The theme of the month seems to be Wealth. It is interesting that almost every time I begin speaking about it, people assume I'm talking about money. That is such a small part of wealth!
I believe that people don't have a clue how wealthy they actually are, because the only evidence they count is what is in their wallets, their bank accounts and what they list on their financial statements. Yes, that is a good measure of what you may have accumulated in dollars and cents, but it is a paltry sum in relation to the actual value of your life, your relationships, your experience, your skill sets, your opportunities, your health, your sense of well-being in general!
What if you put a $ value on all of that? What if you counted every leaf on every tree that you could see and saw the total as part of the abundance you have manifested in your world? Those trees may not "belong" to you in your yard, but they belong to you in your world. They are there for you to appreciate and enjoy. So are the amazing conveniences that we take for granted by living in the US.
Last year I took a trip to Marrakech, Morocco for a wedding celebration. We stayed in what was considered a 4 Star hotel for northern Africa. It was the equivalent of a very dated, not very attractive motel by US standards. There was one hair dryer that you had to put a deposit down at the front desk to reserve for use. To get a taxi, because we were out of the main city area, we had to negotiate with the local people to make sure the fare wasn't exorbitant.
To get to a restaurant in the Medina (the old section), the taxi drove us into the closest part where there was room for a car to pass (like a very narrow alley) and we had to be escorted down winding, even more narrow, walkways to reach our destination. They didn't want us to wander around unescorted anywhere -- as it was both dangerous and we could get lost and wander for hours!
Yes, there was a romantic flavor to it all, but is it something you would want to live with everyday? We stopped at a cafe near the major market area (the more commercial part of the Medina) and tried to find a restroom. There was a hole in the floor, a bucket of water, no paper, for any purpose. The only place you could find a more western type restroom was in a much more sophisticated restaurant.
I'm glad I had an adventure in Morocco. I'm glad I've traveled to and lived in many parts of the world. But when I return home, I feel like kissing the soil! Telephones! Postal services! Reliable places to eat! Safe and comfortable hotels! Beautiful grocery stores with more types and options of food than most people in other areas could imagine!
That is just one more small part of what I consider my wealth. I have more choices than most people dream of. I have friends all over the world who (thank god!) welcome me when I visit. I have opportunities to do the work I love to do. I have a great doctor who helps me get and stay in balance. I have great relationships with my family. I have friends that I can count on to be there, to tell me the truth, and who want the same from me.
What if I started putting a value in $$ on all of that? Well, I have. And I ran out of numbers to calculate it! Suffice it to say that I am a gagillionaire and growing.
What do you think that does for me on a daily basis, to feel that kind of wealth? It helps me stay focused on what I love to be, do and have in my life instead of feeling like I have to struggle to get what I lack.
Isn't that a great definition of Wealth?
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Human Condition
I have just had the MOST interesting week! This past week I gave myself a golden opportunity to see more of me, appreciate myself and gain a little more insight into the human condition.
I have been studying metaphysics in one form or another since 1970, and a good many of those first years of study were spent with me trying to find a way to overcome or supercede the human condition. My sense of fairness came into play, and I think I had a little victim consciousness left over from my childhood, so it seemed to me that if I could stop doing all those pesky, unproductive, unfulfilling and painful human things that somehow my life would be wonderful.
I worked on that long enough to understand that it wasn't possible. By 1989 I had quit studying with my current teachers and had struck out on my own journey of discovery. I felt at loose ends. I tried to keep using some of the tools I had in my bag of tricks, but I wasn't sure how to fit them into my life. That was my first experience of the joys and pains of "the fertile void." There was nothing to do but keep hanging out with myself and see what happened.
In the process, I began to see being human in a different way. I got tired of being down on myself for not being, doing or having what I imagined was "better." And instead of trying to stop being a regular old "human being" I started looking at what it actually is to be one. In the process I came across some really lovely people who guided me to open my eyes and see things differently. One was Byron Katie, who now travels the world teaching The Work. Another was John Demartini, who also travels the world and teaches the Quantum Physics of Emotions (I like to call it that, anyway, even though he calls it the Demartini Method) and both of them keep showing us ways to appreciate and honor all the aspects of being human.
And of course, I still have old niggling beliefs inside my cobwebby mind that say I should already know things, I should have figured all this out by now, so sometimes I don't actually use the things I have learned, but instead get out the old self-flagellation stick and use it vigourously. But when my mind clears, I remember to love myself and how human I actually am.
I was driving today thinking about how lovely it is to still be naive at my age (almost 60). And that I feel very vulnerable and scared some of the time. And I still have this thing inside me that wants to see and believe the very best about people. And that sets me up for disapointment from time to time. So -- do I get mad at myself when I am disappointed? Do I wish that I could not be that human?
My answer is no. I'm okay with feeling that way. I'm not okay to carry it around as a symbol of my victimhood -- but I am okay with having rough moments, working through them, getting help and finding that I love myself through the whole process.
So on with the human condition! May I enjoy it so much that it keeps making my life a seeming hell from time to time -- and gives me a sense of accomplishment when I find more of myself in the process. I'm starting to get that this is what loving myself is.
I have been studying metaphysics in one form or another since 1970, and a good many of those first years of study were spent with me trying to find a way to overcome or supercede the human condition. My sense of fairness came into play, and I think I had a little victim consciousness left over from my childhood, so it seemed to me that if I could stop doing all those pesky, unproductive, unfulfilling and painful human things that somehow my life would be wonderful.
I worked on that long enough to understand that it wasn't possible. By 1989 I had quit studying with my current teachers and had struck out on my own journey of discovery. I felt at loose ends. I tried to keep using some of the tools I had in my bag of tricks, but I wasn't sure how to fit them into my life. That was my first experience of the joys and pains of "the fertile void." There was nothing to do but keep hanging out with myself and see what happened.
In the process, I began to see being human in a different way. I got tired of being down on myself for not being, doing or having what I imagined was "better." And instead of trying to stop being a regular old "human being" I started looking at what it actually is to be one. In the process I came across some really lovely people who guided me to open my eyes and see things differently. One was Byron Katie, who now travels the world teaching The Work. Another was John Demartini, who also travels the world and teaches the Quantum Physics of Emotions (I like to call it that, anyway, even though he calls it the Demartini Method) and both of them keep showing us ways to appreciate and honor all the aspects of being human.
And of course, I still have old niggling beliefs inside my cobwebby mind that say I should already know things, I should have figured all this out by now, so sometimes I don't actually use the things I have learned, but instead get out the old self-flagellation stick and use it vigourously. But when my mind clears, I remember to love myself and how human I actually am.
I was driving today thinking about how lovely it is to still be naive at my age (almost 60). And that I feel very vulnerable and scared some of the time. And I still have this thing inside me that wants to see and believe the very best about people. And that sets me up for disapointment from time to time. So -- do I get mad at myself when I am disappointed? Do I wish that I could not be that human?
My answer is no. I'm okay with feeling that way. I'm not okay to carry it around as a symbol of my victimhood -- but I am okay with having rough moments, working through them, getting help and finding that I love myself through the whole process.
So on with the human condition! May I enjoy it so much that it keeps making my life a seeming hell from time to time -- and gives me a sense of accomplishment when I find more of myself in the process. I'm starting to get that this is what loving myself is.
Monday, June 4, 2007
And so it grows!
I just returned from Atlanta where we held our third Make Mine a Million $ Business (M3) event this year, selecting another 8 women to participate in our amazing program to help them scale their businesses to the $M level. I am feeling more than fortunate -- I am feeling the power and strength of all the incredible women involved in this movement!
As the Executive Coach of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence, I get to help steward these women into our program through an orientation session. This gives me the opportunity to spend some very quality time with them right after they win. First, I love seeing how grateful and encouraged they are by having won. Second, I sit in awe of them, their stories and their earnest dedication to reaching their goals.
They were as diverse as you can imagine! Different ages, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, and very different businesses. The creativity and ingenuity among them was astounding. Their desire to immediately start sharing and giving to each other was impressive.
One of the things we have come to understand in building the M3 program is that women truly thrive in community -- and seem to move into new ideas and ways of doing things more easily when they learn about them together. The folklore about women and the way they move around together actually has a basis in their physiology and psychology -- both evidenced by the recent articles about how women in groups produce a higher amount of oxytocin (a mood altering endorphen). In these groups, when they are truly safe spaces for us to be ourselves, we can let down our guard and open up -- to each other, to ways to improve ourselves and our businesses.
Obviously, this is working. Companies like OPEN from American Express, AIG, FedEx, Cisco Systems -- to name a few -- have joined forces with us to help us grow this movement. They are investing their valuable resources, including people, money and services, to ensure the success of the M3 program. The women in the program feel so validated! They feel recognized -- instead of isolated and sort of insane to have put so much time, effort and money into building their businesses. The fact that these companies support them means more to them than they can even express.
And I'm feeling a little like that myself right now. I want to share my enthusiasm and gratitude that I get to help -- be a part of something so meaningful and rewarding -- but I'm not finding all the words to do it.
Suffice it to say, that this is what it looks like to me for the world to be a better place. When women get together, support, challenge and encourage each other to live their dreams, and in turn immediately start seeing how impactful it is to their communities to do so -- when that happens and I get to participate in the process -- then I feel my cup runneth over with gratitude and blessings.
If you want to learn more about this amazing program, check out www.makemineamillion.org and read about the women who are changing the face of business!
As the Executive Coach of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence, I get to help steward these women into our program through an orientation session. This gives me the opportunity to spend some very quality time with them right after they win. First, I love seeing how grateful and encouraged they are by having won. Second, I sit in awe of them, their stories and their earnest dedication to reaching their goals.
They were as diverse as you can imagine! Different ages, different ethnicities, different backgrounds, and very different businesses. The creativity and ingenuity among them was astounding. Their desire to immediately start sharing and giving to each other was impressive.
One of the things we have come to understand in building the M3 program is that women truly thrive in community -- and seem to move into new ideas and ways of doing things more easily when they learn about them together. The folklore about women and the way they move around together actually has a basis in their physiology and psychology -- both evidenced by the recent articles about how women in groups produce a higher amount of oxytocin (a mood altering endorphen). In these groups, when they are truly safe spaces for us to be ourselves, we can let down our guard and open up -- to each other, to ways to improve ourselves and our businesses.
Obviously, this is working. Companies like OPEN from American Express, AIG, FedEx, Cisco Systems -- to name a few -- have joined forces with us to help us grow this movement. They are investing their valuable resources, including people, money and services, to ensure the success of the M3 program. The women in the program feel so validated! They feel recognized -- instead of isolated and sort of insane to have put so much time, effort and money into building their businesses. The fact that these companies support them means more to them than they can even express.
And I'm feeling a little like that myself right now. I want to share my enthusiasm and gratitude that I get to help -- be a part of something so meaningful and rewarding -- but I'm not finding all the words to do it.
Suffice it to say, that this is what it looks like to me for the world to be a better place. When women get together, support, challenge and encourage each other to live their dreams, and in turn immediately start seeing how impactful it is to their communities to do so -- when that happens and I get to participate in the process -- then I feel my cup runneth over with gratitude and blessings.
If you want to learn more about this amazing program, check out www.makemineamillion.org and read about the women who are changing the face of business!
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