November 2013


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Preliminary Agenda

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Preliminary Agenda:

Lesson 1: Excellence Through Wholeness: The Method
Lesson 2: Youer than You: Explore Your Full Spectrum and Meet Your Inner Archetype
Lesson 3: Soar with the Expansiveness of Spirit: The Visionary in You
Lesson 4: Relate with the Connectedness of Soul: The Harmonizer in You
Lesson 5: Perceive with the Clarity of Mind: The Analyzer in You
Lesson 6: Succeed with the Power of Will: The Achiever in You
Lesson 7: Optimize the Visionary in You: Build on Strengths and Balance Weaknesses
Lesson 8: Optimize the Harmonizer in You: Build on Strengths and Balance Weaknesses
Lesson 9: Optimize the Analyzer in You: Build on Strengths and Balance Weaknesses
Lesson 10: Optimize the Achiever in You: Build on Strengths and Balance Weaknesses
Lesson 11: Uniquely You: Creative Arche-typing
Lesson 12: Every Voice at the Table: A Foundation of Inner Wholeness
Lesson 13: Moving Forward: Summary, Action Steps and The SpeakStrong Book
Lesson 14: Closing Quiz: Assess and Certify

Empowerment 1 Question

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What conversations or situations have you had this week that showed you how your voice matters, and helped you value your own wisdom? For me, bumping up against an (IMO) arrogant leader and speaking with a friend who works with a command and control leader has brought me back to the perspective I had in writing my leadership phrase book. I’m not a master, but I do know some things about leading to empower others to their greatness – and how diminishing it can be when leaders pull rank. 

How about you? Click on the header and comment.

A Revealing Dream

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Last night I dreamt (without going into too many details) that I was receiving unwanted sexual attention from someone I know. It felt creepy and wrong, but I didn’t let on. I scanned my thoughts and memories to decide if this was something appropriately expected of me – a role I was committed to, or if it was something I had a right to object to. I thought, “there’s a word for this.” Finally I thought of the word, and knew immediately that ithis man’s advances were very inappropriate. Armed with the work, I prepared to speak up, but woke before I did.

I didn’t feel the creepiness after I woke, but I sure wondered what it all meant. The offender has never shown any inappropriateness toward me in life, so I don’t think the dream was about that. But I wonder – why did I need a word for what was happening to object? My body and emotions were screaming their objections – why did I need to know what he was dong is considered wrong by the culture? Haven’t I evolved past that by now?

Learning to vocalize is one part of honoring the importance of my voice. But so is hearing and honoring my non-verbal objections. Do I need a word to honor my voice in general?

I’m sure reflecting right now, but one thing I know. By the end of the 52 SpeakStrong Empowerments, I won’t wait until I can explain myself to trust myself. My voice matters – even when I can’t give the logic behind the conviction.

Teryl’s Poem Inspired My Voice

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Pippi CrownThere is magic all around if you can see it. I am grateful for the times that I can.

Saturday, a gathering of wonderful women blessed me for my birthday. It wasn’t a party, it was a rite of passage into elderhood. When my husband came home and asked me about it, I found it tough to describe what happened. The whole was greater than the sum of its parts, and the parts were pretty impressive!

Then, my friend Teryl sent me a poem about the event. It was perfect.

Teryl’s writing inspired my voice. Not just for the celebration, but also for my journaling as a practice for my 52 SpeakStrong Empowerments. 

If Teryl had critiqued my writing, it wouldn’t have had nearly as much influence on me as reading her poem did. Hearing her poetic voice describe something so meaningful to me, inspired my authentic voice. My writing oozed depth, meaning and inspiration. You can read it if you join us once the Empowerment eAdventure launches. 

Thanks to Teryl, to the women who came Saturday, and to you for being part of my increcible journey. Life is sooo good.

And thanks to my hubby who just now thanked ME when I told him I was going to do an extra meditation today. He says it helps us both. I know that, but isn’t it fabulous that he knows it, too?

This picture is Pippi the SpeakStrong Giraffe. She became an elder this week, too. A wise one, she is!

Being Her Own Advocate

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Warning-rugs-frequently-pulled-out.OR“Wanda” was blindsided this week when the promotion everyone thought would go to her went to someone else. The announcement was made at an online meeting. “WTF?” IMs were flying back and forth.

Wanda anxiously prepared to speak with the surprise winner. She told me her anxiety lessened when she remembered to “say what she meant and mean what she said without being mean when she said it.” The conversation went well.

The betrayal came with realizations. Wanda was looking out for the team, but they weren’t looking out for her in the same way. In fact, the whole team realized they dropped the ball for her when they discovered that they would now report to someone else, when they would rather report to her.

Suddenly, Wanda realized she couldn’t go with the flow quite like she used to. There is a merger, which means there is nothing in her title that would tell the new owners she is a leader, although the entire team knows she is. Her boss takes public credit for her work. So while Wanda plans to continue to look out for the team, she is also becoming a more active advocate for her own interests moving forward.

I stood up for her last night. I dreamt that I publicly told a woman who was taking credit for someone else’s work, 

  • Please give credit where credit is due.

Wouldn’t it be great if magically, on Monday, Wanda’s boss actually did that?

Well, dreams are a start. In this world, moving forward, Wanda will continue to say what she means and mean what she says without being mean when she says it. She will support the shared aspirations along with her critical role in it.

 

Gift Yourself with Great Habits

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Hello everyone! Cassia here, with a story, PowerPhrases and a personal commitment.

Cassia 300I walked into my younger brother’s room and before I began my tirade I warned him I was about to put my foot down. Stomp! Stomp!

  • There! Now that I have your attention, listen up!

I began.

My brother has been putting off a very important test for over a year and only has a month to complete it. I started out by telling him how important it was, why he needed to make it a priority, and that he needed to stop making excuses.

This is where he interrupted me and said, “Relax, I still have a month to do it.”

I replied,

  • No! You have a week.

Slight bewilderment crossed his face and then I proceeded to explain,

  • If you keep saying, I have more time to do this, then you’ll never get to it. This is what I mean by putting this on high priority.

I continued,

  • Treat this test as one that is due in a week, not a month. Then you’ll see it as being urgent and you’ll do something about it. And another thing!

Then I yelled (yes – PowerPhrases can be yelled at times)

  • Pick a day, pick a time, pick a place and commit to studying. Don’t just say you’re going to get to it, schedule it. Do this for yourself. If you don’t, you and I both know you’ll regret it.

The next day, Meryl, Angela and I were talking together about the year-long Empowerments eLearning when Angela made a brilliant comment about making commitments to yourself. It fit in perfectly with my brother’s situation.

Getting things done is not just about others’ expectations of you; it’s about you and what you want to give to yourself. For my brother, this test is really important to him, whether he really realizes it yet or not. For me, one of my most recent commitments is to write first thing every morning. This will help me get a grasp of my voice, my dreams, and my hopes for the days to come. I’ll only benefit from it, so what’s stopping me? Only old habits. What’s empowering me? My new commitment. 

I planned it, I’m committing to it, then I’m gifting myself with a healthy habit and will reap the benefits.

What about you? What healthy habit will you gift yourself with? 

Giving Grace Her Due

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This is my homeplay from the first Empowerment. I named my inner voice Grace and this is my letter to her.

My travelng companions note that it’s an excellent example of how different our approaches are. This is me – this is how I apply the first Empowerment. Their applications are perfect and different. And yours will be too.

Grace, I believe all you ever wanted was to talk soul to soul. To share yourself and embrace others’ truths. How did it all get so twisted? Why would anyone ignore you, doubt you, displace you or disclaim your? When you shine through – when I see you in your radiance, hear you in your clarity, you are all that matters.

So I invite you. It’s an invitation – not a demand. You won’t come out if you feel commanded. Who would blame you. You know better than to let yourself be judged by a standard that has no true meaning for you.

…

Giving Grace Her DueRead More »

The 52 Empowerments Rock!

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Cassia and I just got off the phone with Angela. We discovered how differently we all experience the same thing! They come at the Empowerments from very different angles.

Angela is a verbal processor. I knew that. I’ve always known that. I got it at a much deeper level today. 

Angela and I had two very inspiring conversations about the first Empowerment. Cassia wrote responses. Two different people, two different approaches. I called Angela with my doubts last night. She brought me into my center in two seconds with her embrace of the power of the Empowerments. Cassia sent me very specific and concrete feedback.

Cassia would start with the styles and communication history. Angela was surprised with how I started, but thought it was perfect. Like me, she got the message that her voice didn’t matter. Like me, she believed that lie. She felt her voice affirmed in the first Empowerment.

Me? Well, I really worked with the first Empowerment. My biggest surprise was realizing my tendency to be so serious about authentic voicing. I reveled in the idea that my authentic voice can be serious, can be fun, can be all kinds of things.

I’m looking forward to a rollicking good time.

I love my traveling companions. They’re so different from each other, and that is perfect.