I still wear a favorite t-shirt from the Body Shop even though it is raggedy and has quite a few holes.  I still wear it for one reason and that is the bold, bright and beautiful quote on the back of the shirt.  This quote is by Walt Whitman and reads:

“Re-examine all you have been told…Dismiss what insults you soul”.

This quote and the other values that Anita Roddick and The Body Shop exemplified have long served as inspirations for my life. 

I had the great pleasure of hearing Anita Roddick speak in Vancouver in the late 90’s.  She walked on stage, wearing a funky understated outfit and totally captivated the audience of over 2000 women.  She modeled her personal values and essence to me by standing fully in her powerful presence.  It was clear to me then as it has been in the ensuing years that she “wore her skin well”, that she knew who she was and what she stood for and that this “knowing” informed all of her actions.

I attempt to live my life and operate my business in the same way; from a sense of knowing who I am; from a foundation of a clear vision and the values of integrity, authenticity, freedom and respect; from understanding that one’s heart and soul need to be nourished through their life and work as well as their work meeting the needs of their clients; from an understanding that one’s uniqueness  is an attribute to be brought forward and exalted, not hidden.  I love the quote by Anita Roddick’s mother (page 33, “Business As Unusual”), “And my mother taught me how important personalities are in business.  She made me realize that you can’t be a nondescript person or you will have a nondescript product.  Be special she would always say.  Be anything but mediocre.”

So, my encouragement to you as a woman entrepreneur is to go forward boldly and courageously in your life and business and be special, be anything but mediocre!  If you would like to explore these teachings further, join us at the Westin, Whistler BC, October 17-19^th, 2008 for “Fire, Ice & Lipstick: THE Business Retreat for Women Entrepreneurs”.  Attend and you can also participate in the Starlight Soiree & Awards Dinner, honouring socially conscious women entrepreneurs who embody the spirit of Anita Roddick in their life and work. For more info click on:

 http://www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com/fire-ice-lipstick-retreat08.htm

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan

coach . catalyst . shakti sage

life & business coach for women

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com

www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com

604-323-3700

“My vision, my hope is simply this: that many business leaders will come to see a primary role of business as incubators of the human spirit, rather than factories for the production of more material goods and services.” - Anita Roddick, Founder, “The Body Shop”

Inrageous/Outrageous Self-Care Enchantments for This Week

Can’t you just feel the changing of the seasons? At least we can here in the Northern Hemisphere. It is starting to feel cooler in the evenings and the evenings are coming sooner. Summer annuals are fading, and the hearty fall perennials are becoming more visible.

For women, the shifts and changes into fall can have many meanings. If one is a mom, with kids still in school, September can feel very much like the beginning of a new year. For other women, fall is truly a time of harvesting. We will be talking more of the changing seasons in September.

The Tao Te Ching speaks a lot to seasons and nature. This morning in my meditation, I read a couple of translations of verse 67 as follows: “Compassionate towards yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world” (“A Thousand Names For Joy: Living in Harmony With The Way Things Are” by Byron Katie) .and the last verse of the second translation “Venture with love and you win the battle. Defend with love and you are invulnerable. Heaven’s secret is motherly love” (“The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu” translated by Brian Browne Walker)

I think that the phrases “motherly love” and “compassion towards yourself” are saying the same thing and capture the essence of self-care!

In life coaching, I suggest that women spend time regularly going inward, going inrageous to root out those thoughts, self-limiting beliefs and old stuff that might prevent you from “giving yourself love and compassion”. It is kind of like pulling the weeds out of a garden or pulling out old plants that no longer fit in a garden transformation.

So, this week, your self care enchantments are about “pulling some weeds” and mainly about being loving and compassionate towards yourself.

Self Care Enchantments for the week:

1. Make a list of 7 old thoughts or beliefs that no longer serve you and create some type of “ritual” to let them all go. Some pretty standard ones are “I’m not good enough”; “I’m too fat”; “I don’t deserve that” etc. One ritual that other women have enjoyed is to write the seven “weedy” thoughts down on the left side of a sheet of paper with the opposite statement on the right ie “I am good enough and I know this because…. And then give examples of how you have been “good enough”. The final piece of this ritual could be tearing the left weedy side off and burning it, or adding it to the compost while saying “I freely and fully release these old thought patterns as they no longer serve me and I let them go, allowing for fresh new compassionate thoughts to come in”.

2. Write about self love and compassion in your journal. Go inside and ask how you are doing in this area. Ask yourself “what does ‘compassion towards myself’ mean to me.

3. Create three new ways you can give yourself “motherly love and compassion” and weave these into your life.

“May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in beauty and joy each day.”

- Native American Proverb

Please share about your learning and exploration with these enchantments in the comments section of these enchantments!

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan

coach . catalyst . shakti sage

life & business coach for women

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com

www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com

604-323-3700

Inrageous/Outrageous Self-Care Enchantments for This Week

In ancient traditions, living in alignment with the seasons is an integral part of healing and spiritual practice.  It is understood that there are cycles in life as in nature and to be in alignment with nature allows for flow, for synchronicity, for harmony.

Pulling together threads from many of the ancient traditions, summer energy is about blossoming; about enlightenment, about giving, about fiery energy, about the light.

How do you sense summer energy in your life, in your body, in your thoughts?

I recall one business coaching client I worked with, who used summer energy to envision her business plan for the next year.  Summer time often allows for more flexibility and this was the case in her service oriented business.  She leveraged this flexibility to take her books and journal down to the beach and crafted her action plan for the next 6 months.

A life coaching client used summer energy to “wake up with the sun, and go to sleep with the sun”; tapping into Ayurvedic wisdom for her body type.  She found that her energy was increased as she naturally aligned with the rhythm of the sun.

So, in the spirit of summer, cycles and leveraging the light, the self care enchantments for this week are all you and your unique blend of summer harmony.

Self Care Enchantments for the week:

1.  For one day, (best if it is a sunny day) throw away your clocks, watches and time pieces and experiment with using the sun to give you the time of day.

2.  Reflect on you and your cycles, and ask what changes for you with the different seasons?  Do you notice changes in your energy, your sleep times, your intuition?

3.  Savour some fresh local seasonal food from a farmer’s market, your garden or the local grocers.  Share your favourite recipes with us on the pow blog!

“May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in beauty and joy each day.”

- Native American Proverb

Please share about your learning and exploration with these enchantments on www.thepowblog.com in the comments section of these enchantments!

namaste,

www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com

www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com

604-323-3700

What is your favourite summer food and why?

Blogging as Spiritual Growth

by Aley Martin

In 1970 the search for my spiritual self took hold. I was 15 years old and interested in astrology! There was little in the way of books on the subject and it was more of a pop culture interest than a true field of study for me.

As time would provide me with more and more experiences, my spiritual self actively sought out information on different religions, philosophies and subjects with the intention to expand my heart and mind.

Over the course of the next 37 years I spent time reading, journaling reflecting, rejecting, accepting and integrating spiritual ideas in my life. Each new thing held me in rapturous attention! And then….there was a new window that opened in March 2007. Blogging.

I have been actively blogging now for over 15 months and it has literally changed my life. Having been a writer for many years, there was no place to put the thoughts I held dear until I found a new way of entertaining them, in a blog.

For one to watch the growth of their blog posts and the subsequent comments made by others that take those thoughts and move them in a new direction, is an epiphany for the spirit!

There is nothing one cannot ask of ones self or another that does not provide information or insight into the state of mind one is currently experiencing. And the most fascinating aspect of blogging in community is the synchronistic similarities others reading the blogs state in their comments and responses. It is as if we are all walking down the same street at the same time viewing the world with the same eyes, but differing lenses!

Even when we blog and no one comments or responds, we still leave a trail of where we are our spiritual progress. There are certain feelings we express and ideas we let germinate that we come back to later with surprise and great relish!

To see how you can assess your spiritual temperature, try blogging for a month on a series of questions about your feelings on subjects you may not have considered before. How did you come up with your value system? What does the word intention mean to you? Are you reactive or do you find yourself a more passive interaction person? What is your idea of God? Who are you when you are alone? With others? Do you find discomfort in solitude? What makes you sad? Happy? Have you ever thought about death with respect to how you live your life with meaning?

The key is to remain ever open minded and clear in your musings. When you blog do not fear reproach. This is the toughest thing to do when offering your words to the world. Not everyone is going to agree with you, but who cares? If we all agreed, it would be a pretty boring world, and no growth would be possible if we were all in agreement about everything….

Challenge yourself to use this opportunity to reach beyond the normal limits of everyday journaling. Growing means stretching yourself in new ways…beyond the clouds if need be!

And remember, your growth can only be measured by you yourself. No gurus are needed to find you way to the source!

Blessings,

Aley Martin

enlightened.thinker@gmail.com