Pacing The Lizard

So, I live in Palm Springs, CA and so does a little tiny gecko lizard that has made its home underneath my stairs. We鈥檝e come to an understanding, this little one and I鈥� I make it a point to get out of my virtual world and home office into the physical world at least once daily. When I do, he walks me to my car and back to my door again every day. Lately, I鈥檝e noticed how he does it鈥� he darts in front of me, then slows down for me to catch up, then he goes again but not necessarily in the same direction that he was when he stopped鈥� so he鈥檚 zigzagging all over the path, and he鈥檚 stopping and starting, but we end up at the same place in the end.

My contemplation of that has taken me in all kinds of different directions鈥� for example, which of us is more efficient 鈥� me with my steady, forward direction or him, who bursts forward and checks out the tangents? Does he pull me forward or do I push him to move faster? Is he feeling the vibration of my steps and is he trying to get out of my way, or is he staying just enough ahead to keep feeling them?

Naturally, because of the way I am wired, my next thought was how to apply this to business and helping my clients鈥� are they surrounded by people who are pulling them forward or pushing them to go faster? Is going forward in all directions a good strategy? Are they taking time to rest in between bursts of activity so they can rejuvenate? Is one of the secrets of our working success that they move faster because of our work together, feeling the vibration of our synergy as a focal point? (I like to think so鈥�)

At any rate, my 鈥減et鈥� gecko has given me the gift of slowing down enough to ponder energy from a different perspective. I highly recommend you take a moment to consider the energy of your environment鈥� it will get you into your body and connected with nature鈥� not to mention formalizing your friendship with the wild ones where you live.

Five Steps to Making “IT” Happen

鈥淏usiness more than any other occupation is a continual dealing with the future; it is a continual calculation, an instinctive exercise in foresight.鈥� ~ Henry R. Luce

When you hit the turning point of wanting 鈥渋t鈥� in your soul-driven business (or life!), you鈥檙e on the verge of big magic. Getting to the turning point is a big enough deal in and of itself, because you鈥檝e had to get full enough of what you don鈥檛 want any more to know that it鈥檚 time to claim something different. That turning point can be precipitated by pain, trauma, tragedy, endings or a desire for something better. But, for now, let鈥檚 assume that you鈥檝e hit that turning point and made the decision you want 鈥渋t鈥� 鈥� your new desire 鈥� to happen. What happens now?

First, that decision of wanting 鈥渋t鈥� puts into motion some new ideas in your mind. They may not make a lot of sense, but that鈥檚 simply your internal systems gearing up creatively to give you options. At this point, it鈥檚 a good idea to keep a journal or list of all the ideas that come in, regardless of their 鈥渨hacky鈥� factor. You just don鈥檛 know yet what鈥檚 going to be helpful and make sense as you get further into the process.

Second, you鈥檒l likely notice as those ideas present themselves to you that you have some feelings about them. This is the emotional firepower that can guide you to taking the next best step, and it gives the ideas the energy to begin manifesting in physical form. A caveat for you: make sure that the emotions do not turn into judgments, limitations, kick off habitual and conditioned thinking or are an imprint of someone else鈥檚 emotional energy. If any one of those becomes the case, it will distort your outcomes because you will either censor yourself or create from your history or reflect something other than your own true desire. (There are ways to handle all of those, but that鈥檚 also another conversation鈥�)

Third, you will feel compelled to start taking action on the ideas that have produced an emotionally positive feeling. This is what some would call taking 鈥渋nspired action鈥�, and it is this type of action that produces results that exceed what one would expect in doing them. The reason is that any time you do something from pure inspiration, you invoke the power of the universe to support you, so it lines up all kinds of resources to help you as you take action. A key question to ask yourself is: 鈥渁m I taking the best right action I can at this moment to get me to what I want?鈥� Listening to the answer will always guide you to your next best step.

Fourth, access and recognize your connection to your source energy to help you. Notice the synchronicities, 鈥渁ccidents鈥�, and 鈥渃oincidences鈥� that bring new situations, relationships or resources into your experience. By allowing the universe 鈥渨iggle room鈥� to help you, you are actually harnessing the power of the universe on your behalf. Be open to noticing and receiving what comes to you.

Finally, fifth, you will see signs of the manifestation of 鈥渋t鈥�. This can take the form of material objects, but also, and maybe more importantly, this can also take the form of enhanced relationships, a new bounce in your step, a certain vitality to your business, or any other number of expressions that show you that 鈥渋t鈥� has started to come in and/or arrived.

One last note: if you鈥檙e getting unexpected results that aren鈥檛 what you wanted, it鈥檚 important to be open to self-reflection to discover the gifts of what you DID manifest. If your results are somehow anti-climactic, you could be still in process OR there could have been non-clarity in one of these steps. If you took actions that didn鈥檛 feel good, or ignored potentially key components to success from the universe, you have just sabotaged your journey and your results. Or, if your results are bigger than what you asked for, it could be that you didn鈥檛 ask for enough. In any case, that鈥檚 cause for celebration and gratitude!

Here鈥檚 to you enjoying the magic of manifesting 鈥渋t鈥� more quickly and easily in your best and highest good!

Your Energy Is Always Evolving You

鈥淭he universe is looking at itself through our eyes, and we give life to everything in the way we view it.鈥� ~ Alan Watts

By definition, energy needs to flow in order to be in its natural dynamic state. I鈥檓 not a scientist, but I know that its鈥� movement is what generates some level of power, even at the smallest increment of its presence. The movement of energy is what makes things go. And it is the force within your own life that makes things happen, which cumulatively becomes your evolution.

As a creature of nature, you are consistently evolving to your next level of being. However, that can take shape in a number of different ways, based on how fast or slow your energy is moving and how willing you are to go where it takes you. If you resist, stop or block the energy flow of your life, you create stagnant pools of stuck energy that become bigger, heavier and/or denser over time. Eventually, those stuck energy places manifest as dysfunctional relationships, unhappy careers or an unhealthy physical body. And these are the clues to how you can support your own evolution鈥� your stuck places are homing beacons to guide you to what needs your energetic attention.

The truly ironic part is that we can always see somebody else鈥檚 stuck parts more clearly than our own. There is a reason for this鈥� if we knew the lesson contained in our stuck places designed to teach us what we need, they wouldn鈥檛 be stuck, right? We can鈥檛 see our own blindspots, because that鈥檚 the source of our lesson in working with our own energy! But we can see what the people around us aren鈥檛 addressing for two reasons: first, we鈥檙e not attached to the outcome and second, it鈥檚 not our lesson to learn (or, if it is, we have a jumpstart on it because we can see it!).

Three Things You Can Do Today:

1. Pay attention to the messages. Your energy is always 鈥渢alking鈥� to you鈥� if you aren鈥檛 experiencing the results you want in your life, your evolution is continuing in some area. If your energy is stuck, there鈥檚 a message there. If you feel a sting, ping, charge or a desire to avoid a person, situation or opportunity, you are being invited to consider what you need to handle for your next level. AND, by the way, when you decide to go to your next level, anything that stands in the way of you achieving that level will come up for your consideration to be handled. Just making the commitment to move toward your own best evolution will bring up messages 鈥� that鈥檚 the energetic gift of your spirit.

2. Believe in your own evolution. Know that your spirit is actually trying to bring you magic when it brings those 鈥渉urt-y鈥� places to your attention. Understand that you are dynamic and growing and your energy is supporting you in going to new places in your life. Know that there is a better future waiting for you, and it is your responsibility to live it as a physical expression of divine consciousness. After all, that鈥檚 your reason for being 鈥� to give form to divinity and feed your experience into the greater whole! Your evolution is a microcosm of the vital growth that fuels divine consciousness in every moment. It鈥檚 a big deal. ;+)

3. Get out of your own way. Now that you know your energy is working to help you evolve to your next best level, it鈥檚 time to get out of your own way to receive your best life experience. You are inherently worthy of the most amazing life, and it鈥檚 trying to come to you. By handling your stuck places proactively and consciously, and opening up to receive all the infinite grace that has your name on it, you are no longer standing in your shadow wondering why it鈥檚 dark! It is sometimes this action alone that can bring you what you want in your life.

Can You Say “THIS IS IT” For Yourself?

I am profoundly inspired鈥� in a life-changing kinda way. I saw the new Michael Jackson movie, This Is It, yesterday. As an entrepreneur, and a soul-driven person, it spoke to the depths of me.

Here are the key points that I took away, and which you, as an entrepreneur, can likely relate to鈥� (and I won鈥檛 say too much about the movie itself because you really need to personally experience it for yourself).

1. Michael Jackson had complete love and joy in expressing his true gifts to the world. He did it because he loved it, not because it was going to make him rich and/or famous.

2. He was the consummate professional, being hands-on with literally every note and nuance of his performance. And his performance included the contribution of everyone around him.

3. He wanted other people to shine in the sharing their gifts and talents. He was inclusive of his community.

4. He asked for what he wanted, even when a little frustrated, with love.

5. He had a high attention to detail, and the vital importance of the accumulated effects of those seemingly small details.

6. His body was his instrument, and the music moved through him. He became it.

7. He did physical things with his body that most 50-years olds wish they could do 鈥� he kept up with the young dancers behind him (WHILE he sang too!).

8. He was a performer through and through 鈥� put him in a spotlight, and he knew what to do with it. It was so natural that rehearsal wasn鈥檛 really necessary, but it became a group bonding experience.

9. He gave the audience what they wanted, putting them first in the experience as they created it.

10. His answer to the producer, upon coordinating a huge part of the production, was 鈥淚 will feel it鈥�. That whole part of the show (well, all of it, really) rested on him 鈥渇eeling鈥� it.

11. He had deep concern about our human imprint on our planet, and wanted to help heal the earth from destructive, artificial forces by honoring nature.

12. His producer said, upon observing the reaction of the crew, that it was 鈥渃hurch鈥� time as people reveled in the pure joy of his energy expressing so clearly through his talents.

13. He was a non-conformist, and went with what he knew to be true for him. And that made history.

I could go on鈥� this movie is a beautiful testimonial to the legacy he left. It鈥檚 deeply seeped in lessons that you, and every other entrepreneur who wants to pull the power of their soul through their business, need to experience personally. To see him in the raw footage (that most other professionals aspire to in polished performance) means to see him in the less packaged persona of a real person.

Most importantly, 鈥淭his Is It鈥� is the affirmation of his dancers, his crew, his intentions for sharing what seems to be his crowning jewel of an illustrious, interesting, unconventional career. And it was all based on him being who he was from spirit. He couldn鈥檛 be anything else鈥� the very definition of a soul-driven entrepreneur.

So, can you say 鈥淭his Is It鈥� about your life, your business? Do you feel the rapture of who you are on a daily basis? Do you get how vital you are to making the planet a better place as a result of you in it?

The Secret To Increasing Business Results

There are many paths to being an entrepreneurial business owner, and many of them may feel 鈥榓ccidental鈥�. Somehow customers find you for something you didn鈥檛 think of as valuable, or you fall into having a business through inheritance or just doing what鈥檚 fun as a college kid that just kept going. Sometimes it鈥檚 because you just wanted to do a part-time business that was interesting and challenging because your job wasn鈥檛 fulfilling and, lo and behold, your business takes off!

In whatever way it happens, or even if it hasn鈥檛 happened yet but you can feel your spirit pulling you toward entrepreneuring, there鈥檚 a lot that occurs in the learning curve. You might think you are hanging your shingle to do what you want to do, but you鈥檙e actually signing up to do that and more in terms of everything else you never knew you could or would have to do in terms of marketing, operations, administration, finances and more. I often say that entrepreneuring is the accelerated personal development program on steroids鈥� it isn鈥檛 for the faint of heart!

Then the danger becomes that you get caught up in the day to day struggle of trying to keep ahead of the needs of your business, of knowing enough, of trying to cover all the bases and sometimes that can take the joy out of why you started it in the first place. Or, you get a decade or two down the road and suddenly realize you鈥檙e not where you thought you would be by now, mostly because it doesn鈥檛 feel like you thought it would. And that鈥檚 the secret to increasing your business results鈥� how it feels to be in business.

If it鈥檚 not fun, why are you doing it? What鈥檚 not feeling good about it? Is it everything or is it just that a few things need tweaking? See, the message is in the struggle, and we humans measure struggle by how we feel about it. The more we don鈥檛 like it, the bigger the message that it鈥檚 time to figure out how to do it differently.

Whether you鈥檙e in business yet or want to be, your business is a reflection of who you are and it鈥檚 where you will likely be spending a lot of your time and energy. If it doesn鈥檛 feel good more often than not, if you don鈥檛 feel like you鈥檙e making a significant difference, if you aren鈥檛 happy in your day, there鈥檚 a growth opportunity waiting for you.

Your business IS a spiritual calling when you are a soul-driven entrepreneur. It鈥檚 going beyond the basics AND the complexities of entrepreneuring to feeling your soul鈥檚 calling and making it manifest through your business. When you harness the power of your soul, your unique natural talents and wisdom, and feel really good about it, you increase your productivity, obstacles will seem to melt away and you will know what to do next in every moment. And THAT is the winning combination to create powerful, positive, and sometimes dramatic, business results.

The reason it鈥檚 so secret is that many entrepreneurs are too busy to stop and feel what鈥檚 happening, or they may devalue what they feel because they don鈥檛 know how to change what they鈥檙e doing or because the world seems to reflect a different perspective and they don鈥檛 yet have the personal power to overthrow traditional and social convention to be who they are in their businesses.

It鈥檚 only when you are in the flow of your feelings, and they feel good, that your business can flourish. And that鈥檚 a secret you can take to the bank!

The Intuitive Genius Of Your Being

You already know everything you need to know, whenever you need to know it. The challenge is that you either don鈥檛 have conscious access to it, you don鈥檛 know how to interpret the messages, or you don鈥檛 know how to apply what you know. However, many (if not most) people run around seeking their answers from the outside, looking to others for direction and asking for validation about who they are and how they are showing up in the world.

There鈥檚 a difference between knowing what you know and building your skills, just as there is a difference between know what you know and being willing to receive guidance on how to best focus that knowledge.

Make no mistake 鈥� I鈥檓 not advocating that people don鈥檛 connect with each other or participate in a community or work with a mentor. That鈥檚 exactly the point鈥� when you rely on the intuitive genius of your being, you will have greater discernment about who to share your time and energy with and what to spend it on as well as being aware of who is in best vibrational resonance with you. This is about listening to your own wisdom to make better choices and investments of your precious energy.

The intuitive genius of your being is your personal antenna for assessing your world. It鈥檚 your inner compass, your personal navigator and your own fail-safe system for awareness. Your intuitive genius within won鈥檛 let you make a mistake, if you listen and speak the language of your soul.

Three Things You Can Do Today

1. Engage with life and then listen. It鈥檚 when you are in motion, dancing with life and meeting other people that you get more information. Just as a weather vane can鈥檛 do its job if there is no wind, the intuitive genius of your being needs life energy to stay vibrant. The difference is rather than seeking to find yourself where you are not (outside yourself, in other people), you are focused on the insights you are receiving from your intuitive genius.

2. Learn your language. Go back to the past for examples of how your intuitive genius has given you information previously. You may discover the last time X happened, Y is the message you got and maybe didn鈥檛 listen to it so Z was the result. For example, you wanted to take a particular route when driving but it just felt 鈥榦ff鈥� so you took that route anyway and found yourself in a traffic jam that you could have avoided. There are myriads of examples in your own life where you could have listened to a message but you might not have recognized it, blew it off or thought you were making it up. Learn the language of your intuitive genius so you can apply it to what鈥檚 happening in your life and business right now.

3. Consider the present. What鈥檚 sticking you or holding you back or something that you don鈥檛 want to deal with? Where are you waiting for someone to give you an answer that you already know? Are you waiting for permission instead of simply doing what you know needs to be done? There are messages waiting for you right now about your world that can help you make better decisions. Check in with the present to start receiving your insights.

Tap into the power of the intuitive genius of your being to shift your world. No longer will you need others to tell you what you already know; instead, you鈥檒l be living from it.

Common Messages Entrepreneurs Get
And How to Handle What They Mean

Life gives us messages all the time; as an energy-aware person who is choosing to honor your gifts by sharing them with others, you will get special messages that 鈥榗ivilians鈥� don鈥檛 have the 鈥榦pportunity鈥� to handle.

Here are just a few of them that you might be familiar with:

• I don鈥檛 have enough ________ (time, money, resources, support, skills, etc.)
• I don鈥檛 know how to ______ (talk about what I do, create a website, write marketing promotions, etc.)
• I feel different from 鈥榥ormal鈥� people 鈥� why can鈥檛 it be easy?
• Sure, I鈥檓 leading the way but it鈥檚 hard and lonely
• I feel like I鈥檓 being chased (by debt, by clients, by workload, etc.)
• My projects seem like they never end and take more than I think
• If I stop, it all falls apart but if I don鈥檛 take a break, I鈥檒l fall apart!
• It seems like I get blocked when I try to do something new
• I take it pretty hard 鈥� as a personal rejection 鈥� when people don鈥檛 buy what I鈥檓 offering

Depending on how you perceive these kinds of messages, you will create your experience with them. You can either give in to the lure of what they seem on the surface, which means believing the obvious, or you can choose to see what the message is really inviting you to explore.

In other words, it鈥檚 not about what happens but what you choose to believe about and what you choose to do about it. For example, if a potential customer doesn鈥檛 purchase what you have to offer, it isn鈥檛 about YOU 鈥� the offer wasn鈥檛 clear, the value wasn鈥檛 established for that person, or maybe they learned that they needed to pursue another solution that was a better fit for them (and it鈥檚 likely that you want them to find their best answers anyway, right?).

You will experience the effect that you are most familiar with, because that鈥檚 what you expect. You will, like every other human, seek to make yourself right 鈥� albeit unconsciously 鈥� by finding the connection through what you know. If you perceive the messages you get as a result of living your purpose through business as reinforcements to what doesn鈥檛 feel good, you are proving some part of yourself (the part that is requesting clarity and healing) to be right in staying stuck.

The points that it鈥檚 not about your abilities, but about your choices. It鈥檚 not about doing business, but about becoming who you are through your business. It鈥檚 not about seeing the downside of the message, but about recognizing your opportunity to grow disguised as that feeling, challenge or situation.

May you choose to 鈥榬ead鈥� your messages in a new way 鈥� one that supports you in becoming all of who you are here to be.

Reflection On Your Greatness

I believe that our greatness waits for us; that is, if you are truly destined to be, achieve or have something, it may take some time to get to you, but it has your name on it 鈥� you won鈥檛 be able to avoid it and no one else can claim it. And right now, this moment, is when the path to your greatness is rolling out before you and asking you to take another step toward it. (I know that because you鈥檙e reading this鈥�)

However, by following through on decisions that don鈥檛 feel quite right in the moment, which is a common affliction of the human race, we put off our boldest destiny all the time. And yet, we / you really can鈥檛 outrun y/our own magnificence. In fact, we actually create challenges along the way to grow ourselves by making 鈥榮ideways鈥� decisions.

Every time a challenge comes up, it鈥檚 simply an invitation to consider in what way your destiny is calling you to be more of who you are and claim your unique place in the fabric of time and space. It鈥檚 actually the challenges that give you something to push against to grow beyond your current state of being. And it鈥檚 the challenges that cause you to know your 鈥榮uper-X鈥� factor.

The 鈥榮uper-X鈥� factor is the volatile energy that is commonly known as Free Will, the one thing that you decide in the moment that changes everything and which cannot really be accounted for in advance. For example, if you have a 鈥榢nee-jerk鈥� reaction to something that caught you off-guard, you will have a different outcome than if you were in a state of proactive choice and aware surrender.

Through making choices and taking action you are creating your way to your greatness. Your future is changing as you move toward it, like a giant virtual kaleidoscope. And you are changed by the act of creation, which is why it鈥檚 so important that you be consciously present and aware of the state of your being. (By the way, this is what is commonly called 鈥榖eing in the flow鈥� and, when done right, can be both the most unsettling and the most grounding experience you can have at the same time.)

Within your particular kaleidoscope of life, there are points of light that are fixed for you to use in navigating to and becoming your best self. So, your greatness waits for you at these collection points of energy until you get to them and are willing to partake of them. (I imagine this as the equivalent of a gigantic cosmic virtual game where you can see yourself as a point of light on the field of life in relation to your greatness collection points).

Depending on your route to getting to these points, which can be a more or less rigorous journey based on how you use your 鈥榮uper-X鈥� factor energy, you will be able to savor them in differing degrees.

As an energy-aware person who desires to make a living by who you are, you have to acknowledge that you have (are) greatness and then 鈥榖e鈥� your way into it with every choice you make and action you take moment by moment. Consider what are you choosing for yourself right now鈥� are you moving toward your magnificence? Or are you savoring it right where you are in this moment? OR, are you putting it off, avoiding it or maybe burning time in looking for your greatness where it is not? Whatever your process, trust that it鈥檚 the right one for you鈥� there鈥檚 no way to do it wrong.

However, if you鈥檇 like it to feel better or go more smoothly, know that now is the time to wake up to your greatness. In my opinion, one of the fastest ways to get conscious is to package your greatness into something that other people can value and pay you for鈥� people are looking for you to help them. The process of packaging your 鈥榮ecret sauce鈥� is what makes you get familiar with it, refine it to its most distilled essence and then honor yourself for being it.

So, what part of your greatness are you winding your way to now?

Business Archetypes

An archetype is an energy that expresses in such a way as to become a pattern, or organizing principle, in how you see and relate to the world, make decisions and underlie your actions and behaviors.

Understanding the symbolic meaning of your business archetypes can help you to gain profound insights into your entrepreneurial experiences. And you likely have more than one archetype present for you; the key is in knowing which is predominant and how you can use that energy to create greater success for yourself.

We all want to know who we really are and what to do with that once we know – soul-driven entrepreneurs go even further with that by choosing to express their life鈥檚 purpose through business.

Traditional entrepreneuring is defined as problem-solving for what the market wants, packaging solutions to meet existing needs and doing it systematically to optimize the service delivery and, essentially, remove the entrepreneur out of the solution delivery. Soul-driven entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are very much engaged in the business of their business. In fact, the soul-driven business is a reflection of their unique purpose, perceptions and personal power.

If you are making life and business decisions without understanding your soul-driven entrepreneurial archetypes, you could be missing a major piece of your puzzle. And we humans are known for judging, or even tossing out, what we don鈥檛 understand in a rational way鈥hich results in making living from your soul a more difficult proposition.

If we don鈥檛 see ourselves from the 鈥榖igger picture鈥� perspective, we don鈥檛 know how we fit in or how to respond appropriately to people or make decisions that are in alignment with our greater truth. And the more out of sync we are from our natural archetypes, the more frustrated we become and the more out of balance our energy becomes鈥� we experience the effects of what I call 鈥渆nergy leaks鈥�.

Archetypes have the advantage of helping you gain insights that you might otherwise miss. It鈥檚 almost like they are the connecting line between the dots of your life experiences. Things can start to make a lot more sense about why you do what you do, why certain situations seem to show up over and over, and what triggers you into going unconscious in taking action when you 鈥渒now鈥� better. You look for the deeper meaning to situations through the lens of looking at your archetypes, which can be really useful during stress, growth and challenge points.

7 Questions to Design Your Own Ritual

In designing your own rituals to shift and transmute energy, ask yourself the following questions and allow the answers to guide you.
1. Who am I doing this for?

2. What is my desire?

3. What is my intention statement?

4. What symbols will I use?

5. What process will I use?

6. Where will I do my ritual?

7. How will I know when it is done?