The Art of Hartful Living
You Know You’re Not Living Your Life Purpose When…
January 11, 2011 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
After working with many entrepreneurs, employees and others out of alignment with their life purpose and having experienced it myself from time to time; I decided to share in the Jeff Foxworthy fashion, how you know if you’re not in sync with your calling.
- You’re tired all the time event when you get enough sleep
- Waking up is hard to do – you hit the snooze button a few too many times
- You’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’ – not in the mood for that or anything – you’re just blah, flat lined
- You or your friends notice your vocal tone has flat lined – there’s no excitement or optimism in it
- You don’t feel excited about life or you’re not optimistic about the future
- You can’t wait to leave your job each day and get home or can’t wait for the weekend
- You collect stuff, have too much stuff or spend too much money on stuff to fill the emptiness inside you
- You eat or drink too much, stuff your face with too much stuff to again fill the empty hole inside
- You take too many vacations to get away – nothing wrong with vacations, I’m a big fan of them – it’s all in the mindset of wanting to go someplace, explore, recharge, refresh or are you running away to escape from your life or are you getting away to add to your life – are you hiding out or living large?
- You hear the words “this is stupid”, “This is insane”, “They should do….” coming out of your mouth way too often
- You catch yourself citing all the ways your boss or your organization “should” be doing their work
- You are shoulding way too much on yourself and others in your personal or professional life
- You’re not making the income you so richly deserve and desire
- You feel like somebody or something is holding you back – you could be more, achieve more, do more
- You’re mentally and emotionally exhausted all the time – your work doesn’t charge you up, it drains you
- You dread Mondays or whatever day of the week is your Monday – you have lower energy on Monday than on Friday
- You keep wishing something would happen in your life to make you happy
- You’ve been ‘retired’ on the job for the past umpteen years, but you keep showing up for work each day
- You just clock in and clock out – you’re physically at work, but mentally you’ve checked out – you only do what they ask of you and not one thing more
- You’ve lost the fun in your life and your sense of humor is waning
- You’re more of a spectator in life rather than a participant
- You’re living in the future too much and not experiencing this moment right now
- You feel like you’ve got something to contribute, but not sure what, why or how
- You’re feeling stuck and don’t know how to get out or move forward
- You lack initiative and drive to do better or do more or serve more
- You look forward to your 10-minute break or you live for your lunch hour and quitting time
- You wait until you leave your job to lead your life
- You only do your job for the paycheck and the money is your only reward
- You wear a uniform or a nametag and hate it
- You wear an embarrassing costume and you’re not on stage as a performer
- You’re constantly being told what to do by incompetent people or somebody in high school as your boss
- You’re not working with people you like, trust, are proud to be around
- You’re not feeling proud of what you do for a living or taking pride in yourself, your image, your life
- You’re not happy and you’re not sure how to fix it or where to turn
- You know you need help to get your act together and are too fearful to quit your job or make a change or ask for help
So there you have the tip of the iceberg for starters. If you recognized yourself in any of those scenarios, then you may not be working in alignment with your life purpose. And if you have no idea of what your life purpose is, then you’re in the right place. My colleague Margaret and I have put together an overview in our free teleclass on how to crack the code to your calling. It’s all in your personal DNA – we just help you see it and show you how to use it to your benefit and the benefit of the world.
Contact me for the link to the call Cracking the Code to Your Calling – learning your life purpose.
Are You Leaving Your Job to Live Your Life?
January 6, 2011 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I adore working with entrepreneurs and execs who get it. Those who have found their calling and are living their purpose. Those who are enlightened who have a blurred line between work and play and who wake up excited that they get to be paid for doing what they love. It thrills me to work with those who are discovering their right livlihood and I get very excited to help show them the way to themselves and the work they can do as a full expression of who they are.
Stay tuned for an upcoming special promotion to help you find your true purpose, your life school, your life lessons and your life’s calling. It’s all in your hands and with the help of a colleague and myself, we can help you find your right path on your journey from success to signifacance. I’ve experienced it myself and it was a true validation that what I’m doing as an Artist and Messenger in the Community Spotlight is the right path.
Some of us had an inkling since we were very young. Some of us knew in our gut something about what we wanted to do in our lives and some of us are still searching or not sure how to listen to our intuition that guides us in the right direction. What I found was the affirmation that what I loved doing, speaking, writing, communicating, teaching and leading and creating community within a group was right on target. Sometimes just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you should be doing it.
What I’ve learned while working with those that are not yet enlightened, or those in the world of the employee mentality is that most of the world’s workers need to leave their job to lead their life. So many millions of workers just endure their job instead of enjoy their work. They live for their 10-minute break, they can’t wait for their 30-minute lunch, they RUN to their cars at the end of their shif to get away from their job. Their eyes are dull, they’re just enduring the hours until they can go. It’s very sad. They can’t start living until they leave their post. It’s deadening, it’s draining and it hurts to see it and experience it. I’ve experienced it myself when I’m not working my right livlihood. When I’m not around higher-energy people or higher-vibrating environments. I can feel the energy, or lack thereof. I can sense it immediately when walking into a workplace of a client. Sometimes I wonder how they stay in business with such dead energy. I’m always up for a challenge to help them turn things around.
What I decided in college while comisserating with one of my fellow recreation majors when we realized our chosen major didn’t pay as well we the engineering majors or business school grads; was that I would rather be happy every day of my life than unhappy for 5 days a week so I could be happy for 2 days per week. I knew right then to make my life’s work fun, enjoyable, in alignment with my purpose in order to be fufilled, prosperous and engaged.
When we’re not in alighment, not engaged, not plugged into the purpose of what we’re doing, it’s draining on all parts of our life. Are you in alignment with your calling? Are you working your life’s work so it feels more like play? Is the line blurred between your work and the rest of your life? I knew there was really no line between the two when I was running outdoor recreation trips across Europe, Aftrica and Asia for a decade. I got paid to play and take others on adventures. They paid and took vacation leave to do what I was being paid overtime to do. When I took vacations, I would do the exact same thing as when I was working – take my friends on trips and wild adventures to foreign lands. That’s when you know you’re on the right path – do you still live while you’re on the job? Are you feeling fully expressed when you work or do you wait to clock out to do that?
If you’re not getting paid to express your full, authentic knowledge, skills, abilities and talents, then why not? If you’re still seeking your calling or wondering about your purpose, then send me an email at Gail@GailHahn.com and we’ll schedule a session and tune you into our upcoming program. If you’re just wondering what’s it all about, Alfie, then send me an email and stay tuned for more details on living your life’s purpose and how you can find out precisely what it is. It’s all in your hands and has been your entire life. My colleague and I can help you crack the code on your life’s purpose. Let us show you how.
If you’re dreading mornings, if you physically feel your energy draining away as you drive closer to work, if you hate your commute, feel a surge of energy when you leave your workplace, become more vibrant as you clock out, then you have the warning signs that you’re not leading the right life. If you’re working witout purpose and just for a paycheck, then you’re not working on purpose. If you’re more excited about your time off than your time in, then you may need to re-check your purpose. We can help you find your right path.
Start The Year Right: Holi-moments vs. Holidays
January 2, 2011 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
With only a hanful of holidays a year, many who work in W-2 land only get a handful of days to recharge and spend quality time with whomever they please. Those of us in entrepreneur land get to choose whichever day we darn well please to spend quality time to do whatever we want. I like to create holi-moments on a daily or weekly basis. Some of the moments are fleeting like watching the sunset or breathing in the crisp air after it’s just snowed in the mountains on my morning jaunt or meeting with the pups along my route for a quick scritch and tail wag. Some holi-moments take more time such as a spa day, a pedicure or a great meal and live entertainment.
In order to become and remain energized and live a vital life, we need to pay attention to our moments and not just our holidays to lift our spirits and create joy in our lives. I vowed decades ago to not participate in the usually seasonal holiday mall madness, the stressful dashing about, the traffic around shopping areas and the obligations if it wasn’t enjoyable to me, which it isn’t. My declaration is to stay away from the mania in order to keep my sanity and polite, positive disposition. If it feels like an obligation and isn’t enjoyable or genuine from the heart with a sincere desire, then don’t do it.
Don’t fall prey to unfettered consumerism or the unjoyful acts of the season if it’s not energizing to you. I’ve streamlined holiday decorating to take 30 minutes and thoroughly enjoy it and the after effect. I don’t feel any stress whatsoever during this time of year and I’ve got a great system to sending out holiday cards and gifts from my home office while the fireplace crackles and holiday music plays on my stereo. I get to enjoy the good things and dispose of all the negative side effects by ascertaining what stresses me and make plans to avoid that list.
So whats on your list of stressors? What feels like an obligation to you? What can you cross off your holiday list of things to not do next year? How will you create holi-moments in your daily or weekly life so you don’t have to wait until the holidays to take time to revitalize your life and your work? When we’re personally revitalized, our work is revitalized. Everybody who comes into our life also feels the benefits of an un-stressed you. Make time for holi-moments and make a stand for making time for yourself and making your own rules on how to handle holidays and every day with grace and joy. And if you want my top secret technique for card sending and gift giving, send me an email and I’ll reveal my trade secret: Gail@GailHahn.com or visit BizBuilderCards.com.
Refresh & Renew: Enjoy Your Journey & Celebrate Your Accomplishments
January 1, 2011 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Happy New Year’s Eve. I’ve been taking a self-batical from blogging and being plugged in this month. It was a perfec time for a girlfriend getaway and a time for reflection, re-energizing and renewal. A time to re-focus on the future and remind myself of the present journey and the journey beyond.
How I love to renew is outdoors. Sometimes solo and sometimes with great company of people who get it and who get me. It gives me breathing space and a place to connect wit the divine in an organiz way. A place to reconnect with myself and my body and breathing. Although I do my daily morning mileage in my ‘hood, nothing compares to the magnificent, majectic National Parks and outer limits of undisturbed outback to reawaken the senses and lighten the load.
We selected Zion and Bryxe National Parks and Angel’s Landing to be specific.
Although we’re not blood and guts hikers any more, we’re not candy-asses either. What we like is a good challenge for women who are fifty, fit and fabulous! We encountered at least 31 switchbacks and a smidgen of knife-edge trail 1450 feet above the valley floor. We’re wise enough to know when we’ve reacked our peak experience. Which is to say that it doesn’t necessarily need to be the peak of the mountain to be a peak experience. We’ve earned our wisdom and know when renewal and recharging our batteries turns to regret. We came for enjoyment and enlightenment and not endangerment or encroachment on our comfort. Just enough push to get us out of our usual comfort zone.
No more camping on the ground – we opted for a yummy cabin with a roaring fire and down comforters with a rain water show head with mule deer and wild turkeys frolicking outside our window. We opted for delicious gourmet breakfasts and sumptuous dinners with keoki coffee and ended our tour du outdoors with a decadent spa day and evenings at the theatre on the Vegas strip to see Lion King and a Diva Drag Show. It was a fabulous feast for the senses at all levels.
What I’ve learned is to enjoy this moment, this journey, this adventure right now. We can turn around any time we want, but the great views are reserved for those who climb a little higher than most. What are you doing to enjoy your journey all along the journey? Are you living to enjoy each step and each swtichback? Are you taking time to look back at where you’ve come or are your blinders on to only look forward full speed ahead. We often had to take a break to breathe on our trek to Angels Landing. We also realized we were looking down so much at our footing that we needed to look up and look around and enjoy the view all around us, which included where we’d come from. We celebrated at different points in our journey and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
What are you doing to enjoy yourself along your path before you reach your peak? What if you don’t reach all the way to the top? What if you get very close but not all the way? Will it be OK? Will you re-calibrate once you see what’s up there and make different choices? How will you celebrate? How will you know you’ve arrived?
Let’s take time to celebrate where we’ve been, how far we’ve come and where we are right now. Let’s not wait until the absolute pinnacle and just toil away while we’re getting there. Take a breath, breath in the fresh air, look around, look up, look back and look ahead too. As I learned while backpacking for 30 days in the Colorado wilderness with Outward Bound, it’s not where you go on the map that matters, it’s where you go in your head as you travel that matters. How are you clearing your head and making room for better things, clearing your schedule to make room for you and clearing your path to make room for your journey? Happy New Year!!
Year in Review, Time to Renew Your Hot 100 List
December 29, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
It’s that time of year when I look back and look forward and do a gap analysis. I look at my past rear in review and match it to my former Hot 100 List, my list of at least 100 things that I wanted to accomplish in my life. Being a card-carrying member of the over-achiever’s club, I always have more than 100 just to stretch my thinking and look forward to past the current year. Resolutions, schmesolutions. These aren’t your grandma’s New Year’s list. This is a lifeforce all it’s own. Your compass for living and leading the life you love.
I’ve been doing this list and this exercise officially since 1984 with a written list and a purposeful time set aside to create it, dream and renew my goals and desires for the big plans I have for me. I take thoughtful time to reflect on the past year, lessons learned, what don’t I want any more, what do I want to start doing and stop doing and keep the same or pump up the volume.
It’s not necessarily a bucket list, although you can incorporate items that may be on your bucket list. It can be simpler lifestyle goals, health benchmarks, financial goals or personal achievements. I had one item that was on my list before I even had a written list. It was on my list for 27 years. And you can imagine the celebration I had when it finally came true. Some of my items are only on for a year or a few weeks before I get to cross them off. Some items I find I don’t want any more – life changes. It’s not about necessarily reaching those specific goals, it’s about creating them and allowing yourself to dream big dreams for your life.
To make sure I cover my bases on the left brain and right brain and all senses side; I not only write down in numbered style in long hand, pen to paper, but I also create a vison board with photos and phrases. I used to cut and paste magazine photos onto posterboard. Now I do my collage digitally so I can make a custom greeting card using a simple software and send myself the card with my vision board as well as my affirmations and life purpose on it. I have one at my desk and one in my purse at all times to keep me reminded of why I do what I do and what I want for my life. It comes in very handy during wait times in airports and waiting rooms.
Along with your Hot 100 List, I suggest you write out your ideal day putting pen to paper – no typing any of this out. Your heart and your body hear it better and internalize hand-written things over the typed word. Make the head and heart connection by writing out in long hand how you want your ideal day to go in excruciating detail. Give yourself time and permission to take this very seriously. Most people spend more time writing up their holiday gift list than doing this special gift list for themselves.
Stay tuned for our upcoming free teleclass on cracking the code to your life purpose. Doing your Hot 100 List and your Ideal Day exercise will help you clarify your path and prepare for our call. Be looking for our special offer to those who want to work with us and discover your own life purpose which is in your DNA. You have it at your fingertips. Let us help you understand how you’re supposed to move through this world. Looking forward to seeing you on the call on 2 February.
Ask Empowering Questions to Excite & Ignite Excellence in You
November 24, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Our brains answer whatever questions we ask. So if you want more empowering answers, ask more empowering questions. If you want dumb answers that will keep you stuck, just keep asking dumb questions such as “Why is this happening to me, again?”
It’s automatic. Our mind starts talking to us and answering questions it reads in book titles, hears on TV commercials or hears in your head. Questions such as “do you have the coolest cell phone”, “are you sick and tired of belly fat”, “is your house under water or are you in debt”. We’re asked disempowering questions all the time and we are answering in a negative way automatically whether we are aware of it or not. If you want different results and different answers, then turn your questions around to lead you to better results and more creative solutions. Better questions such as “what can I do to be more fit”, “who can I hire/ask/seek advice from to help me be financially solvent or free”, or “how can I creatively re-finance my home or sell it in this market?”
I asked myself the creative house selling question when I had a property for sale in the Phoenix market at the bottom of the real estate bust with my 2 next-door neighbor’s homes for sale and 3 more on my street for sale at the same time. Here’s what my brain came up with after bringing my challenge to my mastermind group and twisting around their ideas: offer an additional $1000 bonus directly to the buyer’s agent and offer a free cruise to Mexico to the buyers and throw in my patio furnishings. Voila – my house sold quickly and the cruise to Mexico only cost me a few hundred dollars, but the perceived value was much higher. Without asking the empower question of how I can creatively and boldly market my house, it would still be sitting there. (On a side note- my realtor didn’t come up with anything out of the usual to get it sold, it was my responsibility to take empowering action.)
So instead of asking “How did I get myself in this mess?”, instead ask yourself “What would (name your hero here) do in this situation?” or “What ways can I move forward from this or learn from this?” or even “Who do I know who could give me advice on winning over this situation?” You may ask yourself “What can I do now, what do I have power over that I can change right now to start moving me forward?” See the differences in the questions and how your answers can either keep you stuck or move you towards better results?
I see so many professionals stuck in their old ways who are blind to the possibilities and it can be as simple as asking themselves the right questions to get the right answers. Be creative in your problem solving. Write it down, brainstorm with friends and let it flow. When times get tough, the tough get creative in their solutions. Do activities to access the right side of your brain, the creative side to help the solutions flow. Try juggling, throwing a Koosh Ball between your left and right side, do the hoola hoop, dance, play in the dog park, draw/paint or do something artistic to access that creative side of your brain. Inspiration can pop up anywhere when you allow the process to happen.
Start asking more empowering questions of yourself and your clients and you will start to see more powerful results coming out of that process.
Let’s Talk About Revitalizing Your Results
November 23, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Working with corporate clients with huge employee payrolls or entrepreneurs who go it solo, there seems to be a common thread among professionals in this economy and particularly this season – they’re tired.
Execs to entrepreneurs and employees to entire organizations seem to be on their last nerve and in search of something to happen to regain their confidence, improve their outlook and pump them up with some hope and energy to face another day.
I’ve made it my life’s mission to help energize others and help theim regain their balance and reclaim their passion for their purpose. To light a fire under professionals to reach their potential. My advice is the same salad with a little different dressing as it has been for decades and it’s an inside job.
To revitalize your results, you need to recharge your mindset and re-assess what’s important and re-align what it is you focus on. What we focus on expands and where intention goes, energy flow. What are you thinking about daily? Are you focusing on what you DON’T want or what you DO WANT? Always focus on what you DO want and be very clear about what results you seek.
To listen to archives of past talk shows I’ve hosted on many levels of energizing your life and revitalizing your results, check out the 15-30 minute shows at The Energized Entrepreneur Show on The Women’s Information Network. You men can listen too!
The holiday season is really no different than the stress of a down economy or any other day- just take it one day at a time and focus on the results you want. Do you want a stress-free holiday shopping season – don’t go shopping. Give experiences, use internet shopping, send your cards, gift cards and gifts through a system at BizBuilderCards.com to send a campaign of cards and gifts in minutes for what used to take you days. Want even less stress – forget the expectations of the big meals and change it up a bit with something more uniquely you and start new traditions. Who says you have to do the same ol’, same ol’ each holiday. Forget airport security lines and create your own holiday in your own home and use Skype. 🙂
Some traditions may actually be bad habits that don’t suit you today. Take a hard look at what you’ve been doing at all levels of your life and in your business and ask yourself if they are still getting the results you seek. If not, ditch them or at least tweak them.
Revitalize your results by brainstorming what you DO want in your life, in your holiday, in your business and in your future, then focus on manifesting what you want. Don’t ask how, manifest now. Happy holidays and let me know how you are practicing safe stress and revitalizing your results. Send me an email at Gail@GailHahn.com
Mentors, Tormentors, Self Promotion & Your Purposeful Work
October 11, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
I just returned from the SendOutCards convention and I’m fired up. I was inspired to share some of my insights into revitalizing your promotions, your people and your workplace. Here’s another round of articles to energize and inspire leaders and entrepreneurs. The following articles cover leadership and team motivation for Generation X and Y team members, how to be a shameless self promoter for your own business and how your purpose is a critical piece of your promotions.
Other articles cover the key component of mixing fun and effectiveness at work. We know that work made fun gets done and good times lead to good business. Creating a quality workplace not only boost performance, but it boosts purposeful work ethics and quality of life at work.
And then there’s the accountability thing. Having a mastermind group, a success team, a personal board of directors helps keep you on track and on purpose. Create your own circle of success and support to help leap-frog your business beyond what you could do on your own. Enjoy the articles and if you want to listen to them, check out my radio show on http://thewinonline.com/node/5978. One show per week is posted on the site. I’ve just recorded 19 shows, so your favorite article/show may not be aired for several weeks. All shows are archived, so they will be there when you’re ready. Enjoy!
Mentors vs. Tormentors: 50 Ways to Ditch Your X (and Y) Employees
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767834/mentors_vs_tormentors_50_ways_to_ditch.html?cat=55
Success Circles Teeming with Synergy
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766870/sucess_circles_teeming_with_synergy.html
Fun*cilitation: Facilitating Fun and Effectiveness in the Workplace
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766964/funcilitation_facilitating_fun_and.html
Put Energy into Your Efforts
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766936/put_energy_into_your_efforts.html
Secrets to Self Promotions & Your Purpose
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766974/insider_secrets_to_self_promotions.html
