Uncategorized

For the past few weeks, my life and work have been far busier than usual. In many ways, it’s felt uncomfortable.  And at the same time, I am awed as I notice how much more capacity I have than I believed I had.

Because I tend toward introversion and require space and quiet to recharge, I have often actively avoided filling my schedule.  Right now, my schedule seems to have a mind of its own, almost as if my soul has taken the reins from my personality.

To a certain degree, I have surrendered to this new pace.  And, I still require that space and quiet.  So, I’m learning to experience it in a moment, rather than in an afternoon.

It looks something like this.  What if before I rush out the door, I pause, take a few breaths, become present and check in to see what else I need to take or do before I leave?  What if before I snap at the person in front of me, I pause, take a few breaths, become present and then speak?  What if when I feel like I just can’t do one more thing, I pause, take a few breaths, become present and then do the one more thing?!?

What could be possible with a pause?  Anything I desire in a moment.

What could be possible for you with a pause?   If you pause, take a few breaths and become present, anything you desire is possible for you, too.  What if you pause, take a few breaths, become present and think about that for a moment?  What do you desire in this moment?

When we allow ourselves to pause and become present to ourselves, we can create anything we desire. Becoming present in the present moment, gives us the only moment there ever is.  Our pause connects us to the Eternal Now.  No anxiety about the past.  No fear about the future.

Only Now.

Which makes the state of my schedule irrelevant.  Ah, my soul at work!

– – – – – – – – – –

Would you love to work better with your team? Or your family?

Call me to talk about using the StrengthsFinder assessment to deepen understanding of yourself and your team or family.
My direct office line: 303.399.8737.

Do you feel an urge or a calling to deepen your spiritual practice?

Call me to explore co-creating a Spiritual Intensive specifically for you and your needs.
My direct office line: 303.399.8737.

How would your life and work be different if you knew your purpose? 

Call me to have a conversation about my Discover Your “Why” program to see if it would be a great fit for you.
My direct office line: 303.399.8737.

Feel free to share your comments and insights below.

“People generally handle emotion in one of two ways:

–  They indulge their emotions and ride an uncomfortable roller coaster.
–  They run away from them and become distracted and hardened.

There is a third alternative: realize that emotions are only thoughts.”

  – George Pransky
     From the book, “The Relationship Handbook”

Our emotions reflect the quality of our thoughts, not the quality of our experience or the quality of the world.  We tend to think that we’re mad, stressed, scared, upset, insecure, sad or anxious because of a situation.  Or because of someone’s behavior, or because of our own behavior.

We can dramatically increase the quality of our lives
when we allow emotions some time and space rather than
immediately reacting from those emotions.

When we realize our emotions are caused by our thoughts, we don’t need to take them so seriously.  We can simply give them some space and gracefully allow them to pass.  And, in the meantime, refrain from making too many decisions or engaging in too many conversations.  That way, we have far fewer messes to clean up!

We behave as though our thoughts are real.

Take a deep breath and take that in for a moment.

What if your thinking is just your thinking?

What if you are only one new thought from an entirely different experience of life?

What if we chose a new thought anytime we
heard ourselves saying, “I can’t . . .”?

Take the thought: “He doesn’t love me enough.”

Byron Katie has masterfully taught us to question our thinking.

1. Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to 3.)
2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true? (Yes or no.)
3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?

“I don’t have the credentials I need.” “I’m too _______ (you fill in the blank – fat, old, undisciplined, scattered, sensitive).  “I will do it when  _______  (again, you fill in the blank – the kids are grown, I feel better, my mother dies, I have more money, the time is right).

What if you allow yourself to become more aware that your thinking is just your thinking?  And then enjoy the rest of your day?

Please feel free to post your comments, insights and experiences below.

If this fits someone you love who still believes their thinking is real, please share this post  with them!

       

We are having our fourth Sacred Women’s Meditation Circle on Thursday.

I am on day 43 of my second 40-day meditation.  If you choose, you could begin your own 40 days with the women who join us for the first time on Thursday.  Or you could join in the energy for the evening, or participate in any way that you feel called.

I have a personal reason why I would love to have you join us this week.  Gina, who co-leads with me, is in Nepal.  This is the first time I will lead the group.  I would love to have you come as a “co-leader,” too.

What are you called to during this sacred time in history when the Divine Feminine is rising again?

If you feel called or curious, do join us.

Thursday • October 24, 2013 • 7 to 8:30 pm

Please click here to access the flyer with dates for the Circles we will have twice a month for the remainder of 2013.

To Love and Truth,
Ann

P.S. So Purkh meditation is for all women – pray for up to 3 men in your life, clear your own karma with men and manifest the highest caliber of man to serve with you and your shared destiny.  Each woman’s experience serves her own soul’s path.

If you choose to join us, I don’t know what your process will be.  I do know that whatever it is, it will call you to more of your own Truth and radiance – however that is uniquely done for you!

 

 

Because I exist, I am worthy.  Because you exist, you are worthy.

Whether or not someone loves or appreciates me, I am worthy.  Even if I don’t love and appreciate me, I am worthy.

Because this flower exists, could it be worthless?

So, what if I think I am worthless?  What if I feel worthless? 

What if I just let that be, in the moment?  What if I don’t take my thoughts and feelings too seriously?  In awhile, in a moment, my thoughts and feelings will change.

Because I haven’t wanted to know that sometimes I think I’m worthless and I feel worthless, then I have pushed the thoughts and feelings away.

Because this grass, these trees, these clouds exist, could they be worthless?

Instead of letting the thoughts and feelings be and then shift, I have made money to prove my worth and value.  I pretended that the money made me worthy.  I ignored my thoughts and feelings of worthlessness.  And yet, they ran in the background, pushing me to get people to like me.  Pushing me to get people to hire me and pay me.

No wonder my business didn’t always flourish.  Who wants to hire someone to validate their self-worth?!  Creepy.

Today, I face that question head-on.  So Ann, what if you are worthless?  Every time I ask myself that question, I smile.  One moment, I feel worthless.  Another moment, I feel on top of the world without a thought about my worthiness.

When I don’t take myself so seriously, I remember that because I exist, I am worthy.  Whether I believe it or not.

Because I exist, could I be worthless?  Smile.

I also allow space for all my thoughts and feelings.  Letting them be,  Knowing they’ll pass.  Honoring them without taking them too seriously.  Because I know that pushing them away makes them come out sideways, creepy ways.  As my coach Janet says, it’s like I’m serving a delicious meal on a dirty plate.

And, then I get on with my work because I love my work.  Not because I must get someone to hire me and pay me to validate my worthiness.  Well, that’s a load off!

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

The shortest route between you and all you desire involves asking yourself daily or moment-to-moment, “Who do I need to be to bring what I am committed to into reality?”

– Ann Strong, from the book “Thriving Work, 90 days of daily practice to transforming you and your coaching, consulting or healing business”

For the past six months, I have been committed to bringing the next version of my coaching business into the world.  A much messier and more humbling process than I had imagined!  It just occurred to me today that I might want to work through the workbook of my own book!!!

So, I began with an affirmative prayer from Chapter 1.

Radiant Wave of Oneness

I am a radiant wave in the
ocean of Oneness.

I am one with God.
I am all that God is
All I desire and need is mine,
easily and effortlessly –
as I am willing to receive
the love and abundance
of me, of the ocean of Oneness.

I am one with God, with good.
I am all that God is.
I am a radiant wave in the
ocean of Oneness.

I am love, power, beauty and mystery.
I am love, joy, peace and hope.
I am love, brilliance, health and wealth.
I am love and abundance.
I am God expressed.

I am a radiant wave in the
ocean of Oneness.

Who do I need to be to bring the next version of my coaching business into reality?  I need to be love, power, beauty and mystery instead of being scared, tentative and needing to control.  I need to be love, joy, peace and hope instead of being anxious and nervous about the process.

As I am bringing this new version of my coaching business
into form, almost daily I look to nature for clues. This
gorgeous red and green hill against this dynamic blanket
of clouds recently spoke to me. What does Mother Earth
and Father Sky want me to know?!?

I need to include you in my journey instead of waiting until I have it all figured out and can present you with something perfect!

I am considering starting a small coaching group of a few women who are each in the process of creating something new or reinventing themselves.  If this speaks to you or piques your curiosity, simply email me, tell me a bit about what’s going on for you and we can schedule a time to chat.

If this fits a woman you love, please share this post with her!

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

An invitation for you radiant women
in the metro Denver area . . .

A couple weeks ago, I invited you to join me and Gina Garris for our first So Purkh Women’s Circle.  We had 21 radiant women in that first Circle.  It moved me to tears.

I am so excited to invite you again because we are having our second Circle this Thursday.

I’ve also attached a flyer with dates for the Circles we will have twice a month for the remainder of 2013.

I am on day 15 of my second 40-day meditation.  If you choose, you could begin your own 40 days with the women who join us for the first time on Thursday.

Back in June and July, my first 40 days were magical – joyous and uplifting. 

My first 15 days this time around have been challenging.  It’s bringing up deep stuff about standing in my own power (and how I haven’t).  It’s also clearing painful stuff between me and my sweetie.  Not fun, not pretty.  Super empowering.  And humbling.  And I trust the process – even when I don’t like it.

If you choose to join us, I don’t know what your process will be.  I do know that whatever it is, it will call you to more of your own Truth and radiance – however that is best done for you!

If you feel called or curious, do join us.

Thursday • Sept 26, 2013 • 7 to 8:30 pm

Access the flyer here for all the details.

To Love and Truth,
Ann

P.S. So Purkh is for all women – pray for up to 3 men in your life, clear your own karma with men and manifest the highest caliber of man to serve with you and your shared destiny.  Each woman’s experience serves her own soul’s path.

 

I just completed Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” program at Why University.  My coach, Janet Redford, facilitated the process as Simon insists that you work with a partner. 

Simon says.  And, Simon certainly was right, at least in my case. Janet easily saw my huge blind spot that I would not have seen on my own.  Warning: do not coach yourself at home alone!

I thought my WHY involved helping us be our best selves.  While that is fundamentally important to me, it’s actually a HOW that supports my much more visceral WHY.

“I inspire and urge women to freedom from innocently self-imposed prisons so we can each thrive from our specific Genius and Godness.”  Free Your G!

Freedom from innocently self-imposed prisons, specific Genius and Godness.  Now those are reasons to get up in the morning!  My reasons.  Uniquely, beautifully and specifically me.

What about you?  And your WHY.

I am writing you now to inspire you and urge you to greater freedom!

Freedom to be your best self. 

Freedom from ways of thinking that tend to keep you from your best self.

Freedom from old ideas and habits that have become ingrained, yet keep your Light at low wattage. 

Freedom from endlessly seeking out and attempting to follow other people’s programs.

Freedom from doing your life and work in a masculine way because we haven’t known how to “succeed” in a feminine way.

I urge you to go to StartWithWhy.com, plunk down your $99 and sign up for Simon’s masterful course.

Just as I have previously urged you repeatedly to buy the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 and take the assessment to learn your Top 5 strengths.

I believe in you, your strengths and your WHY.

I believe that following your unique, beautiful and specific path based on your strengths and your WHY will free you to be more you!

I believe the freedom to be more you will ignite your personal energy, confidence and strength.

Freedom.  Free to be you.  Freeing your G – your specific Genius, your specific feminine Godness or radiant Goddess.

To that end, I have created a juicy new coaching package that we can complete in one day together or over the phone or Skype in 3 or 4 sessions.

Free Your G!
Internal compass and grounding
We will discover your WHY and combine with your Top 5 strengths to align your internal compass and create a simple, clear and deep grounding for your life and work.

If this calls to you, let’s have a short conversation to see if this coaching is a good fit for you.  My gift.

Check my calendar for availability.

To the delicious freedom of being
more radiantly YOU!

Ann

P.S. A couple of ways you’ll know you want to talk with me:

• you feel restless and sense something new is emerging for you, but don’t yet know what
• you feel a bit disconnected
• you’re tired of creating relationships or work that are close, but not quite right.

Fear of abandonment.
You leave me.
I leave me.

Why do so many leave me?
Abandoned again.

Will anyone ever stay?

I’m only in charge of me.
So I will stay.

I begin to stay with me.
Whether I feel good or bad.
Whether you stay or don’t.
Whether I feel like it or not.

I stay with me.
And again, I stay with me.
Still, I stay with me.

The more I stay,
the more I’m me.

Living from my own internal compass.
My True North.

Freeing more and more of me to be me.
Freeing the specific Genius of me.
Freeing the specific Godness of me.

When I’m living with abandon, fear of abandonment
no longer haunts me!

Freeing . . .

And then, I hear it.

My secret code word.
Abandon.

Live with abandon.
There all along.

Live with abandon.
Free from self-consciousness.
Free from limitations.
Free from restraint.
Free from concern.
Free from worry.

Living with abandon!

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

“Think light and feel light.  Do not think of yourself as a small, compressed, suffering thing.  Think of yourself as graceful and expanding, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the time.”
– From the book Light on Life by B.K.S. Iyenegar

We tend to think that our happiness and success depend on outside circumstances conspiring in our favor.  Instead, a life well-lived greatly depends on the nature of the most important relationship in each of our lives.  Our relationships with ourselves.

The lens through which I see myself creates my world.  Your internal dialog creates your world.  The opinion he holds of himself creates his world.  How she treats herself creates her world.

We came into this world as pure life, pure love, graceful and expanding.  And then, our parents or early caregivers didn’t always give us the love, attention and care we needed and deserved.  And their parents hadn’t given them what they needed and deserved.  Innocent human behavior.  Yet, most of us took this lack of care to mean something was wrong with us.

Then, we went “looking for love in all the wrong places.”  We can look to our lover, spouse, partner or friend for that “missing love” or we can realize that it has never been missing.  We came into this world as pure love.  We remain pure love.

We now have the opportunity to care for ourselves, to love ourselves, to tend ourselves.  And, to drop the idea that anything is wrong with us.  We are pure love.  We can demonstrate that in any moment that we remember.

What would you love to create in your world?

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