How’s it going for you? We all want to wake up inspired, have meaningful work, have our gifts well used, and find the joy of contributing to something beyond just our wallets. My life’s work is delightfully absorbed in How? including the privilege of helping professionals find their sweet spots of Passion meets Profit. It started when I was a new coach, with some trepidation about “Do what you love the money will follow” (i.e. uuh, what if my client loves poetry from the 14th century, will that really pay his mortgage?) and has developed over the years into a rich process of “treasure hunting” for your gifts, and opening up new doors on many levels that typical career strategies do not. Join us May 23 to learn more (see below).

Videos to inspire:

• I Googled “Sweet spots” to see what I might find- got choked up finding this one- about how creative, resourceful people- no doubt following an inspired calling- have created joy and beauty in the poorest country. If they can do this, we can all create sweeter spots amidst whatever challenges we may face. My friend is on an inspired trip to the Congo (a place no tourist travels to). He was on my couch, and this 60 minutes just happened to come on! It moved him to tears and I marveled at the synchronicity of that moment. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57410244-10391709/producer-finds-musical-sweet-spot-in-the-congo/

• Relevant to professional Sweet Spots: Little gem from Lance Secretan about strengths vs. weaknesses, true gifts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DcY-ArPDZxg ?

Apply this to yourself, not just people who report to you. How might you be wishing for a weakness to improve, when your energy could actually be better invested in emphasizing strengths?

More application for you about this (Aug 2011) – http://wakeupinspired.com/net/2011/articles-tools/dont-make-this-mistake/

This video is posted at the new WIT Resource Hub (Wisdom, Inspiration, Tools) in along with several more.

Keep checking and letting me know what’s helpful and what you may want more of.

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Reminder: Complimentary Joyful Mission Teleclass #3

Passion, Purpose and Profit. How to Find Your Sweet Spots

Join us Wednesday May 23rd from Noon- 1:15pm Central

• Bring your specific questions or goals, and get transformational coaching plus peer support!
• Learn smart ways to apply Passion meets Profit process for career renewal, business planning, optimal roles & responsibilities.

RSVP or access recording for a limited time

I look forward to connecting with you soon! If you have any Q’s or would like to chat, email Marian@MarianBaker.com or call 773 509 9408.

He who would be

what he ought to be

must stop being what he is.

There is no greater valor nor no sterner fight.

- Meister Eckhart

• An experiment that opened up a wake up call
• Next complimentary Joyful Mission gathering- May 23. Passion, Purpose, Profit; How to find your sweet spots.
• Most inspiring lesson from day I saw the Dalai Lama

I was compelled to try an experiment – to “empty out” of all preconceived notions, conditioned thoughts, let go of everything about what I think I know or who I’m supposed to be, how things work, what we should say. In other words, get out of the way to allow deeper essence – Truth to express, rather than be expedient about typing up the next eletter. I went to my friend’s house (while they’re away) to love up their cat, meditate and do the experiment in that quiet space. OK- I had a slice of pepperoni pizza and one beer before all this, but that’s it!

After a let go of everything I think I know practice for a while, I wrote:

What is meant to emerge in me/through me now? What matters most? What does deeper wisdom want to say to these lovely people via email? What is my new love letter to the world?

Here’s what came rapidly from my pen onto the page:

Dear Fellow Travelers,

What if someone you love very much is told they have 12-18 months left on this planet? We believe in beating the odds, miracles, yet other levels of reality still get in our face.

Please do not feel sorry about this and then go back to ten more emails, the to do list, routines, business as usual. Use it as the wake up call it wants to be for each of us. Calling us to higher LOVE and urgency of what matters most. Things like “family” and being loving will come up under “matters most.” There’s more underneath that, too. Keep listening for what your deeper self whispers from the core of your being.

What are YOU here to do?

What do you need to say?

What difference will it make that you were here?

What is a Yes knocking inside of you that you have not answered?

My heart is pounding. Can you hear it, dear friends?

What does your heart want You to hear right now?

Imagine your future self. What is making his or her heart sing? What has you waking up inspired, being on path, falling asleep grateful.

Do you want this?

Are you ready to be the person you are meant to be?

To unleash the potential wanting to be expressed in you?

If something in you feels that pull to love yourself (and others!) enough to let your inner Truth/best potential out of the box–for this to be given more attention– please know that it’s possible. And that you are not alone. Join new conversations. Find others who will stay awake with you. Don’t fall back asleep. Do this for your own fulfillment and for the value you’re meant to contribute.

I look forward to meeting you in that space of awake and alive. We will share our strengths and help each other get out of the way to let our better selves emerge.

Give yourself and others in this community the gift of your presence, your willingness. Do not acquiesce to the status quo or urgent over important, again.

Life is precious and short. What are you waiting for?

This morning I tried a new meditation- kept repeating “I deeply let go of who I think I am to allow the Real Self to emerge. I deeply let go and trust.” Imagine what’s possible if more of us let our best potential be what shows up in work meetings, family conversations, emails, business creation, strategic visioning, effective leadership. Imagine the impact on how you feel day to day all the way to society’s challenges and future generations. It all starts with willingness to let go and tiny efforts to be and do what is called for in each moment- see the hummingbird tale below.

Namaste- The Real Self in me bows to the Real Self in you.

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Save the Date – Complimentary teleclass. Our next Joyful Mission gathering is May 23.

Whether you want more meaningful success and effectiveness at work, an inspired leadership reboot, a career renewal, or more inspired living somehow- Come.

Gain real progress blending your deeper inner with pragmatic strategies. Passion meets Profit. Introspection meets Innovation. Inner peace, outer performance. Meaning and marketing. This is new and improved integrative success- and there’s a new toolkit to fuel these joyful missions!

Our Joyful Mission series invites you to get inspired, equipped, supported. I promise you I will show up wholeheartedly devoted to bringing the best insights, examples and relevant tools to apply to support your best possibilities. This is what I am here to do. This is my Yes.

New Joyful Mission free teleclass #3:

Passion, Purpose and Profit. How to Find Your Sweet Spots

Wednesday May 23  

Noon- 1:15pm Central 

RSVP

• Bring your specific questions or goals, and get transformational coaching plus peer support!
• Learn smart ways to apply Passion meets Profit process for career renewal, business planning, optimal roles & responsibilities.
• Blend letting go and tuning in with pragmatic learning and action for integrated, inspired success.

Are you open to a new level of support?

Get inspired and equipped. Join us RSVP

I look forward to connecting with you soon! If you have any Q’s or would like to chat, email Marian@MarianBaker.com or call 773 509 9408.

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How to renew inspiration when you feel disheartened or don’t think you can really make a difference:

One of the most inspiring moments of seeing the Dalai Lama was this Hummingbird story shared by a high school essay contest winner. A forest fire was raging and all the animals were overwhelmed, fearing nothing could be done. A hummingbird flew to a river and filled its beak and spit it out on the fire, over and over. When asked, what the heck? What are you doing? She responds, I am doing the best I can. We can all learn from the huge spirit contained within this little bird. You and I have this in us, too. Where or how are you inspired to use this in your life?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hr3i3LYGU4

Some of the comments are interesting- about how to extend this metaphor in real life apps that could do more good, have impact. ]]> http://wakeupinspired.com/net/2012/articles-tools/ahaas-about-how-to-unleash-best-potential/feed/ 0 http://wakeupinspired.com/net/2012/audio/conversation-2/ http://wakeupinspired.com/net/2012/audio/conversation-2/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:08:47 +0000 Marian Baker http://wakeupinspired.com/net/?p=3505 Please post comments, questions here following our Joyful Mission Teleclass #2 on 4/25/12.

If you missed this live, you can still access recording below, and join this conversation thread.

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This morning was an F-word choice opportunity. Developed this “turnaround tool” many years ago. We always have a choice of Frustration or Fluidity (or some other F word you may know of?)

Must be something in the air this morning – I missed my alarm and woke up 10 minutes before 8am client. 9am person said her hair was on fire (for understandable reasons), so I encouraged her to take a breath and see if it was best to reschedule, which she agreed. 10-11:30 conference call got cancelled by the host last minute. And then the noon client needed to cancel (unexpected, urgent work priorities). She graciously acknowledged the cancellation policy as needed. I encouraged her to breathe and “Give yourself a mini coaching session in order to dive into all of these curve balls well!  Apparently I tell people to “breathe ” a lot. Guilty I also broke the Guinness world record for making a protein shake and tea, grabbing vitamins, brushing teeth, bathroom, and getting coaching notes ready in 8 minutes. We are appropriately calm, still and meditating,  or in action as needed, hmm? Of course these are minor things. There are other real life challenges that call for Fortitude and Forgiveness. Everything is an opportunity to learn, grow in mastery over the ego’s reactions and make the wiser, healthier choice. Blessings- in disguise sometimes.

Fluidity over frustration is one of the keys to inspired living and sustainable success.  Yes, we are human and get our moments. Yet, it’s so great (guess I’m avoiding the word “empowering” that would be perfect here. If anyone has finally come up with the vocabulary alternative, please share)  to know you always have a choice to manage your own energy! It’s one more reason there’s a chapter in the Wake Up Inspired book titled, “Having a Plan is Not the Answer.” An enjoyable, productive life requires fluidity rather than rigid attachment to a specific outcome or schedule. We want to stay on the surfboard of awareness-responsibility-choice, not get too stressed  or let external circumstances dictate our state of being and ability to respond (Response – ability). We also want to allow room for wonderful synchronicities we could never plan. This sounds obvious, yet it’s fascinating to watch ourselves actually practice it (or get tangled up in our shorts when we don’t).

Try this:

When things don’t go according to your original agenda, truly pause and notice your response options.  If this works for you, imagine you have an inner wisdom, optimal energy management team (or some sort of higher support) helping to orchestrate the day, giving you opportunities to make choices, to flow with what is, what could emerge to create positive flow rather than constriction. Who knows- maybe there’s a divine order sort of flow also relevant when life does not happen exactly as we scripted it to, especially if the ego con artist was the main script supervisor, hmm? We get taught that control leads to success. False. Play with this perspective: Letting go of rigid attachments allows for what wants to emerge or best possibilities to flow forward.

What is your next best investment of energy?

Continue playing with this idea of choosing fluidity over frustration. Jot down insights and discuss what you are discovering with an open-minded support buddy. What has this experiment taught you? What beliefs or habits would serve you well moving forward?

“The soul has two eyes,” says Meister Eckhart: “one looking inwards and the other looking outwards. It is the inner eye of the soul that looks into essence.”  This is our choice- where to look, where to seek the right thing to think, say, do. There are no small choices. Everything either lifts us up or pulls us down. Each of our choices to forgo the donut, transcend procrastination, or mute the insulting remark all adds up to a more harmonious world. Fulfilling life for all.  What choices will you make this week?

All the best,
Marian

p.s. Here’s another fluidity example: Once upon a time, I was supposed to be on vacation for a week, trying to create that without leaving home. Thought I’d sneak in a couple work calls one morning, a little admin and then head for the beach. In reality, I found myself wanting to respond to timely opportunities via email, get more work accomplished.  At 1pm there’s that F-word moment of choice regarding how to spend the rest of the day.

I looked at my calendar with this huge “OFF” marked in it. And just added “ICE” to the end with a smiley face.

So, I surrendered to what IS, choosing to be fully present and willing to do “OFFICE”  joyfully. And enjoy “OFF” the next day, thru weekend. I could have chosen to boogie to the beach. Or to stay in the office with resentment and martyrdom. Neither of those felt like the optimal, self-loving, smart energy management choice. As we keep observing our habits, choices, consequences, we grow beyond our default patterns and evolve into smart energy masters- Chief Inspiration Officers creating well being for ourselves and becoming better contributors to everything around us. Hey that deserves another F word-Fantastic! May the Force be with you and have Fun.

 (part of this post adapted from previous blog essay)

A vital ingredient of my joyful mission to serve your inspired growth is trying to boil things down to nuggets like the “one question that changes everything” and other memorable, relevant tools to apply.

It’s thrilling when I see other teachers arriving at the same conclusions in their own unique ways (and not because we’re reading the same books or anything like that). It affirms that there’s this one universal Truth that we can tune into and try to be “broadcasters” of those keys.

Here are a few of my ways to share best insights with you recently, then wisdom from a doctor on a 30-year quest for what it really takes to live our best possible lives.

Happiness – or better put, real joy- comes from saying Yes to the right Yeses.
(not a result of what’s going on or external circumstances)

The key “app” is one’s ability to align with the deeper Infinite, Inspired Truth
within and follow through in thought and action.

You’ve been working hard. Now it’s time for you to lift your spirit,
access the power of your right brain more
and discover exciting new ways achieve our best lives ever.

I just read an intriguing article about Dr. Roy Martina in ODE magazine. He’s discovered breakthroughs along the way, but he’s never done with this inquiry. His greatest conclusion: the quickest, most successful way to health and happiness is to connect the right brain with higher consciousness.

Excerpts:

He is convinced that “Contact with that higher dimension leads to the most effective form of healing. I’ve seen and tried so many things in the last 30 years, and this works so much faster than anything else I’ve ever done.” He has seen tumors disappear, kidney patients stop dialysis, cartilage grow back and prevent the need for a hip replacement operation and striking improvement in “impossible” diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. The results amaze him, although he is quick to add that they aren’t yet statistically significant enough for medical ­science.

“You can accomplish useful healing through the physical/mental/energetic approach, but some people are still left with particular ailments and challenges. Ultimately, you can’t escape the question of who you are, what your mission in life is and why you encounter yourself in disease. That spiritual dimension is the great missing link. I have to tell you, I wasn’t looking for that invisible world. Sheer necessity led me to it.”

Marian’s comment: This reminds me of Dr. Larry Dossey saying doctors should be asking patients about how they feel about their careers and things related to how “in sync” they may be with True Self. In my own life learning journey, I transcended a disease (endometriosis) by leaving a career/ lifestyle and wholeheartedly seeking to become more in alignment with my true spirit. This increasingly led to this same foundation about tuning in/ accessing higher consciousness. Later this evolved into my life’s work of coaching others. These days we often say to be in alignment with your Inspired Self. When I had a near-fatal accident years ago (the universe knocking more sense into my noggin) I lost the use of my right eye and wore a patch for about 8 months. So I could only see/operate out of my left eye, which correlates to the right brain. The symbolism of seeing the world through the mystic eye deepened my inspiration for what the world needs. And heartened my devotion to what individuals need to become the alive, joyful selves we are each meant to be. [If you'd like to read more about "No Accidents" see 2008 post- http://wakeupinspired.com/net/2008/articles-tools/there-no-accidents/]

When the left-brain- driven right eye slowly re-opened, it had to totally recalibrate to learn how to cooperate with the other eye/ right brain. I went through physical therapy to get both eyes to function together again (or I’d just be dizzy, double vision fall down). It felt like learning to dance with a new lead. The inspired student of best life potential part of me was FASCINATED with all of this! It was a visceral experience of how we all need to evolve to a new story of not having the left brain, logical, hyper masculine achievement aspect of us run the show so much. We need to access inner wisdom, let it lead, AND integrate the best of both – inner-outer, feminine-masculine, spiritual-pragmatic. Voila -that’s the dance of joy and inspired, integrative success, the call of the future. OK, back to Dr. Martina….

The connection with a higher consciousness overrides the ego-driven subconscious sabotage that keeps illness alive. “The higher self has access to all the information and can show you the way out of the labyrinth you’re in,” Martina says. “We have to contact that part of us that knows what’s going on. Therein lies the solution. That part becomes your compass.”

“For many people, it turns their lives around completely,” he says. He speaks of “practical spirituality” and says our higher consciousness is very precise, specific and even insistent about giving advice and orders on how a person can rediscover his or her life’s mission and, with that discovery, accelerate healing. “But we all maintain our free will,” Martina adds. “If you don’t want to follow that advice, you don’t have to, of course.”

“My insight is that the left brain creates the sense of ‘I’ that allows us to function and survive in the three-dimensional reality of life here on Earth. The right brain, however, is connected to higher dimensions. This isn’t some flaky story about the existence of God. I’m talking about all the tiny little gods we are, our own higher selves, that higher consciousness that knows everything. The right half of the brain is a kind of transmitter and receiver. When you have a new idea, you believe you thought of it yourself. But in fact you’ve made a connection to a higher dimension, and that’s where that idea comes from. And that communication transpires specifically through the right brain.”

The great discovery is that when we use our right brains, we’re connected with one another. That we live based on ‘we’ and not on ‘I.’ And that we make better decisions that are better for everyone. That isn’t soft-hearted; it’s wise, and it’s in our own best interest.”

“Nothing will change the world for the better more quickly than getting CEOs to work out of their right brains.”

Read full article: http://odewire.com/220554/turn-right-for-enlightenment.html (BTW, Dr. Martina is exploring hypnosis as a way to access higher consciousness. I’m not familiar with that specific approach, nor is he attached to that. The main reason I share his article is the essence of tuning into deeper Truth and how that keeps showing up in various research, etc.)

Join the conversation- Comment on this right brain discussion here, and/ or join our next teleclass. We’ll equip you with ways to access your greatest power source.

The left brain will keep trying to drive us to hurry up, figure out the next job title, place to move to, project to manifest, etc. Those things matter, but it’s not the outer container or to-do list that matters most or should come first. It’s who you get to be and what you get to give, coming from right brain higher inspiration, that creates the joyful mission experience of alignment with your Best Self.

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Joyful Mission Teleclass #2

You’re cordially invited to join us for “It is in Giving that we Receive- true for business success? Why, how, when to give or not.” If you missed the email with more info about this class, click here.

To RSVP click here.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday April 25th from Noon-1:15pm CT.

Alice is a cancer survivor, a holocaust survivor, and continues to be a joy spark for all of us at age 108. She lives alone just fine, and enjoys playing piano for 3 hrs each day. Her secret to a long, joyful life? To always look for the Good. She says she “sees the bad, but focuses on the Good.” This is so simple it could be blown off as cute and trite. But it is not. Alice has discovered the golden key and look at the results! I have been delighted to imagine “Go Ask Alice” when considering what is the right thing to think or do? in many applications ever since “meeting” Alice. Hope you also find value here- absorb her wisdom and add this to your tool kit– see how this uplifts your choices, and experience of life. Alice seems to wake up inspired and fall asleep grateful. Cheers to her amazing spirit to fuel our whole community!

Video: http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=3008

Thanks to a wonderful “grad” client, Kathleen Warner for forwarding this inspiration from Alice.

You may also enjoy her blog: http://openheartproduction.wordpress.com

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2) Joyful Mission Teleclass #2

You’re cordially invited to join us for “It is in Giving that we Receive- true for business success? Why, how, when to give or not.” If you missed the email with more info about this class, click here.

To RSVP click here.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Wednesday April 25th from Noon-1:15pm CT.

(source: Eknath Easwaran)

We’ve heard “It is in giving that we receive” a zillion times. Let’s have a provocative discussion applying that to business success, and challenging unexamined assumptions. Join that conversation on April 25 (see below).

My life’s work is all about helping people achieve their greatest potential, fulfillment, meaningful success. The #1 mistake we make is falling for the false promises of self-improvement and business success cultural conditioning that’s still tainted by “survival of the fittest,” subtle Gordon Gecko Greed is Good or “He who dies with the most toys wins” ethos. Even when we think we are not influenced by this, we are. It’s in the air that we breathe, you know? It gets packaged is much lovelier ways–follow your dreams, et al.

There are probably thousands of times I’ve encouraged clients to “love themselves” or envision the life that would make their heart sing. That will continue. AND, the more we explore the depths and twists and turns of evolving as smart humans….We really need to be careful about not letting our small self ego contaminate how we reflect on all of this.

Read more here Where does Joy come from?

and here: Don’t Follow Your Dreams, what the ??

When have you felt a taste of authentic joy while being your best self and serving something greater than your “small self” desires?

People like Tony Robbins get this point after working with millions of human beings, leaders in business, etc. It’s affirming to see his experiences lead him to that same truth that Easwaran and other wise teachers know– that the foundational secret about true success/ fulfillment comes from what you get to GIVE.

After all of that, now we need to add the challenge. To Give or Not to Give is a very important question. If it’s coming from striving, pleasing, gaining approval or other ego-tainted energy (even in hidden subtle ways you don’t realize are running you), then it’s going to lead to stress, not joy. It needs to come from a deeper inspiration. Let’s have an uncommon conversation about this!

New Joyful Mission free teleclass #2:

It is in Giving that we Receive- true for business success? Why, how, when to give or not.

Wednesday April 25

Noon- 1:15pm Central

RSVP

What if one new conversation could change the course of your life?

• Discover more about To Give or Not? Get equipped to apply this right away.
• Learn smart ways to identify your authentic gifts, to fuel your joy and prosperous business success.
• Bring your specific questions or goals, and get transformational coaching plus peer support!

Are you open to a new level of support?

Get equipped for Your inspired life. Join us RSVP

I look forward to connecting with you soon!

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”- Rabindranath Tagore

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you missed this live, you can still access recording below, and join  this conversation thread.

Download mp3

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