4
th.
Edition February 2014
are you
ready to receive
SUCCESS in 2014?
by Jessica Patterson
Redefining Power by Vanessa Halloum
Feminine Soul of the Month:
from
Teresa de Grosbois “The Evolutionary Business Council”
In this Issue Feminine Soul of the Month: Teresa de Grosbois
p . 37
4 Letter from the Editor 6 Meet the Team 8 What are you Most Grateful for in your Life? 11 The Seatbelt Law of Life Stephanie Owens
15 Are You Ready to Receive success in 2014? Jessica Patterson
19 Poetry to Inspire Jean Kay
20 Grateful for knowing What & Why Robin Crawford
24 Movie Review Katie Neligan
28 Redefining Power Vanessa Halloum
Are you ready to RECEIVE success in 2014?
p . 15
30 Feminine Soul of the Month Interview with Teresa de Grosbois
39 Is Your Business Too Small? Terri Levine
43 How to Keep Your Goals on Track
Connect with us:
Ask Betty
45 The Hidden Asset in Your Business That You Must Learn to Use Sheevaun Moran
Subscribe to the Magazine
Letter from the Editor Love is always around us. Sometimes, though, it might take a little effort for us to actually see it. Our fears and limiting beliefs might cloud our judgments. Our hope is that this month’s articles will support you in recognizing all the love already in your life as well as help you to reflect on what it means to you. alloum
H Vanessa
It’s February! A time for us to reflect on the Power and the Meaning of Love. Not just the kind of love that we experience in relationships but specially the one we feel for ourselves, and most importantly, the one we feel for life in general. That reminds me of a beautiful quote by Franklin P. Jones: “Love doesn’t make the
Make sure you let us know how you enjoy the articles on our facebook page (www. facebook.com/femininesoul) or tweet with us by using the #FeminineSoul. We may even feature your comments on our next issue! With Love & Gratitude,
Vanessa
www.vanessahalloum.com
world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”
4
February 2014
Looking to reach savvy, heart-centered and mission-driven feminine entrepreneurs? Advertise on the Feminine Soul Magazine and Radio Show. For more information on advertising with us, please send an email to info@femininesoul.com
Meet the team Vanessa Halloum is the founder of the Feminine Soul Magazine, Radio Show and Academy for conscious women entrepreneurs, messengers and thought leaders. She helps mission-driven entrepreneurs clarify their messaging and their branding so that they can position themselves powerfully to potential clients. Learn more at www.vanessahalloum.com
E d it o r- in
- c h ie f
Nina S. Pakdi is a successful blogger and writer who’s on a mission to inspire women to run heart-centered businesses through love and passion. She helps family oriented-women create a work-life balance so that they can feel a deep sense of fulfillment. For informational articles and lifestyle inspiration visit her website at www.ninaspakdi.com
D ir e c t o r t n e t n o C
Ligia Morales is a passionate Graphic Designer. She got her college degree at USAC in Guatemala and started working as a designer at different ad agencies, where she was able to really define her style. She currently works as a freelancer. She enjoys advertising and editorial design and is always looking for new and exciting projects. You can contact her at ligia.morales7@gmail.com
s ig n e r e D ic h p Gra
Want to join the Feminine Soul Leadership Team? Please send an email to info@femininesoul.com 6
February 2014
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What Are You
Most Grateful For in Your Life?
Heather Paris I am most grateful for my husband Thad and the deep love we share.
Jessica Patterson I am most grateful for the love I have in my life from family and cherished girlfriends.
Lisa Manyon
I am most grateful for the beautiful blessing of life, my family, friends, clients and colleagues.
Sharon McRill I am most grateful for the people who inspire me, guide me, and support me in not-only my everyday life, but in all aspects of my life.
8
February 2014
Robin Crawford I am most grateful that I’ve come to see my life as a classroom; every experience - perceived as positive or negative - has lessons to expand my awareness, highlight my oneness with the Universe and enrich my journey, and these realizations make my heart giggle!
Jean Kay I am grateful for the gift of being able to write a poem every morning, I feel very blessed
Stephanie Owens My amazing family and relationships
Tina Dietz I’m grateful that I live in a world where I can live from my purpose wherever I want and serve people all over the globe.
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The Seat
Belt Law of Life by Stephanie Owens
O
ne of my most valuable teachers has
drivers’ seat and use my left hand to grab
been my seat belt.
the seat belt from above my left shoulder, only to find it won’t move more than 2
We’ve all had the experience of getting
inches. It was stuck…frozen…unwilling to
into the car and finding when we attempt
budge.
to draw the seatbelt across our lap, the locking mechanism inside won’t allow the
Given my already frazzled mental state,
seat belt to move. This happened to me
I’m in no mood for the seat belt to toy with
one morning many years ago when our kids
my emotions. So of course I do what any
were still little. Like most of life’s powerful
sane, balanced, adult would do…I fight
lessons, this one came at a moment
with the seat belt. I yank and tug and pull
when I was feeling emotionally spent
harder and harder, committed to not being
and teetering on burnout. (The universe
outsmarted by a strap of canvas.
has a sick sense of humor!) I remember
(Too late!
)
feeling more stressed than usual, ready to explode with the slightest provocation,
Not surprisingly, the action of repeatedly
but trying to keep it together. (Mothers
jerking in this way looks a lot like the
of small children, I think you may have an
“Psycho” stabbing thing people do to
idea what I’m talking about.)
indicate someone has lost it. That probably wasn’t far from the truth in my case. I’m
We were running late, so I was impatiently
pretty sure that way my kids were thinking:
herding the children into the car, yelling at
“Mom has gone crazy!”
them to hurry, hurry, hurry. I jump into the 11
Somehow, I suddenly became aware of
You may be in a one-way tug of war, battling
how silly I must look embroiled in a death
yourself into exhaustion.
match with a seat belt! I took a deep
will let you battle away against your own
breath, and let go of the seat belt. I let go
metaphorical seat belt, patiently waiting
of the struggle. Guess what the seat belt
for you to let go.
The universe
did? It didn’t yell at me or call me names. It didn’t attack me or put me down. It just gently retracted back into the mechanism as if nothing had happened. I tried the seat belt again, and wouldn’t you know it, this time it glided smoothly across my waist and clicked into place.
The seat belt is a metaphor for all the things we choose to battle against. The
I had to smile at the simple genius of the
battles can be virtuous – Poverty. Injustice.
lesson the seat belt taught me that day.
Cancer. Grief. Pain. Addiction. Loss. The
The metaphor of this experience mirrors
battles can be trivial – Getting “your way.”
all the ways we can find ourselves in power
Convincing others you’re “right.” Being
struggles that complicate our lives and
“in control.” Who did or didn’t bring the
make us feel and act a little “psycho.” The
right thing to the pot luck. Does your kid’s
truly amazing thing is that often the thing
outfit match. Whether or not the house is
we’re struggling against doesn’t even care
spotless. All things related to coddling the
that much.
ego. They can be important and/or necessary – Husband. Wife. Partner.
Ex-spouse.
Kids. Mom. Dad. Sister. Brother. Even something intangible like some underlying feeling that life is working against you. Friends. The grumpy cashier at the grocery
12
February 2014
store. Rude drivers. Co-workers. Your
Stop trying to control it all. Detach from
Boss. Money. Career.
the outcome. Stop being a martyr. Choose to approach the situation with love rather
That voice inside your head that says you’re
than fear. Connect to your Source. Trust
not quite good enough.
that you’re not alone to handle the struggle. There is limitless love, abundance, peace
No matter what it is you’re choosing to
and wellness in the universe…we just have
wage war with, the lesson remains the
to tap into it.
same. The key to finding peace with the moment is to take a deep breath…and LET
Just like the seat belt story, when you finally,
GO!!! Surrender to the moment. Speak
FINALLY choose to take a deep breath and
to yourself with kindness and compassion
let go, do you know what happens? CLICK!
instead of being so hard on yourself. Say “I
Things start to click into place. Make the
love you” or “Thank you for trying so hard
choice to let go of your battles and make
today.” versus listening to that inner critic
room for the abundance and peace the
that lives in your head.
universe has waiting for you.
13
14
Stephanie Owens is fiercely committed
people how to achieve not only success but
to guiding self-employed Superwomen with
deep personal satisfaction.
the support and tools they need to achieve
their ridiculously high expectations without
Procrastination Cure 30 Day Challenge and
working so hard.
author of a book entitled No Is The New YES!:
How to Say No, Set Better Boundaries and
A small business owner for over a
Stephanie is the creator of The
decade, Stephanie blends her experience
Reclaim Your Joy.
in the business world with a Masters in
Counseling. Whether coaching privately with
with her incredible husband and their two
clients or speaking to audiences, Stephanie
amazing teenagers near Seattle, WA
provides purpose-driven, high-performance
http://www.pleaseaholics.com
Stephanie lives a peaceful, happy life
February 2014
Are You Ready to
Receive ?
Success in 2014 by Jessica Patterson
The questions you first need to ask yourself...
W
hen you look ahead at 2014, what
dialogue and our actions aren’t matching
do you see? Are there changes you
up then even when we do achieve a little
desperately want to make in your life or
success, it often won’t stick.
business? Perhaps you’ve realized what you’re doing isn’t working. Or perhaps
It’s as if the universe knows that we just
you’re doing some things right but you
aren’t ready. And takes the success right
know you could be doing better. Maybe
back.
you’re making great money but have realized “Oh my gosh, I’ve created someone else’s business,” and you’re unhappy with how busy you are, the difficult clients, and your rising stress level. Or maybe you’ve realized that you’ve had enough with “just getting by.” Well here is the secret: You need to be ready to
If you read my September article in Feminine
RECEIVE success. We all need to be ready.
Soul Magazine, you may be familiar with
If we are going around saying we want a
my story of achieving a financial goal in my
certain goal but our beliefs, our internal
very first business of personally generating 15
over $25,000 in sales in a one month period
cleared up these emotional blocks that
of time. This was a goal I had worked on
are preventing them from truly shining
for a few YEARS! I finally had the recipe
and receiving the kind of money they can
down and did what it took to get there.
make.
But guess what? My sales tanked after that. I did what I call “taking myself out.” What I thought I was capable of and worth didn’t align with that goal and emotionally I froze up. I couldn’t consistently achieve this goal until I cleared up my worthiness issues. A core philosophy in my company is that
16
a business can be a source for spiritual
So often we get a sliver of success, but we
growth when you’re in a business that is
just were not ready to receive it. Learn
in alignment with your purpose. Yet I find
from the lesson I shared because it took
that so many women solopreneurs are
me well over a year to get back to that
limiting themselves because they have not
financial level. And when we aren’t ready
February 2014
to receive, success just doesn’t stick and
and you know you’re worth it and you’re
we experience “one-off” opportunities
OWNING it.
that get us all excited and we get on a road that eventually leads nowhere. I want to
So are you ready to RECEIVE in Success in
help you create a FLOW of success that
2014? I want you to do some soul searching
keeps on coming because you’re ready
on the following questions:
N o. 1 What you think you’re capable of?
N o. 2 What do you think you’re worth?
N o. 4 Are you worthy of being in the spotlight or does it make you uncomfortable?
N o. 5
N o. 3 Do you believe you’re worthy of
Are you worthy of investing in the
promotion, of connections and
mentorship or community that will
opportunities that could take you
support your growth?
higher and give you more exposure?
Take some time with your favorite cup of
your way to receiving all the success you’re
tea or coffee and get your journal out and
meant to have in 2014.
dig into these topics and you’ll be well on
17
Jessica Patterson is the Permission
their bank accounts to MATCH the high level
to Charge™ Mentor
and founder of
of passion and contribution they make in the
the coaching and training company, The
world. Through her 3-step process to lifetime
Soulful Solopreneur. As a Certified Money
profits, her clients finally give themselves
Breakthrough Coach, Jessica transforms the
Permission to Charge, Redefine Sales as
businesses of healers, coaches, consultants
Service and Say YES to their Value so they can
and other “soulful” solopreneurs to enable
Profit for a Lifetime. You can find out more at www.permissiontocharge.com
Want to read the Magazine on your ipad or in print? Click here! or go to http://bit.ly/FSinPrint 18
February 2014
Keep it Simple How many resolutions have you made each New Year’s Day, which have been impossible to achieve, so success slowly faded away? Why not extend your deadline make your commitment just to start on a worthwhile goal for yourself where you play a long-term part?
Jean Kay is a prolific poet, who has written a poem every morning for over sixteen years. Her book Morning Light, which
If paying off bills and being debt free is your resolution this year, plan it all out and budget well and gradually debt will clear. If losing weight is one of your goals don’t make it “lose 50 lbs now”. make it “50 lbs in the next 3 years”, psychologically, that works somehow.
contains 121 inspirational poems, is available on Amazon. Jean also creates commissioned poems for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, memorials, etc. She is published in several anthologies and is a regular contributor to newsletters and magazines.
It’s more realistic to achieve; more manageable to do. You’ll feel rewarded each step of your way and that makes for a happier you. It’s all about expectations of what you can achieve. Set goals that are reachable then persevere, have faith and believe.
Jean
is
a
professional
member of Canadian Authors Association Vancouver, and an active member of The Ontario Poetry Society, and World Poetry. More of Jean’s poems can be read on her website and blog http://www.poetrytoinspire.wordpress.
19
Grateful
for Knowing
What &
Why
by Robin Crawford
W
hen you consider your work -
ultimately leads to an impact of some kind.
those activities you engage in
Have you thought about your work in this
for compensation, contribution and/or
way? Many have thought about this when
fulfillment – exactly what do you do? No,
pulling their resume together, as we’re
I’m not referring to the general tasks,
advised to include resume achievement
functions or responsibilities; I mean the
statements that quantify results, which
actual impact. What is the impact of what
are typically associated with saving or
you do? And, is it the impact you really
increasing numbers and revenues.
want? My reason for encouraging you to consider the impact of your work goes much deeper. It may move you to see work in a different light, which may introduce a whole new perspective and usher in a whole new approach. Now, consider, why do you do what you do? This one, for me, is the biggie, the reason
20
Regardless of what you’re up to in the
behind what you do. There is something
world of work, the energy expended
utterly delicious in asking ourselves why February 2014
we do the things we do, and being able
Of course, when discussing impact and
to answer without hesitation, especially
reason you can’t leave out values, right?
with regard to our work lives. I find when
For those of us who are eager to work
I hesitate or come up with nothing it’s a
and live intentionally, does the impact
signal that indicates a lack of awareness
and reason for our work align with what
and not being intentional, and that’s really
we value?
problematic for me.
non-negotiables
Think about values, those that
can
beautifully
drive our decisions when we are aware and on purpose.
Whether our values
include integrity, honesty, creativity and family, or playfulness, boldness, service and professionalism, or others on that seemingly infinite list, you can’t argue the fact that keeping these in the forefront will contribute to the overall flow and meaning in our work lives.
21
I love these two questions – what? and why? - because they provoke deep thought and season the topic for a yummy worklife conversation. So, I’m uber grateful for knowing what and why; it keeps me on my toes, helps me gauge whether I’m on the right track or not. Knowing my what and
Robin Crawford addresses the gaps
why is key to aligning who I am with what
in our typical approach to entering the
I do.
wacky world of work and helps people live rockin’ work lives. She’s spent more
Life is this grand marathon that demands
than two decades observing work
meaningful participation. How sad and
life structures in a variety of settings
empty I’d feel to approach the finish line
domestically and abroad and has held
with no impact and no reason. I love that I
over 50 job titles. She’s conducted
can now unhesitantly express my what and
extensive research, career advised
why. I choose the impact I want to make
hundreds of students of all ages, and
and my reason for doing so.
completed hundreds of interviews on the topic of work life satisfaction and
Two great questions to ponder as we move
job structure. She has two academic
into the New Year, aye?
degrees; is a certified life coach; and holds certifications and licenses in spiritual and human development. www.designyourbestworklife.com
22
February 2014
E I V MO W E I V E R
T
by Kate Neligan he movement to bring back the feminine
he interviewed women, he heard a fresh
virtues is growing as evidenced in the
perspective with new gems of wisdom he
documentary FEMME: Women Healing
felt the world needed.
the World by Emmanuel Itier. As he was interviewing male thought-leaders for a
In FEMME, Itier takes the audience on a
different film, it seemed as though they
journey with some of the most powerful
were sharing recycled information. When
women change agents including Sharon
24
February 2014
Stone, Maria Bello, Marianne Williamson, Jean Houston, Sheila Kelley, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Sue Morter, among others. He
that
traces the fascinating shift from being
women
a goddess-worshipping society to a
lead the world. The solution
patriarchal one and shows that this is when
presented was actually for us all to
we became a culture of “I” not “We.”
integrate our masculine and feminine
need
to
qualities. We need the masculine to take action and draw healthy boundaries and we need the feminine to nurture, forgive, and be compassionate with each other. The film suggests that men and women fall back in love again and that we form partnerships to support each other, not just in the home but everywhere. There is now a resurgence of the divine
FEMME beautifully sheds light on the
feminine
planet.
new paradigm which is about embracing
Women’s support groups are growing,
both parts of us and bringing them into
female owned businesses are on the rise,
wholeness. Again 1 plus 1 doesn’t equal
and we are all remembering how to
two; it adds up to much more in the
collaborate and nurture. The Dalai
definition of synergy. This is a critical call
Lama has even said, “The world will
and opportunity for humanity to become
be saved by the Western woman”,
more balanced. At the core of the film, the
which inspired the book “Women
message is about surrender, wholeness,
Will Save the World” in which I’m
synergy, and love.
happening
on
the
featured. The most inspiring parts come at the finale. You might think, that with a title called
I won’t spoil how Itier ends the film, but
FEMME, the film would suggest
it’s quite beautiful and truly shines a light
25
on the nature of the feminine. To me, the
encourage you to share it with the men
most moving part is when Itier reminds his
in your life because they need to see it,
two sons to love women because they are
too. Invite them to watch it with you and
the life force that is here. He understands
discuss how you can both synergize your
that the masculine has caused harm in his
masculine and feminine energies so there
own lifetime and he acknowledges the
is more balance.
feminine wisdom. It feels as though he is passing this film on to younger generations and
sending a pay-it-forward gift with his message. Ladies, this is most definitely a film you will love, but I also
26
Kate Neligan, followed her dreams to
mindful media movie reviews and
become Founder of the mindful media
to receive a weekly awe-inspiring
company, Synergy TV, an online channel
video, join the movement at Synergy
that uplifts humanity one story at a
TV. Prior, Kate was Vice President of
time. Kate’s passions and expertise fuel
Digital Distribution & Marketing at
her calling to share transformational
Lionsgate. Follow Kate @MindfulMediaEnt,
stories that matter while creating
@SynergyTVNet and
news synergies in entertainment. For
www.facebook.com/SynergyTV.
February 2014
Redef i ni n g
Power by Vanessa Halloum
W
hen you try to imagine someone
rewarded is the more outward masculine
who’s powerful, what do you
kind of power while the more feminine kind
think of? If you’re like most people, you’ll
of power is often ignored if not completely
probably imagine someone with a lot of
forgotten.
outward influence. Someone who affects his or her surroundings in an obvious
I’m sure that many of us didn’t even know
way. You might even imagine someone
that there was a feminine kind of a power
who exercises his or her power in a more
until now! One of the things that inspires
aggressive way.
me in my work is my hope that I can help women to step into their femininity and
This is the way that power has long been
into their feminine power.
portrayed in the media and this is the kind of power that’s also rewarded in society
Today, we see too many women give up
today. However, what many people don’t
their femininity because they feel that
realize is that the kind of power described
it’s what holds them back from being
here isn’t a description of pure power in
successful in the corporate world, where
and of itself as much as a more masculine
masculinity is rewarded and encouraged.
kind of power.
I believe that we can be successful while staying in our feminine energy. What too
28
The truth is that today the only kind of
few women and girls are told today is that
power that’s recognized, thought of, and
the most powerful resource we have at February 2014
Masculine power is external while feminine our disposal is simply being a woman. The more feminine kind of power we have at our disposal is very different from the more masculine kind of power that we often see put on display today. However, that doesn’t mean that the more feminine kind of power is any less valuable or influential.
power is internal. It’s all about what’s going on inside of us as women. The feminine kind of power is one that can often seem less effective on the surface to those who are used to the more blunt external power of the masculine, however it’s oftentimes in its subtlety and flexibility where the feminine’s true power lies. To learn more about feminine power and how to start implementing it in your life, read my book “The 5 Feminine Power Virtues” so that you can step back into
29
Vanessa Halloum is is the author of the
entrepreneurs who have a mission and who
multi-award winning book “The 5 Feminine
find themselves challenged in getting their
Power Virtues” and the founder of the
message out into to the world because they
Feminine Soul Academy for Conscious
don’t know how to position themselves or
Entrepreneurs, Messenger and Thought
get in front of the right people. She helps
Leaders. She’s also the host of the Featured
them create a platform so they can reach
BlogTalkRadio show Feminine Soul, with
more people with their message; make the
more than 500,000 global listeners.
money they need so that they can have the
impact they want to have.
Vanessa
works
with
spiritual
www.vanessahalloum.com
Expand Your Reach Monetize Your Message Double Your Impact Schedule Your Complimentary Session with Spiritual Marketing Coach Vanessa Halloum Today!
Got to: www.VanessaHalloum.com/strategysession 30
February 2014
Feminine Soul of the Month:
Teresa de Grosbois 31
Meet Teresa de Grosbois
Six-time EMMY® Award winning Media Coach Shawne Duperon (dew-PEAR-un, rhymes with Sharon) has been in the TV business for nearly 20 years. She has taught thousands how to communicate as leaders while networking and marketing in social and traditional media. Shawne works with corporations, entrepreneurs, universities and government agencies across the globe. She’s collaborated with many best-selling authors, has replaced Bill Ford of Ford Motor Company when she spoke at the Department of Defense and even lectures on cruise ships. She has interviewed many recent US presidents and has filmed hundreds of celebrities including Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, Yo Yo Ma, Senator John McCain and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. You’ve watched her on national
networks such as CNN, CBS’ “The Early Show” and have seen her featured in “Inc. Magazine,” “USA Today,” “The Washington Post” and “The Chicago Tribune” to name a few. One of her personal passions is the work she does with multicultural groups to help delete media stereotypes through communication leadership. She spearheaded the movement on global forgiveness called Project: Forgive, a little five-minute video that went viral without YouTube! Shawne is currently a PhD candidate, creating leading-edge research on the relationship between mass media and gossip (yes, gossip!). http://shawnetv.com/ http://projetforgive.com
Why did you start your business?
S
teve Hobbs was speaking this workshop
encompassing as he says “Sometimes the
and I am sitting in the second row.
thing that’s standing in the way of a really
Steve is a well-respected speaker and
great life that you love is a good job that
author in Canada. He is talking about how
you like.”
you create “Your great and wonderful life.” He stops on stage, scans the room and
Who me? I think?
looks straight into my eyes. His smile is 32
February 2014
He pauses for emphasis and reframes what
who influences change and is part of the
he is saying. “It’s hard to leave the safety
world becoming a better place to live it.
net of something thats ‘OK’ to create
Discomfort is growing inside me.
something that phenomenal”. It started with a leave of absence and In the months following, all I can think of
over the subsequent few years, I built up
is that moment. My job is a good one -
a sustainable training business. There is
leadership role in a significant organization.
something special about being able to
Yet it’s not really the picture of what I want
contribute to others in a more tangible
for my life. In my dreams I am someone
visible way. It light me up every time.
How do you define success? Success is sitting down with a former student over the $5 Starbucks they just bought you so they can tell you want a phenomenal impact you’ve had on their life. Those moments fuel me. Success is the tangible knowing the world is a better place because you pass through it. Success is not the structures you build but the lives you improve.
What are your best tips for a successful life and business? My biggest advice would be to play big.
say things like “I’m just going to start on tackling this small problem as a practice business and then I’ll move onto my bigger
New entrepreneurs come up to me and
dreams.” Or they dabble in doing a multi
33
level marketing business even though
Ever think about what it would take to
they’d rather be doing something much
have a 27 year old minister fresh out of
bigger. The reality is, if you’re solving a
bible college become globally significant?
small problem no one cares about, well
Martin Luther King Jr. stood courageously
guess what? No one cares. No one will
against the biggest problem going on
buy from you. The bigger the problem you
on the planet and people flocked to him
solve the more customers you will attract.
to help. Playing big is so much easier
Or in the world of creating wildfire word
than playing small because standing for
of mouth, I like to say “big spark catches
something that’s of great service to others
easy”.
naturally draws people to you.
How do you keep your sanity while running a successful business? How do you create life/work balance? I used to arrogantly think I was completely
course and I’m realizing I’m really annoyed.
unstoppable. Throw a hurricane at me
The trainer on stage it talking about how we
and I’d curse at the Gods, stand against the
often make things really significant and get
blowing rocks and glass shards and shout
stuck in them. I realize that I’m annoyed
“bring it on!”
because I made a request I thought was quite reasonable of their registration
Life has a way of humbling you. I enjoy
manager and the answer was a clear no.
taking training courses from Landmark Worldwide Inc. They’re one of the largest
No?!!! How dare they be a no! Don’t they
training companies in the world and
see how reasonable I am?
basically teach people how to fulfill what’s important to them, not only in business,
I’m stuck in my annoyance and I’m missing
but in life.
much of the exercise because I can’t let it go. At exactly that moment, the trainer asks us
One Saturday, I’m sitting in a Landmark 34
to look at where we may have patterns of February 2014
getting stuck, because if it’s happening in business, it’s happening everywhere in our lives. Life starts flashing before my eyes as if I’m taking my last breath and the picture of how often I’m annoyed at the little things is there like a series of embarrassing movie clips. Unstoppable? Not in the face of small annoyances that I can’t let go of. Now forgiveness has become a big practice for me. It’s a big part of why I got involved in Project Forgive. I suspect most people don’t see how many small things they need to let go of on a daily basis. And how much annoyance and fear are stopping the hour to hour, day to day.
Do you have a daily ritual that you can share with us? What do you do on a daily basis that helps you nurture yourself and/or build your business? Yoga has been a long-time staple in my life.
big decision I take my daughters and we
And walking meditation. I do hot yoga 3 or
find the top of a mountain somewhere.
4 times a week and daily I take my dog (aka
The world changes perspective at 10,000
Chai Latte) for a quiet walk by the creek.
feet and the daily problems of business
When I really need to reflect and make a
reduce in size.
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How do you stay inspired and motivated in life and business? “I want to be thoroughly used up when I die”. This has
because they suddenly get the game of how to influence change.
always been one of my George Bernard Shaw quotes. I believe the world changes,
Of course, an afternoon cup of chai with
because everyday people change the way
my best friend Shawne (Duperon) always
they think and speak. That happens at a
brings a lot of joy to my day as well. Shawne
grass roots level. So I play the game of how
and I bring all our joys and heartbreaks to
to teach people how to change the grass
each other. Nothing makes life so sweet as
roots conversation. It’s amazingly fun and
a soul sister to share it with.
rewarding to see a thought-leader emerge
What teachers, coaches, or mentors have inspired you? Some of my biggest influencers have been those who believe you can influence change through the actions of everyday
“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of teaching”.
people - Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. Having studied their
So often I get stalled because I think “I
work and teachings has had a profound
have no idea what to do next”. But the
impact on my life. One of Gandhi’s most
truth always comes to me. Do something.
significant teachings is to get in action -
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February 2014
What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it? The Canadian backwoods are a great place
movies. We never go to the movies. Mom
to grow up. The youngest of nine kids, as a
stops them from taking me snd all I hear is
child I spent my summers outside a small
“she’s too small to play with the big kids.”
cabin, accessible only by boat. We ran wild through the trees and eating berries fresh
I’m devastated. I hate myself for being too
off the blueberry bush and my short legs
small. Life is so unfair.
could seldom keep up with the older kids. That inner dialogue stuck. “I’m too small The messaging “I’m too small” became
to play with the big kids” has haunted me
vividly etched in my being one day.
throughout my career. I will do forgiveness work to release this dialogue but when the
We are back in town from the Cabin and
game gets bigger, it will sometimes come
excitement is palpable in the room. My
back. My inner 2-year old will rise up and
Grandmother is taking everyone to the
need reassurance that she’s not too small.
So many people have great business ideas but don’t know how to get started. What advice would you give them? The cliche is true. It doesn’t matter where you start. Only that you do. The biggest problem I see in entrepreneurs is that they get mired in indecision. They wait until they have a full plan before starting. The most successful entrepreneurs just start and create the plan from what they learn from their actions. 37
Business Too ?
I s Yo u r
Small
by Terri Levine
O
nline search has been drastically
Utilize Google, Yahoo, and Bing local
changing from month to month but
listings for your company. To do this you
there’s one thing that never changes: you
must “claim” your listings by verifying your
need to be found online.
location or phone number. Many times the search engines have already built these local pages for you, pulling information from your business’ existing listings, but claiming your listing will allow you to make edits.
BUILD A BLOG: Build a blog on your website. Keep your Many businesses believe that just building
customers informed about the direction
and hosting a website will bring in traffic
of your business, update them on any new
and mean growth for a company, but sadly
occurrence, and give them industry-specific
it’s been years since that was true. There
tips. A blog can be used to gain views for
are many bits and pieces that go into being
your site, and help build your company as
found online and the following are some
the authoritative source for your niche.
of the key ingredients to making sure your site gets found.
If you can’t install a blog directly onto your website, there are many free sites that can
LOCAL DIRECTORIES:
be utilized (wordpress.com, weebly.com, blogspot.com, etc.). Just be sure to include 39
a link somewhere on your site so visitors
results and should represent exactly what
know this is the official blog.
is on that page.
WEBSITE SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION):
Be sure not to spam: make your entries sound natural and on topic.
So much can be covered on this topic so it’s very easy to get over your head. I will
Limit your title tag to around 65 characters,
cover some of the basics that a site MUST
and your meta description to around 155
have in order to be found.
characters because that is the allotted amount to display in search engines.
1
Your site must be well structured and look good to visitors
No longer can you throw up any old page and hope it shows up in search queries. Search engines now use a host of different metrics to judge how well your site functions with users, which is directly
They will not display and words past the character limits which can result in things looking a little messy if don’t comply.
3
Content and Headers Be sure your site has fresh content
that your visitors will find valuable.
correlated with the appearance of the site. Take a step back and walk through your site as if you were a visitor. Make sure it’s easy to navigate and is easy on the eyes.
2
Utilize Meta Data Give your site a proper title tag and
meta description for EVERY page. Both of these items show up directly in search
40
February 2014
Content is king so it’s best to put a lot of effort into this part of your site. Lastly, be sure to utilize Headers (H-tags). Name your sections of content just like you were naming a blog post, and utilize the highest level header at the top of the page for the most important title (H1 tag), and as you work down your page you can use H2 tags, and H3’s. The search engines put the highest importance on a H1 tag, and the further you go down (H2, H3…..), its loses more and more power.
Terri Levine, the Business Mentoring ExpertSM
specializes
in
helping
business owners achieve recordbreaking growth. In 2012, Terri was named one of the top ten coaches in the world by Leadership Gurus.net, and the top female coach in the world. Based in Philadelphia, Terri is the founder and CEO of The Coaching Institute, one of the top coach training programs in the country today. She has been featured on ABC, NBC, CNBC and MSNBC, and in more than 1,500 publications. She is the bestselling author
of
Sell
Without
Selling;
Coaching Is for Everyone; and Stop Managing Start Coaching; and has just released Guerrilla Marketing for Spas with co-author Jay Conrad Levinson. Learn more at: http://www.terrilevine.com
41
ask Betty: How To Keep Your
Goals On Track
J
ust like a lot of people, I often have a
Since February is often when people start
hard time keeping on top of the goals
“giving up” on their resolutions, I thought
I set for myself. Whether it’s keeping my
I’d share a few of things that help me get
business moving forward or eating right,
back on track when I start to stray.
it sometimes feels like I’m paddling upstream.
1
. Evaluate if your goal is too big for the time frame. If you’re trying to re-model your kitchen and you’re trying to do it in a week, you may want to re-think your timeline.
2
Break down the project or goal into manageable sections. Remind yourself – how do I tackle this? The answer is one bite at a time. By breaking it into smaller parts, it will always seem more manageable.
3
Ask for help. Many of us think we need to shoulder the burden of our goal entirely by ourselves. Sometimes by adding your goal to a friend’s goal, it makes it more fun
4
and significantly easier to do. Give yourself a break! Many of us are too hard on ourselves. We talk ourselves into defeat. By doing that, we will surely confirm the defeat by letting it take over.
5
Just start. Most of our clients feel overwhelmed by their stuff and they call us to organize and help make things better. Their most frequent comment is “I don’t know where to start”. I think by starting, ANYWHERE, progress happens. Personally I like 43
You may still lose track of your goal, but keep trying. If you don’t think you can do it, no one else will either! Remember –
YOU CAN DO THIS!
44
February 2014
T h e H id d e n A s s e t In Yo ur Bu sin es s Th at Y o u M u st L e a rn to U se by Sheevaun Moran
W
hat is hidden in each entrepreneur,
stay sane and keep everything moving is
leader or innovator? It is the most
one of the elements that are hidden.
valuable asset on the planet. This asset is hidden in our businesses but it’s not locked away in boxes, hidden on computer drives, under clothes or in our stuff. Stuff is one of the ways that we often determine our assets but as you know stuff is really just stuff at the end of the day. Go into business for yourself and you’re going to have to look at all that hidden
What is this hidden gem? It’s your inner true
“stuff”. Why does this happen as soon as
wisdom. This wisdom self is demonstrated
you make the commitment to do, share
when you are lit up and sharing your souls
and become an entrepreneur or business
work with the world. It is demonstrated
owner? You have a passion and expertise
when you are aligned with your souls work
that has been locked away and is bursting
and the income that you desire.
to come out with one challenge. How to combine that passion, make money at it,
You see people around you that show
45
wisdom in their words and actions and you
Running a business under the principles
want that but how do you access that for
of over caution means that you have lots
yourself?
of 20/20 hindsight. It also means that you experience disappointments or you settle
“Learned wisdom” is good but takes a lot
which saps your life- force. When you
of years and hard knocks. Your success
aren’t able to access and instantly validate
depends on instant access to that hidden
that wisdom you focus on giving to others
wisdom. This inner hidden wisdom comes
which also saps your energy and ability to
in the form of intuition but our training
think clearly and take quick action.
tells us not to do anything that isn’t risky, be careful, look at every angle before you
The key to accessing that inner hidden
make a big change and yet your gut tells
wisdom is clarity and anchoring. This
you otherwise.
clarity is when your true authenticity can shine through where everyone can see it feel it and are drawn to you.
46
February 2014
to access those inner reserves, your system will get clarity, your wisdom will pop out and that authenticity will shine through like the sun after a rainy day. I Am Success Now-Wisdom is just the place where you learn techniques to take into your business and your life that will help you get clear and shine through. That clarity will emerge within the first day and you’ll walk away I’d like to invite you to participate in a
feeling more energized, refreshed and
different type of event where you will learn
aligned than you have in years.
Sharon McRill Sheevaun Moran likesMaster to helpEnergy busy
her deepteam Universal of 12Energetic “Betties” Principles perform
people Coach isget thethings founder done. andOwner creatorand of
such with practical projects as step-by-step moving coordination, “How-To’s”
president the Energetic of Solutions, The Betty Inc.® Brigade, Success an
organizing to fulfill their and legacy event or dream. planning. For
Ann System. Arbor-based She is devoted personal to teaching assistance the
more You caninformation find her on on The Betty
and world’s concierge entrepreneurs company, andSharon leaders and the
Brigade,SheevaunMoran.com visit or IAmSuccessNowWisdom.com www.BettyBrigade.com
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