Women in the LEAD

Designing an Intentional Blueprint for 2010

 In order to create an intentional beginning to the New Year, we must evaluate the road that we have just traveled. Where have we been in the past year? What in the past year has served us? And what in the past year needs to be different going forward? What standards do you want to create in your life in 2010 that will bring your life to a whole new level? How do we redesign our life in a way that serves us in our highest vision of ourselves.

Incorporating life’s lessons of the past is central.  Updating our beliefs, reassessing our values, and understanding what we truly need today—are all foundational.  Beginning to understand what passion means to us and how to best use life’s challenges and opportunities form the second layer of inquiry that we must explore. Moving into the world with purpose allows us to link with higher will.  And then there are the practical housekeeping pieces of how we work with time and rhythm and cycles of life. How we create balance informs how sustainable our blueprint will be.  Our trust in manifestation and our ability to co-create with teams, colleagues and a higher power all allow us to design a blueprint that is sustainable, reflective, and deeply connected to our higher purpose here.

 What is your higher purpose here? What needs to be different in 2010 for you to align and live in deeper connection with that purpose? What is one commitment that you are willing to make between now and December 31 that will move you towards a greater vision?

To register for our upcoming webinar where you can create your blueprint for 2010, please go to

http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess

 

Maureen Simon
Co-Contributor
www.maureensimon.com
http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon
www.theessentialfeminine.com
Join our Facebook Group "Women Influencing Now"
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Feminine Influence: Feminine Success-Watch Out World!!

The webinars that we have been hosting in The Living Room at The Essential Feminine™ Company have been looking at influence and success from the Feminine Perspective.  Influence and success are powerful qualities that women now need to confidently develop in order to have the voice and capability to contribute to the decisions that are critical in our world today.

When women gain a clear understanding that they hold natural attributes such as the ability to collaborate, care for others, the ability to build relationships, and the ability to work well with ambiguity – to name a few attributes of the feminine—we will move more confidently into the world.  Our ability to use our voice and our natural gifts will make a major differencing the direction that the world is now going in.  Never before has there been a more critical time for women to become comfortable with influence and success.  On December 2 and December 9 we will be moving to the next two webinars entitled Living with Influence and Success from the Feminine Perspective.  During these events we will be focusing on what women need in order to develop these skills and how to create the incoming new year with greater confidence clarity and success.  Contact us at info@theessentialfemininecompany.com for more details.

 

Maureen Simon
Co-Contributor
www.maureensimon.com
http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon
www.theessentialfeminine.com
Join our Facebook Group "Women Influencing Now"
twitter@maureensimon

Solid Foundations are a Must When Creating Influence and Success in Life

It is important to look at the foundations or the supports of your life when creating a life of success and influence.  More and more women are interested in creating influence and success, but in order to create these qualities in our lives, in a sustainable way, we must really get to know ourselves—Socrates—said it well when he said “Know Thyself”.

Having a solid foundation in life includes:

·         Knowing what you believe

·         Knowing what you need

·         Knowing what you value

All of this may seem quite straight forward. You may feel that you have looked at these questions at different stages in life, but it is key to keep this inquiry open and alive at all stages of life. This inner inquiry is something that you never outgrow.  The answers that your inner voice will deliver are ever-changing and consistently build on the days and experiences of past.  In other words, our past continually informs our present and what we believe need and value in the past allow us to build on and develop stronger and richer foundations today.

Take a moment to evaluate what you believed to be true and important ten years ago.  How have you changed, how have you grown?  Do the same thing with what you needed and valued ten years ago.  How have you changed? How have you grown?  Our lives form a rich tapestry, it is up to us to see the weaving in the richness of the fabric.  Our history and past experiences are part of the foundation of the life we live today.  The art is in remembering to update them.  Join us at http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess on Wednesday, November 18, for the first in a series of our webinars where you can learn to develop influence and success.

Success from the Feminine Perspective

 
Many women are exploring ways to create more success in their lives.  I think that’s great, but I think there’s more to life for women than just success.  So often we have been putting on the trousers, climbing the ladder, and doing things in a masculine way in all areas of our life.  The problem with this is that we inevitably leave an important part of our authentic self behind- our feminine self. It’s important to keep in mind that women are predisposed genetically and through socialization- to a whole series of unique assets talents and gifts that are special and sourced in our feminine nature. 

How can we begin to use these feminine gifts in a way that allows us to contribute at a high level, fully expressing our power and doing so from a feminine perspective? The answer to this could lead you to one of the most freeing revelations of your life. Every woman has a personal response to this question in my twenty-five years of working with women I have heard hundreds. What’s yours?

 We must first begin, by valuing our unique feminine gifts such as our verbal agility, our ability to give care and compassion, our natural gift to see and perceive the whole of a situation, work environment or even the whole needs of the world.  I believe these gifts come from having been the givers of birth and life since the beginning of time.   That’s quite a credential.  We need to claim this and live it in our work in corporations in our voice and concern in politics and through our unique and gentle care of our children and the planet.  Social researchers have put a price on the value that women add to the bottom line in corporations.  It’s time for us to value these gifts in all areas of our life.

Maureen Simon
Co-Contributor
www.maureensimon.com
http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon
www.theessentialfeminine.com
Join our Facebook Group "Women Influencing Now"
twitter@maureensimon

  

We Attract Our Success

“You are a human magnet and you are constantly attracting to you people whose characters harmonize with your own.” -Napoleon Hill

Empowered successful alive women create their lives from their imagination. They attract the exact right people and the exact right experiences at the right time.  As women move into positions of greater success and influence we learn that within our imagination we hold the power to recreate our lives and manifest far more than we believe on a day-to-day basis. The art of manifesting for success includes one’s ability to clearly define a desired outcome or way of being and to believe and work towards this on a daily basis.  Setting a clear intention is the first step in designing the life that you desire.  Never be afraid to think big and design this new reality to include things that both feel good and provide you with opportunities for growth.  This will lead you to creating and living with influence and success. The next step is to learn to do this from the Feminine Perspective.  This will require us to have greater confidence and more ease with our personal power. We often beaver away in our own world, viewing life from a set of limited lenses.  It is now time for all women to expand our vision and to begin to see the world in a whole new way.  It is time for you to design life as you desire no more reacting to your environment.  On November 18 we will be hosting an amazing webinar series where we will look closely at specific ways that you can move strongly and gracefully into powerful success and influencing your life.  Join us on http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess.

Success is Directly Related to How Peaceful You Are

Success is Directly Related to How Peaceful You Are

“True success is always accompanied by peace of mind.  As long as you express fear, resentment, criticism and other negative emotions—which result in a lack of peace—it is not possible to attain very much in life.  The act of blessing brings peace within and without.  You can be a peacemaker to any situation by blessing it, rather than condemning it.  So bless pain, financial problems, trouble-some personalities, or worrisome conditions with the thought, “Peace. Be still.””  Catherine Ponder

 Take a look at how you are living your life today.  Do you feel successful? Do you feel peaceful?  There is a correlation.  Does your life express fear and criticism or trust, promise, and hope?  When we create our businesses and our life from a place of peace rooted deep within—the world senses this.  We form an immediate attraction which draws people and experiences to us.  In order for us to create lives and businesses that make a contribution and bring happiness to our own lives we must be clear about our mission, our offer, and our desired outcome.  Only through clarity can we reach satisfaction in our life.  Peace is cultivated by conscious living and conscious decisions.  In November and December we will be focusing four webinars on this topic and on how to create success and live a life of influence from the inside out and from the feminine perspective http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess.

Women have a natural ability to lead while they value peace.  We are most comfortable in environments of harmony and are often ones to create harmony and peace in our work environments and in life.  In no other time in history has it been as crucial for women to build businesses and live lives that reflect these very important core values and gifts of the feminine.

WOMEN: Learning to LISTEN

Learning to LISTEN...really listen without personal agenda...is a wonderful quality. The mystic Persian poet, Rumi helps us recognize that even in silence there is much to hear if we are still.

There is a way between voice and presence
where information flows.

In disciplined silence it opens.
With wandering talk it closes.

I've experienced Rumi's idea here on this blog. I hear you hovering---sense when you show-up to take-in, always leaving a special energy that speaks of your presence. One person, when I asked, "Why do you show up?" wrote me and I listened and remembered. "I come here, because in you I share my day." This listening inspired several years of writing for both Maureen and me.

Recently, I learned a whole new perspective on the art of LISTENING. A new friend in the distance from Mexico, shared a wonderful video with me. I wanted to share it with you... 

Evelyn Glennie lost nearly all of her hearing by age 12. Rather than isolating her, it has given her a unique connection to music. In turn, she teaches others to listen differently---giving us all a new vantage point from which to LISTEN to one another---escaping our limiting beliefs about who we are and what we can contribute.

What Evelyn also demonstrates is a resolute passion in her work---a confidence about her presence that is one we all could benefit from seeing and experiencing as she brings to her insightful, inspiring message.  (TED Talk: Ideas worth spreading)

What lessons are you taking away about LISTENING?

Warm regards to all,
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
www.globaldialoguecenter.com
Home of Women in the Lead

Twitter: @debbekennedy

Author...
Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership and High Performance
by Debbe Kennedy ▪ Berrett-Koehler ▪ 2008 – Hardcover
Foreword by Joel A. Barker, futurist, filmmaker and author

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Taking Charge by Making Conscious Decisions Regarding Your Life – First Steps

Life is fast and full for most of us!  We go through the days like ships at sea without a compass, seemingly at the mercy of everything around us.  That is when it is important to make a conscious decision to pause and realize that we are the ones responsible for our lives.  We can take charge.  We can find our compass, our direction, and make a difference in the world.  Three steps we can take to achieve our direction are to quiet the mind, connect with the body, and evaluate whether or not we are expressing our gifts fully in the world.  All three of these practical expressions can make a major difference in the quality of our lives!

The first step:

Quieting the mind

·         Set aside time in silence at least 3 days a week for 20 minutes where you can begin to get to know yourself, your needs, your desires and aspirations.  Learn to identify and trust your intuition and inner voice.  We all have an inner voice that guides and directs us. We just need to listen.

·         Question: Can you think of one way this week that you could actually create a period of calm and stillness for yourself? 

The second step:

Connecting with the body

·         Learn to become more aware of your body’s needs.

·         Listen more closely to the signs that your body gives you, i.e. where are there aches, sensations and areas of tightness? Is your body sending you a message?  What might the message be?

·         Explore these sensations through yoga & movement. Your body holds great information about its own healing needs and emotional state of being.

·         Question: What 2 things would you need to do differently to begin to honor and care for your body in a new way?

By taking these two steps, you start to walk on a path of self-exploration.  You begin to get a sense of who you are and how your life fits into the scheme of things.  Each of us is unique and each of us has a unique contribution to make in the world.  The world today needs the contributions that are born from the qualities and gifts embodied in women.  We as women need to discover these gifts and bring them forth.

Maureen Simon
Co-Contributor
www.maureensimon.com
http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon
www.theessentialfeminine.com
Join our Facebook Group "Women Influencing Now"
twitter@maureensimon

When True Passion Guides Our Life

When true passion guides our life, things feel good, stuff gets accomplished and our boat floats down the river.  We have to get real about this topic, because we often don’t have a good balance or discretion about what really feels good.  Women in particular-placate, please, and build peace—these are great attributes as long as we don’t lose ourself and what we love to be and do in the process. Passion is a huge indicator, if you know when your life is juiced alive and ignited you have reached a place where doors will fling open, opportunities will present themselves and you will live a life you truly desire. We need to place our attention on what feels good and right in life for this to happen.

I’ve been speaking to a number of people recently who said that they are just not clear on what feels right in life for them at this time.  I am convinced that we are at a point now where so many systems are being restructured that we ourselves don’t even know what feels right.  Now knowing is not good enough any longer.  Our personal responsibility to pay attention to what feels right and good in our life will lead us to answers that we thought we may never find.

I read a book once entitled, “You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought” I enjoyed the title more than the book as it inspired me at that time in my life that I was luxuriating in negativity – tossing my hands up to the skies and wondering what part of the challenges that I was living did I actually have a say in. Years later, I have come to realize that I have a say in a large portion of this life that I am co-creating. I am co-creating with you, with spirit, with nature and with this grand universe but at the end of the day my very thoughts lead me to the life that I live on a daily basis.  I have learned to look closely at what feels good to me as I use the most clearly defined moral code that I have a available to me I combine the two and live life to the fullest.

Today, take time to look around your world and identify what really feels good what do you look forward to spending time on. What do you need to eliminate that is taking up too much of your time and not serving you well. I truly believe now more than ever we are at a time in history where we need to take personal responsibility and make decisions about our lives that serve us based on what feels right. Don’t feel greedy; you are actually serving the betterment of all when you take time to create a better life.

Maureen Simon
Co-Contributor
www.maureensimon.com
http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon
www.theessentialfeminine.com
Join our Facebook Group "Women Influencing Now"
twitter@maureensimon

What Really Lights your Fire?

Each of us has the ability to make a huge difference in our world! As my favorite Irish poet John O’ Donohue has written in Anam Cara:

“… There is a unique destiny for each person. Each one of has something to do here that can be done by no one else. If someone else could fulfill your destiny then they would be in your place and you would not be here…”

Photo by: J Fouchaux

 Having grown up in an Irish family and community… I must admit I do love the directness of the Irish. John’s statement is direct and fairly opinionated but opens many questions in my own mind. I have always interpreted Johns words to mean that we are each unique and each hold an important part of the whole.  It has strongly led me to believe that the world needs our unique offering. This quote often guides me to look more deeply at what I believe and value; to look more closely at what really lights my fire. I have found it useful in my journey to ask myself:

•  What issues or causes on the planet do I feel most strongly about?
• What is my unique destiny?
• What are my greatest gifts, strengths and talents and where can they make the most contribution?
• Where do I experience the most joy and satisfaction?
• What do I want more of in my life (of the things that I most value)?

I believe that NOW is the time for us to share our uniqueness with the world.  We need to be "Women Influencing Now" to help bring a balance into the world.  For that we need to live dynamically.  It is clear to me that part of the art of alive and dynamic living is staying “awake at the wheel”.  These questions awaken me to stay on course, moving closer to my own unique contribution.

 What do you really believe in and value? What questions do you need to ask yourself right now to find your true beliefs and direction?

Maureen Simon
Co-Contributor
www.maureensimon.com
http://womeninfluencingnow.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/maureensimon
www.theessentialfeminine.com
Join our Facebook Group "Women Influencing Now"
twitter@maureensimon