This is LIVING!

This has been a month of great awakening for me. Since early December I've been gaining clarity daily about what comes next in my life as I move along creating new business opportunities, reconnecting with old friends and colleagues as well as making new connections. Once again, I am reminded of how easily and naturally it happens when I am clear about my need to move ahead.

Its not that I have a complete plan for the future, its simply that I have a clear sense of the direction that I am heading in. I keep taking one step at a time, trusting the instinct that guides me forward. The abundance of choice and support is nothing short of amazing! I bump into old clients in waiting rooms or at the mall. Old friends look me up after months and in some cases, years have gone by. Folks that I have worked with long ago, make introductions to just the people I need to see and I've been invited to several events lately where I never would have imagined I'd be on the guest list!

I believe it is all possible because I have finally emerged from a fallow period in my life with clarity regarding who I am capable of becoming as I get out of my own way. I've made (and continue to make) my peace with a bunch of old beliefs that simply weren't working for me. Foremost among them was the realization that I have always done things on my own. Another major discovery is that I have defined my roles in ways that are just too small and I've grown bored, and at times, resentful as my restlessness increased. Once again, I've seen the double bind of all or nothing thinking when it comes to how I live and I've decided that it is not a useful strategy for getting what I want out of my life. My awareness of my persistent vulnerability to other people's opinions has been an invitation to become much more comfortable with myself and deepened my connection and confidence in myself.

How I wish I could say I have it all conquered, mastered and figured out! I wish I could sit here and tell you that my life was total perfection!! Its not - but man, is it rife with lessons! The more I pay attention to how closely my inner conversations and impulses match my destination, the more I discover about those "old voices" that have habitually driven my choices. In fact, writing has been a terrific tool for allowing those old voices expression. Each time I see the pattern of thought show up on the page, I find myself taking a deep breath and letting it complete its journey as it rumbles through my body. I know that limiting thought or belief is not true any more and yet it is like a persistent weed whose roots are buried right into the fabric of my being, twining its way through my cells. Breathing, paying attention to how I feel on the inside rather that battle the thought in my brain or on the page, I'm discarding many old, habituated ways of thinking.

I'm not new to this way of thinking as I've been reaping the benefits of my discoveries through WEL-Systems for quite a few years. The perspective I discovered there made perfect sense to me. I immediately experienced the results in my life - it was NOT an abstract concept. I suppose the point of my entry today is simply that I am continually astonished that in spite of how effortless it can be to live this way, I find myself drifting aimlessly at times if I don't pay attention. And this is the lynch pin to so many of my beliefs, that I have to do everything ALONE.

I have been reluctant to ask for help or to seek it out. I have been ignoring the fact that even super heroes have at least one side-kick! Moving ahead toward my goals this year, I have discovered the joy that comes from not doing it alone. I've created partnerships with other dynamic women to support each other in furthering our goals and in the process I am inviting other women out there to discover that they don't have to do "it" alone either.

I'm thrilled to be partnering with Gwen McCauley as a BizSavvy Woman(TM) Facilitator. I'm creating a special interest group of women entrepreneurs in the field of Health Care as my starting point. This is very exciting for me as I know what a lifeline an group like this would have been when I ran my own business. Leadership in those circumstances can often be lonely and isolating. Many of us are experts in our field of practice but we are learning on the fly about the skills we need to run and grow a business. From my experience, I know that it is easy to lose your sense of personal identity in this type of profession. I am intimately familiar with the incredible external demands on women in these roles to be a "nurturer" to her clients in addition to her employees and quite likely her family as well. As a result, many struggle under the weight of expectations rather than living their lives and running their businesses in way that fully reflect who they are. I'm really excited about offering this opportunity to grow personally and professionally to other entrepreneurial women in health care!

I've also planted the seed for Soul Food Events beginning with a party hosted by my friend, Darlene. Women gather for food, drink, and conversations that feed their souls. At this inaugural event, the participating women will be guided in creating a holographic future and then creating a vision board. I can't wait to hang out with a bunch of women who are eagerly focused on creating their future!

After attending a number of women's networking groups and "inspirational events" and feeling dissatisfied with what was on offer, another friend and I have decided to create our own serial women' s event. Her background as a stylist and my passion as a coach collided when we shared our absolute love of the moment when a woman awakens to her potential and sees herself for who she really is. Both of us are veterans of "doing it alone" and have come to the conclusion that its much more fun to create with someone else! Our first formal brain storming session is on Friday but we are like kids in a candy store, emailing back and forth and bursting with ideas and enthusiasm!

Wandering through this entry, I suppose, in my rambling way, I am celebrating with you the power of waking up to those pervasive and limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves. In particular, the potential that opens up when we move past a belief about going it alone. Women are masters at talking and connecting with each other, and as Louise has so succinctly pointed out in Women Gathering, perhaps its time we recognized the powerful impact that women can have when we do what comes naturally to us and have an intention to shape our worlds to reflect what matters to us.

Where it will all lead - I'm not entirely sure but I can tell you that I'm vibrantly alive at the moment. I'm willing to investigate new ideas, try out new ventures and enjoy the companionship of partnering with fabulous women.

Best of all, I still have lots of flexible time to spend with my children while I allow this aspect of myself to grow and expand! I can express myself, create and be stimulated by other women who share the same interests. Now THIS is living!!