November 13, 2013

Just Wait

Like it or not, things happen for a reason.  When you think you have all the answers, things can just turn around and surprise you.  I do have a habit of  jumping to my own conclusions here and there.  I can say I have been guilty of making assumptions to try to figure something out and drawing conclusions based on observation or partial information.

I like to have the answers to things even when I may be lacking detail or information.  It is far too easy to add my own pieces to a puzzle to create a full picture.  This ‘technique’ only leads to a puzzle full of odd holes and spaces and wrong assumptions.  It is sort of like drawing a map and then being blind folded half way through. The user of the map will likely end up lost since the path will only partially serve its purpose. There are times when my intuition helps me and instances when I ignore my intuition and results are usually varied.  It would behoove me to listen to my intuition as often as possible as it is a good internal map whatever the path I take in life.  I had two instances this week when I decided to listen to my intuition and the outcome was to my advantage.  I have two instances a few weeks back when I said, ‘this is my desired outcome’ and oddly, the outcome just recently played out just as I had hoped. I have one instance in which I ignored my intuition and about 6 hours later thought to myself, “I should have listened…”  I definitely had an AH HA moment.

My lessons are repeating themselves or maybe evolving.  Okay, repeating.  It is necessary to be patient even when it feels impossible to exercise patience.  Answers will come forward.  Information will surface.  Clarity will present itself.  The timeline may be short or long and it is likely outside reasonable control.  Sometimes it is better to sit back and observe instead of drawing conclusions.  Sometimes it is better to wait something out when waiting feels like the right thing to do, even if waiting is really tough to do.  Sometimes trying to figure out everything on your own is the wrong way and letting things come to fruition is the better way. Sometimes trusting your instincts is the only clear path to figuring out the answers you seek.

 

 

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September 21, 2013

Are The Right People Around You?

Building upon an idea requires the right people to provide support or to add insight .  My vision is fuzzy when it comes to visualizing color and creative interpretation.  I am working on a blog makeover and when I made the decision to do this, I felt like I was standing in a strange city without a map or GPS.  I was unsure of how to approach my vision.  On a whim, I reached out to someone I found online who has a side business of creative design for blogs and websites.  When I shared my vision, she replied with some abstract ideas that I loved.You know you have found the right person when you see their suggestions and say, “WOW! I love this!”  I can be a very literal person and while I can do many things, envisioning a creative or artistic design is difficult for me.  I can describe what I want and convey what inspires me but bringing that together into a picture can be tedious!  I need someone who can help me interpret my vision or show how colors or patterns can be complementary.

My strengths lie in areas that are less artsy and more logical.  I can envision ideas on a practical level and come up with concepts. When it comes to colors, coordination and aesthetics, it is a struggle.  I knew I had to find someone who could help me with my blog idea.  There are some things just better left to people have skill sets that are different than mine.  Plus, I really have little interest in doing creative design or blog design and much prefer the surprise of someone else’s interpretation and ability to run with a vision or an idea.  Ask me how to solve a problem, I can probably come up with a solution.  Ask me to pick out fabrics or patterns or colors for anything and you may see a blank look on my face.

It brings me to the idea of understanding your “power”.  What are the tools you have intuitively and naturally that you can share with someone else to help them along whatever path they are on?  What do you hold in your hands (figuratively) that you can work with and use that may be stifled or collecting dust?  We all have something and it can vary from ability to fix things to baking cakes to interior design to writing. Recognizing what you do well is really important.  Recognizing where it would be helpful to hire help or to have someone pitch in is always will serve anyone better.  It comes down to knowing your strengths and capitalizing and knowing your weaknesses and accepting them.  It takes so much more effort to try to make a weakness a strength and so little effort to ask someone if they can help when it would be most beneficial. For example, I have a friend who may as well be a professional shopper/stylist.  She has taught me how to incorporate colors and style into my wardrobe in ways that I can repeat on my own.  However, every now and then, I need her assistance shopping because she has a eye for fashion and I do the best I can.  When you ask for help or hire someone, make sure you have people who are excellent at what they do and make sure you choose people who will show up. Consistent. Reliable. Trustworthy. Objective. Present. Supportive. These are the words that come to mind for me when I think of who I want to working with me.  It is important to gather the right people to support your vision else you may find things slow down or do not turn out as you envision.  If you are lacking what you need in the people around you, make a change.  If you find yourself going to a person who understands your vision or can give you helpful objective or even actionable feedback or advice, then you have the right person. Know when to run with what or who you have and know when to bring someone new on board and to make a change to benefit your path.

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July 22, 2013

Sparking Inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing.  It comes in different ways, at different times.  Understanding what inspires a person can be very informative and very telling when talking about business, ideas or plans. I often find myself asking, ‘What is your motivation behind (fill in the blank)” and perhaps a better question would be, “What inspires you to (fill in the blank).”  The response usually leads to an interesting conversation or more questions whether I am talking to a stranger, a friend or my dog’s veterinarian.

My inspiration to write usually ramps up when I feel unsettled. This is the norm when I end up posting something on this blog.  I get this jittery feeling as if I had too much coffee and when that sets in, my brains starts working and I open a blank page and start typing.  A jittery feeling is my motivation to write in some cases – sounds odd.  It is a word or an experience that takes me down a path of different thoughts and ideas to inspire me.  It is some sort of cause and effect that I will have to ponder at another time.  I suppose inspiration can be multifaceted and when it strikes you, you can either go with it or ignore it.  I find when I ignore things they eventually surface again and demand attention. When inspiration strikes and timing is conducive, sometimes it is better focus and go with the flow.  Last year, I was inspired to start painting again to open my creative side.  I ended up painting birthday cards and learned to work with paints again.

Inspiration also makes me think of time.  When struck by inspiration, the final outcome or the end result may take a few minutes, days or months.  There are times of inspiration with a speedy outcome such as finding a job posting online and submitting your resume.  When inspired to change direction in your career it may be a process or you may need to employ patience to get to the starting point you desire.  I call out a starting point because some inspiration spurns change requiring a foundation to get to arrive at your beginning.  A doctor needs to complete the educational requirements to start a career healing others. I needed paints and a tablet of paper for my creative inspiration.  What foundation do you need in place act on your inspiration? A foundation may be knowledge, training, experience, collateral, funding or self confidence to get started.  

How does one find inspiration?  Hard to say what works for any one person, though sometimes it is by pure chance.  It may come upon you while you are doing something you enjoy.  It may strike when you are watching TV or reading or eating a slice of pizza.  I tend to think inspiration comes when one is open to receive or willing to listen to a gut or intuitive feeling.  Inspiration may also come if you go looking for it.  What if you have trouble finding a source of inspiration?  I generally find talking others can help, like asking for directions; though the best sources are often the people with the best intuition in my experience (see my post about choosing your team here).  In fact, in situations when friends consult me, I just follow my intuition to help or assist in whatever way I can.  It tends to end up in an interesting conversation to spark at least a moment of inspiration to get things moving.  Today I sent an email to a friend with my point of view on an aspect of the launch of her new business and it somehow lead me to this post.  Perhaps I found my inspiration in that email and she just got spammed by me.

 

 

 

Filed Under: brain, business, clarity, Connection, direction, experience, Go with the flow, Inspiration, intuition, intuitive, Listening, motivation, thepageofaquarius Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment
July 17, 2013

Choose Your Team Wisely

If you were starting a new business, who would you discuss it with?  I believe anyone embarking on a new venture needs moral support and someone to help them along when they lose faith in the opportunity at hand; even more so when a person feels like they have lost it for feeling so passionate or believing in something that requires planning and effort.  The belief in the unknown can be intimidating while passion is very motivating.  It is such a human thing to believe you are on the right path  and a day later feel as those you have lost your mind or become enveloped in self doubt.

Who believes in you?  My question is intended to generate constructive thought and “no one” is an unacceptable answer.  Who in your life stands by you and believes in who you are and what you can do?  When I believe in someone I can believe in their ideas and what they wish to accomplish.  I have no explanation as to why those two things go hand in hand.  If I believe in you, I can support you and if it appears you need to rethink something I will share that with you.  I can think of many friends who have business ideas either in progress, on the radar, or in their heads.  I find it most interesting how contagious a person’s passion can be for something they believe in.  Passion is contagious and it has taught me that every person needs their own cheerleader or coach or a phantom teammate.  Someone who will listen to ideas or provide encouragement or help one see the forest from the trees.  A silent teammate is what it feels like to me.  I am on your team while you lead the way and see things through. I am on the bench waiting to help out when called upon.  I definitely play this role for some of my friends.  One of my friends is working on two different business plans.  A rodeo comes to mind when I think of all she is trying to do.  She has a lot coming at her.  When she falls off the bucking bronco someone knocks her off the horse, I run into the ring, put her back on the horse and tell her to hold tight because she is doing exactly what she is meant to do.  I even pitch in sometimes with her business plan.  Now and then I get a message for help with ideas so I run back into the ring and I jump on the horse to help her redirect for a just a short while and run back to my seat on the bench. I have no idea why I am using a rodeo metaphor.  This person neither rides horses nor lives anywhere near a rodeo but it just seemed apropos as I wrote.

I feel anyone starting a venture of any kind needs someone to help keep them on track.  Sometimes we are so deep in the weeds, a reality check is helpful as the human mind can take us to negative places and create stress, worry and discouraging thoughts. The skeptics can weigh and derail goals and ideas which can be discouraging – that is why you need to look to your team.  Everyone needs a team to surround them whether it is a team of 1 or many, it is an important part of any venture.  We all need someone to help us to get back in the saddle and remove the blinders of doubt to refocus on what needs to be accomplished to reach goals and dreams.  Nothing is every easy and the people you choose as your team can make a world of difference when it comes to encouragement and moral support.

Filed Under: Believe, blog, business, clarity, consciously aware, direction, experience, Go with the flow, Inspiration, intuition, lucrative business opportunity, motivation, passion, perspective, successful venture, thepageofaquarius, time Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment
June 25, 2013

What’s the Plan?

poHave you ever been in or near your kitchen and suddenly you become acutely aware of your refrigerator humming in the background? It is the kind of thing that is always there but unless you are tuned in it goes unnoticed?  This is how my brain has been operating as relates to the ever popular question of ‘What do I want to do with my life’ – specifically around work. I have had an idea buzzing in back of my head for quite some time.  It is always there and I think about it a few times per day. It fades and it resurfaces based on things I read or something I hear….or during a conference call when I wonder if anyone actually cares about what is being discussed.

The mind works in funny ways.  When I think about what I can do or where I see myself going, I come to a point of feeling unsure or uncertain about the steps I need to take or what I need to lay out for myself.  I suppose I know what I need (a plan); yet I have trouble putting one together for myself.  I feel a traditional or formal business plan would not suit me.  I need something unique and always feel like there is something that I have yet to nail down for myself. I may also be over-thinking.  The irony of this is the time I have spent time working with other people on their new business ideas or other types of ideas. It is something I enjoy doing in my spare time.  In the end, the feedback is always, ‘You should do this as a business.’

Why is it so hard to do something for myself when helping someone else comes naturally?  Once someone shares an idea with me, it is like a switch goes off and ideas or next steps or questions come to mind.  I can envision and layout what is needed to move certain elements forward.  It is more of an intuitive thing I suppose.  I just intuitively know what is needed depending on the situation or the need.  If I believe in the person, their motivation and what they are trying to accomplish, information just comes to me.  With that said, when a person carries a passion for what they do or for what they want to do, it is obvious and it is rewarding to see someone succeed or make progress.

When you are on your own or working with an idea, sometimes figuring out a plan can be challenging. What steps to take, what to do, oh and have I lost my mind?  Self doubt is so typical and so human.  It is funny when a friend encourages me or acknowledges my potential.  It is hard to dispute the feedback of someone who knows me and what I can do.  I met someone recently who said, “This is what I see you doing.  What is your plan for this and that and the other thing.”   Waving a magic wand seems a bit outlandish.  I probably have to figure out how to get out of my own way and start to really work it out.  

 

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