Planting Seeds
As clergy of an earth-based religion, I love using metaphors derived from Nature.
We’ve all heard the saying, “You reap what you sow.” But how many of us have thought about what that really means?
We will always reap what we sow, but sometimes we expect results when we don’t sow the right things. For example, if you want to grow corn, you don’t plant wheat kernels. So often, we think we are sowing the right seeds, but when we see that our results aren’t what we expected, we need to step back and take a look at what we really planted. We know the results we want. We just need to make sure we plant the right seeds. In other words, the seeds are the causes that yield the results. So, look at what you are setting into motion. Will it yield the results that you really want?
We will always reap what we sow but not always where we sow. Sometimes we receive the results of the seeds we planted from another source entirely. Stay open. You may set a plan into motion to attract a big sale from a certain company. However, you find that the company doesn’t want what you are selling, but another company is ecstatic, and buys twice as much.
How much we sow determines how much we reap. If we nurture our seeds, or in other words, our relationships, then they will grow into wonderful, healthy plants that provide for us. As we build our relationships, we are rewarded by those which we nurture.
The frequency of our sowing determines the regularity of our reaping. The more you plant and the more often you plant, the more you will yield. As we network more and more, we are more and more likely to achieve the results to which we aspire.
Where we sow determines the nature of our reaping. Be wise where you sow – where you spend your time. Evaluate your market and be sure that you are in the right market for you so that you can realize your best opportunities.
How we care for what we sow affects the quality of our reaping. This is another reminder about how important it is to develop good, strong, quality relationships with our clients. When we go in with an attitude of caring, with the intention that we are here to help our clients to succeed, then our clients will, in turn, help us to succeed.
Success isn’t an accident. It’s all based upon what seeds you plant and how you care for them.
How will you plant YOUR seeds?
Empowering yourself
Do you want to be more in control of your life? Do you want to be more effective? Do you want to be more confident? If so, then you need to reconnect with your own personal power.
Personal power is having personal authority, influence and choice in all situations. Empowerment is the process of gaining the knowledge, skill-sets, and attitudes to manage yourself in whatever circumstances you find yourself in and to change yourself or the circumstances to be more in alignment with your own needs and desires.
We often think of power as control and domination over others. Thinking of power in that way, however, limits your ability to change yourself to meet the circumstances of your life. Rather, think of power is having inner power over yourself so that you can direct your own life, rather than being the victim of the choices of others. The true nature of that power is that you have supreme power in relation to the one thing you truly can control, namely, yourself. In making use of that power, you can make a significant difference in the situations and people around you.
There are ways you can connect with your own self-confidence so that you can be more fully in your own power. One of the simplest ways to change how you think is to change the words you use. Language has the power to reinterpret our experiences, and therefore bring forth a fresh perspective.
For example, instead of saying you “should” do something, practice rephrasing it to be that you “choose to” do something, for in essence, you are choosing whether you will do something or not. Instead of talking about what you DON’T want, rephrase your statements to rather say what it is you DO want. For example, “I want to eat salad today” is better than saying “I don’t want to eat pizza.” You are putting your focus on what you do want, and empowering yourself to have that.
Posture is another important element in increasing your confidence. When you are confident, you stand with strength. You hold your head high. Your shoulders are held back, and your feet are planted firmly, a little bit apart, weight equally balanced on both legs. You can meet the eyes of other people with true connection. Practice sitting taller, standing taller, and you will notice a big difference in how you feel.
Lastly, recognize your own strengths and abilities. Take the time to make a list of things you do well and qualities about yourself that you really like and read it often. You have special gifts that make you unique. When you choose to share your uniqueness and natural talents , you are truly contributing to the benefit of others.
Go forth with courage and confidence and make a difference. The world is waiting for you.
Setting yourself up for a successful 2010
Are you working on your New Years’ Resolutions for 2010?
Statistics say that most people don’t keep their resolutions past the first two months of the new year, so how about trying something new this year?
This year, set goals with action steps, rather than generalized resolutions and you just may get what you want! Here are some helpful tips on how to go about setting your new goals for 2010.
Frame all of your goals in the positive. Rather than thinking about it as losing weight, think of it as becoming more healthy. Make your goal to improve your health. You will naturally begin to eat better and exercise more..
A friend of mine says that you can’t make a million dollars without making the first one hundred dollars. Small steps matter. To eat more healthily, start out by changing one of your destructive eating habits, such as not eating anything with sugar in it after 8 pm at night, or cutting out butter. As you start to see changes, you can add something else. Modify your behavior slowly and your success will motivate you to do more.
Stay focused on what you want. Find a way to remind yourself of your goals. Use notecards, a vision board, an automated email reminder from your calendar of what it is you are working to achieve. Just focusing your attention every day on what you desire is a way to keep you on track.
Manage stress and unrealistic expectations. Be gentle on yourself. No one starts out as an expert in anything. When you are learning to play the piano, you need to practice every day to keep your skills solid. If you make a mis-take, just think of it as another chance to do it better next time. Practice makes perfect.
Have an accountability partner or hire a coach. It’s often a great help to have someone else to “answer to.” Think of your accountability partner and/or coach as an extension of your will. Learn to leverage others to help you.
Only set a few goals and stay with them. Set yourself up for success and that is what you will achieve.
Remember, be realistic, specific, and accountable and you will own 2010!
‘Tis the Season
A flurry of holiday activities has kept me from blogging as regularly as usual. I am clergy of a small neo-pagan druid fellowship, and our holiday falls on Winter Solstice, so not only was I preparing for our own celebrations, but I was also participating in the secular activities for family and friends, not to mention retail. Our comic book store has been extremely busy, what with celebrating our first anniversary as well as preparing for the holiday rush. Our holiday sales have been generous and we have some good plans for the future, so that’s encouraging. In addition, my holiday celebrations were all very successful and I am happy to say that the days are now growing longer again; the sun has returned!
Through all of the busy-ness of the season, my coaching has been rather lean. People have cancelled and rescheduled, which is to be expected, but I am already gearing up for the coming month, including a speaking engagement on Empowerment within the next few weeks. This has sparked an idea for a near-future workshop on assisting folks in regaining their personal power. My N’Shama partner, Linda Simpson, and I are busily planning both the talk and the workshop. I am really excited about this as I know it is something that we can all work on more. Our society encourages us to give our power away, and really, we are only at our best and have the most to offer to others when we are in our own personal power.
I am sure you will be hearing much more about this in the days and weeks to come.
In the meantime, have a safe and happy transition into the new year of 2010.
The 3000 Club
I recently joined an organization called the 3000 Club. The 3000 Club is a member of the Children’s Emergency Medical Fund (CEMF), a non-profit charitable organization with 501(c)3 status since 2000. CEMF works with several food banks that serve charities throughout Arizona.
The 3000 Club is a food rescue endeavor. Every day, semi-truck loads of food are thrown away that could be given to hungry children and families throughout America. What stops it? Transportation costs. Warehouses can only store food for so long. If it isn’t picked up, it gets thrown out. The 3000 Club works with warehouses in Mexico to re-distribute food before it is discarded. The idea is to get 3000 members to join, and that by joining this organization, we can provide the necessary transportation to make a difference.
In exchange for membership, we have opportunities to attend valley-wide networking events, membership in a leads group, listing in a business directory, as well as knowing that we are doing something that matters.
Right now, much of what the 3000 club does is local to southeast Arizona, but the goal is to make a difference nationally. That can be done when enough people chip in.
So many of us already pay at least $100 in dues to various networking opportunities, if not more. Why not target your marketing efforts to also help others? It can make a world of difference.
Comic Zone’s One Year Anniversary
Well, we have joined the ranks of new businesses considered successful in that we are not among the 50% of businesses who fail in the first year. To what do we attribute this success?
The first quality that has really helped us is perseverance. We have continued through the ups and downs. We have persisted, insisted on making this work. More than once we have been down to our last $1000 and wondered how we would continue. A few times we were rescued by our private financing source. A few times one or another of us made a small member contribution so we could continue. All four of us made great sacrifices in time and money to keep the store going.
The second quality that has made a huge difference is our ability to take a step back, assess where we are at, and not be afraid of changing things up. If something wasn’t working, we tried something else. We found out that, for our business, costly display ads in popular periodicals do not pay off for us! I think we got one or two customers from our display ads. We found out that having remotes from radio stations frequented by our target audience works like a charm. Two hours, for a fraction of what a display ad costs, would more than pay for itself that day, and we’d continue to realize positive repercussions for the next week or more. We found that simple flyers and word of mouth were very effective marketing tools, and right now, we are exploring a solid marketing presence in social media. Every step is a learning experience and we keep what works, and let go of what doesn’t.
The third quality that serves us well is knowing when to say no. We learned very quickly not to order too much from our distributor. We learned that sometimes it’s better to run out of an issue than to stock too much. We learned that people want to sell us their comics, and hope to make a fortune doing so…. we usually tell them if they want to make a fortune, they need to do the work and sell their prizes individually. We really don’t have time to do that, nor can we pay what they are hoping to get. But sometimes, people just want to help us out, as they de-clutter their garage or what-not. We have learned that even at a very reasonable price, we need to be discerning. We really don’t need a bunch of comics that aren’t in demand.
Most important of all, however, is our dedication to our customers. We bend over backwards to please our customers. We have a solid and healthy pull-box membership. We have regular sales for our preferred customers. We will go out of our way to help our customers find something that they want. We love and appreciate our customers, and always give a little more than what they expect. Our customers are our life blood, and we want them to know that we appreciate them!
We had a huge celebration on Saturday – one year after our preview party on Dec. 5th, 2008. It was a great day. We had cake. We had balloons. We had coffee. We had comic book artists and writers from 12:30 to 7:30 pm. We had bellydancers for two hours. We had sales throughout the day. We sold t-shirts with our store logo on them, which grants the wearer a 10% discount on any order. We gave away our new loyal customer punch cards which entitle a customer to a free trade paperback after purchasing 20. Everyone had a blast.
And that’s another important quality. We appreciate our customers and we celebrate our successes. Comic Zone – the best comic book store in Scottsdale, AZ.
Black Friday
Today, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as Black Friday.
Black Friday started in the 60’s in Philadelphia. Police officers and firefighters coined the term because the traffic was so bad they couldn’t get through. But it slowly evolved into being known as the time of year when vendors who were in the red would once again be in the black.
Personally, I never really liked Black Friday, although there has been a time or two when I got up early and waited in line for some crazy sale. Most of the time, I just shrugged and let others compete for the below market deals.
This year, however, I am a retail store owner, and that puts a whole new spin on it.
We opened our comic book store this morning at 7 am with a storewide 50% off sale, and we actually had people waiting to get in! Not so many that anyone got trampled, thankfully, but still, at one point we actually had a line at the register! It was gratifying to see that getting up early was worth it.
Of course, this means that I can’t be out shopping somewhere else – but I wouldn’t have anyway.
Celebrate Your Life
This past weekend, I attended the Celebrate Your Life conference. I have been in the past, and loved it before.
I chose to go because Wayne Dyer was a keynote speaker, and Gregg Braden was going to be there. I was very interested in hearing both of these men speak. And they were both fabulous! I was also looking forward to seeing Sonia Choquette again, as I had just read her newest book, The Answer is Simple, Live your Spirit, Love Yourself. She was more spirited than ever! Her workshop was a blast! And I also got to see Alan Cohen and Neal Donald Walsch, both of whom I have been reading/following for almost 15 years now. So, all good.
And as usual when I go to these things, I got some unexpected surprises. For one, two of the members of one of my networking groups were there, and it was great to keep running into them between events. We weren’t in any of the same events, so we will have many notes to compare. On Sunday night, four people who often come to EarthLove’s rituals (two young teenage girls who bring their mothers) were there for the James van Praagh keynote, and James happened to contact the late husband and father of one of the pairs. It was so amazing to watch the array of feelings they went through as James indeed confirmed that he was actually in contact with their loved one. What a gift to be able to bring that level of comfort to people.
Another surprise I got was discovering the LifeLine Technique of Dr. Darren Weissman. I didn’t expect to be shifted as I sat in the audience watching him work, but I was. So I got a treatment, which I didn’t expect to be nearly as effective as it was. I am considering becoming a practitioner of this work. It would work in conjunction with my coaching, or as a standalone treatment. I was most impressed by how it works so succinctly with a person’s subconscious – really getting to the root of whatever issue is being addressed. I got in touch with some nasty stuff from when I was 13 years old that I had forgotten. Seems that even some of my health challenges had its root in some of the stuff that happened back then. Who knew? More on this as things develop, for sure.
The message for the weekend was live your authentic self, and share your wisdom with others. A wonderful message, to be sure, and one I aspire to constantly.
No Shows
I had a no show yesterday, which is highly unusual. Most people come to their coaching appointments!
I called the client to make sure she had clear directions, since this was her first appointment, but she didn’t answer her phone. I got her voice mail and left her a message, but she hasn’t yet called me back. My first reaction was that she wasn’t serious about her appointment, but without knowing the actual story of why she didn’t show for her appointment, how can I possibly know? I could play the What If game, but it wouldn’t really accomplish anything at all, would it?
Instead, I have decided to let it be, and see what happens next, if anything. If not, then it’s a simple matter of, “Next…” and trusting that, for whatever reason, the universe has placed my potential client exactly where she needed to be and given me the space for another client.
There are no wasted moments, however. I used the time to catch up on my reading of Three Feet from Gold by Sharon Lechter and Greg Reid. It’s a delightful book, and I am gaining a lot of good advice from it.
So, remember, even in the face of adversity, there are blessings. Be open to the blessings, and recognize the moments when they appear.
Edit: She called me today and apologized for missing the appointment. She had been preoccupied getting ready for her daughter’s visit, and my voice message didn’t come through until TODAY (two days later!!!). She has rescheduled and it is very apparent that everything has worked out for everyone.
WHOLISTIC PROSPERITY 