True Voice

What Do You Want More Of? 5 Ideas to Consider

As I sipped the last of a latte in my office this morning, I gazed mindfully at my Vision Board. It’s colorful and alive with pictures of seasoned, wise women entrepreneurs, just like the ones I coach. My eye fell on a phrase pasted near the top that states— Every Woman Wants More.

You know, I hear that often.  A woman says, “I’m successful and I’ve had a great life so far, but I want something more.”

When we delve into exactly what that means, we often discover she actually wants less. You may be one of these women who wants to step back, take some deep breaths and experience a spacious moment all to yourself. You are all-too-familiar with how difficult it is to hear your True Voice midst the cluttered din of every-day pressures and demands.

Lately, your inner-knowing may be telling you something is aching to birth through you and through all of us—soon. What wants to be born is not known yet. You don’t have the words for it.

My hunch is that you and many of us are yearning to have the time to sink into our rich inner territory and boldly explore what's there.

We want time and adept guides and other women to engage in conversations of substance.

We are seeking answers to “What’s Next?” and at least the beginning few words or paragraphs of our New Story--the story we can stand on and create from.

If this sounds like you, I have five ideas for you to consider.

Implementing just one of these could provide you with exactly the more (or less) you’re looking for.

•       Dedicate time every day to get quiet, meditate and allow your thinking mind to dissolve into open space. Ten minutes is a great start and 20 or 30 are even better. This is a gift only you can give to yourself and yes, there really is plenty of time for  you to do this.

•       Connect with nature as often as possible. Bring flowers, a water fountain or nature photograph into your office environment. Better yet, go out into the natural surroundings around you and look through your heart at what’s in front of you. Simply see and appreciate the natural wonder that is.

True Voice: In Through The Back Door

Nothing is at it appears. Women come to me seeking a big breakthrough with their money-wealth or their body-weight issues. They're serious. I have the tools and eagerness to help them. Then something happens.

What emerges is a longing that goes so deep we can't ignore it. We plunge into a deep, rich and bold exploration of her source of wisdom. Together we call up the Wise Woman, Ancient One, Feminine Elder, Dear One--the names vary. This is the woman's voice of wisdom. She has been waiting to be discovered. She is so eager to have a conversation with you!

What I've come to understand is that this inner source each woman discovers is what I've been calling the True Voice. The voice that offers you an inextricable connection to your innermost sacred source.

I've observed that when you go to that place, inspiration flows; creativity embraces and engulfs you and becomes your way of being in the world. You are truly unstoppable in your unique expression of what really matters.

And you find her, almost accidentally, when you thought you were seeking something else. Issues with wealth and weight are a portal to your truth--even if it sneaks in through the back door.

Dark Ancient Space

Dark Ancient Space

There is a quiet wisdom found in the space between generations,

A wisdom tethered to an ancient story,

hundreds of generations of story.

We hear it on the wind's whisper

as it tickles and twitches at our ears

and tugs our tangled hair

until we wake up from our dream,

ready and alert.

Our attention is captured by the dark ancient space between generations,

The space that informs who we are becoming,

that names our place of honor on the earth.

This poem just came back to me from my colleague, Jude Gladstone Cade. I apparently wrote it in 2002 for a workshop we offered in Del Mar, CA. What a lovely thread of reconnection!

Emerging Qualities in Women 50, 60, and Beyond

I'm 63 and several of my coaching clients are in their late 50's and well into their 60's. There is an interesting shift I notice emerging in these women and in myself. It's subtle and yet often comes forward with fierce clarity. There is something different about the way women of this age talk and approach work and life. There is clearly a new blush on the wild rose!

These are 5 qualities I notice emerging in women in their late 50's and 60's. This isn't to say these may not exist in women of another age, and the momentum for these appears to build as we age. The joy in this is that there is more to look forward to as you increase in age-- Whoohoo!

• Playful Ease and Joy--you are done with the struggle; you're out there looking for an easier way because you know life doesn't have to be so damned hard; you take joy in the inner confidence earned from years of experience; you're able to hold life lightly and have pure fun--all the while knowing every minute counts.

• Energy--there is a miraculous surge of energy after the dipsy-doodle of menopause; it's a form of unceasing energy that sustains your goals and purpose; yes, you get tired at the end of the day and need plenty of rest, but when you're living your waking hours on purpose there is no stopping you.

• Giving Back--you express gratitude frequently, openly and wholeheartedly; when you're in touch with all that you've been gifted in this lifetime, you begin to ask what and where you can give back to make a difference; you begin to shape your legacy.

• Comfort in Your Own Skin--you no longer have anything to prove, nothing to compete about, and little concern about what others think of you; you're happy to settle into the essence of who you are--knowing that she's someone you've come to love for all that she is, not what or who she isn't.

• Focus and Mission--you know that you don't know how much time you have before you die and you live accordingly; you become focused on how you want to live your particular life, for the rest of your life; you clarify your reason for being on the planet at this time and don't waste time getting about the business of fulfilling your life mission; time is precious.

Which of these qualities is beginning to show up more or differently in your life? What perspectives are shifting for you?