Ditch Your Security Blanket, Enhance Your Innergy
March 24, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
We all have security blanets. Our own version of a binky that we hold dear, or just hold onto and may not be conscious of why we’re holding onto it. Your security blanky may be a job, material possessions, magazines, clothing, furniture, ways of thinking, certain behaviors, specific meals or foods, habits or perceptions about who you are and what you do or don’t do or what you like and don’t like.
Sometimes we need to ditch our binky and have the courage to move through life without that old net that doesn’t necessarily serve us or comfort us any more. The conversations I’ve been having with friends in transition lately – that includes conversations with myself – seem to turn up a few themes. One of the themes is: that which we most coveted once upon a time is now a burden. Another theme is that we are tired of some of our old ways and are itching for a change. Either a change of pace, a change of scenery, a change of challenge, or a change of lifestyle or partner or whatever. We are just itching to ditch our old ways and break free of our comfort zones. As my colleague Annette announced after she went skydiving, “we need to foster eccentricity”!
I feel like goldilocks and the four climates. In the past few years I’ve moved from the East coast to the desert, to the mountains and now to the beaches of the West coast. You won’t know if you don’t go…. so I had to experience all the zones to find one just right. I realized I didn’t want to live in a harsh climate. Along with all those moves came lots of purging and re-discovery of what matters. Sometimes it just isn’t time to let go. Give it another move and a few thousand dollars spent in schlepping stuff around, and you may change your mind about just how important something is in your life and you’ll soon decide to unload it.
My security blankets as it turned out were the European antiques I brought back from my decade spent overseas. I realized after 20 years with them, that they no longer represented who I was now. Other comfort items were my books and articles I’d collected over the years in the journey to becoming an Energy Expert. Each move I gave about around 50 books. This move it was 200. It was a challenge to give away information at first. I would be flying solo if I needed to write a book or article without backup material. Once I decided I’ve absorbed enough info and that it was enough, it was easy to let go. I also gave away most of my dishes, crystal, furniture and all the stuff I collected over the years that didn’t suit my creatively cool, casual simplistic lifestyle. If it doesn’t fit into that category, it’s outta here. What doesn’t fit your style any more? What are you still holding onto that isn’t who you are today? Just like old hairstyles, old home styles, work styles, communication styles, clothing styles etc need to be updated as we grow and change.
What ensued is that I feel much more innergized, lighter, unencumbered, able to breathe easier and move freer in my space that is congruent with who I am now and not who I was when I acquired all that stuff. I jettisoned about two-thirds of my belongings in the last 2 moves and now out goes much of the rest of it except what is functional and I’m just fine with that. Know when there is a time and a place to be able to let go of your “stuff”. Sometimes it’s too early to let it go. You will know when things become a burden, or at least don’t bring you joy or offer something positive in your life – your work, the people around you, your way of moving through the world. Take a good look at all the security blankets you have in your life. Is it time to let go of some of them and run through the world without clinging onto something that doesn’t suit you any more?
Gratitude & Creative vs. Competitive Thoughts
November 28, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
The topic of gratitude comes up often particularly at this time of year. My mastermind team suggested we cover the book The Science of Getting Rich
Here’s a paraphrased excerpt from one chapter:
We must convey our wants to the universe and relate to it in a harmonious way. The whole process of mental adjustment and atunement is summed up in gratitude. We must believe that there is one intelligent substance from which allthings proceed and this substance gives us everything we desire and we relate to it through a deep and profound feeling of gratitude. Living in thankful acknowledgement brings us closer in touch with the creative energies of the universe and our source and keep us from falling into competitive thought.
Gratitude can keep us from falling into the limiting thoughts of lack and hopelessness and keep us focused on abundance. Keeping your mind fixed on the best is to surround yourself with the best vs. dwelling on the inferior. Faith is born of gratitude andt he graeful ind continually expects good things and expectations becomes faith. Passing from the competitive mindset to the creative mindset is necessary in order to be in harmony with the the universe. A person must form a clear and definite mental image of the things he wishes to have , do or become and hold this mental image in his thoughts while beeing deply grateful to the universe for granting him all he desires. It starts with creative spirit of thought and gratefulness.
Riches can be defined as financial success, personal enrichment, friends, love, enlightenment or other forms of prosperity. Dwell in the realm of possibility and gratitude and shift your mindset from competing with others for limited quantities to creating a bigger pie for all; and you will be well on your way to a more energized life at all levels.
Take a look at how you perceive others in your industry – are they your competitors, or do you collaborate with them to create something bigger than either of you could have dreamed of? In the speaking industry we often collaborated and created bigger programs when we joined forces or shared ideas and expanded our universe. The same holds true in the fastest-growing business model on the planet – network marketing. It’s a team effort where you help others become successful. How are you perceiving your colleagues? Do you hold your future visions in your mind or are they on paper? Do you consider gratitude in your daily living? Are you ushering in creative or competitive thoughts…thoughts of lack or thoughts of abundance?
What is the Energy and Velocity of Your Money?
July 24, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I’ve been hearing a lot about the velocity of money lately. The topic has come up in several teleconferences I’ve attended in relation to building wealth, enhancing relationships and improving prosperity on many levels.
Velocity of money is defined simply as the rate at which money changes hands. If velocity is high, money is changing hands quickly, and a relatively small money supply can fund a relatively large amount of purchases. On the other hand, if velocity is low, then money is changing hands slowly, and it takes a much larger money supply to fund the same number of purchases.
What kind of energy are you giving your money? How many times do you send it out to do work for you and serve others? How often are you letting go of it in order to allow others to make a living from what you give them in exchange for their skills? Are you holding tight to what you have and not letting it go out do circulate, mingle and mix in the economy and in the social scene with other cash? Does your money become a spinster, sitting home, under the proverbial mattress or in a checking or savings account not earning you anything and not doing anybody any good? Or does your cash network with others and bring people, opportunities, energy, life force and vitality to your life by making the rounds in your community?
Sure we should have an emergency account just in case, but that doesn’t mean it has to sit there like a couch potato just waiting for something bad to happen. Your emergency fund could be earning even more income for you or any other sorts of ways to keep it moving and in action. Keeping your cash moving and creating energy for you and for others by exchanging hands is what gives it more velocity. And with more velocity the economy grows and so do the opportunities that come your way because of it.
So what kind of energy are you giving your money? What is the velocity of your money? Like love, compliments, appreciation or other types of acknowledgment, it doesn’t help anybody for you to hold them tight and not give some away. By giving and exchanging hands, you give opportunities and energy to others as well. Remember that emotion is energy in motion – giving away emotions helps keep us in motion and keeps the velocity going as well. If you’re feeling stuck, try giving something away and taking action. Forward motion and creating velocity helps attract new things into your life to get unstuck. Go ahead and create some velocity today and give something away.
Claim Your Independence
July 4, 2007 | Posted in Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Ten years ago this holiday week, I put myself on house arrest to write my first book. It was Independence Day and I decided to claim my independence from the shackles of a tyrant boss and a job from hell by writing the first of many books and articles on how to energize your life. That book was the springboard to my career and financial independence as an entrepreneur, professional speaker and author. My life was never the same after the book was published by Labor Day – quite possibly the fastest book to be written and published on record in just 2 short months. I was determined to get on the fast track of working for myself.
Now I’m working on the third edition of the book, it may be turned into a workbook so it’s more interactive…it’s been on the back burner while other ventures are bubbling over. It’s been an exciting ride and there’s lots more to come. Many different ways to claim independence: from administrivia, from housework, from yard work, from running errands in order to reclaim my time for the things that matter. Outsourcing is a wonderful thing.
How can you restake your claim on your independence this holiday? What can you do to outsource some of your time so you can reclaim that time back for the things that matter? Can you start a new side business that will earn passive income so you can claim independence from a j-o-b? Call me at 480-802-0103 and I’ve got some ideas for you to create your own cash machine to get you on your path to true financial independence. There’s nothing more energizing than feeling your freedom and knowing you can fly. Freedom is a wonderful thing. In what other ways can you claim your independence and also celebrate your interdependence with those who matter most?
Happy Independence Day!
Celebrate Your Point of Enoughness
July 2, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Americans seem to be on the treadmill of always striving and never arriving. The deal it, that you’ve got to know when you reach your point of “enoughness” so you know when you can celebrate your arrival. When do you really arrive? Where are you arriving? Have you taken time to actually know what you want to accomplish in order to know you’ve arrived? Once you’re there, do you move the finish line?
Some say that they’ll keep moving the finish line as long as it’s still fun to achieve. Some say they’ll never reach it, or else what’s the point after the finish line, death? Or retirement? What’s after retirement? What’s after death? Another finish line?
Having goals keeps up energized. It’s not even the fact that we reach a particular goal, it’s just having something just out of our grasp that we keep reaching for that keeps us motivated, excited and keeps us moving forward and also keeps our energy up. What are you looking forward to? Are you putting enough things into your life to look forward to? How do you know when you have reached your point of enoughness? Authors Vicki Robin and the late Joe Domenguez stated in their book Your Money or Your Life, that after your point of enoughness, there is a dimishing return of satisfaction and the way to fulfillment is through giving. Giving to your community, giving to others, giving of your knowledge, giving some of your share of the pie. How are you giving of yourself to keep yourself and other energized? Take stock of what you really need to energize your life and to be at your point of enoughness, then take the time to celebrate.
Time = Money = Life Energy
June 29, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Forget the Euro, time is the currency of the new millennium. Unlike money, which can be earned back and recreated after it’s spent; time cannot be earned back once we spend it. So we need to spend it wisely and in alignment with our values, goals, wants and needs. Be purposeful about the use of your time and guard your time as you would guard your vault, it’s more precious.
We all know that time = money. But it also equals our life energy. When we spend time doing something, like work, we are exchanging our life energy for money. Being aware of how we are spending our life energy will help us decide whether or not we are making good choices with our time and with our life.
Rethink your spending habits of your time and your money. For instance – if you make $10 per hour and want an item that costs $100, then you would need to exchange at least 10 hours of your time for that item. Is that item really worth at least 10 hours of your life to have? In essence, you make far less than your official hourly wage, when you consider the time it takes to commute, buy lunch, buy work clothes, buy gas or subway tokens to get to work. It really boils down to maybe half of your official hourly rate, so that item for $100 realy is costing you about 17 hours of your life….is it worth it?
Make wise choices on how you spend your time and how you spend your money and you will reap richer rewards in the area of your life energy. Be very aware of your boundaries for your time and spend your time on the things and with the people that matter.
Are You Crazy or Lucky – How’s Your Energy?
May 8, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I just returned from an amazing week in Cabo – among some of the finest minds I’ve ever witnessed. The energy in the conference room of 250 entrepreneurs, wealth builders and investors was palpable. Most of our guest speakers commented on the energy in the room. Being a professional speaker, I could relate to what they were saying about feeling the energy of the room. It’s electric in some crowds and void in others. The reason why this crowd was vibrating on a higher fequency was that we all knew that we are in charge of creating our own future and we have a plan to get there.
Unlike so many other audiences who are joined together because of an employer, this group was there by choice and they were in tune because they have the wealth road map. It’s amazing how much more energy you have when you are on the path to wealth and life’s riches – not just money riches, but prosperity in all forms.
One of our speakers was a developer in Los Cabos – on the Baja Penninsula – owning a reported huge percentage of the land down there. He said when you do things against the norm of the masses, you are considered crazy. When it begins to see that things are working out for you, then you are called a visionary. One of our other speakers was Steadman Graham. You may have heard of his significant other, Oprah. He also spoke on the belief in yourself and your vision. See photo of me showing him my vision board I created on a card to carry with me at all times at www.BizBuilderCards.com.
When all is said and done and your pathway has lead to success, you are considered lucky. So are people calling you crazy? Are they calling you a visionary? Or are they telling you that you’re lucky? That may just be the evidence you need to show just how far you’ve come.
When you’re on your right path, your energy will soar. My hair stylist today said now that she has her own shop, she bounds out of bed and comes to work early. She said her old co-workers would never believe it because she was always late when she worked with them. It’s amazing the energy you find when you work for yourself and are in charge of creating your own future.
Happy Herd or Mad Cows at Work
December 15, 2006 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Happy Holidays!
I hope this finds you well and enjoying the wind-down of the season and the many festive office parties that are sure to abound. In appreciation for your support and adding light to my world, I wanted to share this pdf version of the new issue of Stephen Covey’s Sales and Service Excellence magazine that features Fun*cilitators and our article on Contented Cows – How to Create a Happy Herd at Work through mixing fun and effectiveness. It hits the bookshelves in January and I wanted you to have a sneak peek – I thought you might like to get a jump on your competition and be the first on your block to get the inside scoop on building a better team.
If you want a copy of the magazine article in a pdf version, send me an email at Gaia@gaiahart.com to get your own copy and share it with others who may be just chewing their cud at work.
We’ve stocked up on our 52 Ways to Have Fun at Work card deck to prepare for the upcoming publication date. If you want 52 more ways to have more fun at work in addition to the article, send me an email or give me a call to order your own card deck chalked full of ideas, tips and tidbits to practice safe stress at work. 866.Fun.at.Work or Gaia@gaiahart.com.
To Your FUNominal Success!
Gail