The circumstances of our lives actually matter less to our happiness than the sense of control we feel over our lives.” ~Rory Sutherland

Rory Sutherland makes a compelling case for how reframing is the key to happiness. He stands at the center of an advertising revolution in branding identities and designing cutting edge interactive campaigns. He recommends that we look at technology, psychology and economics equally to find the sweet spot that leads to more effective solutions in business, life and the world. 

Are You Living in the Fast Life Instead of Living the Good Life?

Just the other day an entrepreneurial leader with a thriving business and top notch team of bright, highly productive professionals admitted that she did not feel satisfied, content or happy.

When I asked why, she described all the ways her business and life were stuck in fast forward. As CEO, she had been responding at a nonstop pace to an predecented number of unexpected challenges and sudden (barely time to consider) opportunities since the start of 2012.

While she is a savvy decision maker, keeping up with constant rapid fire shifts in business have marianted her in speed. Unable to respond within the boundaries of her naturally quick inner rhythm, she had become hyper-vigilant. This left her feeing anxious, exhausted and afraid. Even when  situations were not urgent, she kept jumping from priority to priority and multi-tasking in between. For her, this meant she was out of control.

Is Your World Stuck in Fast Forward?

If you (like my client) find that cascading circumstances in business or life have pulled you completely out of your natural inner rhythm, this does not mean you are out of control. Rather, it means that you are experiencing the stresses and strains of your human capacity to adapt.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Are you adapting to a temporary situation or a permanent change?
• If the situation is temporary, what daily practices routinely bring you back to your center?
• If the changes are permanent, what simple practices help you stay in touch with your natural inner rhythm?  

Your Natural Inner Rhythm

Of course, these questions assume you know what your natural inner rhythm is. That is...

• How you feel when you are fully in sync with yourself.
• Who supports you in experiencing and expressing your best.
• What environments enable you to function at the top of your game.

As always, pictures speak louder than words. So what do the photos of a Native American (in ceremonial dance) and a 90-year old (new 'covergirl' for a MAC cosmetic line that sold out within weeks of her ad appearances) tell you about their natural inner rhythm?

Rhythm is the carrier of life. ~Rudolph Steiner

What choices in business and life is your inner rhythm leading you to make?

Control Vs. Vulnerability & Intimacy

The feeling that 'no one is listening to us makes us want to spend time with machines that seem to care about us. ~Sherry Turkle

In a compelling TED Talk Sherry Turkle made me you sit up and listen to how we spend our time connected without really connecting. I've been remarking on this for some time with clients, friends and loved ones. Yet, in less than 20 minutes Sherry reveals thought-provoking layers of meaning in our love affair with technology.

As an expert in how technology is shaping our human relationships, Sherry talks about how our use of technology has changed not just what we do, but who we are. Routinely, people text in business meetings, classrooms, and even at funerals.

An 18-year old boy, who uses text messaging for virtually everything, said wistfully to her: "Someday, but not now, I want to learn to have a conversation." Sherry reminds us that we engage in conversations with each other to learn how to have conversations with ourselves. Of course, in order to converse with ourselves (process & think) we need time alone—unplugged. As Sherry points out, solitude is where we find ourselves so we can reach out to other people.

Listen to what Sherry has to say about why we need to cultivate the capacity for solitude. And, see if you agree with her statement that we expect more from technology than we expect from ourselves.

Ready for Something Completely Different?

Move beyond your current circumstances into a life that supports and honors you.

I am constantly on the lookout for things that can guide you to your natural path of freedom, abundance, and health. And, there is a program that has been quietly reaching hundreds of thousands in over 122 countries, and fundamentally changing their lives.

It is FREE and starts March 13 — HEALING WITH THE MASTERS.

Healing with the Masters literally receives thousands of emails each week from folks who participate in their free programs. They share wondrous changes that have occurred.

• Highly desirable jobs
• New customers
• Checks from long-forgotten disputes
• Resolution of chronic aches and pains
• Unexpected new relationships, and so much more.

I've participated in MasterWorks Healing for more than 2 years. So I know these results are real. If you haven’t checked them out, this is your chance to hear what everyone is talking about.

All you have to do is register, and give yourself time to experience 7 free healing videos and more than 30 free live (webcasted + replayed) shows. Then allow the invocations, energy healings, deep insights, meditations, and just plain fun to take over and shift you to...well...a new YOU!!

Here is how it works:

1. Go to this link and register: HEALING WITH THE MASTERS.
2. Experience life-changing techniques, processes, and energies during this series of 30 shows.
3. Receive access to 7 inspirational and energized videos.
4. Download 4 bonus gifts of powerful energetic healing tools that you can use right now. 

This program has transformed lives and businesses for 4 years now. This could be your time.

Check it out: HEALING WITH THE MASTERS

This is your invitation to experience a welcome change on your path to freedom, abundance and health.

Speaking of leaps...The iconic hero Superman was called the 'Man of Steel'. Margaret Thatcher was nicknamed the 'Iron Lady' for her legendary strong will.

We all know that how others see us influences, and even distorts, how we see ourselves. Paying more attention to what others think of us than what we know to be true about ourselves makes it difficult to see our own heroic gestures in business, life, and the world.

Too often we do not ask ourselves: Who do I know myself to be? Initially, we may feel uncomfortable with what we what we assume is the answer. Yet a non-judgmental look at ourselves can reveal our super powers.

What Are Your Super Powers?

I know you have them. After all, I've spent the past 11 years helping folks like you see the natural greatness in who they (you) are. And you know what? Even wise and great leaders feel uneasy with their super powers.

Why? Because they confuse pretending they do not have them with being modest. Or, acknowledging that they have incredible gifts to share with the world makes them feel too powerful. And, they feel safer not being too visible.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" ~Marianne Williamson

Sound familiar? This fear keeps us disconnected from our super powers. So let's engage in a 'playful practice' to dispel it.

Take a moment. Jot down 7 words that describe your super powers - who you naturally are and what you do that is so easy you rarely notice how effortless it is.

Sync with Your Super Powers

To stay connected with who you are and what you naturally do best, sync with your super powers. This organically puts you in touch with Your Inner Awesome. It frees you to flow in life and business with grace and ease.

Start your day with a super power sync. Simply ask yourself:  What super power wants to express itself in my business/work and life today?

• Name 1 daily super power.
• Appreciate and value its contribution.
• Experience its wise and kind generosity.

Warning! This daily 'playful practice' will "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" So have FUN with it.

A Personal Invitation

Talking and writing about your super powers invites them to show you the way. Share with loved ones, friends, and me the 7 words you wrote earlier that describe your super powers. That way, you can be supported in fully expressing them.

Plus,...

If you have not RSVP'd, join me for the 2nd Free Friday Telecall:

'Conversations with Your Inner Guru' to "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!"

We like to know in advance where our decisions are going to lead us, what outcomes our actions will produce, and when we can expect results. Now, the certainty we once thought we could depend on is rampant with unpredictability.

Not knowing how to respond to situations and circumstances that use to work a certain way, but don't any longer, makes us very uncomfortable.

We no longer see ourselves moving toward better opportunities. Now we feel like we're walking the edge of a treacherous path. Our mind tells us that we are out of control, and we don't feel safe.

Yet, what if something different than we think is taking place? What if all the uncertainties and unknowns we face are actually a clarion call—a mega-invitation—to tune into our own guru.

In Conversations with Your Inner Guru "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" and see.

Find Out What Your Inner Awesome Knows for Sure

Many thanks to all the participants on our 1st  "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" Be Your Own Guru Telecall. Your comments and feedback have shaped our 2nd call.

❖

Bring your pressing concern or question to the call and find out what your inner guru knows.

❖

Engage in 'playful practices' to guide you into deeply meaningful conversation with your wild wise self.

❖

On our 1-hour 2nd Free Friday call, you'll...

• Talk with your inner awesome about a specific concern or problem you bring to the call.
• Share your a-ha insights, mindset shifts, and guidance or direction for deeper understanding and meaning.

That way, everyone on the call (or listening to the recording) experiences the awesomeness of our inner guru community.

Join us for our 2nd Free Friday 1-hour telecall

"Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" in Conversations with Your Inner Guru

Friday, March 2nd, 2012. Noon PT | 3:00pm ET

An awesome invitation!

Befriended by a Beautiful Butterfly

When was the last time you experienced moments that took your breath away? Feel a rush of delight fill your heart as you remember those magical moments. Now you know how I felt during my 2011 December birthday trip to the 'Middle of the World' - Ecuador.

There I visited a butterfly farm in the Amazon rain forest. As soon as I walked into the enclosure, I was greeted by a beautiful butterfly landing on my arm. Not wanting to dislodge this friendly creature, I gingerly moved my arm each time I took a photo. Yet my butterfly friend never moved, remaining my steadfast companion as we explored the farm and experienced different species of butterflies in every stage of their life cycle.

When we were ready to leave the farm, our expert guide told me to just shake my arm and the butterfly would lift off my arm. I did as instructed, but the butterfly didn't move at all. When I shook my arm more vigorously (as directed by our guide), the butterfly moved from the top of my arm to the bottom of my arm. Clearly, this sweet creature was very comfortable.

Finally, our guide walked over to me and with his finger lightly flicked the butterfly off of my arm. As it flew away, my heart felt graced by its   presence. During my entire time at the butterfly farm, this beautiful butterfly effortlessly shared with me its gift of transformation.

Transformation 4.0

The complete life cycle of butterflies in the rain forest of Ecuador begins and ends in about 2 months. That's from egg to caterpillar to chrysallis to adult butterfly to laying eggs for the next generation and then death. The brevity of their existence and the alacrity of their multiple transformations offer us juicy insights.

• Transformation is who we are, not what we do.
  • Like the butterfly, transformation is our shared consciousness...the intelligence of our Being.
• Just like the caterpillar that gives up crawling to become a butterfly, transformation asks us to let go what we think we are so we can become who we are.
  • Expecting ourselves, our lives, or our businesses and circumstances to remain in some currently recognizable form so we feel safe keeps us from receiving the surprising gifts that emerge from our transformations.
• Transformation need not take a long time if we listen and surrender to the inner shifts that show us the way.

What inner shifts are you experiencing that are changing your external world?

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."  ~Rabindranath Tagoren.

Welcome to Butterfly Time!

After my up-close-and-personal butterfly encounter, I wondered about the unseen significance of this tranformational being landing on my arm to 'travel' with me as I explored the wonders of its incredibly short life cycle. When I returned home, I began to see that this experience was introducing me to a new context for life and business—'butterfly time'.

We're experiencing a quickening in the world around us. If you have any doubts about this, look around you. 

Changes that once took years now happen in months or weeks. As evidenced by global events like Arab Spring and Occupy America (regardless of our personal views), the speed at which metamorphosis is occurring now is unprecedented.

This is true for our own inner shifts. And, a transformation of our consciousness and collective evolution is evident in leadership, business and money-making.

Since the start of 2012, I've noticed that business activities which typically take days or weeks to complete now get done in hours or a day. Less time and less effort with unexpected grace and ease...that's my experience of butterfly time. What is yours?

Journey into the Wonder of You

Join Me for a FREE "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" Telecall

Why is it important for us to talk? BECAUSE...

• Butterfly time is not going to slow down and the quickening of transformation in our inner and outer worlds is only going to increase. This is the new context for our existence and experiences.
• Deeply meaningful connection and collaboration are not just the new way of business. They are the new way of LIFE.
• I care, and I care deeply...about you, whether you feel free to thrive, and how you want to use gifts of your transformation to make a significantly meaningful difference in the world. 
  • Essentially (at a soul level), I'm a traveler, a pathfinder and a wayfinder, a seer and a seeker—someone who senses what is not yet visible and translates what was once mystical into what is now wisely practical.
  • I want to use my transformational gifts to help you on your journey into what feels and looks like unknown territory.

Let's "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" ...the naturally rich and effortlessly enriching aspects of your essential self that you have forgotten, haven't been able to find a place to express, or don't even know are still within you.

It's time to thrive by fully and boldly experiencing the wonder of you in business, leadership and life. The world needs now (more than ever) the gifts of your uniquely inspiring and significant transformations.

Experience your evolving awesomeness in butterfly transformations.

Join Me for a FREE "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" Telecall

Extremely good news!

"You will receive in 2012 exactly who you are." ~Dee Wallace

Be Your Own Guru

Join Me for a FREE "Liberate Your Inner Awesome!" Telecall

In the Inca Empire this insignia was worn by leaders as a tatoo designating their position in the culture. Now Simon Sinek shares with us a simple powerful model used by modern day leaders to inspire. Do you know your "WHY?"

The Golden Circle

Feel Free to THRIVE!

Start 2012 with a 5-minute transformational journey to the Jungle Temple in Angkor Wat. There you align with Mother Earth and experience the wonder of seeing in new ways. Return to your business, work or project, with unexpected insights, fresh perspectives, and a-ha breakthroughs. Let the new sense you feel about what's possible lead you to ripe opportunities that you didn't see in 2011. 

Instead of a music sound track, Lori Ference asks me a revealing question about my wild woman wisdom.

An Unexpected Gift

I've become very comfortable not knowing...the answers to questions, solutions to problems, the best way to make great decisions. You're probably wondering why 'not knowing' doesn't cause me serious anxiety. Well, the answer is very simple. I'm very comfortable 'not knowing' because 11 years of executive leadership coaching has shown me how incredibly valuable 'not knowing' can be.

'Not knowing" frees me to...

• Make less assumptions.
• Let go of expectations.
• Ask more questions.

Instead of insisting on arriving at certain conclusions or finding instant answers to troubling challenges, I travel on a coaching journey of exploration, discovery and breakthroughs with women entrepreneurs, executives and nonprofit leaders. Together, we navigate familiar and unchartered landscapes to find their path through or around obstacles and difficulties they encounter in their work.

Like you, these phenomenal human beings are committed to making a meaningful difference in the world. Their practice of resilience and courage in the face of uncertainty and unexpected change inspires me to...

• Listen without judgment.
• Hear what is not being said.
• Experience 'not knowing'.

'Not knowing' invites me to share objective observations and fresh perspectives based on my...

• Understanding the nuances of context in their stories. 
• Sensing the invisible connections in their experiences.
• Seeing what's possible now in their leadership and their businesses.

As our coaching conversations unfold, leaders experience a-ha moments, deeply enriching insights, and major breakthroughs. These experiences enable them to let go of unproductive ways of thinking and acting. Instead, they tap into the wealth of who they are — their natural gifts and talents. From this richer sense of self, they engage in practices that allow them to thrive in their businesses and lives.

Transform & Thrive in 2012

Get comfortable 'not knowing' because 2012 is full of twists, turns and surprises. Actually, that's good news! Yet you will have to navigate much more unfamiliar and unchartered terrain. If you would like a seasoned guide — a life-long traveler who is very comfortable navigating the unknown, contact me. 

"As a traveler, I'm very comfortable navigating the unknown - allowing the journey to tell me what I need to know about the destination and how best to get there. That's why it's fun helping leaders navigate the unknown, presented by unexpected obstacles and daunting challenges. With confidence and courage learn to sense what's not yet visible — new possibilities, options and opportunities to transform yourself and thrive in business and life in 2012 with Simply the Best Coaching." ~Sylvia Warren, MBA | Consciousness Coach

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions. In this TED video she offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite. Her advise is extremely valuable for women entrepreneurs as well. Sit back and enjoy your favorite cup of Joe or tea as you watch this 15-minute video.

Sally's Story

When I asked Sally what her leadership super powers were, her initial response was: "I'm not sure!" Then she said: "You know, I spend a lot of time second guessing myself with what I think I should have or could have done. I really don't pay much attention to what I do that is natural, easy and effective. Maybe that is why I don't even think of myself as having 'super powers'."

Her candid response prompted me to ask: "If you saw yourself with leadership super powers, what would they be?" In our rich coaching conversation that followed Sally realized that big picture thinking and planning for contingencies were second nature to her. When she led with these pivotal strengths, she always felt confident and decisive. Plus, her leadership was more effective.

So in her business Sally decided to shift into conscious competency of her super powers. She started to leverage what she does best, and began to delegate work based on the individual and collective super powers of her team.

Instead of becoming frustrated or overwhelmed by problems, team members are seeing and approaching challenges as opportunities to exercise their super powers—individually and collaboratively. With Sally's leadership guidance and direction business revenues are increasing and her company is hiring personnel. Now Sally's entrepreneurial spirit is being energized and sustained by her own super powers.

Are you occupying your super powers? If not, let's talk!

As I complete final preparations for my annual tradition of celebrating my birthday 'off continent', I'm reminded of the wondrous people, places and experiences in my world. It gives me pause. With sincere gratitude, I am humbled by all the blessings LIFE shares with me. 

You are a blessing. Thank you for each and every way — great and small — that you touch my life. I appreciate you!

That is why I am sharing with you a poem 'from the heart, mind and pen' of Minx Boren. Minx is a dear colleague and a phenomenal poet. In this poem she expressess the natural elegance of gratitude. Savor the sweetness! 

considering that we are

none of us wise enough

or strong enough or clever

or creative enough alone

how considerate and necessary

it is that we remember

time and again to

turn to one another

with gratitude and respect

considering the ways that we are

each of us so interdependent

on one and another

our lives so interwoven

down to the details and intricacies of

our every day goings and doings

that something as simple

as putting food on our table

or even simply setting a place

or more simply still

seeding a garden or field

requires the work and wisdom

of thousands of hands and tools

and practices that stretch back

to the beginnings of time

even to the harnessing of fire

the weaving of baskets

and the discovery of the wheel

while we as humans have collectively

scaled the highest peaks and soared

way into the heavens

reached far into the depths

of oceans and delved into the magnificent

complexities of our own bodies

and minds not one of us

could have done any such thing

on our own

and so it is that we must truly be

forever and always beholden

beyond measure to those

upon whose shoulders we stand

those who came before and those

who journey with us now

and what is ours to do in this

and every moment

with great humility

and even greater awe

is quite simply to remember

and give thanks

©2011 Minx Boren.  All rights reserved.