Consumed and Overwhelmed

I finished out the week by calling on businesses, meeting the owners and managers and informing them of the upcoming Significance event. I was pleasantly surprised that although there is a high amount of stress out there, and although the economy has dramatically affected so many businesses, there is still a great proactive attitude of resilience and servitude.

They all recognized that our topic will be very impacting on the guests that attend. We are teaching some valuable tips on stress management, longevity, and life balance skills for home and work. Most people I met said, “This is sooo needed!” and then proceeded to ask how they can be involved.

The only objections I had were a few that were so consumed and overwhelmed that they were not able to even think of taking the time to learn how to handle being consumed and overwhelmed.

And its okay. I have been there too.

Proactive to change

I have discovered the same results in my world of coaching. For someone to be a coaching client, they have to be at a point where they take responsibility for their life so far, and say, “If I want change, it is UP to me. Now what can I do to move forward?” Then take proactive, risky, and sometimes uncomfortable steps forward to change.

It is the same with business. During the great depression, many companies downsized, cut their hours and recoiled in response to the circumstances around them.

But there were a few others that decided this is a great time to advertise MORE, and invest in expansion, and GROW. They refused to let the surrounding circumstances dictate their outcome. They are the ones that are still around today. Here is a great  article to explain more.

So I am hoping that we will be able to help grow the businesses that are proactively participating for visibility and connections. I am hoping our teaching we will be able to empower our guests to be more proactive with the stress and challenges in their life at home and work.

And I am hoping to build some great connections myself, with the wonderful new friends I am making.

It’s going to be a great night!

 Whew! What a night! Since the Significance event was held in a corporate office bldg, we got off to a late start, after the offices had closed down. Maybe next time we can get in there earlier, but I could not have pulled this off last night without the help of so many fabulous women who came in, rolled up their sleeves, and all participated to get food out, gift baskets finished and displayed (Barbara even was workin the hot glue gun!) and goody bags filled with each other’s promotional gifts and contact info. It all came together nicely, and I think we all would have enjoyed another 2 hrs of connecting, but it did have to end. Raffling the baskets was a success, and so many went home with great prizes. Miss kathy and friends arrived all decked out from a HIGH TEA, and walked out with an entire area rug on her shoulder!

If you did not make it and would like to know more about the message of Significance, you can go over to the right sidebar, Amazon carousel, and order The Butterfly Effect” by Andy Andrews. I read a section of his book, which happens to be a more poignant and eloquent version of a message I shared for years as I spoke to women’s groups. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the historical tale and its “significance” to the title! Sign up on my newsletter list and I will be updating everyone on our next one. I am in the middle of creating a new monthly ezine to encourage and impact.

I am off to to mommy things today, with laundry, baksetball practice, a wrestling match, and more laundry, but so relieved that everyone was able to benefit and expand their connections and inspiration for the season. Thanks to so many beautiful women!!

hifalootin women!

Have you noticed lately that many around us seem to be just holding their head above water? Maybe you sense that fight or flight feeling in your own home. Many people want to lead, to get out there and do something bold, but they have been so affected by their circumstances that they do not feel like a leader anymore.  This change taking place in the world today is becoming more obvious, and closer to home. If you are not directly affected, you know a handful of people that are.  So many people around us are becoming  blind-sided by their current circumstances. They are in maintenance mode. They are not at the point to be able to think of how they impact others, or SHINE on the world. They are just consumed with getting by-Living paycheck to paycheck, hoping that it does not diminish anymore than it has. That loss affects their ability to lead in their community, their business and even in their home with family. It can be paralyzing.

When I was speaking for about three years, I focused on the Dares or biblical principles that helped us overcome our grief and back to a purpose and peace again. Encouraging others to SHINE. I noticed so many people do not realize how to handle or even recognize grief when it comes knocking. Grief is a constant in life and we are either headed for it, or just coming out of it. It is defined by any change that is percieved as a loss. When we get consumed with grief, it can strip us of our HOPE.

I have been reminded of a tape I heard years ago, from a coach. She was sharing the stages of personal growth that we all go through to get to the point of being a leader, and significant again.

I wanted to find the source, googled it, and discovered it in a book by Stephen Covey. So I bought the book. He may have used this analogy in his original 7 Habits book as well. But I found it in 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. As I am reading and hi-lighting, I am absorbing all of it and how it applies to my own family.

 Covey is a family man, and a master of organized planning, and although we disagree on some issues, I am in awe of his ability to focus on priority and balance.

What is exciting to me is that regardless of what stage we are in, when we get our spiritual life right, when we understand who we are and whose we are, our perspective on all the other areas of our life changes. It is the lens through which we see our life and circumstances. We find HOPE again. Once we discover hope, we can elevate ourselves quickly through these stages-

I will share more on that later, but here are the stages-

SURVIVAL - a stage of uncertainty and fear. There really is no schedule or routine, or security. often feeling like the victim, helpless to make changes, just trying to survive to another day. problem-stomping stage.

STABILITY - functional. working out a routine or structure for the daily routine but very little time to actually talk or set goals. There is no real depth in conversations, but just dealing with issues as they come. not yet finding joy, happiness, purpose. This is a stage where we they be more open-minded to learn. That can bring more knowledge, and with that can bring hope. As they begin to work out problems, they will become more organized, have more communication, more security.

SUCCESS -  We always heard that success was “the realization of a worthwhile goal or dream“.  Goal setting. This can be setting financial goals, spiritual, mental, physical, but at this point we can communicate, strive for goals together, and find some success as a family in structuring events and dependable times for enjoyment. But we can find that when we reach this point of happiness and shared vision, there may still be something missing. At this level we usually move from problem-solving to creating positives in our life.

SIGNIFICANCE - When we are involved in something meaningful outside of ourselves. We are intent on leaving a legacy and following a plan or mission to impact others. It may be working on a community project as a family, setting some stewardship goals, or even rallying around an extended family member that is in need. It may be building a home business that requires us to get outside of ourselves and help others.

Often when I used to encourage others on shining and significance, I realized how many in the audience truly do not realize their own worth and the power they already have in Christ to boldly impact others, at any stage.

But Covey shares a wonderful story of a young woman who desired to make a difference, be significant in other’s lives, and held fast to that dream and goal, through every single one of these stages. Remember everything we walk through can be temporal, and we can learn from the test if we have the end in mind.

I encourage you that wherever you may find yourself, it is temporary.  Carrie Wilkerson, The Barefoot Executive,  says, “Let every mess become a message. Let every test become a testimony.”

 I want significance. I want to be significant to my family. If  I am on facebook, I want to be significant to others and brighten their day. Not complaining and venting. If I am on twitter (which I have not been much), I want to establish real and authentic relationships with others. not chatting and bouncing off 15 conversations. If I am with a friend, I want to be listening to what they have to say. Not lost in my own scrambled thoughts.

So these are some of my goals of late. I am a work in progress.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. What stage are you in? what are you doing to move forward?