the spiritual femmepreneur: WHEN SUPER EGO GIRL WALKS INTO THE ROOM: THREE LIFE LESSONS IN PROTECTING YOUR SPIRITUALLY BASED BUSINESS

the spiritual femmepreneur: WHEN SUPER EGO GIRL WALKS INTO THE ROOM: THREE LIFE LESSONS IN PROTECTING YOUR SPIRITUALLY BASED BUSINESS

WHEN SUPER EGO GIRL WALKS INTO THE ROOM: THREE LIFE LESSONS IN PROTECTING YOUR SPIRITUALLY BASED BUSINESS

I'll admit it. Super ego girls make me cringe. I get anxious in my five toes. My soul feels like it sinks to the lowest portion of my abdomen. I find myself tightening every muscle, ready at a moment's notice for my competitive sprint across the finish line. I get lost in the whirlwind, grasping my way back home to my soul. 

Not everyone who professes to be a spiritual femmepreneur, including me, is living their spiritual truths all the time.I've seen it in subtle actions, and in appalling displays of absurd bravado.

Sometimes there just isn't enough room for all of us. Not because we don't all have a right to shine, but because when super ego girl takes over, she can bulldoze her way through an entire crowd of wise women who never saw her coming. 

Has this ever happened to you?

You are so excited to share your hard earned success story with one of your femmepreneur soul sisters. The moment you open your mouth, she is already dominating the conversation, telling you about her amazing news. What to do . What to do.

For the soft spoken among us,  I have learned to make sure to protect my precious business.

Recently I was at a women's luncheon . One woman , for some reason, seemed determined to one up me every time I spoke.The group were interested in my work . I shared that I had two book deals which was endlessly exciting for me. This particular woman immediately wanted to know the names of the publishers. I have never been so evasive in my life because I felt her competitive nature seething through her charming southern drawl. She wasn't getting any information out of me.

Here's why. 

LIFE LESSON ONE
TELL THE RIGHT PEOPLE . I am extremely careful with my precious pearls now. The spiritually powerful femmepreneur listens to her inner guidance first before sharing exciting news with anyone. In fact she often keeps her news to herself, so that it stays precious and sacred. Hard to do, but so worth it. Respect your dreams. .  DO NOT OVERSHARE.

Right before I moved to Ohio, a very successful and well known femmepreneur approached me on Facebook about a live event she was offering. It sounded interesting to me,( although the cost was outrageous) but I was moving that week and could not attend, so I graciously wished her well. Rather than wish ME well, she  bombarded me with guilt ridden messages, telling me to postpone my trip because "this event was going to change my life". In other words, if I didn't go , my business destiny was going to suffer irreparably.

LIFE LESSON TWO
STAY AUTHENTIC. In this new world of internet femmepreneurs , life coaches, "experts" with no formal training and all manner of "change makers", I often feel like a lone ranger who refuses to represent herself the way the "change makers" claim you need to, in order to 'make it'.  Changing your name and your dress code  may make you more marketable, but it won't impress we pure spirits. Give us the real goods. Authentic types won't fall for the inflated ego price tag. BE YOUR REAL SELF.

Last week I signed up for a yoga class. The woman at the front desk was busy chatting with other people behind the desk while she ignored me for quite some time. I waited. Eventually, she signed me into the computer without actually looking at me, took my money and sent me to the class. Sure enough, she was the yoga instructor. I got through the class with absolutely no sense of connection to her, the group or even my body. Her chill entered the room with her. Sacrificing one's humanity for the sake of being cool is a silly idea.

LIFE LESSON THREE
BE THE LOVE THAT YOU ARE. Be unafraid of presenting the full on loving, embracing, compassionate, present femmepreneur that you are. Love runs the show. When you are in your love, you show up wise , ready and fearless. You bring the depth of  human connection into every interaction you have.

I'd love to know. How do you protect your sacred business?
www.TheJOYbreakthrough.com

INVISIBILITY : YOUR HIDDEN ASSET

Growing up,  I often felt unseen in this world. Feeling unnoticed has carried over into my adult life as well : frustration with not always being "seen" in certain circles, not always being valued for my expertise, not always being heard for my point of view, and  not always taken seriously for my contributions to the planet. With all my degrees, certifications, expertise and rich life experience, there are moments when I feel invisible.

Add to that all the 'visibility' of social media.  Everyone wants to be seen. And heard . And seen and heard again.  

For the past 30+ years, as I have danced my way in and out of various aspects of careers, I have had to let go, redefine, and recreate what I thought was important, what IS important and what is REALLY important. 

I have danced this on my own, in my own way, with only a few role models along the way.

My role models are iconoclasts who were rebels that changed the status quo by being completely outrageous, in touch with both their  dark and light. 

Often these iconoclasts were shy, contemplative, just wanting to be themselves in a world of conformity.

One of them died yesterday.

Here's his take on visibility.

“Fame itself is not a rewarding thing.  The most you can say is that it gets you a seat in restaurants. Other than that, there's very little about it that anybody would covet. I have my favourite times when I'm not recognized"

Feeling unnoticed at the moment? 

Here are some gifts invisibility is offering you.

Connection with the earth and animals
Ample time to develop your creative persona
Wild fashion experimentation
Intuition
Empathy
Time
A rich spiritual life
Refinement in your interactions with others.
Personal power
The ability to see with infinite eyes

Invisibility, in shamanic terms, is the final step in mastering your domain; to be the SEER, rather than the seen. Invisibility protects you from being misperceived. 

Transparency( which is really invisibility) is personal and professional freedom. Invisibility is sacred , where you can see life in its infinity . Invisibility is a power practice , to become the author of your life on your terms.  This kind of invisibility is by choice, infused with intention and purpose.

When you feel invisible, become the SEER.

Use your assets.

SEE HER.  

XO

Marsha

www.theJOYbreakthrough.com 

FIVE REASONS YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS MIGHT BE KEEPING YOU FROM FULFILLING THEM

I am relatively new to the whole New Year’s resolution thing. My resolutions always started in September, being the geeky student that I’ve always been. After all, with a new school year comes new clothes, new supplies, new classmates, new teachers and new opportunities . January 1 always seemed like the let down after the excitement, the last day of vacation, the freezing cold outdoors. 

When I got serious about growing Yoga for Amputees® , TheJOY Breakthrough and my Healing the Luminous Body® practice, I changed. I was making resolutions quarterly, weekly, daily. I was ready and excited to sit still and listen as my 2016 New Year’s Resolution began.

The challenge was, the moment I sat down, I became anxious , and sad. I had been SO excited to have my New Year’s revelation meditation morning. I was planning on feeling good, empowered and ready to thrive.

Instead,  I found a lot of UNRESOLVED places both personally and professionally.

I hadn’t accomplished all I wanted to last year. I hadn’t traveled the way I thought I would. I hadn’t committed to my wellness the way I thought I would. I hadn’t done what I resolved on January 1, 2015, to do.

I was disappointed with myself. I was afraid , jittery, frustrated about those old familiar annoying stories that creep up when I am stepping into new territory professionally and personally. 

I know this is not the new year’s post that femmepreneurs always want to hear.  I am sure most want to be motivated, inspired, hopeful , tasting their  success.

Except , that is not always how all femmepreneurs feel .

I am and always will be a firm believer in the concept of embracing the WHOLE TREE. There are broken branches, withered leaves, abundant fruit, dry seasons, overripe times, and complete green radiance. If you look closely, though, you will see some hard won scars in the trunk, some serious longevity in the rings , and some elegant grace that rises above the winds, rain and glaring sun.In other words, trees( and solid businesses ) have gone through some 'stuff'.

Here is what I learned this New Year’s about creating a REAL resolution that brings all of you into the picture.

Look at your wins first

 

This year, how about buying an “accomplishment journal” that you write in every evening? Be sure to feel the effects of each accomplishment before writing the next one. Dismiss nothing which you consider trivial. For example, doing the dishes when you are laid out with a bad cold is a major accomplishment in my book.

      Disappointments need to be recognized, honored, and respected

Take some time this January to make a list of any disappointments you had this year . Notice if the feelings about them are still strong. They need to grieved , written about, talked about so they are no longer being carried into 2016 unconsciously. 

Ridiculously high expectations are an automatic set up for failure. 

Take a good look at your resolution meter.  How often in life do you actually follow through with what you resolve to do?  Did you say “I do” but didn’t? Do you say “yes” too much? Do you say “no “ too much? Lower the bar if this is you. A LOT.

Forgiving yourself is not always the best course of action

 We often hear the phrase “Oh , she did her best. That’s all she could do”. In most cases, that is very true, but in some cases, are you being too easy on yourself? Are you constantly using the excuse of “ I’m only human” to avoid taking responsibility for non-action, unethical behavior such as stealing someone else’s ideas, or just plain distraction, such as way  too much time on social media? It’s not always in your best soul  interest  to make excuses“.

“Sabotaging yourself” isn’t always the reason you can’t move forward

 I can’t tell you how many femmepreneur coaches tell their clients that the clients are sabotaging themselves by not doing such and such. The reality is, often those coaches say that to make people feel shame,desperate for help and sign up for the coach’s program. 

There’s another approach. I call it “What is it , my love?” 

You DO need to take accountability for your actions, look closely at your disappointments so you can feel and heal, be honest with yourself, expect what’s doable .

You also need to have muchas compassion for the wandering, scared , helpless little girl that resides inside every femmepreneur. Don’t listen to anyone tell you that you are sabotaging yourself, and definitely don’t listen to yourself if that’s where you go . Instead, pause, breathe, and ask, “ What is it my love? What do you need right now?” Perhaps it’s a hug, a nap, a piece of dark chocolate, picking up the phone to make that cold call you have been avoiding for two months.

 I guarantee you will feel more empowered , more focused on your SACRED destiny,and you will make the best New Year’s resolution you have ever made.

Let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear.

Love,

Marsha Therese

www.yogaforamputees.com

www.theJOYbreakthrough.com