Comfort Zones and Leadership

 

How do they fit together for you? Are they mutually exclusive or do they go hand-in-hand? And what about the unknown factors? I’d venture to say that if they go hand-in-hand for you, you’re stuck in a rut. Or at the very least at an impasse regarding new thought.

Think about it. If you are in your comfort zone you are most likely repeating patterns over and over – you know them, they’re comfortable, you know what the outcomes are likely to be. They work for you. You can count on them. There’s comfort and security in that. Your ego is happy. You feel safe, in control and good with the world.

But if you hold on to your comfort zone AND you step into leadership, what can you likely assume to be true? Perhaps that you can lead as long as you know what the rules are and what the likely outcomes are so you can be a successful leader in your own mind?

But what if you are playing in this world of rapid change (and  you are) so that the old way of doing things, anything, won’t work so well. What do you do then? There’s the choice to keep things small, manageable and controllable, pretending you can keep them that way.  There’s the choice to go more deeply into a need to control which means that you need to reduce the size of your world to a manageable and controllable size (which will need to continue to shrink as you continue to need to control). And you might even get sick in the process depending upon how much of it you internalize.

Or you can learn to stand in your confidence while you embrace humility and uncertainty as a new model of leadership. Think about it. Our world is changing at an ever increasing rate and what we learned in school is obsolete. What we learned a few years back is obsolete! Where does this leave us?

Either in accelerating stress levels or learning to embrace and work with uncertainty.

What do you choose? I choose uncertainty. When we can stand in the knowledge that we have and be open and receptive enough to embrace uncertainty, we open ourselves up to creating those things that haven’t yet been created. New ways of being. New ways of working together. New ways of creating a world that matters, that cares, that seeks quality over quantity.

Think about it. And in the meantime, I wish you harmless mischievous adventures, uncontrollable laughter and a lightness of spirit. You are on the journey of your lifetime. Make it count!

P.S. I will be writing more on this and yes, coaching can help with this.

Related Blog Posts:
Is it Time to Embrace Risk?
Is it Time for You to Lead?

Sourcing Power From Within

The truth is that your life is primarily being generated by who you’re being, much more than by what you’re doing. Yet our focus is continually on trying to source power by managing and controlling the externals of our lives – our to do lists, our circumstances, our schedules, our finances, our bodies and so on.

We think: If only my circumstances were different, then I’d be able to have and create what I really want in life. How often have you said to yourself, “If only I had more money, more time, a better education, a better job, more support, more love etc. then I’d be able to live the life that I was born to live”?

Yet, the obstacles to the full flourishing of your life are not outside of yourself!

The barriers to the realization of your dreams, and deepest desires are internal, not external. And, more importantly, the source of power you need to fulfill them lies within you, and is just waiting to be awakened.

Feminine Power Practice:

  • Make a list of all the reasons you are telling yourself as to why you can’t live your best life, realize your highest creative potentials and make your greatest contributions to the world (i.e., I’m too busy, I don’t have the money, I’m too old, etc.).
  • Notice how many of them are external reasons. Just for today, let go of any and all reasons outside of yourself as to why you are not realizing your highest potentials and making your greatest contributions.
  • Close your eyes and take a deep breath, allowing your awareness to drop into your body. Move into a place of listening and receptivity, becoming aware of your deeper knowing and connecting to the part of yourself that holds wisdom and has access to power. With a sense of authentic interest and curiosity, ask yourself: “How am I the source of my current experience of life?,” “What choices am I making that are contributing to my current experience of life?” (eg. I say yes to things I don’t want to say yes to because I want others to like me, I choose to not focus on money because I don’t really care that much about it, I no longer put myself out there because I don’t want to risk rejection, etc.)
  • What’s one new choice that you could make today that will give you access to creating a different experience right away?

The above guest blog is from Katherine and Claire at http://femininepower.com/blog

Dancing with Pain

greenPainYou’re healing along fine from an injury, and all of a sudden the progress stops. You aren’t getting better, nothing is helping and the pain and limitations are still there. You’re doing all the “right” things; physical therapy helped, massage helped, other things have helped, until now.

You’ve been stopped dead in your tracks. Do you have to live with it the rest of your life? Maybe it’s just that you’re getting older and this is just what happens. Do you have to settle for increased aches and pains as the days and years pass by?

I had a client that had been in a collision and was taken to the hospital, unconscious. She was tended to and sent home, with a prescription for physical therapy. She followed the protocol and received benefit from it, but now she was stuck. She wasn’t getting any better – the pain, limitations and poor bone healing was causing a lot of stress in her life. She didn’t know what the problem was, she didn’t know what to do and she didn’t know where to get help.

How frustrating is that?!?!

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Abundance is our Future

There are so many wonderful things going on in our world – so many people helping people, joining together for the good of all or working independently helping one person at a time which then ripples out into the world.

Where do you put your time, focus and energy? On worry, fear, escape? On joy, optimism, contribution? Do you see possibility or road blocks? Are you saying “YES” to life with the willingness to experience the richness that exists?

Dr. William K. Larkin says “We are heliotropic in our nature. That means literally that we are sun-seeking, but it really means that we are made to go toward growth and light, toward uplifting and encouraging. We are made for life and living, not for fear and withdrawal and a life of caution.” I believe that is true.

So if you like to read the news before bed – or first thing in the morning with your coffee or tea, try some uplifting news…

The TED Talks are full of “ideas worth spreading” and are coming to Portland March 31st. Here’s one -

Abundance is our Future: Onstage at TED2012, Peter Diamandis makes a case for optimism — that we’ll invent, innovate and create ways to solve the challenges that loom over us. “I’m not saying we don’t have our set of problems; we surely do. But ultimately, we knock them down.”

Good Morning Beautiful!

This is an experiment – nothing polished, just an opportunity to set your day up intentionally. I’ve created a 9 minute guided meditation to help you really feel tap into your body and bring in the energy that you want to experience. Let me know how it works for you!

Good Morning Beautiful meditation

And may your brilliance light up the world!

Detoxification

Someone asked me about detoxing and this is the article I was trying to locate. So I thought I would just share it with all of you.

His focus is clearly on the physical body but/and we also hold toxins in our energy field. Energy work helps to keep your systems flowing freely which is mandatory for them to efficiently support our physical structures. But more on that later. Now … on to the article….

Most of us cannot escape to a safe haven, free from toxins and pollutants. The air that we breathe is polluted, the water that we drink is full of chlorine, the clothing we wear is made of artificial fabrics and chemicals, the lotions and shampoos that we use all contain chemicals. Once these chemicals are inside us, we can never fully eliminate them unless we undergo a detoxification process. As a result, most of us need some form of detoxification. It is one of the best ways to remain healthy in a polluted and toxic environment.

Signs that Detoxification is Needed

  • If you have unexplained headaches or back pain
  • If you have joint pain or arthritis
  • If your memory is failing
  • If you are depressed or lack energy
  • If you have brittle nails and hair
  • If you have abnormal body odor, coated tongue or bad breath
  • If you have an unexplained weight gain
  • If you have psoriasis
  • If you have frequent allergies
  • If you have a history of heavy alcohol use
  • If you have a history of natural and synthetic steroid hormone use.
  • If you have an exposure to cleaning solvents, pesticides, diuretics and certain drugs

Due to the length of the article and the links within it, the following link goes directly to his site   http://www.drlam.com/articles/2002-No1-Detoxificaton.asp

The Power of Positive Relationships

As I become more of who I really am,
I will share the overflow of that love of myself with you.

And I ask you, as you become more of you who you are, free of my expectations of how I think you should be, that you will share the overflow of your love of self with me.

As we do for ourselves what we cannot do for each other, may we both vow to always share the joy and love of who we really are with each other.

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The Greatest Gift

“The greatest gift you could ever dream is a gift that you can only receive from one person. And that person is you yourself. Therefore, the most subversive invitation you could ever accept is the invitation to awaken to who you are and where you have landed … When your soul awakens, you begin to truly inherit your life. You leave the kingdom of fake surfaces, repetitive talk and weary roles and slip deeper into the true adventure of who you are and who you are called to become…

Read The Question that Holds the Lantern by John O’Donohue, PhD in its entirety.