Category: Improving Yourself

Often we don’t pursue our passion or dreams because we don’t think it’s possible or practical to achieve them. How many times have you heard some one squelch a dream or aspiration with the words, “That’s not very realistic”.

When some one thought to put a computer on every desk, Tom Watson, then president of IBM, scoffed at the idea. He notably remarked that only a handful of people would ever need a computer. Luckily we have entrepreneurs, artists, social advocates, and expansive thinkers who don’t just look at what Is and think that’s all that can ever be.

The Edges are Where Magic Happens

Are you feeling the nudges of your heart calling you to expand how you show up in the world? If you want to be a conscious co-creator, you need to move past what is – what is already showing up in your life – to what can be. Focus on the next best expression of your life.

If you want to live bigger, express yourself more, dance with delight that you have an amazing life, you’ll likely push against the boundaries of social convention. At some point you’ll feel the boundaries of your own mind.

Most people aren’t even aware of their self-limiting beliefs of “I can’t” or “That will never happen”. These mental boundaries are often so deeply engrained we don’t see them.

Yet if you want to Show Up and Step Up to the fullest potential of Who You Are- you’ll need to recognize and push beyond the borders of What Is. Don’t simply accept boundaries given to you by your parents, boss, Vice President, peer group. You choose your comfort zone intentionally or not.

Below is a passage from my first book, “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service” where I share a story of a mental boundary I had in college. It was only years later that I recognized the boundary that perhaps changed the course of my life by limiting career options I considered.

… From a very early age, we are taught what we can or cannot do. These messages can be so deeply engrained that we aren’t even aware that they influence us. Perhaps only years later, when we have a chance to try something new, do we invoke these messages from deep withing our mental storage.

I was interested in juvenile justice work in college but gave up the idea after taking a course in it. My sociology professor said that to really make a difference in the life of juveniles we needed to be a juvenile judge or a lawmaker to enact broad-based changes. The real lesson here is this: it never occurred to me that I could be either a judge or a lawmaker. In part that was because I didn’t think women could be judges or lawmakers, but also I didn’t believe I had the gifts necessary to excel in these careers….” (pg 44)

Regardless of where or when the boundaries of your mind were set, you have a chance every day to exceed it. If you have a desire to live bigger, work bigger, play bigger, notice what messages and thoughts arise about the possibility of achieving your dream.

You get to decide which boundaries you want to explore and move past. Halleluiah!

During my career, I have been given a few nuggets of wisdom from people with whom I have made contact. Upon truly understanding their meaning, those words shaped a paradigm shift in my thinking that transformed the way in which I did my work or lived my life. Other pieces of wisdom I heard simply reaffirmed what I already knew, but perhaps provided a unique way in which to describe or communicate the concept. One of those concepts seems to be rarer today than when my career started and I thought I would share it with you.

During my last year of undergraduate work, a guest speaker came to speak to my leadership class. Her message was inspiring and spoke to the good that can be done when only one person takes a stand to make a difference. Upon concluding her talk, she suggested that we always remember who we represent. In our daily interactions with the world around us we are representing the groups in which belong. Those groups include our family, our educational institutions, our religious organizations, our communities, our workplaces and yes even our sport teams. And whether or not we want the responsibility, our actions send a message to those with whom we interact about the people that make up our group.

What does your message send about you, your family or even the field of HR? If you are in HR, you most likely understand the negative perceptions that may exist about our ability to really contribute to the business or make a financial impact. But what are you doing today to change those? How are you leading change in your organizations? How are you modeling the core values you represent?
Think about the following:

. You are a recruiter for a company. In your personal time, you spend hours to complaining to everyone who will listen about how bad your company is. (This goes beyond the very tight inner circle of people with whom you have developed a deep relationship of trust and may even include those postings we have all heard about on all those social networking sites.) When you come to work, you spend hours wondering why you can’t get your network to send you any referrals.

. You completed your degree and are very quick to point out to others this new credential you earned. (Go ahead; you deserve to brag a little). But then at every opportunity, you bash the school and the curriculum. And talk about how it was a huge waste of time. Or you use your 10 years of experience working at a company as a credential on your resume, but during an interview with a potential employer, you spend 15 minutes bashing the company and everything they did wrong.

. You volunteer with a charity. You are put in charge of a project that requires the recruitment of volunteers. You schedule a meeting with those who may be interested in volunteering. While you are waiting to start the meeting, you friend who came to help out walks over and you spend ten minutes venting to her about how frustrating it is working with the leaders of the organization.

On the days when emotions take over and I start to resemble the examples above, I check myself. I take a moment and I think about who I am representing. The next step is to ask, “what can I do to make it better?”
Where will you start?

Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

We all know that the relationships in our lives are so important. In fact, motivational speaker Brian Tracy said that 80% of our success in life really depends on our relationships. Yet how many of our relationships are really connections with people that go deep, that matter? With all the social media outlets, we are able to connect with more people than ever before. However, most of the time these connections are brief updates on what is going on in our lives or things that we like.
What I’m talking about here are the connections that we want to foster, the network of people that is important in our life and work. One word sums up what we can do to create new and long-lasting connections that matter – GIVING.
G – Get to know each other. When you meet someone take interest first in what is important to them (i.e. their family, passions, hobbies, organizations). This is a great guide for you to know what brings them joy. You’ll also want to share the same type of things about yourself so they can get to know you.
I – Impression. You’ll always make an impression. The question is whether it’s going to be a good one or not. When we connect with someone new it’s important to be intentional about the kind of impression we want to impress upon others. Knowing yourself and being yourself is the best impression you can leave. Think of three words that best describe you. Live these words each time you connect and you won’t have to worry about the kind of impression you make.
V – Value. This is core to any relationship, especially when you are meeting important new people in your life. What is the value that you can add for them should always be at the forefront of your mind. Is it to make a personal connection/introduction for them? Is it an article that you read that they would really benefit from? Is it a volunteer opportunity to get involved in that would leverage their expertise?
I – Important. Asking questions is important; especially ones that will really help you connect with the important things in their lives. Try these out:

• What do you like to do for fun when you are not working?
• What is the most important project you are working on?
• How can I help you with that?

N – Noteworthy. Once you find out the things that matter to them, don’t forget about them. Just the other day I connected with a woman that I hadn’t seen for nearly a year and I asked about her two boys. She was impressed I remembered she had two boys. I write things down so I don’t forget the next time I see them, important dates, names, interests, etc… One of my favorite things to do is to let people know how much they matter to me through cards. My gratITude cards work great for this.
G – Give more. Never stop giving value is a surefire way you’ll keep these connections strong. Because as Cynthia Kersey said, “Giving is the most potent force on the planet and has significant impact on every area of your life.”

As your inspired life mentor, Janae Bower is passionate about helping YOU live a more balanced, purposeful and inspired life! Her writings, speaking and coaching are the spark of inspiration you need to energize you on your journey of personal transformation.

 

I’ve been thinking lately about the differences between life purpose, goals, and dreams. Share your thoughts on these in the comments below. I’d love to hear how you distinguish these and use them in your life.

Life Purpose

Many people think, “If I figured out my life purpose, I’ll know what job to pursue”. You are missing the bigger picture for your life if you think of life purpose only with respect to a job or career. You fulfill your life purpose through all the ways you engage with the world. If you need to learn about compassion, forgiveness, patience, acceptance, non-judgment etc. you can fulfill that life purpose any where and with anyone.

Life Purpose is about the larger mission for your life. It’s larger than a job or career. It’s larger than your family or hobby or interests. Life purpose in my mind is a spiritual journey. It involves your soul contracts, and the spiritual lessons you need to learn in your life. Your job, family, and hobbies all are props to help you fulfill your life purpose.

Don’t get stuck in the details and weeds of your life looking for your life purpose there. Take the Eagle view and see what threads keep weaving through your life to learn your life purpose. If you want an exercise for starting this journey, email me (info@lindajferguson.com).

Goals

Goals are for short term projects. You have a goal to get a new job, to finish a house project, to travel someplace. These are tangible, time limited projects that you want to complete. Use the SMART framework to create clear goals. Make them Specific, Measurable (how will you know you completed your goal), Acceptable, Realistic, Timely (specify a time frame when the goal will be completed, usually not longer than 3-6 months).

When I work with my coaching clients, I have them establish 1-3 SMART goals they want to complete within 90 days. These serve as the focus of our work together. I coach my clients through their stumbling blocks, review progress of their weekly action steps, and provide inspiration and support as they complete their goals. It helps to have a neutral person to support and provide guidance on your goals.

Dreams

Dreams seem to be those high aspirations, the “wouldn’t it be wonderful if…” ideas you have. They may be part of your life purpose, but not necessarily. Some people think dreams are fanciful, but not necessarily achievable. If you want to take action to fulfill your dreams, you’ll need to establish goals to get you there.

If you find yourself in a rut or not very enthusiastic about life or work, consider having a dream (or two or three). If you want to expand your life, dreams are a good way to start.

• What is the next wonderful thing you could imagine for your life?
• What is the glorious expression of peace and love you’d like to see in your world?

These will get you thinking about your dreams. Let your answers percolate and simmer in the back of your brain. Then see what gets your attention over the next few weeks. If something resonates or seems like a coincidence to your dream, take note of what messages you are getting. You may be getting some nudge from the Universe to tune in more clearly to what is unfolding for you.

Let me finish here with a wonderful quote from one of my folk heroes, Bill Breeden. I mention him in the chapter on Life Purpose in my first book, Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service.

Like Jonah, you may seek other adventures, only to be swallowed up by experiences larger than yourself, and finally to be spit out so that you can pursue your true purpose. It is like Abraham saying to God, “Here I am.” Rev. Bill Breeden

As you pursue your life purpose, your dreams, and goals, be willing to be swallowed up by something bigger than yourself.

Surf’s Up!

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Dr. Linda J. Ferguson is a spiritual job and life coach, author and speaker. Her latest book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” is a spiritual guidebook for daily living. Available from Amazon or your local independent book store.

Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service” is a wonderful gift for a colleague, friend or family member. Available on Amazon or your local independent book store.

Sign-Up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for tools and inspiration to live and work from the heart.

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If you’ve lost your job in the recent economic downturn, now is a wonderful opportunity to find your Right Livelihood. Use this time to fully examine your skill set and where your growing edge is. Don’t be afraid to explore something new, more in alignment with your skills and interests.

If you are still in the same job you were 20 years ago, what’s keeping you there? Is it inertia and fear? What may be calling you now to step out and re-align your work with who you really are?

I’ve had several occasions in the last decade where I’ve had to re-structure my skill set, learn new skills, and re-align my work with my current interests. Though the period of re-alignment was financially and mentally scary, in the end I landed exactly where I needed to be. I ended up doing work that was gratifying and rewarding.

If you are contemplating a job change or have a job change forced on you, don’t despair. Take this opportunity as a gift from the Universe to follow your path to Enlightenment, Authentic Living, and greater Wisdom.

Right Livelihood Calling You

Your Right Livelihood may lie at the far reaches of your growing edge. It maybe calling you to shift where you are and taking you where you need to be next.

In the chapter of my first book on life purpose, I describe some differences between Workaholism and Right Livelihood. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 3 of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service” that summarizes Right Livelihood:

 

Because people spend so much of their waking life in work, the Buddha recognized that Right Livelihood is a vehicle to practice morality in work and find Enlightenment. Right Livelihood is work that does no harm and brings people closer to Ultimate Wisdom. Right Livelihood is the fifth step along the Buddhist Eightfold Path to Enlightenment. Through Right Livelihood one can practice Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, and Right Action.

The focus of Right Livelihood is not on having a particular job or doing a specific type of work, but on the process and way of being through one’s work. Right Livelihood is joyful and serves others. It helps us grow and learn; it fits who we are. Through Right Livelihood we see work being as much a vacation as a vocation. Most importantly, Right Livelihood helps us see how we are all part of the Web of Life, and thus does not entail bringing harm to others, society, or the earth.

Right Livelihood is a creative process, ever-unfolding and ever-changing. As we learn and grow, our Right Livelihood must change to allow us to grow and use more of our gifts. We must continually examine who we are and what we need to do to fulfill our purpose. We will use and develop different gifts at different stages of our life.

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Dr. Linda J. Ferguson is a Job and Life Coach supporting spiritually awakened professionals to step through their fears and challenges to find greater harmony and joy. Visit www.lindajferguson to see videos and learn more about Linda’s work.

Linda’s first book, “Path for Greatness” is available as paperback and ebook from Amazon, and your local independent book store.

This week has been a big one for me to face my fears and see past the illusions. Many people are reacting with fear to news from Washington of the budget problems. Perhaps your job is affected by that.

I want to offer some thoughts here to help you step through any fears or doubts you are having. To help you see through illusions projected by fear-creators in your work or life, know that only you can choose to look at your world through the lens of fear- or not. You don’t have to buy into other people’s fear.

I remembered the acronym -F.E.A.R. standing for False Evidence Appearing Real.

Various faith traditions speak of walking through faith tests and facing ever more challenging situations as a way to strengthen connection to Source/God/Allah/Great Spirit/Holy Oneness (that goes by many names yet is beyond naming).

Sadhana – Spiritual Practice

I recently ran across these ideas on Sadhana. Sadhana is disciplined spiritual practice in pursuit of a goal, or to connect ever more deeply with God/God Consciousness. Sadhana is undertaken in Buddhism, Sufism, and Hinduism in various ways, all designed to focus the mind and bring clarity.

I offer here some reminders if you are facing fears, dealing with tests of faith, or needing to see past illusions.

From Ram Dass:

As you further purify yourself, your impurities will seem grosser and larger. Understand that it’s not that you are getting more caught in the illusion, it’s just that you are seeing it more clearly.

The lions guarding the gates of the temples get fiercer as you proceed towards each inner temple. But of course the light is also brighter. It all becomes more intense because of the additional energy involved at each stage of sadhana.

There are stages at which you feel pulled in to inner work and all you seek is a quiet place to meditate and to get on with it. Then there are times when you turn outward and seek to be involved in the market place. Both of these parts of the cycle are a part of one’s sadhana. For what happens to you in the market place helps in your meditation and what happens to you in meditation helps you to participate in the market place without attachment.”

Meher Baba offers these thoughts on Sadhana:

The goal of sadhana is God-realization. It aims at bringing about a radical change in the quality of life so that it permanently becomes an expression of the Truth in the eternal NOW. Sadhana is spiritually fruitful if it succeeds in bringing the life of the individual in tune with the divine purpose, which is to enable everyone to enjoy consciously the God-state.”

May your journey to Oneness be taken with courage, determination, grace, and awareness.

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Dr. Linda J. Ferguson is an author, speaker, job coach, and energy worker. Her spiritual practices include Sufi Dances of Universal Peace, Integral Yoga, Shamanic drumming, and Medicine Wheel prayers.

Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson for more blog posts and updates of Linda’s work.

Share Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”as a gift for a colleague, friend or family member who desires to integrate their spiritual life and their work life. Available on Amazon- Click HERE

Sign-Up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com to live and work from the heart- Transformational Empowerment

Not being hired in today’s market…Is it even about degrees, training, or lack of experience?

It’s unfortunate, but when you need a job sometimes you need both the education degree, training certificate, and the experience just to get in the door. It’s frustrating seeing others without your work experience, walk in and take the job for which you may even be more qualified.

Today, of course, many newly graduated students are going back to the same old jobs because they can’t find a job they just trained for or spent a fortune on education. Not only that, but many more are constantly changing majors hoping to hit the one that’ll nail a good paying job by the time they graduate. I can remember when the computer programmers were going to make the big bucks, before that it was the MBAs, and I think before that it was miniaturizing electronics–making your radio and TV more portable. Now, your smart phone, tablet, game platforms, graphics design are the new “plastic” from Mrs. Robinson’s day. (The film, The Graduate, in case you missed the reference.)

In some cases, you have to have a degree to go beyond a certain level in your job. I have a super smart sister who made straight “A”s and could have named her ticket to any major university. She chose instead to work. She enjoyed her work, but she became stuck at one level and watched several people who were not nearly as smart or as good at their jobs as she was get promoted because she didn’t have a degree. At the time she began working, the degree hadn’t seemed that important. For some people, it just doesn’t fit in their immediate plans for a variety of reasons, including financial.

It’s not a perfect system. However, combine some degrees with practical experience and use the knowledge (not in a book way) but in a way that makes sense, and you suddenly seem very qualified. So you don’t fit the mold exactly. Do what you love. Excel at it and you’ll find your niche, or it’ll find you. For example, say you have an interdisciplinary dual Masters in English/Speech and Dramatic Arts (emphasis in performance criticism) and a Masters in Social Psychology. Does that make a trainer? It can.

After spending 30 plus years in the military and government service, I trained in the corporate world and coached corporate speakers. Today, I teach and write. Not an architect, an engineer, an MBA? The degree doesn’t match the job. Another example: colleges and universities love to hire PhDs and would rather have one over a Masters degree–even if the candidate has a Master’s degree with tons of applied experience. Or, even several Masters’ degrees in related areas. Colleges and universities are competing for credibility and the more PhDs, the more respect. Logical. Not at all. Well, it is to whomsoever is doing the hiring.

So, what’s the big difference between education and training? An education is more general and training is specific to a job. What you need to learn depends on the task. But education is general and has to be applied to life itself. What it does show an employer is the ability to start something and see it through to the end. Training Certification is a little different since it is more a validation of specific knowledge. These days the hiring process has little to do with education or training. Most applicants are over-qualified.

There’s more going on than choosing the most qualified applicant.

Let’s talk about when we are the ones looking for a job. We don’t realize, especially when it affects us personally, just how many people out there are looking for work. For employers, it means they can pick from a great many qualified people and eliminate for reasons other than qualifications unless they are U.S. state or federal government. In those cases, it’s fairly easy to get around those restrictions or must hire cases by changing being very specific on the job description or on what pool you are allowing to apply. That way, the government employer gets exactly who they want to appear high enough on the list to hire. It’s hardly a perfect system no matter how many rules or laws you attach to it.

Some people are very qualified in either experience or education, or both. If employers wants someone younger, they go with education. If they want maturity, they look for the experienced person. With both–an applicant can win. If it’s all about qualifications, but it usually isn’t just… You know that, right? At least sometimes. All right. Most times. Companies in today’s economy can pick from thousands of applicants. I think when we are looking for a job personally we do think in terms of education and experience. Some of us may go as far to get some training in interviewing and resume creation. We don’t realize, especially when it affects us personally, just how many people are out there are looking for work, and with that situation how man people are in the employee search assistance business. Some us think we are very qualified either in experience or education. With both–we win. At least sometimes–we think… Not so fast.

Remember college athletic scholarships? Choosing average to above average students who can play a sport extremely well makes fiscal sense to someone. Sports rankings increase the university’s or college’s status and provides income; some of that income does go for education. Fact. The student may have gone on to make millions or at least earned a college degree he or she might not have without the scholarship. Balanced? I don’t know. Choosing a friend or relative for work who can’t play so well with others doesn’t make sense to anyone but those who are a part of the relationship. As stupid as it sounds, the college made a better choice all around. It may be a matter of perspective; however, the other decision is made in business every day.

We can’t help it that our years of experience may automatically tell someone how old we are. Employers aren’t supposed to discriminate at all (and this would be age discrimination), but it is all about getting the employee they want–not necessarily the best qualified. You don’t have to be a different race to be discriminated against. How about not getting it because you didn’t go to a particular school or because you were a blond, or short, or fat? That happens, too. As simple as a state, preferring to hire lawyers who attended a particular law school in their state. It’s much easier to be hired in the state where you received your degree(s).

Also, there have been studies. Tall, fit, youthful, attractive men are more likely to get most jobs. There are some exceptions that an attractive women is key–especially those that want to limit the glass ceiling to women and still provide higher positions to men. In those cases, you’ll find the women in very visible positions like marketing or pubic relations; however, these roles usually top out in middle management with no direct line to upper management.

Yes, women are still paid less and the glass ceiling still exists even though more women are getting degrees than men. 60/40. Nevertheless, the more general fact remains that attractive people, especially women, are most likely to get some jobs, usually those interfacing with men. Charming people sometimes get the job if the company values charm, but mostly it’s handsome or pretty–unless dumpy is in. It rarely is–unless employees are not seen. Image plays a part, like it or not. And when people need to eliminate people from the pool, anything is game unofficially.

Despite education and experience, getting the interview is important, and there is at least one factor that you, the applicant, has some measure of control.

You can control your attitude, which does makes a difference. I don’t care how good you are at your job, a bad attitude will make a company want to sacrifice your experience and know-how to train someone who’s enthusiastic about the company and wants to learn the the “company” way not t0 have to deal with a potential “attitude” issue. It’s most likely an American phenomenon in terms of race, but, other countries have their own cultural biases. Whatever the potential bias–even if you feel it on the company end–if it’s going to be a problem for you, ignore the feeling, or excuse yourself from the interview. To get the get the job may take the art of diplomacy. That’s where charm and professionalism comes in as well as sensibility.

The basic question now of education versus experience. It depends on the job. On the person. On the situation. On so many factors that it is ridiculous so we can’t really argue which is better. Fitting in is is better. Every situation, every job, and everyone has their reasons for not hiring. We can’t assume that it is a lack of the proper education or experience that disqualified us from the job. Regardless of what they say, it may be something else that they can’t say publicly. Maybe they just didn’t like us; there was no chemistry. It’s all about fitting in. We all want to fit in, but we don’t always. Personally I’d rather have that job where I fit in and the hiring folks agree.

The years of experience we can’t help, but automatically tells someone how old we are; they aren’t supposed to discriminate at all (and this would be age discrimination), but it is all about getting the employee they want–not necessarily the best qualified. You don’t have to be a different race to be discriminated against. How about not getting it because you didn’t go to a particular school or because you were a blond, or short, or fat. Or not handsome or pretty.

However, getting the interview is important, but attitude makes a difference, too. I don’t care how good you are at your job, a bad attitude will make someone want to sacrifice your experience and know how to train someone who’s enthusiastic and wants to do it the way they want them to do it. If you’ve passed all the other hurdles.

Today, being able to listen well and communicate are the most important abilities to demonstrate besides a friendly, non-antagonistic attitude. Employers don’t owe you anything. Not at this point anyway. Best advice. Bullying your way in won’t make you or your employer happy.

Well, that’s all for me. I hope this blog was a little different. I do try to be different and I hope that sometimes I make sense.

For more resources about training, see the Training library.

These are my words and opinions. Please feel free to disagree and comment, or contact me. If you’re interested in more of my points of view–my Cave Man way of looking at things, I have a website where you can find other items I have written. For more information on my peculiar take on training, check out my best selling The Cave Man Guide To Training and Development, and for a look at a world that truly needs a reality check, see my novel about the near future, Harry’s Reality! Meanwhile, Happy Training.

This week we have a guest blogger, DARLENE M. OLIVER. She is an attorney with a wonderful story of her transformation from corporate lawyer to social justice champion. I was inspired by her journey and words below. I hope you will be inspired as well to follow your passion and purpose.

May you make the world a better place by sharing your gifts in loving service.

Linda

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In December 2008, I lost my partnership position at a law firm where I had worked for 8 years. The word ‘devastated’ doesn’t begin to describe how I felt on the day I was told, though nicely, that I’d have to look elsewhere for a paycheck because of the economy. I put on a brave face for the rest of the day. But when I got home and put my daughter to bed, I melted into a puddle of confusion, tears and anger. I thought I had done everything right — graduated from a respectable Midwestern liberal arts college, earned a law degree from Georgetown University and made partner at a firm doing civil rights work.

That night while ‘puddling’ on my living room floor, l cried out angrily to God. ‘Just what the hell am I supposed to do now? How could you build me up, bless me with a beautiful home, a lovely daughter and a solid career only to snatch that last one away? How am I going to support the first two with no job?’ With tears flowing down my face and curses on my lips, I reached for my bible. I had been cultivating my relationship with God for a long time. Surely He would tell me something in my time of need. Praying desperately for guidance, I opened my bible. I hadn’t turned to a specific page. I just wanted God to comfort me.

I guess He was listening. My bible fell open to Chapter 1 of Joshua. There, God tells Joshua that he has been chosen to lead the Israelites after Moses’s death. God must have known that Joshua needed some serious encouragement to fill the shoes of one of His greatest servants!

My eyes moved toward verse 9, which reads: “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. In that first Chapter of Joshua, God told him (and me!) 3 times to be strong and have courage. It was like God was shouting “Don’t give up Darlene! Keep moving! I’ve got your back!” In that moment, I took Him at his word. I dried my tears and got up off of the floor. My curses turned to praises. While I still had no idea what I was going to do financially, I knew that by leaning on my faith, I would be okay. I also knew that if I was honest with myself, I had been miserable at my firm for years. My spirit was tired and I had been quietly aching to do something different for a long time.

With those bible verses urging me on, I gathered my courage and started looking for work that would nourish me. For years I had volunteered on nonprofit Boards for a variety of organizations. Even before that, I had longed to do work that mattered. I wanted to impact people’s lives. Racial equality and social justice stirred my spirit. As a woman of color, I knew first hand that racism, sexism and poverty still existed in this country despite the accomplishments of the man currently in the White House.

In May 2010, I started working for a small nonprofit that focuses on breast cancer health disparities in the African American community. After getting the job, my blessings continued. In January 2012, the Chicago Community Trust, one of the largest community foundations in the country, awarded me a leadership development fellowship. Through this program, emerging nonprofit leaders receive funding to use toward their individually created professional development plans. The fellowship allows recipients to explore big ideas for their careers.

The soul of my fellowship plan lay in connecting with seasoned social justice leaders across the country. I wanted to know how they continued to fight against injustice despite frustrating political climates, apathy, and the slow pace of change. What kept these leaders going year after year? To me, these men and women are modern-day Davids fighting against the Goliaths of poverty, racism, sexism and greed. While Goliath often seems to be winning, these leaders never give up. What was the source of that “stick-to-it-iveness?” Because faith has played such a critical role in my professional and personal life, I also wanted to know if faith played any role in the ability of these leaders to keep fighting for the betterment of society.

During my fellowship year, I traveled to Washington D.C., Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles to meet these Davids. I also found many of them in my home town of Chicago. I was privileged to meet twenty five women and men who work hard every day to make our country a just place for ALL people. These encounters filled me with inspiration and hope. I learned that the best social justice leaders are servants to the people they work for and with. I learned that a powerful leader doesn’t have to know how to do it all herself. It is the collective work of an entire team that creates real social change. I learned that all of them, even those who don’t identify with any particular religion or faith, are led by an inner drive to right wrongs; a sense that unfairness exists and must be rooted out; a belief that all people are entitled to live free of man-made barriers like poverty and discrimination. I also learned that it is not enough to point out the injustices in this world. A true social justice leader must have a clear vision of what justice means and what the world should be.

Most importantly, I could see God working in the lives of these leaders. In their words, they echoed what He had whispered to me years earlier as I lay weeping on my living room floor. Be strong and have courage. Keep moving. Keep fighting the good fight for I am with you wherever you go.

© Darlene M. Oliver, February 15, 2013, Chicago, Illinois

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday because it is all about spreading and celebrating LOVE! When I was also thinking about what V-day could mean, I thought of the word VALUE. So I thought on this special day why don’t I share with YOU what I most love and value, which should bring you some more love and value in your life.

I wrote a blog post about this on my website and wanted to share it with you. You are going to love these valuable resources I’m giving away to support your faith, marriage and life! (Click here)

As your inspired life mentor, Janae Bower is passionate about helping YOU live a more balanced, purposeful and inspired life! Her writings, speaking and coaching are the spark of inspiration you need to energize you on your journey of personal transformation.

This year I want to highlight stories from my book “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service” as well as enlightened companies. In the last two chapters of my book, I refer to such companies as Higher Consciousness Organizations (HCOs).

I was recently introduced to Café Gratitude in Kansas City. From what I can tell Cafe Gratitude fits the qualities on an HCO. To learn more about their vision and their commitment to raising consciousness about how we grow and eat food, visit http://cafegratitude.com/

The White Dog Café in PA is another socially conscious restaurant (http://www.whitedog.com/about.html) . It was started by a visionary woman, Judy Wicks.

Judi has since retired from White Dog Café, but made a big impact in the world of HCOs. She was a founding member of the Social Venture Network (www.svn.org) and BALLE (http://bealocalist.org/). Both organizations support businesses that see their mission as serving the planet and society. These businesses are dedicated to making ‘profit with a purpose’ and believe in ‘doing well by doing good’.

Below are some excerpts from Chapter 1 in “Path for Greatness” describing the work of Judy Wicks. Throughout the 1980-90’s Judy was a pioneer in the ‘fair trade’ movement supporting independent and local food growers rather than big agribusinesses.

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… She says she “uses good food to lure people in for social activism. …. Judy believes in buying products directly from places that need U.S. support for their local economy. She travels to countries to speak to the food growers to set up special purchasing agreements. She makes a point to get to know the people who will be supplying the food for her customers. Judy set up an international sister restaurant program called “Table for 6 Billion Please” as her way to help feed the world. She started her business with an interest in not just feeding those of us in the land of plenty.

Judy looks for ways to establish business contacts with people regardless of whether our country sees them as friends. Judy refers to this as “eating with the enemy”. She wants to “bake bread together to create world peace.” She firmly believes that if we are to build a more just society and attain world peace, we must establish direct connections with people and find ways to work with them so that they can benefit directly.

….In her work with the Social Venture Network, she sees the integration of entrepreneurship, social activism, and spirituality leading to a more just world, with greater personal development also taking place.” (pg 18-19, Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service)

For more inspiration of enlightened entrepreneurs, see Judy and the other 25 honorees inducted to the SVN Hall of Fame: svn-hall-of-fame

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Linda is inviting spiritually oriented professionals to participate in a Spring coaching group (max. of 15 people). If you desire to make a shift in how you work, contact Linda by Feb. 28, 2013 for more information on how you can join. Email Linda at: ljfergusonphd@gmail.com and write “Group Coaching for Working Spiritually” in the Subject line.

BUY Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”. Share this as a gift for a colleague, friend or family member who desires to integrate their spiritual life and their work life.

Sign-Up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for valuable tools to live and work from the heart- Transformational Empowerment _TM