Colorado Nature Photos

Creator/Owner Mindset: Naming the Glory of You

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A few years ago, my coach at the time, Jeff Patterson, created an important distinction for himself to support him in expressing himself and his fullest contribution.  He gave names to himself at the far ends of the spectrum of low expression and contribution and high expression and contribution. 

Needy Man and Miracle Man.

He knew exactly what each meant to him and he kept his focus on living his days as Miracle Man and having compassion for himself when he showed up as Needy Man. 

Jeff was an amazing role model for me.  Being coached by Miracle Man called forth more from me than I knew was within me.  Learning how Jeff worked with Needy Man taught me to love myself more, no matter what.  And yet, in all the time I worked with him, I couldn’t come up with my two distinct names for me.  I knew that my equivalent of Needy Man was Scramblin’ Ann but my Miracle Man equivalent eluded me.

The more I tried to find my glorious name, the more I could feel my mind “searching my brain’s hard drive” rather than receiving it from my heart.  So I let it go and wrote my first book with Jeff’s coaching support.

I coached several clients to name theirs.  I told them about Jeff’s success and disclosed that I had only half my equation, yet I could feel the power of having both names. 

Melancholy Monica and Magnificent Monica. 
(Names of clients have been changed for their privacy.)
Scardy Cat and Lover Girl.
Contracted Shelly and Expansive Shelly.
Barely Betsy and Goddess Elizabeth.
Slave and Queen . . .

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Ah, the feeling of experiencing myself
as Radiant Grace . . .

And just a few days ago, out of the blue, I received a gift from my heart: Radiant Grace.  How amazing is that – the name Ann means grace.

Scramblin’ Ann and Radiant Grace.  Oh my goodness, can I feel the difference in my body, my energy and my heart!!!

What about you?  What distinctions bubble up for you?!?

Post your comments, insights and progress below.

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On the Way to Experiencing the Divine . . .

If you are feeling disoriented or lost and sense you are being called to a deeper relationship with the Divine, let’s have a conversation to explore if the one-on-one Align with Source coaching program would be a good fit for you.

– – – – – – – – – –

How Might Whole Use of Empathy Look?

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Earlier this week, I passed my oral exam and officially became a Certified Strengths Strategy Coach!  I’ve never been certified in anything before. So this is significant because of how strongly I believe in the value of going deeper with the Gallup StrengthsFinder™ assessment.

While all 34 strengths are created equal, a few seem to create more havoc AND, when used at an optimal “volume” create extraordinary outcomes. 

Empathy tops that list.  I know this one from personal experience – Empathy is my 2nd strength and in the top 5 for dozens of my clients, friends and colleagues.

flowers in a field

My Empathy loves feeling these sunflowers
and evergreens in the mist!

 

And what I’ve noticed over the years:  whole use of Empathy, optimal volume of Empathy, involves two things: mindfulness and boundaries with Empathy for those around us and a practice of Empathy for ourselves.

Mindfulness and Boundaries with Empathy
for Those around Us
From sheer necessity, I made a deal with Spirit a few years ago:  If it is optimal, I will feel it.  If it isn’t, I won’t.  It took me awhile to come to this specific boundary because I wrestled with optimal for whom.  Eventually my 3rd strength, Connectedness, kicked in to remind me: for all.  Now, when I do feel someone else’s pain, excitement, grief – whatever it is – I often name it or ask about it.  Which then tends to open up life-affirming conversations because that person feels so seen.

Mindfulness and boundaries show up in many different forms.  One of my clients is vigilant about visualizing an energy bubble around herself at all times.  She still feels others, but their feelings don’t come into her own energy field and deplete her.  Another uses her strength of Adaptability to moderate Empathy.  One of my friends believes Empathy is one of his greatest gifts and only occasionally feels the need to take time for himself to re-energize.  I consider him a bit of a saint!

A Practice of Empathy for Ourselves
One of the most powerful and overlooked practices with any and all of our strengths involves using them toward ourselves, in relationship with ourselves.  This tends to be a brand new concept for most of us.

Wow!  Look at all of that untapped potential in the most important relationship of our lives – the one with ourselves.  How different is my experience of my own life when I give myself the gift of Empathy within?!?

This one idea has changed the course of my life.  As I have become more compassionate and less judgmental with myself, I have lessened my internal struggle.  As I have paid attention to how I feel, I have less of a need for others to understand how I feel.  And, I’m better able to communicate my feelings and needs in a way that my loved ones can hear!

What about you?  If Empathy is in your top 5 StrengthsFinder™ strengths, how might you play with it a bit? Even if it isn’t in your top 5 or you haven’t taken the StrengthsFinder asessment, what do you notice about Empathy for you?

Post your comments, insights and progress below.

If you haven’t yet taken the StrengthsFinder™ assessment, I highly recommend it!

It costs $19.99 and takes 30 – 40 minutes to complete.

They will immediately email you your top 5 strengths and a report about them.

I would love to know your to 5 strengths, if you’d like to share them with me!

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Feeling Disoriented or Lost?

If you are feeling disoriented or lost and sense you are being called to a deeper relationship with the Divine, let’s have a conversation to explore if the one-on-one Align with Source coaching program would be a good fit for you.

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My book, “Thriving Work” is now available
on Kindle at Amazon for just $3.99:
Click here to order

Spiritual Awareness: Who Are We as Divine Wholeness?

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Take a deep breath.  Who are we as Divine Wholeness?

Divine: of God, sacred.  When we divine (verb), we experience insight, intuition. 

Wholeness: full, complete. Not broken, damaged or impaired.

If we are Divine Wholeness, what of our humanness?  Such a delightful and annoying question! 

Some days I cannot comprehend why we would choose all these earthly contrasts rather than hang out in our infinite home in the spiritual realm.  Other days, I feel moved to tears by this extraordinary experience of life in my body, here in this incredibly imperfect, perfect world.

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I’ve noticed that I take many variations of this same scene – lots of land
and even more sky.  I think it’s one of my ways of staying in touch with my
humanness the – the earth – and my Divine Wholeness – the infinite sky . . .

It certainly lightens my perspective when I remember to remember that I am first Divine Wholeness.  And, it really lightens my experience when I become present enough to experience my Divine Wholeness.

What about you?  What is your sense, your experience: Who Are We as Divine Wholeness? How does being with this question shift your perspective and experience?

I’d love for you to post your comments, insights and progress below.

Mindfulness: How Might We Stop Judging?

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How might we stop judging?

Let’s back up for a moment.  Why might we be interested in releasing judgment?  Hmmm.  Who do we judge the most?  Even when we judge others, isn’t there an element of self-judgment?

What’s the cost of judging ourselves?  Well, what’s the cost of an internal war?

“Oh, it’s not that big a deal.  Everybody judges, right.  It’s just human nature.”  What if that’s true only as long as we believe it’s true?

How would my life be different, how would your life be different if we stopped making ourselves wrong?  About anything.

Seem impossible?  Maybe even wrong? Ah, there we go . . .

pink flower

I love to take my cues from nature.  Would
this wonderous one judge itself? I think not. 
Maybe that’s the secret.  A judgment is simply
a thought.  Why don’t I think a different thought?!?

I’m not posing these questions because I no longer judge myself about anything ever and now I think you should stop too.

I’m asking because I’m in this inquiry and I’m wondering if you’d like to join me?  How does it feel to you?  It’s an amazing inquiry for me.  Maybe it’s not right for you.  Or maybe it feels intriguing to you, too.

If you’d like to play, what if we noticed when we judge ourselves or made ourselves wrong, and then asked ourselves, “How might this be right, great or perfect that I just don’t see yet?”  And then, holding it lightly, be on the lookout for what we hadn’t seen before . . .

Feel free to post your comments or insights below.

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Would you love on-going inspiration for the Third Chapter of your life?

I highly recommend my friend Rolf Evenson’s new digital magazine,
“Boomers Rising.”

Boomers Rising is the world’s leading digital magazine for “encore entrepreneurs” inspired by a vision of passion, prosperity and purpose.

Some of my favorite articles:
– Confidence in Your Business
– Top 10 Food Lies that Keep Us Sick and Fat
– The Tribes We Lead
– Lessons Learned on E Street (Think Bruce!)
– The Illusive Obvious

You can read it on your iPhone, iPad or Android.

Check it out HERE.

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My book, “Thriving Work” is now available
on Kindle at Amazon for just $3.99:
Click here to order

Discovering Your Way: Strong Me, Strong You, for Heaven’s Sake!

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I need your help!

Since 1989, I have been publishing a newsletter.  That was back in the day when it was printed, stamped and mailed – through the post office!

Human evolution must be speeding up.  The first three newsletters, Taplight, Success Notebook and Sacred Space Notebook, all had good runs for many years.  Similar content about being the Light that we are, with slightly different focuses.  Then, Sacred Space Notebook morphed into G Notes last year. Yet the “G” never settled down: Genius, Godness, Goddess, Grace . . .

Last week, Born-for-This Notes wanted a turn.  The idea is accurate, yet it does not roll off the tongue.  G Notes rolls off the tongue, but which G?  I’m both amused and a little bit embarrassed that I’m doing my marketing testing right before your very eyes!

pink flower

May the name of the newsletter/ezine be as
clear and radiant as this flower I encountered
on my walk yesterday!

People have been asking me for two decades why my business isn’t named Strong Coaching.  And, this was before I had started working with StrengthsFinder.™  The coaching isn’t about me and it seemed too corny.  Thus, I created a community, Thriving Coaches, and wrote a book, “Thriving Work.” My blog has been “Strong You, Strong Biz” since February 2009.

This week, the newsletter/ezine is “Strong-You Notes.”  I would love to settle into a name for this ezine.  And, I’m holding that desire lightly!

Has something jumped out for you?  I would love your help!

Post your comments and your vote below.

Allowing Flow: Present and Curious

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Awhile back, in the middle of a tense conversation with my sweetie, I could feel my mood going lower and lower.  Instead of engaging fully in what was quickly becoming an argument, I instead got curious.

What would it take to not go to a low mood?

Instead of firing back my good argument, I sat quietly, looking at the clouds.  Really looking, being present to the wonder of the clouds.  All of the sudden, my argument became irrelevant.  In an instant, I lost interest in proving my point.

I told him I didn’t need to go on, that I could let it go.  And I did.  Just like that. My mood immediately bounced back up.

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Some of my best friends are trees and clouds.  The
more time I spend outside, the more present I become.
The more present I am, the less I get upset with the
“small stuff.”

What had happened?  How did I access that beautiful miracle?  I became more interested in a high mood and connection (to the clouds, to me, to him) than in “winning” an argument.  I held the situation lightly and became present to the moment.  In the preciousness of the moment, the argument made no sense.

When we begin to notice more consistently that our innate well-being is always available, we naturally begin to make more choices consistent with it.

So, what about you?  What does this bring up for you?

Feel free to post your comments, insights and experiences below.

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Are you in the Denver area?

Want to spend an afternoon diving into your strengths? 

Or diving a bit deeper if you’ve been playing with yours for awhile?

We have a few spaces left in an experiential StrengthsFinder workshop on Wed, June 25.

Is one of them yours? Come play with us!

http://www.annstrong.com/strong-you-strong-life

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My book, “Thriving Work” is now available
on Kindle at Amazon for just $3.99:
Click here to order

StrengthsFinder™: With Connectedness in Charge

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A couple of weeks ago, I re-ordered my own internal Strengths structure.

I needed a better way to deal with stress in both my personal and professional life.  So, I put Connectedness in charge.

Before that time, Maximizer and Activator pretty much ran the show.

And, I get ahead of myself.  Let me back up a bit.

My top StrengthsFinder™ strengths:
1. Maximizer
2. Empathy
3. Connectedness
4. Activator
5. Individualization
6. Strategic

Maximizer consistently transforms good into great.  Empathy feels what’s going on with others.  Connectedness knows that everything is connected.  Activator gets things moving. Individualization knows, specifically, what you want and need.  And Strategic finds the best way.

The downside to having Activator and Maximizer in charge: Activator tends to follow the Ready, Fire, Aim approach to life, driving Maximizer and Strategic a bit crazy.  And Maximizer can go way too far with perfectionism without return on investment.

So, how did putting Connectedness in charge reduce my stress?  Connectedness connects me to myself, connects me to my Source, connects me to those I love and connects me to nature.  Connectedness knows what’s most important.  With Activator and Maximizer subservient to Connectedness, Activator fires more often in the right direction and Maximizer maximizes what’s most important.

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Connectedness loves being outside in wide open space. 
Connectedness connects me to what’s most important.

So, that’s a bit about my story.  Now, take me out and put you in.  What’s driving you?

If you haven’t taken the StrengthsFinder assessement, it takes just 30 – 40 minutes and $19.99. Take it now.

It will change your life, if you allow yourself to stay with your Strengths daily rather than thinking you must improve your weaknesses.

Feel free to post your comments, insights and experiences with your strengths below.

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If you’d like a personalized Strengths Strategy™ Application session, I am offering them via phone or Skype from anywhere in the world or in-person if you’re in the Santa Fe area.

40 to 50 minutes
$108 (Regularly $250)

Email me or call me on my direct office line to discern if this session would be a good fit for you.  505.466.1358.

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My book, “Thriving Work” is now available
on Kindle at Amazon for just $3.99:
Click here to order