Top 5 Reasons to pick up The Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities

What does it mean to be empowered? What does it mean to be connected to purpose, passion and possibilities? In the book, I explore these questions from a holistic leadership point of view.

What is holistic leadership?

For me, holistic leadership is not only about bringing as many parts of yourself to everything you do, it is also about allowing these different parts of yourself to align and take you where you need to go. Allow this book to:

1) Be inspiring- This may inspire you to share your lessons in your own way, whether you seek to publish, are a teacher, or you teach through your leadership… You just never know how your life can be an example to others. I talk a little about my leadership journey and how a holistic approach to leadership helped me excel.

2) Reconnect you with the 3P’s (Purpose, Passion & Possibilities): Our journeys are ongoing and there is not one answer that is one fit all. Have you taken a moment to look at your goals and vision for your life in its current state? Have you examined and/or reexamined your purpose, passion and possibilities? Let us guide you with taking another look. Reconnect with one, two and/or three of these Ps and let your life continue to unfold.

3) Expand your experience: I am sure that there are sections of the book you can relate to more than others. Be open to all of the different experiences and viewpoints. I dare you to make a commitment to try something new. Take on a different approach, engage others in a new way and/or choose to carry out a suggestion/scenario you learned from the book. I write about challenging yourself. Go beyond what you have perceived to know.

4) Support women authors: We need to continue to send the message that all voices need to be heard in all forums and across industries. I encourage you to write your story, to blog and/or take on an expressive art form. The benefits of diversity and inclusion are limitless including economic gains and an innovative, creative workforce. Do your part to empower others as we hope to empower you with this book.

5) Give yourself permission to dream: The stories and examples you read will not only inspire you, they will allow you to dream. I am not talking about daydreaming and fantasizing about things that you can not have. I am talking about letting stillness guide you to go beyond your dreams. I am referring to visions you have for yourself and how you would like to impact those around you. As you continue to dream and the dreams get bigger, you will move further into your purpose, passion & possibilities.

Continue the conversation and pick up the Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities out August 1, 2014.

Possibilities in passion and purpose

Community helps to breed your passion into possibilities. The more you focus on your passions, the more your dreams and desires will come into your life. Speaking your passions helps them to come to you even when you least expect it. Words are so powerful. We speak things into existence through our words all the time. Who is your community? Your community of friends and family are a reflection of who you are. Find a mentor; find individuals you admire that you can talk to that share your passions.

Feedback from community can help guide you to your purpose and passion. What are the things people have always said you were good at? What feedback do you hear, consistently from different voices? Using your passions and strengths can only lead to purpose and possibilities. How do you share your joys with your community? With the world? We are all born with gifts and our gifts are meant to be shared.

The best ways I have lived my passions which has opened up possibilities is to speak of them. Join a group that focuses on your passion and/or start one. I committed to a weekly conservation with two women I admired that shared the same passion and the next thing I knew we created an initiative that had a larger impact. I have attracted how to transform my passion into community action. It is amazing how speaking into existence your passions can open up possibilities.

Surrender to purpose and passion; and possibilities will open up to you. All roads of purpose, passion and exposing as many parts of yourself, leads to possibilities. Raising our awareness to synchronicities, staying focused on our passions, being encouraged to dream, reviewing your beliefs and values are all ways to open up ourselves to possibilities. I am grateful for all the opportunities that continue to arrive in this life. I stick to my vision and meet new goals I set for myself, regularly.

Continue the conversation and pick up the Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities out August 1, 2014.

Passion: Pick up The Empowered Woman August 1

In celebration of the upcoming book release of the Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities, I am writing about purpose, passion & possibilities all month long. So today passion...

“Great leaders are awake, aware and attuned to themselves, to others and the world around them. They commit to their beliefs, stand strong in their values, and live true passionate live,” (Annie McKee & Richard E. Boyatzis, Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with others through mindfulness, hope and compassion). What do you love to do? How do you enjoy serving others? When do you feel most connected to yourself? The answers to these questions are most likely to be your passions. What brings meaning to your life?

Passion(s) declare who you are in terms of what you stand for and believe in. What would you die for? What ideas if put out of your mind would leave you so unhappy? What are your natural inclinations? What messages keep coming up in your life?

Tell your personal truth by what you are passionate about. Passion is a great motivator for acquiring and achieving purpose. Passion is about letting your gifts shine. A holistic approach to leadership sets up avenues to your true self. Your passion is reflected in your authenticity. Passion is about following your intuition and what feels right to you. Passion in many ways is the feeling that connects us to purpose.

A strong way to establish your passion(s) is to list what you believe in and what you stand for. What are your values? Beliefs? What are your top priorities? What would you like to explore more of? What are you curious about? Perform a values and beliefs review at least every three months. If there are messages that persist and continue to serve you and others in a positive way, you have gotten closer to identifying reoccurring themes that are meant for your life.

Continue the conversation and pick up the Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities out August 1, 2014

Purpose; Preview the conversation in upcoming book

Purpose is about how you give meaning to your life. The following four action steps can help you deepen your connection to purpose. For every step there are many questions that can assist in exploring meaning and purpose in your life.

1. Define what meaning is to you.
The text definition of meaning in this context is implied or explicit significance, important or worthwhile quality; purpose. Everyone has different priorities, values and life principals. The American dream that some have consumed may not be what everyone is striving for. Does it give meaning to our lives, anyway? What is most important to you? What is your lifestyle? What is your way of being?

2. Get to know yourself enough to be honest with yourself
Only you know what your passions are. Get in touch with what makes you feel good about yourself. What do you love to do? What are your hobbies? What are you really good at? What do you enjoy engaging in? What fills your heart with joy?
What are the skills that you use often and happily? What skills and qualities about yourself do others consistently encourage?

3. Be of service
In service to ourselves and others, I believe much meaning is discovered. How are you of service to others? Do you feel good about what you do no matter the size of the impact? Do you take time to notice the impact you are having around you? Have your skills revealed themselves? What skills are you consistently applying in and to your life? What are real patterns in your life? Where are your strengths in these patterns?

4. Have faith in what is being revealed to you.
Uncertainty is one thing to be certain of. Do you seize opportunities that present themselves? Do you believe in uncertainty? Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe in what you do? Do you go with the flow? Are you able to move forward while having no expectations?

Continue the conversation and pick up the Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities out August 1, 2014.

Purpose; Preview of Book The Empowered Woman

Many thought leaders have different definitions of purpose and particularly thoughts on what the purpose of life is. The Dalaai Lama shared, “An innate quality among sentient beings, particularly among human beings, is the urge or strong feelings to encounter or experience happiness and discard suffering or pain.  Therefore, the whole basis of human life is the experience of different levels of happiness.  Achieving or experiencing happiness is the purpose of life.”  Caroline Myss shared in her book Anatomy of the Spirit, “Again and again the sacred texts tell us that our life’s purpose is to understand and develop the power of our spirit, power that is vital to our mental and physical well-being.”

Are you living the life of who you truly are?  Purpose is probably one of the biggest questions people ask of life in order to feel like a meaningful contributor to the world.  We strive to live on purpose.  The great thing about purpose is each one of us has a unique calling for why we have been placed on this earth.  This calling shapes us, motivates us and challenges us.  The smallest contributions can make the biggest impact without our knowing in the moment.

Purpose is what drives us.  Everyone’s purpose is discovered in its own time and everyone moves at their own pace through the self discovery process and/or what many call this life journey.  Listening to your own inner voice will help expose purpose.  Our first assignment in purpose is to let it be unveiled to us.  What is our life purpose?  What are reoccurring patterns in our lives? What gifts and talents do we have?  Are we sharing them with the world?  What service do you provide to others that brings joy? Ask with your heart and be still enough to listen.  

What we have attached to the meaning of purpose has caused obstacles.  Purpose must be grandiose.  Purpose must make me rich and famous.  These thoughts and beliefs may stop us from living out our true being and purpose.  We need to be reminded what is most valuable in our lives.  It is what makes us feel and do good.  You are worthy of sharing your gifts and talents with the world, this is why you are here. 

Continue the conversation and pick up the Empowered Woman: Purpose, Passion & Possibilities out August 1, 2014. 

The value in discomfort

What is comfort, really? It is about certainty, isn’t it? Why are we so attached to comfort? What is the value in comfort? What is the value in discomfort?

For years, one of my group agreements during trainings has been Lean into discomfort. I offer this for many reasons. I want to invite you to be okay with discomfort; be okay with not knowing; uncertainty. Discomfort holds freedom, growth, and opportunity. If you raise your awareness of your comfort zone, and agree to be willing to stand at the fence between comfort and discomfort, you would be allowed to explore many parts of yourself. Exploring your levels of comfort and your comfort zone allows you to decide what you are comfortable with and what you are willing to try. I believe it good to push the boundaries of ourselves in a mindful and loving way.

The awareness of being uncomfortable can challenge your thinking and allow you to stretch yourself to make a different choice. Discomfort invites you to ask yourself, “What is going on with me?” Discomfort puts your life long learner part of you into action. You can build up the courage to try something new. In the space of discomfort you can identify any triggers and how the past can effect decisions. Whether the discomfort is physical, emotional, spiritual, there is real information about the self. Our bodies provide clues to our emotional centers and any discomfort is trying to send a message. Are you listening?

Why is “being comfortable” so positive? How positive is it to be complacent? How positive it is to be closed off to limited beliefs and rules? How positive is it to place limits on oneself? How positive is it to be too familiar?

I guess this is the life longer learner in me, speaking. Call me an optimist and I see value in all experiences whether we experience discomfort or not. Perhaps we should shift from wanting to be comfortable to wanting to be happy. Historians have followed “comfort” and have found much of the basis of the definition to come from class disparities; growing from the notion of trying to find the middle ground between luxury and necessity. Some historians believe that the notion of comfort sparked the development of human rights and the call to end slavery. Sounds to me like more than just discomfort did that.

The power of community

I write this blog to model exploring different sides of myself, practicing first hand what I believe holistic leadership to be. I hope that you are exploring with me. I like to examine the unexamined and challenge us to meet the needs of our true selves as opposed to what early learnings and outside influences have taught and hypnotized us with. My intention is to guide you through some exploration so that your mind clears up and you build your capacity for making clear intentions for yourself in moving your journey forward in the best way you are able at this time.

After exploring many parts of yourself, I recommend you identify your community. I am not talking about what groups you belong to, I believe there to be a difference. You may be grouped into certain categories by others, I am talking about how you identify yourself and what communities you have chosen to be apart of. Who do you build community with? Why? Who do you admire and what type of people would you like to be surrounded by?

Coming together in community is so powerful. As a community builder & community manager, I notice that I build community for myself and through work projects. I build at work through coalition work, and facilitating difficult conversations for and with different communities. I build for myself in connecting and relationship building with thought leaders that hold the same values. I engage in events where dialogues are taking place that I can contribute to and learn from.

The center piece for my community building has always been food. I notice that there are now formal network brunches which I believe in and support. Food will forever bring people together. To break bread is such an old and honored tradition that still holds true today. I have learned from my grandmother that food and feeding people can be a way to show your love and respect. What are your favorite things to share when in community? What brings your communities together?

I learn so much from community and in community with members, who like me are thought leaders, spiritual seekers, authors, leadership development professionals, life long learners, community and earth advocates and much more. The benefits of community building are endless; you have an audience of support, an audience of mentors, teachers, students, leaders and supporters. Communities transcend lives individually and together at the same time. With community you lay the foundation for your network and areas where you can grow and thrive.

What I enjoy most about community is the sharing and exchanging of ideas that are near and dear to our hearts. What are important dialogues do you want to be apart of? How do you engage in them? How can your communities make a difference? Coming together in unity always stands for the best results so how do you engage in community?