Category Archives: Personal Development

What it is You DO?

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I pulled into the library parking lot yesterday.  It was crowded.  A fellow a little younger than me pulled in right beside me and asked me about my license plate.  (it’s a vanity tag, so it’s not that unusual).

A short conversation began.  I could tell he was hurting and a little lonely.

He asked me, “What do you do?” (this is VERY washington-speak to ask someone about their job before you even know them).

Before I could even get spooled up and give him my most wonderful, practiced elevator pitch, something weird happened.  (In fact, I might call it a variation on the Divine Download, now that I think about it).

I replied,

I help people heal and connect to the Divine.

Whoa.

So we finished the conversation – he really didn’t want to know what I did, he wanted me to ask him what he did – and entered the library.

While the personal information he shared with me in the five minutes we talked made it clear that he’s sad at this point in his life, I knew  it wasn’t my job to heal him or try to fix him.  What he needed at that moment was an ear.

But every interaction has meaning if we’re willing to note it.

The meaning for me was the clarity with which I said, “I help people heal and connect to the Divine.”

I was downright giddy the rest of the day.  Heck, I’m still rolling it around my mind and feeling the comfortable way it resonates with me.

My energy shifted in that moment.  In a good way.

I realized that the key for me (and you too if you’re in an alternative/helping business) is finding the exact heart of your work.  That answer came from my why.

I’ve been spending YEARS trying to AR-TIC-U-LATE what I do for marketing purposes and I’d missed the core of it.

When that phrase popped out of my mouth you could have knocked me over with a unicorn’s tear – since I’ve been trained and focused on spouting out the I help XXX do XXX by XXX.  or some other variation of the ES (Elevator Speech).

Now I realize what I do at the heart and I see how all the results people get are BECAUSE of the healing and connection.

I had such a hard time in the ES because I’ve worked with so many really cool and really different from one another people.  They all ‘got’ different results (or so it seemed!)

Some clients get off their anxiety or depression meds (with the blessings of their MDs);

Some clients finally write their  book (and find agents!);

Others leave a crappy marriage, clear out their heart and find love again;

Still others find the dream job they’ve been longing for!

The common denominator?

The healing they did and the connection they made with their higher self.

You see, I always start with the premise that you are WHOLE and don’t need FIXING – but you do need a reminder of your divinity and perfection.  That’s where the healing begins.

 

I’d love to give you some simple steps for (re)connecting with your Divine Wisdom.  Pick one of the dates on the right hand column and join us!

Can ANYONE access Divine Guidance?

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Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, surrounded in my bed by a small army of stuffed animals, I’d lie awake in the gray dusk of a summer evening and wish and pray that I was special.

I’d hold my favorite toy, a stuffed Leopard (aptly named Leopard) close to my lips and I’d whisper, “I wish I had a talent like they talk about in the Bible.”

Then I’d toss and turn in the bed with the pink sheets under the pink canopy until the constant murmur of the air-conditioner finally lulled me to sleep.

More than anything, I wanted to be special.  I wanted to be blessed by God with a talent that would help others and make me stand out.  I had big dreams even then.

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40 years later I visit those memories and remind that little girl that every one of us is special.  We all have gifts and talents that are handed out when we’re born to help us as we adventure through this lifetime.

I know now that the little girl tossing and turning in that bed was working her way to exactly where I am now.

When you and I were born – in that instant of arriving here in the world – we knew were special. By the time we took our first breath the memories that we cherished during our gestation began to fade.  By the time we could walk we had only fleeting glimpses of the magic that is our birthright.  When we reached the time for school we had mostly forgotten the ease with which we were meant to live our lives.

Our parents, teachers, preachers and others were well-meaning when they told us that those stories we’d been telling at the breakfast table – about relatives we’d never met, about the ways the animals sent us messages, and the dreams where we could fly – were just stories.  They told us to keep our heads on our shoulders and focus on more practical stories as we grew up.

That’s how we got here.

In the place where we’re not sure that WE are WORTHY to receive guidance from the Divine. 

We shake off the hits of our intuition as nothing more than coincidence, and we do our best to remain good – assuming that God has better things to do than to chat with us about our dreams and worries.

Still, every day I meet men and women and children who are surprised to discover that they are getting information – from somewhere (or someone) outside themselves.  They are skeptical and sometimes afraid.  Sometimes they feel unworthy and other times they fear that this gift is going to be taken away if they do ‘it’ wrong.

The truth is – every one of us can access Divine Guidance. 

It’s not a gift for the chosen few.  It’s not a reward for being “better” or “holier” or more worthy than everyone else.

This is the truth of your being.  You are meant to interact with  your guidance and your God on a regular basis.  Like any relationship, it gets deeper and more meaningful the more you are willing to nurture it.

If you constantly hit “ignore” every time your BFF called, you might not have a BFF after a few months.  The same is true with Guidance.  If you hit the ‘ignore’ button on your Divine messages, the messages may be fewer and farther between.

The difference between Guidance and your BFF – is that Guidance is above the human ego and fray.  It’s always there, bathed in pure light and waiting to be asked into your life.  You don’t have to jump through any hoops to make it so.

Are you ready to access your Divine Guidance?  Join me on either Wednesday 9/12 or Sunday 9/16 (use the buttons in the right hand column to register) to learn how to use this Gift in your daily life.

Have questions?  Feel free to ask in the comments!

Questions about “Guidance”

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For years I’ve been studying  – spirituality in all it’s guises.  I’ve immersed myself in classes, seminars, books and teachings on topics like mediumship, psychics, alternative healing, channeling, astrology, shamanism, witchcraft, magic, and on and on.

I’ve found some truly gifted teachers and guides and I’ve found some quacks.  The world is full of grace and goofiness and it’s our responsibility to run anything and everything we’re learning through our own personal BS meter.

Over the years I’ve read more than a few “downloads” and missives  like the  one I posted here.  No matter what they were about, they raised questions for me.  Sometimes I asked the questions, but more often I simply kept my mouth shut, either because I didn’t want to offend the author or because I didn’t want to seem mean or some other variation on my life lesson.

I tell you this because I bet you have some questions for me and you might not be asking them – for your own good reasons.

So over the next few weeks I’m going to answer the questions that always occurred to me when reading about other-worldly guidance.  I’m also going to answer YOUR questions that you’ve sent to me privately.

And if you’d like an opportunity to actually TALK about these things in a live forum – join me on either 9/12 or 9/16  for a free class on how to access Divine Downloads in your own life.  You can use the links on the dates or the buttons on the right hand column!

Create Your Own Value!

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If you’ve been at this “working for yourself” thing for any length of time, the odds are good that you’ve come across more than a few gurus, idols and million-dollar coaches.

They all have (or so it seems) the super-double-voodoo secret that you MUST have in order to a) make  more money b) attract more clients c) align your work with your passions or d) find peace while getting wealthy.

You are soo in love with them.  You read all their freebie goodness and you open their ezines as soon as they arrive in your mailbox.  You think if you could find a way to hook up an IV to their brain and soul you too will be living in Hollywood, performing a side-plank without breaking a sweat and you’ll be invited to all the cool parties.

You screw up your courage and you skimp and save because you desperately want to get into their ‘entry’ level program.  Whether it’s private work with the guru of your dreams or it’s being a member of their brass mastermind (right now you just don’t have the skimping and savings to begin to dream of their platinum mastermind), you want in.

You willingly hand over your money because you know you’re worth it and if it wasn’t a stretch you wouldn’t get anything out of the program.

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One of the first things you learn is that you must raise your rates and create a multi-figure program of your own.  You cringe a little bit when you hear this.  Your  heart melts a bit thinking about your current clients – the ones that scrimp and save to work with you and get the results that you’ve promised.   Although your rates are considerably lower than those of this guru, they aren’t the lowest in your industry.  You’ve always felt good about what you’re charging.

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The guru insists that if you don’t increase your rates you’re not valuing yourself and the work you do in the world.

Is it true?

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I’m not a believer in giving away your work any more than you’d give away your house when you were ready to move.  There is value in what you do and the results your clients receive.  Without you they’d probably be able to succeed, but it would definitely take them longer than when they work with you.  Besides your years of training, certification, study and clinical practice are all part of your unique contribution to the world.  Don’t ever undersell what you deliver.

I am also a believer that most of us undervalue who we are and the work we do in the world.

But I’m not sold on the idea that simply charging more will create a deeper belief in your own value.

The work of finding and leaning into your value in the world comes from the inside.  The by-product of standing in your power and believing in your worth is the ability to charge what you’re worth – whatever you deem that to be.  Simply raising your rates without doing the inner work will backfire.  Every. single. time.

This isn’t a question of acting “as-if” and making it a reality.  This is the challenge of knowing where you are right now, what you value about yourself and what you doubt.  It’s about accepting where you are so you can do the real work to absolve yourself from doubts and move into your true value.

Then, and only then, do you get to raise your rates.

The challenge I see with raising your rates and creating your massive platinum programs before you’ve done the inner work is that you don’t actually BELIEVE what your clients are receiving is actually worth what they paid.  You run around either over-delivering things that they don’t need (those dreaded fake ‘bonuses’) in order to ‘up the value’ or you sabotage yourself from the inside – missing appointments, under preparing or trying so hard to impress the client with your worth that you neglect to listen to them.

When you don’t believe in your value, your ability to sell those big programs is nearly non-existent.  You may get a few people to sign on in the beginning by following your guru’s script, but eventually, word will get out that you are a) disorganized, b) a little ‘out there’ c) inconsistent or d) some other less than stellar adjective to describe how you’re leaning into your DISbelief.

I believe in you.  I know your work is worthy.  I know you were born worthy.  Until YOU know those things, only charge what your heart feels is right and fair.  Your heart is your truth – it won’t lead you astray.

I promise.

Habits for Success In Your Hands

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Last month I shared with you the first four of Steven Covey’s “7 Habits” and how they show up in your hands.  This month we’ll finish up with the final Habits. Don’t let the simplicity put you off of these habits, instead take a look at how simple it can be to create practices that enhance your success.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.  There’s a need to be HEARD in today’s world.  Ten minutes on Facebook and you can feel like you’ve been in the middle of Grand Central Station for hours caught among hucksters and opinionated salespeople trying to sell you sell you a diamond-encrusted toe-nail clipper.  No wonder you just want to get a word in edgewise. This Habit requests that we be still and listen so we can create a safe space for others to be true to who they are. This capacity can be seen easily in those with “water” hands and those with Healer’s gift markings below their pinky fingers.  As you seek to understand others, your goal is to honor the person in front of you and to allow them the space they need to create a life that is full and joyful on their own terms.

Habit 6: Synergize.  Synergizing is all about taking what doesn’t exist and making it real.  You take ideas and visions and practical tools and meld and piece together in dozens (or hundreds) of different ways, for the sole excitement of seeing what “could” be.   Synergize in the hands is most closely related to the Life Purpose of the Innovator.  This is found on the left Ring finger.  Innovators spend most of their early years feeling like they don’t fit in because their ideas are so off-the-wall that others can’t begin to fathom what they’re seeing.  The gift of the Innovator is the ability to find peace in their own skin and recognize that they’re unique way of being is what moves the community forward.  Never stop trying to find new ways to do things.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.  Those of you Covey fans know that that this piece has four parts, let’s look at them individually.

Physical:  It’s clear that the Habits are only as good as the person practicing them and the person is only as good as the vessel they’re living in.  No matter what your physical situation, there is room to improve.  Spend some time each week (and each day) contemplating your definition of Success and incorporate how that feels in your body.  In the hands the most apparent indicator of your relationship with your body shows up in your Life line.  Contrary to myth, the Life line does not indicate how long you’re going to live, but it does show how grounded you are in your life at this time.  If you’re feeling grounded and truly enjoying your life and treating your body with respect and adoration it will show.  When you feel good, it’s easier to achieve whatever goals you’ve set forth.  So go ahead and take a nap if you need it!

Social/Emotional: This part of your practice is most apparent in your Heart lines.  Heart lines show how you love and how you wish to be loved and on a more mundane level they can delineate how you’re likely to communicate and show up in social and personal situations.  Being true to your type is a key to Success in this area.  What can you do this week to honor the way you most want to be seen in relationships?

Mental: Not surprisingly, keeping our wits about us is an important factor in achieving success in our lives.  Your Head line is the first indicator of the way you think and process information.  A short, straight Head line indicates the ability to fast-track decisions.  Longer and curvier Head lines show a person who prefers to feel their way to an outcome, taking longer to make a final decision.  Knowing your Head line type isn’t an excuse, it’s an opportunity to be open to new ways of thinking.  As you sharpen the saw on your Mental tools, take the opportunity to try out a different way of thinking, just to see how it opens your mind to new possibilities.

Spiritual:  This is the final leg of your regular success practice.  Your spiritual practice is very personal at first, and as you become more comfortable and you start to see positive results in all areas of your life, you might decide to share some of your practice with others.  Spiritual practice in this context is not related to a religion, it’s your ability to trust your connection to the Divine (or whatever term you prefer to use).  The level of connection to the Divine is highly personal and yet it often shows up in the hands under and surrounding the pinky finger.  Whether there are stars or lines that stem from or to the pinky finger, there is an inherent understanding of your spiritual birthright.  The key is learning to use that connection in the pursuit of the highest good.

Here’s hoping all your habits lead to your success.