One of the biggest challenges at work is simply having time to think.
Carving out precious minutes of silence is even more challenging.
Yet from just 3-4 minutes of silent reflection for centering, you can quiet the monkey mind chatter.
That precious ‘time out’ is valuable ‘time-in’ for new insights and fresh perspectives. You free up some extra ‘bandwidth’ for new ideas and solutions to emerge.
Allow the silent reflection time to open you up and clear your mind. Let this video bring in new awareness and calm.
And if you are so inclined, connect with your own Inner Wisdom, Higher Power, Creator to provide guidance for you.
“Divine Teacher Within I Call Upon Thee” – from the Sikh tradition ‘Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo’
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Linda J. Ferguson, Ph.D. is a Job and Life Coach. She offers guidance and fresh perspectives to help you have successful work and balanced life. Visit www.lindajferguson.com/coaching/ for more information.
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I had the pleasure of coaching Ilana Rea to help her transition from her full-time corporate job to taking a sabbatical so she could focus on her writing. Needless to say there was a lot of fear for her – about finances, what others might think about her leaving her job, being a stay-at-home mom, would her writing be good enough.
All natural fears when one takes a bold step to pursue a dream. Yet she knew it was time to face her fears and do it anyway.
As thrilled as she was to be able to make this leap, to focus on writing and spend time with her 3 yr old daughter, it was also her biggest challenge. Writing with a 3 yr old nearby can be tough. Would she stay focused and committed to writing 2-3 hours a day?
I coached her through her worries, doubts, and fears to create a game plan for her writing. She’s now doing a weekly blog to keep writing while she works on her screenplay.
I’ve been enjoying these blogs and wanted to share a recent one about stepping through fear. She’s had enough experience with fear lately she’s gleaned some important insights from it.
Walking Into Fear by Ilana Rea
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
I spent last week with my brother and his family, including my 1-year-old niece. Talk about a love fest between toddler cousins. Em and Baby (as Em calls her) were inseparable, and I hope they will grow up to be like sisters. But I digress….
As it always seems to happen, our best conversation of the week was in the two hours before I had to drive back home. Something my brother said continues to resonate with me. We were talking about fear and the crazy things we did growing up (triathlon, running in jungles loaded with pit vipers and unexploded ordinance, you know, the usual stuff). My larger-than-life younger brother admitted to some pretty big fear, but said that he made the conscious choice of walking into his fears in order to overcome them (Whaaaaaat?): Fear of drowning? Learn to surf even though you can’t swim. Then love to surf and become a water rescue EMT. Fear of confrontation? Go into law enforcement and deal with confrontation, attitude, manipulation and lies all day long. He has also been a volunteer firefighter, and, though he didn’t call out the fear addressed, my projection is fear of tight, dark places. Oh yeah and becoming human toast. I did not know that fear was such a strong motivation for my brother’s career choice (one that fulfills him, by the way), and I respect him even more.
My point is how often do we try to address fear through risk mitigation, pros and cons charts, and outright denial or avoidance? Fear has a way of dragging you down, holding you back all your life. The worst part for me are the “what if” questions it raises, specifically “what would my life have been like if….”? Regret. It is the dread companion of fear.
Fear: such a small word with so much power if you let it control you. I have two sayings, intentions really, that I have used over the years to get me out of analysis paralysis and moving on artistic, athletic, and career endeavors:
1. There is no doubt in my mind that I will succeed. (When I have not identified a specific fear)
2. I will not be mastered by my fear. (When I do have the presence of mind to know what I fear)
The point is: Act. Do the cursory risk analysis, consult actuary tables if you must. But don’t get stuck there, because…You. Are. Stalling.
Act. Trust your gut. Believe that it is leading you down the right (though not always expected) path. I have said it before: fear is often a scarecrow that tries to divert you from your goal by keeping your attention on its grimacing, lifeless, dried-up face. And that scarecrow only moves passively…by the wind of attention and avoidance you give it. Walk past/over/through that fear and keep going. Oh, and as you pass by you can give that son of a bitch scarecrow a healthy punch or kick or rip it to shreds if you like. Just act and keep moving.
Ilana Rea is a writer who blogs about balancing the pursuit of one’s passion and purpose with the day-to-day realities of family and work. Visit her website : www.leavesfromatree.com
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Dr. Linda Ferguson is an author and job coach. Read more about her books and work at www.lindajferguson.com
I created this music video with the lovely music of a Sufi friend, Mahbood. He’s a marvelous singer-songwriter. I kept thinking of his song, ‘Ivdu Hashem B’Shimcha’, as we approach this Holy week of Passover and Easter.
May you find Joy to renew your Spirit this week and every week.
~ Linda J. Ferguson~
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Linda J. Ferguson, Ph.D. is the author of two books on spiritual living. Linda is a Job and Life Coach helping people move through their doubts and worries to live more joyfully and spiritually grounded. http://www.lindajferguson.com/coaching/
Are you the kind of person who fills up your free time quickly with busy work?
Beware of the Gerbil Wheel Trap!
If you had a snow day recently or the President’s Day holiday- how did you spend your time?
Instead of taking the opportunity to breathe, relax, unwind, reflect, I’m betting many of you filled your day with chores.
True confession- I used the extra time to gather paperwork for my taxes.
Yet remembering the ‘Gerbil Wheel Trap’ on my snow-bound day, I had a lovely phone chat with a friend I hadn’t heard from in a while.
Balance your week with Relaxation and Renewal
Here in the Washington DC area, and in our culture as a whole, we tend to be overly focused on being ‘productive’. That may come from fear. If we don’t look busy we may lose our job.
What a trap that is!
In a society that rewards productivity, we feel guilty taking time to relax, unwind. And in so doing we dismiss relaxation and renewal as being equally valuable.
Only when we feel we’ve ‘earned’ our time off, we give ourselves permission to relax. As we keep finding ways to stay busy, we miss so many opportunities to connect with ourselves and others in deeper ways.
If we take our cues from nature, Winter reminds us that it’s OK to slow down, go within, hibernate, and be still.
The Secret of Life – Enjoy the Passage of Time
One of my favorite song lyrics is from James Taylor- “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” I’ve remembered that phrase over the years. This simple phrase may help you have a life in balance.
When I find myself overly focused on my work or my to-do list, I look for ways to relax and renew. I know that in relaxing I find balance. With time away from work I come back with greater energy and often see things from a fresh perspective.
Next time you get a break from an unplanned snow day or an extra work holiday, give yourself permission to relax, recreate, renew yourself.
Nourish your soul as well as your body. The world needs more joyful, relaxed people
**
Linda J. Ferguson is a Job and Life Coach and author of two books on spiritual living.
Today’s blog focuses on Conscious Capitalism. As we enter the holiday season of good will towards all, your purchases and investments play a part in creating a world of peace and well-being, or greed and exploitation.
I want to spotlight three companies who are helping build a better world: World Reader, Root Capital, and SoleRebels
Are your investments creating the kind of world you want to have?
I’ve written several blogs about the importance of supporting companies who walk the talk of the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, profits). These companies truly believe in Corporate Social Responsibility.
As you grow your retirement funds, consider the social good that is created by the companies in your portfolio. Ask about the impact of your investments….. beyond your financial ROI.
Think about this- What good is saving a lot of money for retirement if the world you live in is less safe, more volatile?
If you don’t support conscious businesses, Will you need to earn even more money to pay for healthy food, clean air and clean water in the future?
Are you supporting businesses whose mission serves a higher purpose?
Eradicating Illiteracy
David Risher was an executive working at Amazon.com when they were developing the Kindle. He had an ephiphany on a trip to Ecuador. He saw a library in a remote village where most book orders never arrived. His vision was to provide books to remote villages around the globe by going digital. Risher left his job at Amazon to pursue a higher calling. Through a pilot project with funding from USAID in Ghana, he was able to demonstrate the potential of putting ebooks into the hands of children easily.
Founded in 2005 with her brother and husband,Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu creates sandals made from recycled tires.“Everyone today is concerned about reducing carbon footprints, which is great. But at soleRebels we also believe that people around the world want much more from the brands they are buying”, says Bethlehem. “I also want to emphasize that a company like ours can build scalable community-based businesses that allow people to have well paid jobs, while creating market-leading products and preserving the environment”. Bethlehem was invited by President Clinton to be one of the panelists at the Clinton Global Initiative (http://solerebels.ethiovision.com/).
Sustainable Farming
William Foote left a lucrative job on Wall Street to help farmers and coffee growers in Latin America. While working in Mexico he saw a need for creating a thriving financial market for mid-range agricultural businesses, those too big for microlending and too small for other global funding. Built on the idea of microlending, Root Capital is a social investment fund that grows rural prosperity in poor, environmentally vulnerable places in Africa and Latin America. His company lends capital and delivers financial training, and strengthens market connections for smaller farms and agricultural co-operatives (http://www.rootcapital.org/our-approach).
Remember socially responsible companies next time you adjust your stock portfolio or retirement funds. It’s a powerful way to put your money where your values are.
As people around the world honor the life of Nelson Mandela, his legacy of leadership for peace and justice offers much for the corporate world.
Mandela reminds us all of our True work- to preserve and uphold human dignity. For if we cannot preserve human dignity through our businesses, our commerce and economic system, then those systems and organizations don’t serve humanity and have no True value.
Despite the tough economic times, many top executives earn obscene bonuses while paying bottom tier employees barely enough to eat or pay rent. The workplace and business marketplace is no less a battle ground for peace, justice and human dignity that the streets of Soweto.
Mandela reminds us what Servant Leadership is: “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.” (Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, April 25, 1998) His example of Servant Leadership fits corporations as well- to make sacrifices for the human dignity of their workforce.
Most current management theories uphold the idea that if treated fairly and decently, people will do their best, bring their best, and contribute meaningfully to their jobs. When leaders break the trust of their employees and the public, they violate these fundamental management principles.
Leadership Torch
Mandela’s life reminds us that we have a bigger game to play.
May we all carry the torch of human dignity that Mandela carried through his darkest days in prison.
The world is a better place for Mandela’s living example of true Servant Leadership, and True work.
In our daily living we base decisions and actions on scarcity. I frequently hear from my coaching clients and friends they lack time- time to be with family, time to pursue what they love, time to rest, sleep, play.
As your time becomes more scarce, you value it more. Basic human nature.
Economics is based on this principle of scarcity. Though most people think economics is the study of money, classic economics is the study of utility- what is useful and valuable to us. Economics doesn’t just come from professors and wonks sitting in Ivory Towers, despite the stereotype. Economic theory is based on the study of human behavior.
Through centuries of observation of human behavior- how people make decisions and act- economic models are developed. And these models of human behavior center on the principle of scarcity. The more scarce something is, the more valuable it becomes to us. No theorist in the corner office is dictating that- it comes from our ordinary every day activity. Whether it’s time, art, flowers, land, water, food, scarcity is a key component to economic theory and how we live day to day.
So how do we shift away from basing our life (and economic models) on scarcity?
Can we truly live in Abundance in a Scarcity world?
The conclusion I’ve come to is that we have to shift our mindset, our consciousness.
It’s our mindset that creates scarcity. It’s our ability to see and understand possibilities that is limited, lacking.
As we believe and act from a mindset of no lack or scarcity, we shift into abundance thinking. And by doing so we create greater abundance. Expand your horizons, focus more generally, be more global in your thinking and you step into abundance. You change how you act, make decisions, and live by how you understand and expand your options.
Case in point. If you want only one type of phone, you limit the phone you will buy and create scarcity for yourself. If you expand your thinking and focus on what that phone offers for you- it’s utility- you recognize the value of it is to share ideas and connect with friends and family. Now you expand your options to the many ways you can share ideas and connect with people.
When you know that there is no limit on the amount of joy you can have, you freely share it. As you freely share joy, you create more joy around you.
As you telescope out and realize there are infinite ways to live happily, or work meaningfully, you start to dial into greater abundance.
From this mindset and awareness you live a prosperous life.
It’s all in how you define prosperity and abundance. As soon as you limit your life choices on specific tangible things you have to have in order to be happy and fulfilled, you shrink from abundance into scarcity.
Test this out in the weeks ahead. When you catch yourself thinking ‘this is limited, not enough, scarce’, go general and think ‘there is more abundance here’.
Have Fun!
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If this blog speaks to you, Click here to order Linda’s new book, Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand. In it you’ll find more ideas and exercises to step into a world of Abundance.
Available as paperback, Kindle, iStore, Nook
Sign-Up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com to put these ideas into practice. You’ll receive Linda’s framework of Transformational Empowerment to help you manifest your dreams and live abundantly.
November is the 11th month and we just passed 11-11. I thought I’d play a bit with the numbers to begin this blog.
The number One represents new beginnings. Double 1’s for 11 represent pillars or gateways. The number eleven represents Higher Consciousness or Master Teacher Mind.
In this week of 11-11 we have a chance to walk through new gateways and find ways to connect with Higher Consciousness.
What do you want to start or see emerge new in your work?
What do you need to see or understand with the Beginners Mind or the Master Teacher Mind?
Higher Consciousness Organizations
Many executives, leaders, and management authors refer to organizations as if they were an entity of their own. Aside from the legal status, organizations don’t exist on their own.
Organizations are made up of people. Those this seems obvious, it’s good to reflect on the true nature of organizations.
Organizations don’t behave unethically, people do.
Organizations aren’t creative, people are.
Organizations aren’t successful, people accomplish results for the organization.
Next time you hear about organizations performing poorly or well, look deeper to find out what the people within the organization are doing.
In my book, “Path for Greatness“, I describe Higher Consciousness Organizations (HCOs). I give examples of people and organizations that typify the characteristics of HCOs (See chapters 16 & 17).
Click on the link below to hear a webinar for Organizational Development consultants. I describe new ways of organizing and new characteristics of organizations that are emerging.
As new forms of organizing occur, new ways of conceptualizing organizations are needed. In this month of new beginnings and Higher Consciousness, I invite you to have a conversation with your colleagues and professional peers.
What new forms of organizational structures, values, guiding principles, communication, and relating do you envision and want to bring forward?
You feel a disconnection between what you do for a career and your calling, your life purpose.
If these describe you, you are not alone. From 20-somethings to Baby-boomers, more people are waking up from their slumber and searching for a life worth living.
This isn’t a recent phenomenon by any means. I recently ran across this wonderful poem from Hafiz, a 14th century Sufi mystic, called The Great Work
Love is the great work
Though every heart is first an Apprentice that slaves beneath the city of Light.
This wondrous trade, this magnificent throne your soul is destined for-
You should not have to think much about it,
Is it not clear an apprentice needs a teacher who himself
Has charmed the universe to reveal its wonders inside his cup.
Happiness is the great work
Though every heart must first become a student to one who really knows about Love.
(in “The Gift”, pg 74)
Life Purpose is More than Your Job
Have you spent hours reading books and attending seminars on ways your work can fulfill your life purpose?
I’ll save you a lot of money and time right now…. Your life purpose is a WHOLE lot bigger than your job or career.
Pay attention here because this is important:
The secret isn’t to find your life purpose- it’s about living your life WITH purpose.
Your life purpose isn’t hidden somewhere beneath the covers of your bed, or in your clothes, your resume or diploma.
3 Essential Questions for Living WITH Purpose
Your life unfolds WITH purpose- if you are living intentionally.
If you are open to the nudges of your soul calling you to be awake, you live with purpose every day.
You live purposefully with every act, thought, and decision large and small, by dedicating your life to loving service.
If you want to know what your life purpose is just ask these three questions:
How can I be more Loving today?
How I can offer Joy today?
How can I serve others today?
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As an Author and Coach, Linda J. Ferguson, Ph.D. shares her life purpose by reminding people to walk the path of Love not fear.
www.lindajferguson.com – Sign-Up for valuable tools to live and work from the heart – Transformational Empowerment TM
Life keeps throwing us curve balls. Project Complications. Family Illness. Traffic Jams. Scheduling Conflicts.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed.
As you run from one commitment to another, trying not to let things fall through the cracks, worry and doubts creep in. The monkey mind chatter screams loudly in your head.
‘Will I be able to cover my credit card bill this month?’
‘What if our proposal isn’t accepted?’
‘What if I don’t get enough clients this week?’
‘How can I work with this guy, he’s such a jerk?’
Anxiety becomes the driver of your life. You let fear run the show.
If this describes your life and you don’t like the show……Change the channel.
Dial into another station.
In our hectic week we rarely take time to pause, breathe deeply, reflect on the bigger picture for our life.
My main message in the radio shows I’ve done this year is to wake up, pay attention to the thoughts and choices you make. Live Intentionally and Authentically.
Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand
You get the opportunity every day to choose other station, another way to live your life.
If you are looking for more balance, serenity, hope, and strength, then change the channel.
Get the support you need.
I’d like to invite you to join my course- Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand. You’ll get reminders, tips, and tools to use throughout your week to help you stay balanced, grounded, and energized.
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