5 Surefire Feminine Ways to Storm the Gates of Uncertainty in Your Business

Think like a CEO, and behave like a lady.

Nothing is more irksome in the femmepreneurial world  than a woman who leads her business with a reign of terror, diva demands , lack of accountability, or  unpreparedness.
While it's true we all have our moments, there comes a time when crossing the line is just not acceptable.
When a you think like the CEO you are , include your own needs and the needs of others. Own your mistakes with grace and be willing to improve your business so it is the best it possibly can be.Remain curious . Be solution oriented while giving room for the waning and waxing of the moon. Breathe. When you hold your big picture vision in mind, the daunting gate of uncertainty can give way to baby steps with big results.

 

Walk like you own the place , and give room for others to shine too. 

Too often our unfinished personal business comes front and center when we are uncertain about next steps in our business. Are you the woman who tends to cower in the face of overwhelming personalities? Do you tend to take over, giving unsolicited advice, or demanding attention? Maybe you are the one who starts to make everyone else happy when faced with uncertainty.
The place you are owning is YOU. When you bring YOU into a situation, others do have room to shine. Bring YOU and not your old go-to behaviors. Your Youness is what brings answers when you don't know what to do ( or be ) next.

Take your time

My beautiful Middle Eastern dance teacher, Katrina Valenzuela, taught me an incredible lesson this past year.  "Goddesses take their time".
Who says you need to do your business the way anyone else does? Who says that following this or that business plan is the only way to go?
Slow down. Imagine being a goddess. Who are you? What gifts do you bring to the world? And most importantly, what are you wearing? 
At the moment, I am hanging with Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.  Which means everything I am focusing on right now is reflecting my passion for beauty and my love for the work I do. Love and beauty take time to foster.
Take your time . In fact, take a nap. Answers to our struggles often come when our subconscious has time to speak.
 

You're welcome

Sometimes, we as women can be a little too humble, or a little too arrogant when we feel insecure about someone's offering of gratitude
When someone gives you a genuine thank you, do you brush them off with "Oh , it was nothing"? If so, stop! RECEIVE the thank you. Soak it in to your very soul. By receiving the thank you with a warm "You're welcome" you are keeping the flow of your business vibrant. 
The same goes for the woman who is thinking " Damn right you're gonna thank me. I deserve it."
Being appreciative and saying "You're welcome" can loosen the hinges of the gate of uncertainty.

Find a new gate.

I remember watching a series about femmepreneurs who 'wouldn't give up on their dream". One woman had designed a plastic nail polish holder that she "knew" would make millions. Instead, her house was covered from floor to ceiling with these plastic 'thingys' , she was in serious debt and her marriage was on the rocks. Sometimes our uncertainty is telling us that we are focusing our energies ( our souls) on the wrong thing. How long have you been attempting to storm that gate and get to the other side?
What would happen if you just let it go?
This year I donated nearly all my children's yoga products. They had been sitting in a warehouse in NJ for years, barely  moving and selling. I spent so much time being frustrated with myself for not selling them, for not doing a good enough job marketing them. I mean they were so amazing... to me. Finally, I found two new gates (which happen to be wide open)- The JOY Breakthrough and Yoga for Amputees.
By letting go of nearly $40,000 of product, donating them to children in Haiti and Appalachia, as well as other children's centers and foster care facilities, these products are finally in the hands of the children they were meant to serve. 
Are you feeling uncertain about next steps? Feeling like a big gate is blocking your progress? Talk to me. I can help you get crystal clear.  Thank you and You're welcome. 

A SURE SIGN YOU ARE ABOUT TO SUCCEED BIG TIME: SOME PEOPLE TRY TO CUT YOU DOWN TO SIZE

I wasn't planning to become a yoga teacher. I was in a Ph.D program in Medieval French, for God's sake! I wasn't planning to move to a different state, set up a healing practice, write books, get noticed in major magazines. I just wanted confirmation from the "Higher Ups- God, Angels , that sort of thing" that I was on the right path for my soul. Apparently I was , and am. 
Although I question it from time to time.
There I was , minding my own business . Working part time, struggling with the endless cycle of exhaustion and terror due to every other day dialysis treatments. I wanted to know God loved me and still cared. I was desperate to find a career I could actually do well, especially because, due to dialysis, I had to WALK AWAY FROM MY DREAM of becoming a professor.
It was in the midst of my troubled sleep that the ancient yogis with funny names began to appear to  me in my dreams . They used words I had never heard of , and chanted tunes to me in a language I did not know....but I did, somehow.
I would go take a yoga class. That exact tune would be chanted in class. Or there would be a picture of "the guy in my dreams".
One day, I even had a "presence"- I'll call it an angel, literally stop me in the hallway and somehow tell me " You need to be a yoga teacher."
"Okay". I responded sheepishly. Those were the days when yoga teachers were hard to find, when you went to an ashram to study with long time yoga practitioners.
I had to organize 6am mandatory yoga classes every day around my dialysis schedule at a local hospital in the evening. I also have an artificial leg. 
I never thought of my yoga studies as difficult. I'm a great adjuster to life circumstances, as wearying as it can be. I just followed the call.
Now almost 20 years later, I am finding it fascinating how many people I run into ,now that I have been well entrenched in my teaching, my practice and my visibility, either belittle my experience and knowledge, challenge me with telling me of their own amazing successes or 'how much more they know than me', or dismiss me out right with comments that are, well ' catty'. 

I've found the same in the healing arena. I have studied many healing modalities over the years. None was more soaked in ego bravado than my shamanic studies. It shows up in conversations every once in a while with some different healers I meet. It doesn't seem to be about the client. It seems to be about the healer, if you know what I mean. That's okay. I wasn't planning on becoming a healer either. I just had a few dreams, with specific people with specific names , show up to tell me I needed to be a healer. And then of course those people would materialize in real time. I still had to choose to say YES.
Even more fascinating is how easy and comfortable I feel around the directors of major medical centers, CEO's, the leaders at the "top" of their game. Again and again, the conversations I have with them seem peer to peer, full of mutual respect and enthusiasm for the work at hand. I know they have been on the journey I am on right now. My observation? They are comfortable with themselves. I believe I am too.
What to do... What to do???? 
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
If there is some backlash happening for you as you step into your calling in a bigger way, do not react or respond. Say thank you silently.  Hold your radiant self in your heart and hands. Stand still.  Open your palms. Smile on your own behalf . If you have a spiritual practice, surrender to the One who called you.  Your sacred service is the only thing that matters. Amen.

Be a COOL Spiritual Womanpreneur: Respond to emails ASAP!!!

One of the greatest experiences I had this year was teaching yoga to warriors for the Wounded Warrior Project. I feel a great connection with warriors, because in my own way, I am a warrior myself. Plus, being an amputee gives me major street creds with veterans. They know I know something about loss , trauma and navigating life.

Not only was the experience incredible, the infrastructure was incredible. I knew , because the backbone of the Wounded Warrior Project is so solid, that my questions and comments via email would be responded to quickly, as in less than a day.

That’s the way I do my biz. Doesn’t everyone?

Apparently not.

I am fascinated  by emails I receive almost daily with the following ‘ Thank you for replying so quickly.”  “ Wow, that was quick.”

I got thinking.

What is the difference between a spiritually responsible womanpreneur leader, and one who appears to be?

Some might say you increase your power by NOT responding immediately, by letting the other  person sweat it out a little. That , of course, is for the womanpreneur who wants to win.. . something?

I say ‘No’. That’s not the model I follow. I don’t want to win anything. I have actually already “won”. I’m alive. You can read more about that major coup here.  That’s for another day.

What about being a true spiritual leader?

What about being so cool that you are bold enough, brave enough, responsible enough to respond to email requests ASAP because you care about your clients, potential clients and the role your business has for the greater good of all of us?

Here are my TOP TEN  leadership credos that guide my womanpreneur life.

1. If it doesn’t feel good in your gut, don’t do it. Don’t assume that just because someone presents themselves as an expert means they are. Always trust yourself first.
2. Ask
3. Every experience is a mirror to personal and business growth which are intertwined.
4. Be willing to take responsibility.
5. Expect magic when you least anticipate it.
6. It’s not personal, unless it is.( see #1 )
7. Respond creatively and positively to challenges.
8. The spiritual and lifestyle lessons of yoga are easily translatable and reflected in my business by how I conduct myself with others .
9. Respond within 48 hours during business days to all correspondences.  It’s a nice thing to do. And it’s classy.
10.  Integrity is everything. Integrity no matter, always.

If you haven’t responded to that email, do it now . Clean the slate.

I NEED this. Don't you? DAILY CHECKLIST FOR THE SPIRITUAL WOMANPRENEUR

My business is kicking up. I am updating all my websites, getting new clients, writing books, and generally feeling so excited to finally be doing what I love- helping my clients get their freedom and joy of life back. 

Freedom of movement with  Yoga for Amputees.

 Freedom to let their heart sing again with the JOY Breakthrough, for women living with chronic illness, worry or stress.

Freedom to PLAY with Color Me Yoga for Children

Freedom to feel better with Pediatric Yoga

Freedom to find their soul's path again with  Soul Retrieval

Which means I better make sure I am living by the standards that matter most to me.

After all, if I'm not living what I'm teaching, how can I really be effective in helping my clients.

 This is my daily checklist .

I trust it helps you too.

 Stay centered 

 Start your day the meditation way. 

Get your mind still so you can clear the rubble and get focused

  Stay open 

Have a daily plan and be willing to let go of it completely. 

New opportunities and unique connections will surprise you when you are receptive.

 Stay active

  Exercise daily to get your life force moving and feel great. 

Exercise lets your body know you adore her.

Stay in tune  

 Listen to your very wise heart throughout the day.

 Ask your heart what she needs and be willing to honor her request.

Stay inspired 

 Seek out inspiration through the arts, nature, children, beauty, intimacy. 

Light a candle if that is all you can do.

Stay put 

 Take time throughout the day to breathe deeply and BE. 

When your overactive mind has time to rest, your subconscious wisdom can rise and shine

 Stay grateful 

It takes a planet to grow you and your business. 

Always acknowledge all the seen and unseen forces at work to help you thrive.

Stay YOU 

Keep your integrity, self- care, inner compass and love intact. 

Your inner beauty and self -worth matter.

Want to live more freedom and JOY in your life?

Contact me. I know the ropes. I can bring you there. Promise.

Applause isn't everybody's turn on. What turns you on in your work?

This week I am living out my dream of being a GoGo girl.

That's right. 

I've had a pair of hot pink boots for years. I've worn them for various occasions ( wink). I am finally getting the chance to not only wear them, but to dance in them for my choreographer friend's performance.

One of my new dancing friends made a comment the other day, during dress rehearsal.

Applause is addictive, isn't it?

As I thought about what she said, I was struck by how much applause isn't such a turn on for me.

I get applause a lot, for speeches, trainings, book readings.

I never even hear it.

I am too busy thinking about whether I helped wake up someone's soul to the beauty of who they already are.

Yup, that's right. In my business, the soul wake up of a client really turns me on.

In that moment, I feel like I am seated in the throne room of the divine. 

You could say it is an other worldly experience.

In my case, this is my everyday world.

When I see my client's face light up, or hear her tears as she finally remembers what has always been there all along- her inner strength, her radiance, her magnificence, I know I am participating in heaven on earth.

The holy moment. It's breathtaking. And it's definitely my turn.

Want a holy moment in your life?

Let's talk. 

 

www.TheJOYBreakthrough.com

Transformation Nation: Or How much transformation does one girl need?

I am rethinking the whole “transforming the world , transforming my life thing ”.

It's everywhere!

"You CAN change your life."
"Transform your life in 10 weeks."
"Change your attitude, transform your life."
"Transform your life so you can live the life you have always dreamed of."
“Secrets to creating true transformation."
It is obvious to all of us when someone has changed- perhaps they lost 100 pounds, stopped drinking, became a vegetarian, went on a healing retreat, joined the Peace Corps, got married.
It's as if the spark we always saw in them was finally lit up.
It was. Something caused that person to remember the truth of who they really were, then decide to choose that truth.

So, I did a little research. What is transformation?
According to the dictionary, transformation is a change from one form to another, which means the essence is still the same, only the form of the essence is different.
When it comes  to personal well-being,is transformation really transformation at all, or is it re-remembering the beauty of who we already are?

Big sigh, right?


Americans are hungry. We consume 24% of the world's energy, 150% times as much water as the rest of the world , 40 times as many calories daily as most of the world.
So it would make sense that the self help market is  a $1 billion industry, and growing. 
We are hungry to be more satisfied.

But we haven't actually taken the deep breath needed to see

 how satisfied we already are, have we?

I am definitely in that category, and I am not ashamed to admit it. I am an American after all. We think big, we think impossible is possible, we are young in our thinking.
As much as I say I am grateful everything I have and am, there are moments when I feel like I could be more, do more, and yes , have more. It's in those moments I am in the danger zone. I forget who I already am.
Which is why I, like so many people I know, have signed up for the transformational programs , read the books, given the talks, done what it takes to "transform myself and my world".
Sure, I have learned a few things along the way from these various authors and motivational entrepreneurs.
 And yet, when I get to the last chapter and put down the book, or turn off the podcast, I am left wandering in the dark, just a little bit.
Why did I fall for it? Their message , subtly, is that they know how to transform me because I am needing transformation, or I must, I think?
Does that sound familiar? A little manifest destiny mindset in the mix? 

They are hungry too. 

 

I think of the yoga principle of avidya- making the unreal real. In that moment I remember that I have been sideswiped by my own hungry ignorance.
I go back to my guy, Y'shua. The one who was reported to say " You must be born again." which means you must be born anew in each breath. 
And the breath He is referring to? The breath of the creation of the world.
I take a deep breath, the kind of breath that hovers over the waters of the newly formed earth.
I am transformed. Or , am I just re-remembering?