The Big Red Flag that Changed Everything
I was in a big retail chain store in Klamath Falls, OR. Standing on a box in my booth set up in the furniture section, a light flashing on the ceiling and a "tip" of 15 people crowded close to watch my "pitch", a presentation perfectly refined to create the illusion of urgency and competition for limited supplies of the nifty super-gadget I was selling....my left leg throbbed. I ignored it yet again.
A week or so before at the previous town, I had worked my magic as the highest grossing sales agent with my typical $1000 sales day average. The more ego gratification I experienced, the more my spirit was being siphoned and suppressed...the life force was being sucked out. My inner voice kept pleading for me to change direction and to stop pushing myself so hard. I ignored it yet again.
So my body finally had to give me a big red flag that changed everything.
Somehow in my hustle I had bumped into something in the warehouse that gave me a small cut on my left leg. I ignored it, thinking it was nothing...after all I was healthy and had a great immune system...it would surely disappear soon. But by the time I got to Klamath Falls, it had swollen to the size of a golf ball. I ignored it.
After a few days of non-stop pitching on my feet, the bump was not going down, and it was distracting me...so I took a "quick break" and went into the urgent care inside the same building. The urgent care doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics (which I filled right there in the pharmacy), and went right back to work.
A few more days went by of non-stop pitching on my feet, and my left leg had swollen to twice the size of my right....so I went back to the urgent care doc. While handing me a prescription for a stronger antibiotic, he looked me square in the eye and said, "Take this. Go to your hotel room and raise your leg, and stay there. If this swelling does not go down, the next step will be amputation."
I decided to not ignore that.
My managers were not happy. It was Black Friday week, and their cash cow was laid up. Their commissions were reliant on my performance. My work partner for the week was also having some health scares, and was accused by our managers of making it up. The darkness of the work world we were inhabiting suddenly became very clear. These were not people who cared about me in the ways I needed to be cared for. These were people who cared about the bottom line, and what was in it for them.
In those excruciatingly still and quiet moments of forced bed rest, I finally began to listen to my spirit and what she was trying to tell me...."You need to find another way of working and living", "You have talents that can be used in greater service than selling people things they don't need", "Your value is not determined by how much money you make."
These message resonated as authentic truth, and they scared the stuff out of me. My logical mind had no idea what to do, or how to begin. My ego protested loudly, stomping her feet, screaming about the kudos, money and recognition she would lose. I asked my spirit for guidance, and continued to listen deeply for her quiet voice that was barely discernable beneath the deafening noise of my ego.
She led me to a book by Debbie Ford called The Right Questions, Ten Essential Questions to Guide You to an Extraordinary Life. The Big Red Flag in my body was in response to my blatant lack of self-care and self-love. There was a personalized guidance system inside me that I had ignored out of fear and self-sabotage. When I finally listened to my spirit, she made my new way of truth crystal clear.
I began a journey of awakening. Through the "Process", as it's called, I began to embrace all the parts of myself that I had judged as "wrong" or "bad" and found the "just in time" gifts and wisdom from those aspects. I studied and practiced emotional responsibility, I implemented the powerful transformational tools I was learning, and in divine right timing I made the scary first steps onto a new way of working and living as a Certified Integrative Life Coach.
Nowadays, I have a daily practice of listening to my heart's wisdom (personalized guidance system), and even if I don't understand what she's saying in my mind, or my ego protests, I take a breath and take at least a small step in the direction of my heart's desire anyway. Life becomes smoother and easier. Doors open. New relationships and opportunities emerge that I could have never predicted or imagined.
We all have a unique personalized guidance system, it's often a still small voice inside that is easily ignored when we have put our complete trust in the illusion of the physical reality world we perceive with our eyes and logical mind. When we are faced with big, red flags in our lives, it's easy to fall into victim mentality, but if we can take a breath and get quiet, our heart's wisdom is encouraging us to accept our responsibility and power to create a new reality...not just for ourselves. When we step into the truth of who we are, we know we have a higher responsibility to use our lives to heal and transform the world around us....and it begins by saying YES to our heart's wisdom.
Empowered Storytelling, by Madisyn Taylor
We all have a story to tell, but sometimes we get stuck in that story and become our story.
We all have our own life story. It is filled with relationships and events that help shape who we are and what we believe to be true about the world. Depending on our perspective and willingness to grow, our experiences can become fodder for negativity and patterns of playing the victim, or they can fuel a life of empowerment and continued self-development. It is the story we tell ourselves about what happens that makes all the difference.
Take a moment to look at the life story you create for yourself on an ongoing basis. If you generally feel peaceful about the past and trust in your ability to handle whatever comes your way, then you are framing circumstances in a manner that serves you well. On the other hand, if you retain a lot of guilt or resentment and often feel weighed down by life, you may want to start telling yourself a new version of past and present events. No matter who the characters are in your story or what they have done, you are the only one who can give their actions the meaning they will have for you. You are the only one who can define what role you will play in your own life. By taking responsibility for your story, you are able to learn and grow, forgive and find compassion, and most importantly, move on into a brighter future.
From now on, you can choose a life story that supports you. Let it be proof of your own resilience and creativity. Be kind with the roles you give yourself and generous with how many chances you get to learn what you need to know. When you remember that you are the author of your own story, you are free to create a masterpiece.
Free Quiz: What type of Workshop Leader are You?
What I know about you is you have a story and message inside of you that is meant to be shared. Whether you are a teacher, salesperson, therapist, counselor, artist, activist, coach... you feel a calling to be of service.
According to the Washington Post, Chapman University researchers asked about a dozen different phobias, ranging across everything from public speaking to zombies. Overall, fear of public speaking is America's biggest phobia - 25.3 percent say they fear speaking in front of a crowd. Clowns (7.6 percent feared) are officially scarier than ghosts (7.3 percent), but zombies are scarier than both (8.9 percent).
I digress....the point I want to make is your greatest impact and service lies on the other side of your fear! Leading workshops and live events is one of the fastest way to move beyond a fear of public speaking, and step into servant leadership.
Do you love workshops and live events? I know I do! I love to learn new things, and I have personally found that I learn best by setting the goal of teaching what it is I need to learn.
Have you considered the power of your story and your message? Have you thought about those people you don't know yet, who would greatly benefit from the lessons you learned the hard way?
And have you ever considered what YOUR workshop leadership style is? I know I was curious about mine, and I found this fun free quiz that I thought I would share with you.
Leading live events and workshops has proven to be the fastest way of building a service based business, AND changing lives for my friend Sage Lavine who now runs a million-dollar women’s training company.
1000’s of Sage’s clients have used her workshop model to build their businesses, make great money and make a big difference.
And, knowing your leadership style will help you tap into your inner genius as you create and profit from leading your own events, workshops and retreats.
Take the FREE Quiz>>> What type of Workshop Leader are you?
Your leadership, whether you shine in the spotlight or lean toward a more collaborative approach, is needed.
We were made for these times. The world is ready for you to fully express the gifts that burn inside you.
Take the FREE Quiz>>> What type of Workshop Leader are you?
Workshops are so effective because they allow attendees to step away from life and heal and grow alongside a trusted community.
Discover your workshop leadership style so you can more effectively change lives and grow your business. To your future workshop success…
Take the quiz, then let me know your results!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, January 13th, 2018
9AM US Pacific, 12PM Eastern
Meditation 2.0 Free Online Seminar with Craig Hamilton
In this 90-minute global gathering, Craig will offer an experiential journey into a new meditation approach that goes beyond the limitations of most meditation practices, and can even give us direct and consistent access to awakened consciousness.
Craig first offered this seminar last October to an audience of over 50,000 people and the impact on participants was staggering. If you missed that one -- this is your chance! Or repeat it for an all new experience.
Click Here to Register----> Meditation 2.0 The Miracle of Direct Awakening
Sunday, January 14th, 2018
Silver City Community Agape Event (Life is Beautiful)
Agape means Love. Let's come together for a Free Community Meal and Movie to celebrate our love for one another! You will have an opportunity to participate in a collection for the Immigrant Justice Network.
Where: Fellowship Hall at 1st Presbyterian Church (1915 N. Swan St. Silver City, NM)
When: 1:00 Meal followed by a film screening of Life is Beautiful @ 1:30 pm.
What: Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella [la ˈviːta ɛ bˈbɛlla]) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian book shop owner, who employs his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. The film was partially inspired by the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì and by Benigni's father, who spent two years in a German labour camp during World War II.
The film was a critical and financial success, despite criticisms of using the subject matter for comedic purposes. It won the Grand Prix at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, nine David di Donatello Awards, including Best Film, in Italy, and three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Benigni.
All Community Agape Events are FREE.... however, we like to know how many people to expect so we can provide enough healthy, delicious food for all.
RSVP HERE
Life is Beautiful.....so let's Eat it up!
Tuesday, January 16th, 2018 @ 1:00 pm PST/2:00 pm MST/4:00 pm EST
Global Sisterhood New Moon Tele-circle
Theme: Capricorn: Aligned Purpose: I am centered, connected, and creating my reality
Click Here to Register-------> Global Sisterhood New Moon Tele-circle
Global Sisterhood is a movement of soulful women around the world unifying by gathering in Sister Circles every new moon focused on a transformational theme. Together we are creating a global Sacred Sisterhood, virtual and in-person, of women devoted to transforming ourselves and the world.
www.women.unify.org
CONNECT WITH ME
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