True Voice

Powerful Stories: The Golden Key to Client Attraction

I was interviewed today by Sarah Hathorn for her Entrepreneur's Success Circle. It was fun to talk about a topic I love--storytelling--and to show how stories can be central to the successful  entrepreneur's way to easily attract clients. I use stories all the time--and people understand me and what my work is about so much more readily. Stories beat bullet points, long explanations or canned sound bites every time. Stories can make you irresistable--and that's what you want, isn't it?

Here is an excerpt from the Resource Packet I provided for Sarah's members:

Stories, when they are crafted and intentionally used, are the perfect tool to ramp up your client attraction. They can make your marketing efforts so much easier--and distinctive.

Well-told stories, whether in a small group, one-on-one, or in front of a thousand people, are a way for you to create trust, credibility and connection with your listeners. The stories you tell, if you've chosen your material well--will inspire the listener to action. The listener will want more of what you have because they can see and feel and hear that you are authentic. A good story evokes emotion and feeling. When people are touched, they remember you--and that's exactly what you want--for you to be in the forefront of your potential client's mind; to be the first person they remember when they need help.

If you would like access to my 7-page resource packet, please contact me and request the password. I'm happy to share resources with you, especially when they mean business!

A Poem from Mary Oliver

My dear friend, Dan Curtis, shared this poem with me this week. Take what we call a "Mary Moment" and slow down and reflect on this...

How I go into the Woods

by Mary Oliver

Ordinarily I go to the woods alone,
with not a single friend,
for they are all smilers and talkers
and therefore unsuitable.
I don't really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds
or hugging the old black oak tree.
I have my ways of praying,
as you no doubt have yours.
Besides, when I am alone
I can become invisible.
I can sit on the top of a dune
as motionless as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned.
I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.
If you have ever gone to the woods with me,
I must love you very much...

How Does An Unstoppable Woman Go About Her Life?

 

You as a Midlife Women have the capacity to unleash a powerful force in the world—and if ever there was a time to release your fullest expression, it’s NOW. Not only does the world need your unique contribution, your well-being depends on it. You know there is something more—your message and purpose—that you possess deep inside of you—the one that is yearning to finally come out and play, and be seen, and be heard. Yes, that one!  

 

You’ve also spent a lifetime honing your skills, gathering a wealth of experience and gaining wisdom as you go. You have a wealth of resources at your command and right inside of you. The one resource that is inextricably and uniquely yours is the package of personal qualities that guide your way of being.

 

Here’s my hunch—if you’re reading this article you already have many of the qualities of a woman who is a force to be reckoned with, an unstoppable woman! And if you haven’t thought of yourself this way before now, go ahead and check out the qualities my clients have identified as those of an Unstoppable Woman and see for yourself where you fit in.

 

 An Unstoppable Woman is—

 

• Adventurous— she wants new experiences and variety in her life—
• Adaptable and Flexible –she flows with the river, dances lightly and finds her way
• Tenacious—she goes for what she wants, even when she’s scared she won’t know how
• Resourceful—she knows the tools  and help she needs are right there for her— when she asks
• Responsive—she responds consciously and  with purpose to what’s real, alive and in front of her
• Joyful—she experiences joy and holds a positive outlook, even when the going gets tough
• Inventive—she finds a way to allow things to work; she makes it up her own way when she can’t see a better answer
• Resilient—she isn’t easily knocked out of the game in the face of trauma or ‘bad luck’
• Compassionate—toward her own body, mind and spirit; she tends to herself first so she has sustainable capacity to give back to others
• Wise –to her own story; she knows the story she has lived so far and is actively crafting the one she plans to live in the future
• Curious—she doesn’t stop questioning, learning, and finding out the ins and outs of everything
• Bold—she possesses an element of inner fearlessness; she takes risks and accepts responsibility for her impact, no matter what
• Creative—she is very familiar with her own creative process and knows all women have one
• Reflective, Introspective, Mindful—she practices deep respect for herself, others and the Earth; she is living her days with care and caring

 

I’ll bet you see a lot of yourself mirrored back in this list, right? These are only some of the qualities you’ll find in the Midlife Woman who is ready and eager to live unstoppably into the precious years ahead of her. Like you, she is ready to discover the possibilities available and take action to bring them to fruition.

 

There is cause for great joy and celebration when women, including you, step into the place of your fullest expression of your reason for being on the planet at this particular time. Isn’t it time we all find our way to that place? Let’s find the keys and unlock our capacities together. We each have a contribution to make that will help make this world a much better place—one unstoppable step at a time. I’ll meet you on the path!

 

©All Rights Reserved Thea Sheldon, 2009

Are Midlife Women Getting Ready to Birth...Again?

This is one of my vision boards. It hangs right next to my computer so I can keep track of it. Keep track of my purpose. I notice it has pictures of midlife women. Some elderwomen, too. Today, I'm asking myself if it's time to create a new vision board. Something is brewing deep inside me and it wants to emerge. Maybe explode is a better word. There is a mystery unfolding. It is letting me know it doesn't want to wait much longer. Is this just me? Am I the only one who has this feeling? Let me know what's brewing for you. I'd like to hear. My hunch is it's about stepping out boldly where no one else has dared go--especially not me or you.

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?

Midlife Women Prepare for What's Next: The Dangerous Old Woman

"Never before on this planet have more awakening women been alive at the same time; with a righteous expectation that a life of meaning, transforming self and others, belongs to all of us, irrevocably." Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

Estes' book, Women Who Run With The Wolves, has powerfully informed my woman  journey for nearly 20 years. A Jungian analyst and gifted storyteller, Estes is now launching her next masterwork, The Dangerous Old Woman and I'm so excited! Please check it out, so you can decide if this work is for you.

There's a free one hour podcast which will give you a taste of what's to come on the live six-part webinar starting next week. If you miss the live event, Sounds True will send out the audio for you to enjoy at your convenience.

It's time to awaken, transform and find meaning--for the rest of our lives!

I so grateful Estes is here once again to guide us. 

 

Your Second Half of Life -- No, It's Not Too Late

Many women have put their dreams, ideas, and creativity on the back burner while they tended their careers, relationships or the joys, needs and demands of family life, or all of these.

What I've seen is that around age 50 is the perfect time to wake up to the adventure and possibilities awaiting you for the rest of your life.

I say this because there is a wealth of resources and energy available right inside of you, waiting to be tapped. There is more.

And it's definitely not too late! When you claim your birthright to your dreams and take action to fulfill them, you become unstoppable. Your energy sustains you.

This is the time when your gifts can be used in service to a higher purpose in your relationships, families, communities and the larger world.

This is the time to tend to the new answers that come to you when you ask about what matters.

So, what matters to you now?