When it seems the pace of life speeds up, we generally do what we can to accommodate it (mostly out of habit). And that is probably the worst thing that we can do for ourselves. We’re unconscious to what our needs actually are in that moment, and we’re expending extra energy to meet a need that is being imposed from an external source.

Think of it like this: when you’re in a hurry, and you’re trying to get that last thing done (cook a meal, get dressed fast, find a gas station on the way to an appointment), the hurry creates unexpected and undesirable outcomes (not-quite-done food, broken zippers, the gas station on the other side of the freeway or a speeding ticket). In order to go faster, we need to slow down and, ideally, be in a fully charged state.

If you don’t have a full energy tank, you don’t have the power you need to get things done and make things happen, much less in the most effective way possible. It works against you as time matches your vibration and slows down in resonance with your low energy reserves. Whatever is happening in our outer world is actually a mirror image of our inner experience, so if the world seems to be speeding up, it could be that your energy is low and that it’s time for you to slow down to replenish.

This exchange of energy, between how you are feeling and how your world is showing up, is the key to understanding your vitality levels and achieving what you want. When life is requiring you to move faster, that’s exactly when you need to consider what that means for you and if you need to replenish your energy reserves so you can move faster. And there are some simple ways that you can slow down and replenish your energy so you can move faster when that’s what you really want to do.

1. Notice what areas are speeding up for you in order to determine where you need to slow down. These areas will likely correspond to limitations or beliefs that are requiring some attention and/or healing, and they may be unconscious to you. However, these areas will have tremendous affect on how you make decisions and experience your life by sabotaging your progress (among other symptoms). By acknowledging, honoring and/or releasing these areas with gratitude, forgiveness, suspending judgment and/or truly owning your experience, you will gain acceptance of yourself and others as well as clarity to power the expression of your best energy.
2. Feel your physical body and receive the messages it is sending to you. Many people will often get stuck in living in their heads, or in reaction from emotional triggers, but when you are present in your body, you can shift your perspective and savor the moment. Your body will help you tune into what you really need to know, and help you understand exactly what you need to do right now to nourish yourself.
3. Pay attention to your subtle energy field; that is, sink into your aura, sense your chakras, and feel if your energy feels ‘off’ in any way. If yes, there is an imbalance somewhere in your system or your environment that needs to attention. To feel your subtle energy field, get comfortably seated, close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and wait – just notice what comes up for you. If your grocery list or your to do items come up, push those aside until you get the message that’s trying to get your attention. No need to chant or sit lotus-style either! This is about spending 11 minutes at a time to tune into your energy and get a ‘read’ on what’s happening for you.
4. Get good sleep. Your physical body needs to recharge, and so do all your other bodies (energy, spirit, intellect, emotion, etc.). When under stress, our bodies take the toll of that transition. You may find yourself nodding off at strange times, needing a nap out of the blue, or a desire to go to bed early or sleep late. If that happens, just follow what your body wants and do it. You may find that your dreams take you away to a refreshing paradise!
5. Do a little dreaming, especially when you are awake. By allowing yourself to go into the place of possibility through open imagination, you might find yourself pursuing new directions you’d never considered, wandering through worlds you never knew about within yourself. Within you right now is the potential to create, do and be more than you ever thought possible with your linear mind. By allowing your dreams to have expression, you can revitalize your spirit in innumerable ways. (And it’s a bonus that this is the beginning of a creative manifestation process as well – what you see is what you get!)

The one thing that each of these has in common is to be really present with yourself through a variety of connection points to understand your needs more clearly, and meet them. By taking the time and making the investment in recharging and raising your vibration, you are enhancing your ability to create and magnetically draw to you all that is connected to the radiant essence of your true being. You will be ready to receive the generosity of nature in action. You are allowing the Universe some ‘wiggle room’ to deliver what it is that you want in your life.

Slowing down is the most responsible act of self-love you can do – and you will be rewarded with more of what you want when you’re not busy chasing it. You will find that you have the ability to speed up to your optimal pace whenever you want…  kinda makes you want to take a break and draw a hot bath, doesn’t it?

For many people, one of the main goals in life is to achieve a certain level of material comfort and then do what it takes to maintain it (or add to financial reserves). And we humans are hard-wired to do just that – to get beyond survival to a place where we can relax and “enjoy life”. Unfortunately, that’s not enough for a soul-driven entrepreneur.

Soul-driven entrepreneurs have a different motivator, because it’s their soul that is calling them to do more, contribute more, be more. Generally speaking, there is a little fuzziness about what that means, but soul-driven types don’t really have a choice. The calling is stronger than their current circumstances, relationships or situation.

In fact, they may not even know what they’ve agreed to do or become in order to bring their soul’s desire into being, much less having clarity about how to express that through a business. Here are some of the most common reasons that tend to show up when a soul-driven entrepreneur needs to break the inertia of the status quo to fulfill their life purpose. Could this be you?

1. The Fear: the fear is of doing it wrong, so instead you do nothing.
2. The Overwhelm: there’s so much to take in, do and address that you can’t see what needs to be done.
3. The Invisible: you’re in the ‘thick’ of it and just can’t see what’s next (think can’t see the forest for all the trees in the way).
4. The Cursed How’s: you don’t know how to do it, so spend time researching, preparing and get frustrated or maybe even give up.
5. The Perfection: you are attached to doing it perfect the first time, and if that doesn’t seem possible, you don’t even try.
6. The Caretaker: you doing things different could upset the people you care about, and because you don’t want to hurt them, you stop.
7. The Today: the needs, responsibilities and obligations of today supersede creating for tomorrow.
8. The Known: it’s more comfortable to stay where you are, even if it’s dysfunctional, than to go beyond what you already know how to handle into the unknown.
9. The Control: by pushing beyond what you know, you will be tested (your boundaries, resilience, strength, perception, take action, etc.) as you put new things in motion; it can feel like you have little to no control over what’s happening so you slow down or even stop.

The bottom line of this is that you have to sacrifice the security of the status quo in order to get to new places. Growth is uncomfortable and shakes up your world in order to get you to where you need to be, and, by definition, if it’s some place you’ve never been, it will feel unfamiliar. That doesn’t make it wrong, just different, and if it’s been a long time since you’ve ventured beyond what you already know, it might be time to get out of the status quo and into your next best level.

So, if you recognize yourself in any of the above scenarios, take a few minutes to consider what you can do right now to break beyond that barrier of comfortable familiarity into something you’ve wanted to do, have or become. Ask your soul for direction and take one action before the day ends. And you will be on your way to enjoying your journey in amazing new ways as you express who you are in alignment with what you’re doing – expanding beyond where you’ve been into your soul-driven possibilities.

People spend a lot of time seeking their life treasure by changing jobs, getting into new relationships, going on vacations, and other activities focused “out there”. There’s an expectation that once they finally find “it” – their next big ‘click’, more money, better toys – that they will finally feel fulfilled. So if they just keep going after achieving a new goal, a new prize, a new something, they believe they will experience the treasures of their life. The thought is that they, at last, will feel safe, happy and have no need to continue their incessant, driving search. And it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Somehow transformation, and therefore fulfillment, is presumed to be found somewhere other than within.  But fulfillment is a deep, natural craving that motivates us to go on a journey that many of us would just as soon avoid. Simply put, it’s simple but not easy.

In seeking fulfillment, we need to face demons that are invisible to the naked eye, risk what we already have without regret, and recognize that the physical rewards of the material world are merely an outer reflection of our inner experience and are therefore not sustainable as a source of deep, inner fulfillment. It’s a journey that is not measured by success or failure, but rather, by our own feeling sense of a seemingly elusive state of being that all people can have but few people actually experience.

Fulfillment is a certain freedom that is attained in the quest of it. You can’t have fulfillment without risking the security of the status quo. Because you don’t have it now, you feel compelled to get it, but you can’t get it until and unless you’re willing to go beyond what you already know. The biggest impediment to fulfillment is actually the very thing that defines it… a natural orientation around what feels good. But many people have no idea what that means as they live inside the boxes of “shoulds”, defensively avoiding social judgment as being unconventional and thereby possibly being rejected. In this manner, the path to fulfillment is outer-focused rather than inner-perceived.

The journey of fulfillment is one fraught with growth opportunities, challenges and profound learning in order to have a rich experience of oneself. Here are three things that you can do today to further your journey toward personal fulfillment.

1. The Churn Factor: Life “churn” is an indicator that a lot of intense motion is occurring, but it’s when you are through it or the churn is stopped that there is peace. In other words, you may find that there is a lot of activity in your life when you are growing, but, if that activity includes drama, struggle, resistance, repetitive dysfunctional patterns and attachments, you are slowing your own fulfillment. Consider where your life is in churn and what needs to be addressed, handled and/or released to stop excessive and unnecessary churn in order to feel more fulfillment.
2. Have Adventures. In the words of Hellen Keller, “Life is either a great adventure or it’s nothing.” An adventure is an experience that takes you beyond your known world, and it can be a physical one (like traipsing a new mountain trail) or intangible (connecting the dots of your emotional life to your current behaviors and outcomes). In either case, adventures infuse a sense of wonder, excitement and push you to new levels of resilience and expanded perception about what’s happening to engage a new sense of fulfillment in your life.
3. Say It. If you’ve been holding something back, not having a conversation that needs to be had, living in toleration around a relationship or situation, it’s time to get that out and communicated. Up until this point, that situation or relationship has had more power than you, and you’ve been in a reactive state, living with what showed up vs. responsibly creating your best life. It may not be pretty, it may not be simple, and you may not know what is going to happen, but if it allows you to be more of who you are, it’s what’s needed for you to experience a greater sense of fulfillment in your life. In the words of an anonymous bard, “it’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

Fulfillment is a sweetness that can only be savored from the inside as expanded perception and freedom from external attachments. Isn’t it time for you to start savoring the fruits of your fulfillment?

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

~ Mother Teresa

People spend a lot of time seeking their life treasure by changing jobs, getting into new relationships, going on vacations, and other activities focused “out there”. There’s an expectation that once they finally find “it” – their next big ‘click’, more money, better toys – that they will finally feel fulfilled. So if they just keep going after achieving a new goal, a new prize, a new something, they believe they will experience the treasures of their life. The thought is that they, at last, will feel safe, happy and have no need to continue their incessant, driving search. And it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Somehow transformation, and therefore fulfillment, is presumed to be found somewhere other than within. But fulfillment is a deep, natural craving that motivates us to go on a journey that many of us would just as soon avoid. Simply put, it’s simple but not easy.

In seeking fulfillment, we need to face demons that are invisible to the naked eye, risk what we already have without regret, and recognize that the physical rewards of the material world are merely an outer reflection of our inner experience and are therefore not sustainable as a source of deep, inner fulfillment. It’s a journey that is not measured by success or failure, but rather, by our own feeling sense of a seemingly elusive state of being that all people can have but few people actually experience.

Fulfillment is a certain freedom that is attained in the quest of it. You can’t have fulfillment without risking the security of the status quo. Because you don’t have it now, you feel compelled to get it, but you can’t get it until and unless you’re willing to go beyond what you already know. The biggest impediment to fulfillment is actually the very thing that defines it… a natural orientation around what feels good. But many people have no idea what that means as they live inside the boxes of “shoulds”, defensively avoiding social judgment as being unconventional and thereby possibly being rejected. In this manner, the path to fulfillment is outer-focused rather than inner-perceived.

The journey of fulfillment is one fraught with growth opportunities, challenges and profound learning in order to have a rich experience of oneself. Here are three things that you can do today to further your journey toward personal fulfillment.

1. The Churn Factor: Life “churn” is an indicator that a lot of intense motion is occurring, but it’s when you are through it or the churn is stopped that there is peace. In other words, you may find that there is a lot of activity in your life when you are growing, but, if that activity includes drama, struggle, resistance, repetitive dysfunctional patterns and attachments, you are slowing your own fulfillment. Consider where your life is in churn and what needs to be addressed, handled and/or released to stop excessive and unnecessary churn in order to feel more fulfillment.

2. Have Adventures. In the words of Hellen Keller, “Life is either a great adventure or it’s nothing.” An adventure is an experience that takes you beyond your known world, and it can be a physical one (like traipsing a new mountain trail) or intangible (connecting the dots of your emotional life to your current behaviors and outcomes). In either case, adventures infuse a sense of wonder, excitement and push you to new levels of resilience and expanded perception about what’s happening to engage a new sense of fulfillment in your life.

3. Say It. If you’ve been holding something back, not having a conversation that needs to be had, living in toleration around a relationship or situation, it’s time to get that out and communicated. Up until this point, that situation or relationship has had more power than you, and you’ve been in a reactive state, living with what showed up vs. responsibly creating your best life. It may not be pretty, it may not be simple, and you may not know what is going to happen, but if it allows you to be more of who you are, it’s what’s needed for you to experience a greater sense of fulfillment in your life. In the words of an anonymous bard, “it’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

Fulfillment is a sweetness that can only be savored from the inside as expanded perception and freedom from external attachments. Isn’t it time for you to start savoring the fruits of your fulfillment?

Watch the video of Garett Guenot interviewing me, Lynn Scheurell, while I’m on the phone (and I thought this was only a radio show!) ;+)

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1624412

I read this blog post by famous author Seth Godin, and wanted to share it with you.  It’s not only very inspirational, but sooooo true!  Enjoy!

You Matter

• When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
• When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
• When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
• When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
• When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
• When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
• When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
• When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
• When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
• When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
• And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter!!!!

~ Seth Godin

How to Turn Your Passion and Purpose Into A Business – $197
You CAN Be Happy AND Make Money!!!

A 4-Part Teleseries Starting June 29, 2009

• Does it seem like the impossible dream to be able to do what you love as a business?
• Have you always wanted to have a business but haven’t known how to get started?
• Do you feel like you need to have more credibility to start your business?
• Does it seem like it’s never the right time for you to begin your business?
• Have you had a business idea but never took action because you don’t know what to do or you’re afraid you’ll do it wrong?

If these questions resonate with you, it’s time for you to discover the opportunity of being the creator of your business. You get to choose where to go from here. That means knowing the practical first steps, and how to prioritize them, to get started now. It also includes knowing the value of your solution, how to package it, and the mindset you need for business success. It’s a nuts and bolts thing…

You’re at a big crossroads right now. Consider this your invitation to learn more about the day-to-day “how to” process of channeling your business potential into a tangible business reality. Gain clarity around the process by which you can focus your passion and your purpose to make money from it in this intimate group four-part teleseries with Lynn Scheurell.

What we will cover:

• The vital keys to the entrepreneurial mindset
• What you need to know for your own credibility
• The essential elements of a strong marketing message
• Create and articulate your personal ‘backstory’
• Three keys to an effective audio logo
• How to handle the most common fears that will come up
• Discover where to find your potential customers
• Brainstorm how to price your product or solution
• The fundamental keys to packaging what you do
• Identify the core mistakes in advance so you can avoid them
• Learn what to do first as top priorities
• And more…

Whether you’re just launching your business or you’ve been in business for awhile but feel a little lost and want to get back on track with the basics, this is the class series that can help you understand the dynamic, practical keys to turning your soul’s purpose into a viable business.

Please note that the class calls will be recorded for your convenience. For four consecutive Mondays at 6:00 PM Pacific Time / 8:00 PM Central Time, starting June 29, for $197.

Join the class now…

Then check your email for class details… ;+)

Here’s to Your Soul-Driven Success In Every Way ~
Lynn

There comes a time when the pain of continuing exceeds the pain of stopping. At that moment, a threshold is crossed. What seemed unthinkable becomes thinkable. Slowly the realization emerges that the choice to continue what you have been doing is the choice to live in discomfort, and the choice to stop what you have been doing is the choice to breathe deeply and freely again. Once that realization has emerged, you can either honor it or ignore it, but you cannot forget it.

This realization puts you into new territory—the territory of self-responsibility. You can no longer blame your discomfort on others. The power to continue or to stop is fully in your hands. Your pain becomes a matter of your own choice. To stop the pain requires changing yourself—changing your need to please or dominate, to be right or wrong, to be strong or weak. At risk is an image you have created and sustained but that no longer serves you—the image of one who is considerate or arrogant, simple or complex, tender or practical. No image of yourself can survive the realization that it is causing you to live in pain and fear.

When you will stop what you are doing is for you to decide. Your need for approval or to push others away may provide you with the only security, or pleasure, that you have. You may not be ready to give up the activities, judgments, and thoughts that are familiar to you. The attraction of pleasing others again, making all well again, shouting louder again, being smarter again, and so on will call to you. At the same time, the new world that you have glimpsed will call to you, also. To step into it requires abandoning an obsolete role.

What is the moment of choice? Each moment is a moment of choice—a time to leave the old, the limited, the restrained, and the contracted for the new, the unbounded, and the liberating potential that expands before you. You cannot stop making choices. That is what your moments are for.

[Gary Zukov in Soul to Soul: Communications from the Heart, pp.42-44]

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6.. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time some time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously.. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves!

Live well, laugh often, love much