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well-being

The Practicing of Purpose

Jan 2nd, 2012
by mcmolitor.
1 comment

As we enter into a new year – it’s a great time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. Looking at what’s served you and what needs to be released to make room for new opportunities and ideas.  This mental clearing is a good practice for remembering what’s important to you and how you want to utilize your gifts and talents in the coming year.

I’ve found that in going through life it’s easy to get caught in a rut – in a perpetual way of “being” that at first started out as a good thing but somewhere along the line it stopped being the best use of you and your talents. Or perhaps you got off track without even knowing it, working with the stuff that showed up but wasn’t necessarily truly aligned with your purpose and gifts.

So how do you get back on track? How can you make sure that what you’re doing is actually in alignment with who you are and what you have to offer the world?

The answer is simple but not always easy.

 

Here are 5 steps to help you get back on track for the New Year.

1. Pause. Take time out of your busy schedule and full life to get quiet. Find your own place and space to do this, away from distractions. Disconnect completely from your electronic world – cell phone, email, telephone, computer etc., just for a while.

2. Reflect. Look back over the last year and make a list of your accomplishments, what can you celebrate? Notice where you missed your mark as well. What could you have done differently? What lessons are here for you to take forward into the New Year with you? Write all of this down.

3. Remember. What is it that fills you with joy? Both personally and professionally? What activities light you up, use your gifts and talents fully and allow you to be of contribution to others in some way big or small? How can you bring more of these activities into your daily life and routine? Conversely, what activities drain your energy? What needs to be reconfigured or removed altogether?

4. Choose. What do you need to say ‘No’ to in order to make room for these activities? What do you need to say ‘Yes’ to in order to have more “On Purpose” moments in each day?

5. Practice. Practice getting quiet in each day to pause and reflect, ask for guidance and express your gratitude. Then go out into your world and contribute your talents, skills and wisdom to the best of your abilities.  Each day is a new day to practice being On Purpose – aligning your work with your core values, talents and wisdom in such a way that not only fills you with joy but also leaves positive imprint on those around you.

 

Wishing you much happiness, good health and prosperity in 2012!

Happy New Year!

To Your Success~

Michele

What makes you happy?

And how can you bring that joy to your work in each day?

 

What makes me happy is helping others bring out their personal brand of brilliance through their work. Encouraging and guiding others to get out of their own way and create what their version of success looks like.

Want to put your brilliance to work in bigger, bolder ways this year? Contact me for a complimentary consultation – Together, we’ll help you dive into 2012 with a clear vision for yourself and determine what the next steps are for you to create a happy and prosperous new year!

Pushing Rocks Up Hill… (there’s a better way!)

Mar 7th, 2011
by mcmolitor.
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When you get the feeling that you’re pushing rocks up hill, it’s a good time to pause and see what’s working and perhaps more importantly, what’s NOT working to grow your business.  As you take inventory, you can reconfigure your short-term and long-term goals as necessary, letting go of the things that no longer work for you or the growth of your business.

As we all know, letting go can be easier said than done though. Many folks have found that having a business coach can help them see through their own self-induced fog to see more clearly what they might be holding onto unnecessarily (dis-empowering perspectives, habits, or even relationships), longer than they need for fear of change.  The fear of what lies in the unknown and in the blank spaces left behind.

But this blank space is the “Field of Pure Potentiality” as some would call it; the place where all things are possible when we put our hearts and minds to the task.

Imagine, what’s possible if you were to let go of the issue you’re pushing against? And if you can’t simply let it go, how can you shift your perspective or attitude about it so it becomes less stressful and difficult to deal with?  What’s the path of least resistance here? The path that serves all involved most effectively?

So as you continue to move forward in your day, your week and your year, get clear on what you want to create next, as well as what you need to leave behind (those dang rocks!).  Then you can step fully into the space that remains and fill it with new creations and possibilities.

Question to Ponder:

What can you let go of today that will create a quantum leap for you either personally or professionally?

To Your Success~

Michele

Review, Refine and Recommit to a New Year of Success

Jan 6th, 2011
by mcmolitor.
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Today I had a great time talking with Ana Lucia Novak on her Savvy Business Leader Blog Talk Radio Show! Ana is a super savvy Social Media Maven who has helped me streamline my social media marketing efforts and made me look really good while helping me grow my social media connections. (Thanks!)

On her show, we talked about the process of “Review, Refine, Recommit”, a thought-provoking series of exercises and questions to help business leaders take a step back from the fray of running their business or division everyday to review, refine and recommit – to their core values as they apply to the vision and mission of their organization, re-evaluate and refine their company goals from a fresh perspective, and recommit to those goals by putting clear time lines and accountability plans into place to achieve those goals. These exercises and activities give leaders the space necessary to refine their vision and mission from today’s perspective and identify new goals and strategies for success to achieve that vision.

The conversation was just a taste of the longer, in-person class I’m teaching on January 12th from 10am to noon at The Educators’ Institute in downtown Oakland, CA. It’s a hands-on program that gives you time to clarify how you want to move forward powerfully into this new year for greater success.

Listen in to the Savvy Business Leader Blog Talk Radio Show to get a boat load of though-provoking questions to help you create your vision for the new year or join me for class next week (it’s easy to register online)!

Here’s to your prosperous New Year!

Cheers~

Michele

Jul 27th, 2010
by mcmolitor.
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“With a powerful desire, with a strong determination, and with a commitment to yourself, you can find ways to achieve your goals, and overcome challenges.”  ~ Catherine Pulsifer

You may feel a need to think about your future, and make plans to achieve your objectives. You could feel optimistic about the prospects of new possibilities in your life, and want to explore new ideas for using them to their best potential.

A good way to apply this optimistic attitude is to seek opportunities to further your goals. You might consider taking classes to enhance your knowledge or consulting a mentor about the best way to proceed with your plans. You could also be a little bolder about pursuing your goals by applying for a new position that offers growth potential, or asking for a promotion at your current job.

Being courageous enough to take action is often the key to inviting new opportunities into our lives. Though planning and preparation is always a good idea, many of us don’t allow ourselves to get beyond that stage.

At some point we need to be willing to release our fear and hesitation, and go after what we want. If we can gather the confidence to begin by taking a small step, our willingness to take action will usually open doors that were previously closed to us. With repeated effort and an optimistic attitude, we gain the confidence to be a little bolder in our actions and create more powerful results. Combining your optimistic outlook with the courage to take action to achieve your goals can be a powerful recipe for success.

May you always find the courage to take action.

To your success!

Michele

Guess I spoke too soon – #1 is Great!

Apr 20th, 2010
by mcmolitor.
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Hi Everyone,

In my latest post of just a few minutes ago – I spoke too soon! Patrick Ryan’s new book Awakened Wisdom – A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance has just hit #1 on the Amazon.ca Best Sellers list in the Spirituality category!

Hoo Hoo!

You can check it out here if you haven’t gotten your copy yet.

I love it when team work comes together to create exciting results like this. Be sure to read my previous posting “The Joy of Being #2…(For now anyway)” to get the full scoop.

cheers,

michele

The Joy of Being #2… (for now anyway)

Apr 20th, 2010
by mcmolitor.
1 comment

Awakened Wisdom by Patrick Ryan is Spirituality Bestseller!

My friend and colleague – Patrick Ryan’s New Book Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance had its official Amazon launch today, and the results so far are inspiring. Within the first few hours, Awakened Wisdom became a bestseller in spirituality in both the US and Canada.

Most impressively, the book took the Number-2 slot in Canadian spirituality sales, and the #5 slot in Self Help, sharing the very same page on Amazon with top-selling spirituality titles such as Don Miguel Ruiz’s Four Agreements, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love. At one point, Patrick and Eckhart were dancing back and forth in the top 5 spots on the Canadian list, which is interesting because so many people have compared these two writers even before the book was released.

Patrick’s book is currently in great company in the top five of Amazon.ca behind Eat. Pray. Love and in front of The Four Agreements, A New Earth and The Power of Now. Not too shabby!

Born in the Canadian prairies, and surviving a near-death experience in his youth, Patrick Ryan has been a life-long spiritual seeker. He spent some time as a Buddhist monk in Burma, and has studied the world over with healers, shamans and other indigenous wise people. The culmination of his multifaceted experiences, from the home-spun to the esoteric, is to be found within his unique, and inimitably down-to-earth, system of spiritual development he calls “Awakened Wisdom”, which he has taught in workshops throughout the world for several years. The essence of those teachings, along with practical exercises for cultivating them in your life, may now be found within the pages of his newly bestselling book.

The Awakened Wisdom launch continues tomorrow and, with the help of more than 40 other authors, coaches, entrepreneurs and spiritual teachers who have kindly offered their help in spreading the word about this wonderful new book, the Awakened Wisdom team hope to see it rise into the top 10 in the United States, before the launch is over.

In celebration of the official release of Awakened Wisdom, Patrick Ryan and his associates are giving away over 40 exceptional personal development and spiritual growth gifts when you purchase a copy the book during the launch.

One of these gifts is an unprecedented 2-session “Awakened Wisdom Virtual Experience”, in which author Patrick Ryan will take participants on a journey through the “8 States of an Awakened Life” via webcast in May. This is a rare opportunity to learn directly from a world-renowned spiritual teacher—and now top-selling spirituality author.

I myself am offering excerpts from both of my books – A Guide to Getting It: A Clear Compelling Vision and Got Experts? Volume II.

To pick up your copy of the Awakened Wisdom, get all those free gifts, and sign up for this very special event, which is open ONLY to those who purchase the book this week, go to:

http://www.awakenedwisdom.com/Public/Amazon/BookLaunch/index.cfm

Make sure you do this as soon as possible, as the launch ends this Thursday, April 22.

I love to watch friends and colleagues Thrive – what a celebration! And, we’ll get to #1 soon!

Thanks for your support in helping Patrick get to #1 in both the US and in Canada!

With gratitude~

Michele

The Path of Least Resistance

Apr 15th, 2010
by mcmolitor.
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Have you ever had one of those days where all the perfect things just seem to unfold at your feet?  It’s the most amazing feeling when all the right people, circumstances and ideas come flowing into your life, just when you need them.

The trick of course is how do you stay in this place of flow?

Here are a couple of helpful tips which can applied generously on any given day:

  • Smile – it will cause others to smile back at you and has been known to ripple out in all directions.
  • Keep a positive frame of mind – even when life throws the hard stuff at you, try to find the good in all circumstances.
  • Open your heart and your mind to new ideas, learning and people. You’ll be surprised what shows up when you take the blinders off.
  • Take time to slow down, get quiet and listen to your intuition – it knows a lot more than you give it credit for.
  • Trust your intuition once you start listening to it.

These may seem simple but sometimes can be hard to maintain. But like blogging, ;)   if you keep up with it on a daily basis,  you’re bound to get better and better at it.

Here’s to being in the flow more and more!

Cheers~

Michele

Small Business – The Entrepreneur’s Reflection

Apr 14th, 2010
by mcmolitor.
1 comment

Patrick Ryan, author of Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance, is sharing some of his advice and wisdom from his experience as a successful entrepreneur.  This is the tenth stop on Patrick’s 14-day Virtual Blog Tour to promote the launch of his new book.  After reading today’s article be sure to sign up for the book launch reminder here: http://ow.ly/1kB3m.

Small Business – The Entrepreneur’s Reflection

As a small business owner when you look at your business you are looking at a reflection of who you are. Your business will reveal the state of your inner world. As you created it; it reveals you.

Michele: What does it mean to live an awakened life and what connection does it have with being an entrepreneur or Small Business Owner (SBO)?

Patrick: Living an awakened life is to live a life of conscious presence. I have been an entrepreneur and small business owner virtually my entire life. I have also been a Buddhist monk and apprentice to some amazing indigenous teachers. All the time that I was receiving the blessings of those experiences I was mostly fascinated with the correlation between what I was experiencing in my personal life and the results that I was manifesting in my business life.

The smaller the business, the closer the reflection is between the small business owners way of walking in the world and what the business is experiencing.  As a business grows and more and more people become involved in its operations, then the business reflects the totality of the people in it. Still, it is the owner whose impact is likely to be the biggest.  Therefore, it is essential for entrepreneurs to develop themselves personally and as they do, to then allow the enterprise to shape shift and reflect the owner’s development.

Michele: Is it possible for someone to separately live an awakened life as an entrepreneur / SBO but not in the other parts of their life?

Patrick: No, as the saying goes, you can keep running but you cannot hide. Our lives are as connected to our business and our business to our lives as a spider web connects it’s whole structure to the tree it is built upon.  We can put our attention on one or the other for a while but eventually balance will be required if it is all going to be sustained.

I have coached entrepreneurs for years and one of the biggest challenges for us is to keep all the plates spinning in a good way. If you ignore some part of your life, personal relationships for example, it is just a matter of time before it affects the business and vice-versa.

That is really good news because when you turn this idea over it also teaches us that as we care for all the different aspects of our life it contributes to the well being of our business and again, visa versa. Balance is the key.

Michele: I like the sound of the Eight States Of An Awakened Life… When considering entrepreneurship and SBO’s are there any of these states that are more applicable OR If we consider the cycle of business development and growth, do Business Owners experience the Eight States just as they would experience the cycles of business growth – and is there correlation?  Could you expand a little on that?

Patrick: In the book Awakened Wisdom I present the Eight States of an Awakened Life. Taken together these eight states will ensure that an entrepreneur is living, and through their business creating, a whole and healthy life and enterprise.

The Eight States are not linear is their application, all eight states are present and part of our life at all times. What the Awakened Wisdom book does really well is to present them in a way that is easily applicable starting now.

As our enterprises cycle through it different stages of development then what you would look for as you consider each of the eight states may change accordingly.

For example one of the eight states is a Good State of Practice. In this state we are asked to look at the daily, weekly, monthly, annual practices that would support us in sustaining a beautiful life.

If you apply that same state to your business it asks you to become clearer about what practices are needed in your business to maintain its health and vibrancy.

If you enjoy reading, yoga, or meditation for your personal development and wellbeing then it is interesting to ask yourself what yoga or meditation for my business would look like. Whatever insight occurs to you when you ask that question would be worth trying out.

Michele: Would you tell me about your book Awakened Wisdom: A Guide To Reclaiming Your Brilliance – why did you write it and why is it an important book now?

Patrick: We each have our own amazing talents, genius and skills and as entrepreneurs that is usually what comes through our businesses. One thing that I am good at is taking big spiritual or metaphysical concepts and distilling them down to practical ideas that we can apply in our life and business right away.

I wrote the book Awakened Wisdom so that other people could have a resource that would support them in accessing their own wisdom. I don’t presume to tell anybody what they should do but rather how to get in touch with their personal wisdom. Each of us has to navigate our own way so I guess you could say that Awakened Wisdom is like a navigation tool.

I have lived many lives in this one life and sharing the ideas that I have found to be relevant is part of my service to humanity.

I have presented these ideas in boardrooms, training rooms as well as in monasteries and desert retreats. The ideas in this book have been offered into many cultures all around the world and I have personally found it thrilling to witness how each group has found themselves in the teachings in a way that had them feel aligned and deeply touched by the work.

Michele: For the parents who read my blog, is the book appropriate for children?  If so, which age group would most benefit from reading this book?

Patrick: I believe that the ideas of the book are relevant for everyone of all ages. Having said that, the style of writing in this book may not relate to young children. I do think that anyone in their teenage years and on up to elderhood would benefit from reading and practicing the ideas in the book.

Michele: From the information you have provided today, could you suggest one implementable / actionable point that Business Owners could go out and do TODAY…What sort of results or experiences could they expect to see?

Patrick: Quite often, as small business owners, we get caught in the day to day busyness of our world. There is always a lot to do, emails, phone calls, appointments and on and on. When we get caught in that swirl one of the best things that we can do is to step out of it and to slow down. That often seems counter productive at first and the results are amazing.

The best way that I have found to do that is to go out into nature for at least a day and better yet three and to just free your Self from the emails and calls and allow your Self to dream about where all this is taking you.

When life is challenging it is important to re-member the dream that lives around the adventure in the first place. By being connected more fully to the bigger dream you will get a perspective that will support you energetically and as well, you will be better able to see what course corrections are needed to navigate well.

Being an entrepreneur is a great adventure and every great adventure will have its easy times and its challenges. If you are reading this then I know that we are brothers and sisters on a great journey together. Do not attempt to do this alone, reach out, ask for help and then let it in.  I know that the book Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance will support you along the path.

Journey well,

Patrick Ryan

www.AwakenedWisdom.com

How can you create a life well-lived?  Get Patrick’s new book on April 20th and find out. To receive updates in regards to the official Amazon book launch on April 20th, please visit http://ow.ly/1kB3m

Allowing Joy~

Mar 23rd, 2010
by mcmolitor.
No comments yet

Being on the other side of this car experience (and actually buying a new car because of it) – It’s made me realize where I haven’t been allowing myself to have the things I’ve been dreaming of, come to fruition in my life.

Joy in Motion~

Joy in Motion~

I’d like to think that we all have dreams that we strive for – some are big dreams some are smaller dreams – it’s all relative though. What is a big hairy audacious dream to one may be not a big deal to another. But they all are valid and important to the person dreaming them.

It was very interesting to see where the dreams I’ve been dreaming of came up against my own beliefs and disbeliefs about what I could or couldn’t have, what I think I deserved and all the other places that this pattern was playing out in different areas of my life – both personally and professionally.

It made me see very clearly where I don’t allow the joy to enter in fully to my life. Here I’ve been saying for many years I’ve wanted something and when the opportunity presented itself easily and effortlessly, I practically turned away from it. The more I looked at my own fears about having what I really wanted, the smaller those fears became.

Now with a new expanded vision of what’s possible, I’m excited to dream bigger dreams knowing that I actually can have them too. It’s a matter of getting out of my own way to allow the joy to enter in and sweep me along on it’s radiant current.

So here are a few questions for you to ponder:

  • What dreams do you have and where are you finding yourself stuck in achieving those dreams?
  • In what ways do you allow joy to flow through your life, your career, and your business?
  • When you do allow the joy – what kind of results do you get?
  • Where are you not letting it flow through freely?
  • What needs to be shifted or changed in order to have more joy in your life?

Let me know what you think and where you might be getting stuck.

Here’s my challenge to you as well:

Practice Being Joyful today – just because – and see how it affects all the other areas of your life – your work, your co-workers, your family and your friends…

I can’t wait to hear about it from you!

And if you’d like a great resource to help you create more joy in your life, I highly recommend Patrick Ryan’s latest book ” Awakened Wisdom – A Guide To Reclaiming Your Brilliance“. frontcoverPatrick shares with us  the 8 States of an Awakened Life, which are a beautiful blend of ancient guidance and modern teachings, helping us to live life more fully and joyfully, in each moment.

Make it a great day~

To Your Success,
Michele

Being in the Flow

Feb 25th, 2010
by mcmolitor.
No comments yet

Seems my day was supposed to go a different way today.

After running over a nasty piece of metal debris on the highway and blowing a hole in my radiator, I spent a good junk of my day getting my car towed, taking it to my mechanic, calling the insurance company and getting a car to drive.

Previously, that would have really upset me – however today, it just was what it was.

Despite the inconvenience of having to get some major repairs on my car now – It wasn’t raining, my insurance company ordered up a tow truck that showed up within an hour or so, my claim got filed easily, and a dear friend offered to loan me her car while her husband is out of town! I even had someone to substitute for me at the breakfast meeting I missed, which I didn’t even know about until later!

All that said, it’s made me realize that I’m ok. Even in the face of life’s never ending challenges – I am ok.

I am fortunate enough to have the flexibility to rearrange my schedule to manage my clients needs and my own unexpected detour.  For this, I’m very grateful!

I could have gotten my panties all in a wad and gotten angry at the situation but I didn’t. Instead I was able to roll with it and still keep a smile on my face – knowing that everything will be just fine – especially when I’m able to stay in the flow of things.

It’s when I get out of the flow – struggling against what is showing up in my life – that I find myself exhausted, tired, frustrated and off kilter.

So my question for you is:

  • Where are you in the flow of things or where are you pushing against it?
  • In what areas of your life, career or business are you pushing rocks up hill and wondering why you’re so tired all of the time??

Even though life doesn’t always hand you the best circumstances, take time to be grateful for what you DO have (I have a car, the means to get it fixed, and friends and colleagues who have offered to help if I need it).

As you focus more on what you do have, and what you’re grateful for, you’ll see more of those good things coming your way.

My challenge to you: Every time you find yourself being pulled into some sort of negative thinking, stop and ask yourself “What am I grateful for in this moment?” and find something good to focus on instead of the previous negative thought.

Try this for at least a week. See what shifts occur and let me know!

Want to know more? Check out this interesting read: Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Thanks!

To Your Success~

Michele

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