakers and all the others along the way who have contributed to your success. Take 15 minutes out of each day to email, write or call one person in appreciation. Perhaps you can contribute to a charity of their choice in their name or surprise them with a gift. Begin this flow of gratitude and you will soon find that it will flow right back to you.
Create the Space for Good to Flow
When I get feedback about Divine Wisdom at Work, most readers tell me that they start with Principle 4: Clean Out the Clutter. That's because they know once they do that, they will have the clarity, focus and energy to capitalize on all the other principles.
While cleaning out and organizing file drawers, cabinets and bookshelves in your office–one section at a time–is a great way to shift the energy, that's just the beginning. What other clutter has been distracting and draining you?
Consider unsubscribing to all those e-newsletters you never read anyway. Clean up the emotional clutter of unfulfilled commitments, difficult clients or colleagues, and self-defeating thoughts. Stop equating "busy" with "productive and valuable." Clear your schedule once in a while for time to breathe, reflect and enjoy the peace.
It's all up to you. Protect that space you've created so the universe can fill it with what serves your highest good. And so it is.
What I Learned from a Bluebird
 |
Each morning, for the last two months or so, this bluebird sits outside my back window. It perches on the top of a chair on my deck, flies about a foot and then crashes into the window and returns to the chair. It does this over and over again. I can hear the rhythmic tapping on the window from my office as I write this. At first, we just assumed that Harvey (that's what we named him) caught his reflection in the window and was defending his territory. You'd think after a few attempts he'd stop this futile pursuit. Whenever I am struck by nature, whether it's a sherbet-colored sunset or the fascinating structure of an exotic flower, I stop to catch the gift and learn a lesson. During my contemplative time, I asked for the lesson of this bluebird. The message I got—loud and clear—was for me to look at the things I continue to do in business that are fruitless. I considered my base of contacts, my organizational systems and my marketing. I have begun to make changes that will better support me to fly free and pursue my purpose. I'm grateful to that little bluebird for showing me a better way and hope he finds his way soon. Pay special attention this week to what nature is telling you. (Photo Credit: Allyson Reyer) |
Today's Buzzword is Balance
Many of us find it a constant challenge to juggle the demands at work and home and still "have a life." The stress mounts. At the end of the day we often feel like, in an effort to get it all done, we didn't do anything as well as we would have liked. The report was a day late and you still missed most of your child's recital.
At a conference of public relations professionals, I spoke about using universal principles to achieve work/life balance. I reminded the group that what you think, feel, say (to yourself and others) and believe is true creates your reality. It's up to us to choose to create our reality by design and not default.
Here are a few highlights.
Clean Out the Clutter. Clutter distracts and confuses us and drains our energy. The physical clutter of paperwork, books and office tools is easy to recognize and attend to once you set your mind to it. However, it's all the emotional clutter of regrets, resentments and unfulfilled promises that can keep us out of balance and rob us of our clarity. And then there's the clutter of unnecessary obligations and demanding people. The next time you're asked to serve on another committee or join one more association, remember that "No" is a complete sentence. Make a list of all your current volunteer activities and cross off the ones that no longer serve your highest good.
Stay Present. When we are mindful in our work and life, time seems to slow down and we enjoy each task more and do better work. Commit to avoid multi-tasking for an hour or two each day and then expand that time. Remember to "catch the gifts" of a job well done or genuine compliment before rushing off to the next thing on your list.
Engage the Law of Attraction. When we feel overwhelmed with a busy schedule, we tend to neglect our own needs. Soon, our vibrations (our feelings and emotions) are low and negative. That leads to attracting other people and circumstances that vibrate at that same destructive level. It's a downward spiral that you want to avoid. By maintaining a high vibration, through taking good care of yourself, you will attract positive people and circumstances and that leads to a more balanced life.
Give Thanks Often. Since what we focus on expands, it makes sense to remind ourselves of what is going right and our successes. Writing in a gratitude journal at the end of most days prevents us from falling asleep with that never-ending to-do list playing in our heads. Finally, take the time to show appreciation to those who support your balance at work and home.
Start each day with a positive affirmation like, "I am divinely guided to make wise choices today and have all the time and energy I need."
The Power of Setting Intentions
Do you fully appreciate the power of your thoughts to create your reality? It all begins with setting intentions.
I was visiting family and friends in New York City. My mom and I had stopped into a local bookstore that carried Divine Wisdom at Work. I half-jokingly said to my mom before we arrived that we would stay at the store about ten minutes and, if someone came in to buy my book, I could sign it for them. Two minutes after we arrived, an old friend of my mom's who she hadn't seen in years walked in. And, yes, she asked to buy my book and insisted that I sign it. That's the power of intentions!
The Downside of High Tech
I love technology! Don't you? Every day, I am amazed and tickled by how much I can do with my computer, on the Internet, through my emails, and on my cell phone and PDA. Technology allows us to live and work better and faster.
However, have you thought about the negative effects of this high-speed, instant gratification world? I have and I believe it deserves some introspection.
Here are a few simple ways to counter the downside of high tech:
Look Inside. It seems like just about all your answers are a quick search away. (Did you know there are 1.39 million Google results for "the meaning of life"?) Remember to trust the wisdom within you and, when it makes sense, ask yourself first.
Welcome the Silence. With the proliferation of iPods, so many people have their own life soundtrack playing in their heads. Take some time every day to get quiet and check in with that still, small voice of guidance.
Practice Patience. When challenges arise, take a deep breath and trust that the solution will appear in time. Of our over-reliance on technology, The Dalai Lama said, "When you deal with technology, everything happens at the touch of a button. This conditions you to become so impatient that when you have an emotional or personal crisis, you don't allow time for the solution to take effect."
What’s your Courtesy Quotient? Along with patience, the rules of manners and common courtesy often get ignored in our fast-paced, high-tech world. I’ve found that people who rarely have face-to-face meetings these days sometimes forget how to behave when they do. Be aware of your body language—including your smile and eye contact—your tone of voice and the firmness of your handshake. All the things that don’t matter in cyberspace directly reflect who you are in the real world.
Question Convenience. Sure, it may be easier and faster to reply to that email, instead of picking up the phone. But how much have you lost by avoiding that personal connection with a client or colleague? This year, I resolved to make more calls and my business relationships are stronger because of it.
What Makes You Happy?
We all have our to-do lists and our grocery lists and our lists of goals. Do you have a "Happy List"? Writing down what really makes you happy reminds you to do more of those things. Sharing it with others helps them support your happiness while you support theirs. The happier you are, the higher your vibrations will be, and that leads to attracting people and circumstances that vibrate at that same high, positive level. We know this as the Law of Attraction.
Here's your Happy List. Print extras and pass them out to others. As cartoonist Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, once observed, "Happiness is a warm puppy." What's your warm puppy? Working with ideal clients, an organized office, spending time with a special friend, a clean car, listening to your favorite music, playing at the beach, singing in a choir, meeting with other enlightened business people, mastering new technology? Write them all down and pick a few each week to enjoy.
We make hundreds of choices every day. As your awareness increases, more of your choices will be conscious ones and that's what makes your life and your work Divine.
Book IntroductionYou are an Enlightened EntrepreneurYou hold a pencil in front of you and release it. It drops to the floor. That’s the power of gravity.
|
 |
Policies are many. Principles are few.
Policies will change. Principles never do.
John C. Maxwell
The good news is you were born with all this innate wisdom. Unfortunately, without the support and validation from others as you were growing up—and most likely a good dose of negative reinforcement—much of this wisdom has remained dormant. Think of this book as a “refresher course.” As you rediscover each principle, you’re sure to have many “aha!” moments.
As a business owner, personal business coach, marketing consultant and freelance business writer since 1988, I put these principles into action every day and share them with my clients and colleagues. As a board member at Unity North Atlanta Church for seven years, I was continually called on to integrate these universal principles with sound business practices to address the challenges and opportunities of our growing church. It is now one of the largest Unity churches in the world and a role model for other churches.
When I started sharing my “philosophy” with others who were curious, I recognized that these concepts didn’t come naturally to most people. But once they began using them, they got results, whether it was more business or a more peaceful workplace. In fact, it was my own Life Purpose Statement (see principle two on how to write yours) that set the stage for this book:
Through support and by example,
I inspire others to follow their dreams and live joyfully on purpose.
In addition to helping you enhance your business, you’ll also find that these principles will help transform your personal life, including achieving optimum health, attracting the right mate and friends, and being a better parent. Your example will inspire others to do the same.
In Divine Wisdom at Work, each of the ten principles builds on the next but can be taken in random order, depending on your specific interests or challenges.
I will introduce you to, or reacquaint you with, outstanding experts in the practice of practical spirituality. The anecdotes and advice from successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives and business consultants bring these principles to life and help you understand how to incorporate them in your own business. By experimenting with the suggested exercises, you will immediately put these principles into action to reap the rewards.
Now is the time to release fear and doubt and feel the pure exhilaration of being an enlightened entrepreneur through Divine Wisdom at Work.
Enjoy the journey!
From Principle 1
Tap into Divine Wisdom: Your Inner Guidance is Calling
Today you will hire a business partner. No need to worry about finding office space, budgeting for a salary or even placing an ad. This partner is already here but has been sadly underused and neglected. Your business partner is a powerful force with all the wisdom of the universe and always has your best interests at heart. It’s your Higher Power or Higher Consciousness—the Divine Wisdom within you that you can access at any time for a wealth of information, ideas, support and guidance.
You don’t have to know all the answers; you just need to know where to look. And often the place to look is inside.
There are many ways to tap into this inner guidance and co-create everything you desire. In this first chapter that begins your Divine Wisdom at Work journey, we will explore practicing meditation, trusting your intuition, looking for “God Winks,” consulting with “the committee of sleep” and praying. You’ll find the answers to many of your business and personal questions, including the ones you didn’t know you had.
“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey,” notes Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. “I’m convinced that we can write and live our own scripts more than most people will acknowledge. I also know the price that must be paid. It’s a real struggle to do it. It requires visualization and affirmation. It involves living a life of integrity, starting with making and keeping promises, until the whole human personality, the senses, the thinking, the feeling, and the intuition are ultimately integrated and harmonized.”
From Principle 2
Define Your Life Purpose: Setting Intentions
If the mere idea of defining your life purpose produces the same anxiety you felt in college when you were asked to choose a major, you’re not alone. It sounds so important and so final. Over the years, though, many of us have diverted from what we once expected to be our life work. The same is true with a life purpose. The life purpose you choose now may evolve and even metamorphose into something different and greater and just as perfect for who you are at that time.
Like a business’s Mission Statement, a Life Purpose Statement helps define and guide us. When faced with tough decisions, it is what we consult to determine alignment with our most sacred values and motivations. In 1997, a friend and personal coach recommended that I write down my life purpose and post it prominently in my office. I wasn’t even sure what a life purpose was. Looking back, I think it was her way of removing the mystery from the process. She made me believe that she assumed I already had formulated one.
What I knew to be true was that I have always naturally shared advice and my own experiences with others. Often when I succeeded at something, whether it was building a business or overcoming infertility, I would reflect on how I could help others do the same. After a process and a series of edits, I decided on this: Through support and by example, I inspire others to follow their dreams and live joyfully on purpose. This framed Life Purpose Statement sits atop my office credenza behind my desk. I think of it often, especially when I am coaching and mentoring others and pursuing my own joy through work. This statement is what guided me to write the book you are holding right now.
From Principle 3
Embrace Prosperity: You Deserve Unlimited Abundance
Money is the last great taboo in society, less discussed than politics, religion and even sex. For some, money means freedom and security. For others, it’s stifling responsibility and a way to keep score. American humorist Will Rogers said, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.”
Abundance is much more than material possessions and the size of your bank account. It is health and energy, joyful relationships, and living each day with grace and ease. It is a clear knowing that there is no lack.
Things come to us by right of consciousness, not by chance. There is a spiritual law of giving and receiving. As we manage our money well and allow it to move freely and circulate, more money comes to us. Money is a tangible form of God energy.
From Principle 4
Clean Out the Clutter: The Universe Will Fill the Vacuum
I invite you to participate in a little experiment. Go to your drawer of old client files that you have kept “just in case” they reappear. Lay each file on the floor in front of you in two piles: the ones of clients you enjoyed working with and the ones you didn’t. Throw away the second pile and clean up and organize the first. Then set an intention to attract a certain amount of new and former ideal clients. Write it down and watch what happens.
Chances are that some of the clients you affirmed were worthy of your services will resurface, especially if you check in with them. And new opportunities will manifest. If you do get a call from the clients whose files you purged, it will be easy to let them know they would be better served by someone else.
From Principle 5
Stay Present: That’s Where the Gifts Are
How can we be more mindful in our work? I’m sure I’m not the only one guilty of talking on the phone with clients or colleagues while checking email. You may have even been caught occasionally when you zoned out from your conversation, only to be startled by that person asking what you thought of something you didn’t even hear. Resist the temptation to multitask all the time and instead focus your full attention and all your senses on the task at that moment. Practice momentous living. Sounds easier than it is. Let’s begin with something simple.
The next time you sit down to lunch, say to yourself, “At this moment, I am focusing on eating lunch.” Engage all of your senses: appreciating what that sandwich looks, smells, feels, sounds and tastes like. Can you hear the crunchy bread and smell the pungent mustard? Just like in meditation, when other thoughts come to mind, acknowledge them and picture them floating away like a bubble. Practice momentous living the next time you go for a walk. Notice how your feet make contact with the ground and how your arms rhythmically move with your legs. Hear your breath quicken and feel your skin moisten as the pace picks up. Take in your surroundings as you pass a colorful garden or the playful puppy of a neighbor walking by. Keep all other thoughts at bay as you stay in the moment of your walk.
Buddhists refer to this as seeing with a beginner’s mind. Use the “at this moment” approach while consulting with a client, analyzing an operational challenge or interviewing a new vendor. A bank executive begins each meeting by ringing a Tibetan meditation bell, reminding everyone to listen mindfully and speak honestly. What rituals can you establish?
From Principle 6
Live Your Truth: Time for an Integrity Checkup
Make sure all your written agreements—from contracts to employee policies—are easy to understand, fair, legal (with the least possible legalese and fine print) and enforceable. Clarify the roles and responsibilities of your attorney, accountant and other professional advisors and consultants to prevent misunderstandings.
Model the behavior you desire from others. Though it may be tempting, refrain from indulging in gossip. Its insidious nature can destroy businesses and lives. Remember this bit of wisdom from Eleanor Roosevelt: “Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.”
From Principle 7
Engage the Law of Attraction: Your Thoughts Become
Your Reality
The law of attraction simply states: energy attracts like energy. Our feelings and emotions, which are called vibrations, have a strong influence on what we attract into our lives. Picture it like the energy of a magnet. Negative or low vibrations, which are dark and heavy and destructive, are governed by fear, shame, anger and doubt. Positive, high vibrations, which are light and uplifting and constructive, come from love, trust and peace. People with high vibrations exude confidence and attract like-minded people.
By consciously adjusting or maintaining your vibration, you will find yourself surrounded by clients, employees, associates, vendors and colleagues who vibrate at that same healthy level.
It’s all about the choices you make. “Man has freedom of choice, without which there would be no accountability or responsibility,” writes David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., in Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior. “The ultimate choice, really, is whether to align with a high-energy attractor field or a low-energy field. The same weak attractor patterns that have brought down governments, social movements and entire civilizations routinely destroy organizations and careers as well. One makes one’s choice and then takes the consequences.”
From Principle 8
See to Believe: The Power of Visualization
Take a few minutes before you begin anything important—whether it’s speaking in public, leading a meeting or cleaning your office—and visualize the entire process and final outcome. If you’re interested in promoting your business through media publicity, for example, create a clippings file of how-to articles and profiles featuring businesses similar to yours. Picture your story on those pages with your photo and a headline and lead sentence that captures what makes you newsworthy or unique. If you desire coverage in the Wall Street Journal, imagine what your smiling face would look like in a headshot sketch.
From Principle 9
Affirm Success: Creating Positive, Powerful Statements
Learn to create and use affirmations, detach from the outcome and trust in the process. For can-do entrepreneurs who are used to making things happen, detaching from the outcome can be a challenge. Just remember, the universe will handle the details.
“When we create something, we always create it first in a thought form,” writes Shakti Gawain, a pioneer in the field of personal growth and the author of Creating True Prosperity. “If we are basically positive in attitude—expecting and envisioning pleasure, satisfaction and happiness—we will attract and create people, situations, and events which conform to our positive expectations.” Affirmations help us replace our old, negative “tapes” in our subconscious with new ones that lovingly support our goals and dreams.
When formulating your affirmation, follow the three P’s: present, positive and pithy (in other words, brief). You may struggle with using affirmations in the present tense, as if they were already so, since this seems out of integrity. However, the universal principle of affirmations is based on the law that, before it can become real, it must first be created on the inner plane. Trust that this is true. It should always be positive since our minds and the universe have difficulty understanding negative commands. That’s why “Abundance is my natural state of being” is much better than “There is no lack in my life.”
From Principle 10
Give Thanks Often: Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
Your gratitude journal may be a gilded book of blank pages or a tattered legal pad. What matters most is that you commit to taking a few minutes at the end of each day to remember and write down what you are most thankful for that day. Consider challenging yourself to make this list a mix of common favorites (My health. My family. The talent and support I need to be my own boss.) and at least one new one (I spoke with everyone I called today. I booked two meetings with prospective clients. I discovered a great website. I enjoyed a beautiful sunset.).
Think of at least one person at work that you consider (let’s say this diplomatically) somewhat difficult. Perhaps he takes all the credit for any success and none of the responsibility when things go awry. Or, she may be excessively demanding and unreasonable. Use the power of gratitude to transform your relationships with these people. Start a separate list of what you most appreciate about them and focus on the good, instead of the bad. By changing how you regard and relate to them, you open up the space for them to rise to a higher level of attitude and behavior. Can you see how that differs from complaining about them or offering constructive criticism? All you can do is change your outlook and the rest will follow. Try this one at home to enhance your relationships with family and friends.
 |
© 2008 Divine Wisdom at Work. All rights reserved. |