Recession, Schmecession – We’re in Transition, Baby!
August 14, 2009 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
There are a couple different ways to look at what the economy and most Americans are going through right now – a recession or a transition. I’ve always chosen to see what we can learn from a situation and the more positive outcomes of a not-so-positive- at- first-glance situation.
As my mentor, Million Dollar Wealth Acceleration Coach, David Neagle explained to us one day, it’s merely the winter season in the life of the economy. We’ve had our excesses, our Spring and our harvest and now is merely a time to re-group and transition the way we do our life, the way we do our business in order to thrive. Some won’t make it through the winter and some will thrive as they adapt to it. You can catch a part of his teachings through his complimentary 4-part audio series The Art of Success. It will whet your appetite for more learning on the new way of doing business in today’s economy.
I figure it’s similar to the ‘mid-life crisis’ – you can either look at it as a crisis or as a mid-life metamorphosis and a transition into something different and yes, even better complete with all the wisdom you hopefully gained in the earlier years. So crisis, schmisis, I say let’s look forward to change and transition and making us pay attention and shake things up. It’s a time in your life where you get permission to go crazy, do things out of character, try something new and different, be who you want to be regardless of what anybody else things. Age gives us that permission.
Having moved 26 times in the past 30 years in Europe and the US, I’ve experienced a few transitions. My advice would be to travel light, be flexible, keep an open mind to learning and how to adapt to your new environment. Look around at your new space and only keep what serves you best. If it doesn’t serve who you are currently or who you are becoming, jettison it immediately. The same in business, if it isn’t working, then move on to something new that still stays true to your authentic self and your higher purpose. All the other stuff is just noise and distraction and holding you back.
How are you doing your life differently now? How is your business or marketing changing to fit the new times? How are you thinking differently to adjust? Times have changed and we need to change with them if we expect to embrace the new economy. Cash is still flowing – I see it in Vegas every day. High-end products are still being sold and bought and those with the right perspective and insight will see their way to the next season. Stay tuned for future teleclasses, VIP Sessions and Energy Escapes I’ll be hosting on how to Energize Your Life at Every Level.
Are Your Working Out of Inspiration or Desperation?
July 29, 2009 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Here’s the thing – if you’re working out of desperation, it drains your energy, wears down your psyche and saps your soul. If you’re only working for the money, it won’t work for you. It’s not fulfilling. Work was never meant to do just for money. Work was something performed so we could fully express whatever it was we needed to fully express and the pay was the by-product of sharing our knowledge, skills, abilities, gifts and talents. Working out of inspiration builds our resilience to what the world throws our way. Working out of desperation drains our resilience reserves.
If you’re working out of inspiration, your energy soars, your soul sings, you feel fulfilled and you share your gifts and blessing with the world and give value and in return you get value back in many different forms. Yes, that includes money.
Money is currency and currency is energy so when you give out lots of energy, you receive it back, because energy never goes away, it just changes form. It’s about giving of ourselves, giving our inspired energy and giving value, then let the energy flow back as it may.
I’ve found I need to be working out of inspiration and have chosen to align myself with companies that inspire me and that offer a way to make a living through GIVING vs. GETTING. That’s why my heart work (not hard work) is through www.BizBuilderCards.com because I get to do my art, be creative and fully express my message and feelings to make people’s days and help make their dreams come true.
What do you get out of the relationship with your job? Why do you show up each day and what do you want to accomplish? Do you have a master plan for showing up for life, or are you just clocking in and clocking out? I’m sure you know of colleagues who have retired years ago, but they just keep showing up for work each day to collect a paycheck.
What can you do to get inspired about your work? Make a list of what you do and don’t like about the different qualities and characteristics of your profession or your job. What can you change about it to make it more inspiring? What can you do to inspire others. As Zig Ziglar, the famous grandfather of motivation speaking so eloquently states: If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.
What are you doing to help other people get what they want and get where they want to go? Are you embracing empathy and kindness into your day? What would you do in emergency situations and how far would you go to do the right thing?
Are you working out of inspiration or desperation? What would it take to be inspired? Are you inspiring those you work with and work for? Are you inspired by them? Are you filling up your resilience reserves by keeping inspired and finding more ways to be inspired? Or are you phoning it in, waiting to clock out and retire? What would need to change for you to be living an inspired life?
Organize to Energize: Making Room for Abundance
December 4, 2008 | Posted in Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I’m thrilled to be interviewed on the radio talk show Dollars and Sense on 94.9 FM WXRJ or wxrj.org in the mid-west hosted by my good friend, colleague and Professional Speaker, David Lewis and his co-host Cranston Sparks on the topic of Organizing and Energizing Your Life to Make Room for Abundance.
David and Cranston, both successful businessmen, host a weekly show on the topic of finance, success and living a prosperous life by sharing their insights and interviewing thought leaders in their fields. Making sense of making dollars and all the ways to bring success into your life is what they bring to listeners near Chicago and around the country. More details can be found at the radio station site or at DavidGLewis.com.
We discussed how our outside world reflects our inside world and if there’s a mess in our space, there’s likely a mess in our minds. We need to get clarity inside before we see clarity and cleared closets, desks and spaces outside.
The universe doesn’t bring abundance to chaos and if you can’t handle what you already have, then the universe will not be bringing you any more. So get going and get organized and systematized according to your style and preferences. What works for you.
How do you know when you need to get more organized or that you need to make more room for abundance?
1. You are frustrated with bottlenecks in your life
2. Your office, desk, closets, drawers, bedroom, kitchen and car are overflowing with stuff you trip over or dust around and it creates some anxiety
3. You keep losing things, misplacing items and can’t seem to find what you need in a timely manner – you waste time looking for stuff.
4. You are getting feedback from your partner, colleagues, friends or those you live with that your stuff is getting out of control.
So clean up your space, clean up your act and clear the way to make room for abundance. It doesn’t hurt that you can jumpstart your abundance by finding cash in your closets and selling things online or at yard sales etc.
What is overflowing in your life? If everything is overflowing outward, prosperity can’t flow inward – create a space for things to flow into your life on every level. It can start with changing your mind, cleaning off your desk, your calendar or clearing out your closet.
2 Biggest Excuses Blocking Your Success & Draining Your Energy
August 30, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
After taking some ground-breaking course-work with David Neagle and his associates on mindset and manifesting secrets of multi-millionaire entrepreneurs; among the many AHA moments was the realization of the two biggest excuses we use to block our own success and drain our energy:
- I don’t have enough time
- I don’t have enough money
There you have it – plain as day – those tapes that have been running through your head perhaps since you were a child. Once you become aware of what tapes your parents were playing for you over and over and then become aware of what is flying out of your mouth; you can change the tapes and upgrade to MP3 with your own empowering messages.
We can only change our energy and our results when we change our mind, our thoughts. Our thougths lead to feelings, which lead to action, which lead to results.
If you want different results, then you start by changing your mind, which runs your mouth. Monitor what you say out loud and how it affects your feelings or visceral body reactions as well as your choice of actions, then watch your results change.
Change “I don’t have time”, to “I’m making time” or “I’ve decided to use my time for something else” or “I’ve chosen to do X instead of Y with my time”. Replace “I can’t afford it” to “I’m choosing to spend my money on other things right now” or “I’ve decided I’d rather do X than Y”, or “Yes, I can do that” – then watch your behaviors change along with your change of mindset.
It starts with awareness of what you think and say and how often you do it. Then consciously change to something that is more empowering and figure out why you’re using those as excuses for doing or not doing X or Y, then make a decision based on your new reality. It may take some shuffeling, but you know if you really want to do it or have it or be it, then you will make the time and make the money available and manifest whatever you want. We are manifesting all day, every day anyway, it may as well be something you want. And it all starts with your thought and your intentions that come out as words, then feelings, followed by actions and results.
What do your results show you are thinking?
Love: Energize Yourself, Your Connections & Your Business
July 11, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I’ve been taking the most amazing teleclass about the 7 Mindset and Manifesting Secrets of Multimillionaires as well as reading much about the keys to success. Always open to learning more about the way people operate. What keeps popping up is the word LOVE. When we operate from love, everything else falls into place. When we operate from a powerful center of love and not from fear, everything is where it should be.
As my friend and business partner Mandy told me – everything turns out in the end and if it’s not turning out, it’s not the end.
My friend and business partner Jennifer told me the reason she got into the Send Out Cards business with me is that she always saw my happy, smiling face and the happy people around me at my trade-show tables. She said it looked like so much fun that she wanted to have that in her life. Because I LOVE what I do – almost always have and when I didn’t, I made changes to do what I did love to do. It shows. I can see huge differences in my energy when I’m doing what I love and helping other people do what they love.
Enabling the dreams of others and creating connections, building relationships, helping people and using communication – speaking, writing, Send Out Cards, books, blogs etc. is what gives me energy. People and my relationships to them give me energy. I send several cards every single day to people letting them know I appreciate them and building connections in my life. I know that love surrounds me – beauty surrounds me.
That’s why I moved to the beach. Walking on the beach 3 times per day with my dog Madison – I love it, she loves it. It’s inspiring. It makes me happy to see her happy. She was a rescue who was a puppy mill breeder. For 5 years she lived outside in a 10 x 10 pen in Missouri with no shelter, 5 other dogs with a cement pad and chainlink fence. She never had the pleasure of feeling her legs run. She never had the joy of romping more than 10 feet. Now when I see her face light up as she chases waves, squirrels, birds, bunnies – it brings me such joy. We have a connection that we both love our freedom to roam and run and romp as we choose.
What more can you put into your life that you love? What can you remove that you don’t love? What connections can you make to add more love into your life? Where can you live to do what you love? What connections can you sever in order to move closer to love in other areas of your life?
My friend and business partner Paul sent me this profound 3-minute video that’s all about love and connections. I’m a sucker for animal stories and this one is quite moving about the power of love. Get out your hankies – I’m pretty sure it will move you to tears as it did for me. Click HERE to watch it.
What’s Your Happiness Factor?
July 6, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Do you expect things to go your way – is the universe conspiring in your favor?
Do you have loving, supportive relationships?
Do you lead a purposeful life and live consciously?
Do you feel like you have some control over your time, your stuff, your space, your situation, your life?
Do you feel like you are in the flow of your work or personal interests – challenged enough to be interesting and enjoyable?
Do you have a positive outlook and practice some form of spirituality?
The more questions you could answer with a resounding YES, recent studies show that you are more likely to be happy than those who couldn’t answer an affirmative. Happy people exude energy. Energy begets energy. If you are not at the peak of your happiness factor; take a look at the areas in your life you could change. Surprisingly simple internal factors such as having a healthy self esteem, a sense of optimism and hope, gratifying relationships and meaningful purpose in your life have the most influence over your well-being.
Let go of the things that are out of your control and practice these bliss-booster tips to improve your happiness quotient:
- Upbeat attitude. When you change your mind, you change your energy and when you change your energy, you change your life. It all starts with a thought – make it a positive one. Setting your intentions to desired outcomes makes all the difference – we attract what we most think about. Where intention goes – energy flows.
- Create a loving, supportive network of your favorite people – get connected – see #5 below. To get good friends, you need to become a good friend. What are you doing to cultivate your relationships and make people’s days? A sense of belonging is not only good for us personally, but professionally as well. Having a good friend at work is one of the key essential elements of a good working environment.
- Hone in on your purpose – know why you are here and act in alignment with your purpose. Purpose brings passion.
- Think solutions – not problems. Your brain will answer any question you offer it. Instead of asking “What else can go wrong?” or “How did I get into this situation?”, ask “How can I turn this around?” or “What is my lesson and how can I learn from this and avoid it in the future?”.
- Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. When you’re grateful, you’re not fearful – count your blessings. Send a card to somebody to let them know you appreciate them at www.BizBuilderCards.com.
- Find your flow and get into it. Become engaged and focused in your activities – where challenge meets knowledge, skills and abilities.
- Cultivate healthy habits – eating, sleeping, exercise, spirituality and smile about it. When we smile, it stimulates the thymus gland, which makes us more resistant to disease. This little practice also tricks our physiology into thinking we are already happy and boosts our mood. As a Certified Laughter Leader, my research has found that laughing and smiling do indeed aid in your happiness factor.
Now take your own inventory and see which areas in your life need a boost. We create a happy life by stringing together happy moments and feeling in control of our life. Take control over the areas that are less than desirable in your life and go get happy. As Eckhart Tolle says, “Unhappiness is unintelligent”.
Have the Courage to Move Forward and Say “YES” Despite the Odds
July 2, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
The word “courage” has come up a lot lately in my life. My good friend (and “twin sistah”) Sue has done paintings about it. My wise counsel Bill told me I needed to have lots of it since every single thing in my life on every level was in flux right now. My BFF Barb and I have discussed different versions of it nearly every night for the past 10 months. And now my friend Paul sends me the following excerpt and video link about the courage to say YES and the courage to not quit.
I think I’m getting the hint to have the guts to keep moving forward and figure out creative ways to energize myself and my life no matter what may shift, change, crumble, not materialize or be taken away from me.
I’ve had lots of training in courage and finishing the game. I’ve done triathlons, marathons, century rides, 30-day backpacking stints to survive in the wilderness for a month, and a 220 kilometer bike ride through 3 countries in 1 day. Those were peanuts compared to the following video. I’ve learned that shifting gears and re-assessing or doing the race in your own style is not quitting – it’s twisting the situation to best fit your needs, even though it may not be the norm. Having faith in yourself and the bigger picture is what pulls you through sometimes. I also realize that no matter how big a race I think I’m racing, there’s always something much bigger, and that energizes and inspires me. So what keeps you energized and motivated to not quit?
For any of you who have thought about quitting your dream – check out this video below. Instead of entertaining the thought of quitting, perhaps just take a detour or side step a little on your path forward and watch this video. Fair warning – I had tears in my keyboard before the first few words were uttered.
A son asked his father, ‘Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?’
The father who, despite having a heart condition, says ‘Yes’. They went on to complete the marathon together.
Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying ‘Yes’ to his son’s request of going through the race together.
One day, the son asked his father, ‘Dad, let’s join the Ironman together.’ To which, his father said ‘Yes’ to.
For those who didn’t know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island .
Father and son went on to complete the race together. View this video for lessons in not quitting
Manifest Now, Don’t Ask How
June 27, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Have you ever wondered why so many people are stuck these days? Or why there are so many How To books, but nobody seems to be getting it and continue to stay where they are?
For a couple decades now, I’ve walked the path of “Once you know the why and the what, the how’s will figure out themselves.” It’s the how that keeps us stuck. Just have the faith that it will be figured out as you go. The momentum is in the forward movement and the faith that if you move forward and take those steps, the hows will present themselves in ways you’ve never dreamed possible.
I’ve experienced this phenomenon several times in the past couple months – taking the steps forward and not necessarily knowing how I was going to get there. It takes courage and belief and sometimes some back sliding. Yep, I’ve had my share of panic moments, breakdowns, and holy cow what am I gonna do moments. It’s amazing what has come of it and the things that I manifested have been nothing short of amazing.
One of the thought leaders in this area I’ve recently been introduced to is David Neagle – the multimillionaire coach to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. I believe if you want to stretch and grow your business, you need to stretch and grow yourself. If you work more on yourself than on your business, the rest will take care of itself. It’s all in your thoughts, perceptions and beliefs.
David’s belief is that we get stuck in the how. If we just knew the way, then we could get out of our own way and tap into the universal consciousness, which knows the way and will manifest what we need. A little woo, woo, but it truly is the secret behind The Secret. Instead of getting stuck in the how, just know the why and the what and as you move forward, the how’s will take care of themselves. Gather up your guts and believe it will happen, then get going.
You do this every day when you drive your car. You probably don’t know how that engine works, but you have faith that it will work and believe that when you step on the gas, it will move forward. You know the why you want to drive someplace and the what is the car or what you need to drive to, then you just act as if that car will move forward for you and it does. No need to have all the how’s figured out. You don’t need to have it all figured out in order to move forward – just MOVE!
Take a look at this video on how your future is NOW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbNbfu85hUs&list=PLtUVv9eXCdIKmF4MMCOVMBuzeZ1nrrUQF