Are you a woman who is ready to break free of the voices in your head that keep you stuck yearning for a way out? Discover and create the work you're most meant to do and make it happen for you through career transition, starting a business, or simply reinventing your life. Here I share tips, resources, and coaching to help you succeed on your own terms.
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Interview with Danielle LaPorte: Author, The Fire Starter Sessions
By paulag | May 15, 2012
I can count on one hand the number of books that have actually blown me away in my time. The new bestselling book The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide for Creating Success on Your Own Terms from Danielle LaPorte knocked me off my feet and set my soul ablaze. Those of you who read me regularly know I’m not quick to hyperbole which is why when I say this I really mean it!
In the interest of full disclosure it’s worth noting that I did receive a review copy of the book from the publisher. That said, I already had it on pre-order and was itching for the release date, so you can nix any bias there. This little unexpected gift simply allowed me to devour the thing early (and run up the driveway skipping like a child). And, devour I did… like a feast full of the finest Cabernet, I savored every word and did every last exercise because it was THAT compelling. Let’s remember I ask these kinds of questions for a living, many of the ideas weren’t “new” news to me. Yet Danielle’s voice, presence, and ability to inspire action is so powerful you can’t help but shift and up your game.
It’s more than a book, it’s a work of art, an experience, a movement. I consider this work to be spiritual balm. When you need an infusion of spirit, something to stir the soul, and some practical action to get you moving, you’ll find it here. Every piece of the package is woven into a tapestry. From the book layout to design to phrasing, it’s all there holding all your senses captive. It’s the kind of book you want in multiple formats. (Yes, I did have to buy the audiobook as well for some on-the-go spiritual balm, remember?) Imagine combining a passionate poet, a rebel, Buddha, great graphic design, a savvy businesswoman, a loving human being, a dear friend, and someone to kick your ass, and you’d start to get the portrait of this work.
I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down with Danielle across the miles for a phone interview. She was utterly gracious to spend some time with me during the whirlwind of her book release and upcoming tour. All I can say is a resounding Namaste Danielle!
So scroll down and listen in to our recent conversation full of compelling questions. We get down to the core of things like following your passions, what makes you come alive, and being a catalyst in the world.
(running time approx 20minutes).
Here’s how you can get more of Danielle LaPorte’s work and a little mojo infusion:
Visit her digital temple at http://www.daniellelaporte.com
Get a peek inside the book with a free download of the first chapter
Follow her on Twitter @DanielleLaPorte
By all means, soak up the videos on YouTube
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Topics: Interviews & Podcast | No Comments »
Discover Your Real Priorities – It’s Where You Spend Your Money
By paulag | March 29, 2012
If you really want to know what is important to you take a peek at where you spend your money. Here’s the thing, by itself money has no use and no power. It is only a tool to create the life you want to live. How you spend it is a reflection of who you are and your relationship with money is a mirror of your relationship to yourself.
When you look into this mirror, do you like what you see?
Or, is it a fractured image of who you truly want to be?
During this wayward economy I see more and more people coming up with the socially acceptable excuse of “I don’t have the money” or “I can’t afford it” to avoid looking deeply and making changes that would bring them the personal and professional lives they truly desire. To make the changes that would bring long-term and lasting results to their businesses, their lives, and their families. It sounds cliché to say that life is not a dress rehearsal, but it is true. There is no “someday” and if you’re waiting for it, now is the time to stop.
This way of thinking is not about spending with reckless abandon. It is not about being irresponsible, but rather being fully conscious about the fact that money is a conduit for commitment and you are in charge.
Are you ready to be in the driver’s seat of your experience and stop the cycle of having money hold you hostage? If so… let’s get started.
Here’s an exercise that will catapult you forward. I first did a similar exercise myself decades ago when I read the book Your Money or Your Life that was very enlightening to me, especially as a twenty something at the time. I has fueled my choices ever since.
Take a look at every dollar you have spent over the last month. If you don’t have great records (meaning you know you had money but you don’t know where it went), don’t fret you can start this exercise today by writing down every dollar you spend over the next 30 days. (Hint: even if you have great records looking backwards, I still recommend writing down your spending for the next 30 days. This exercise is one easy and proven way to raise your consciousness around money fast.)
Now, take a look at your spending. I want you to do this with a loving, nonjudgmental heart. There is no right, wrong, or judgment with this sort of assessment; because ultimately there is no inherently right or wrong way to spend your money.
Ask yourself:
- How do I feel about what I see before me?
- Does my spending reflect my true and deep values? (If you’ve never done a values exercise, it is an invaluable step in creating the life and work you want.)
- Has every dollar I spent either: Satisfied a basic need? Benefited another? Brought me great joy?
- Does how I spend my money reflect an equitable balance between living fully today and investing in my future?
What did you discover about your priorities? Are you fully investing in the person you want to be and the life you want to create or are you letting your precious energy slip away?
Regardless of how much money you have, today is the day to stop being held hostage by it and choose to be the conscious steward of it. There is no better investment out there than the one you make in your own growth and well-being.
Ready to take a deeper look at your life and work so that you can create the purpose, prosperity, and playfulness you deserve? Join me for the groundbreaking group program A New Lens on Life.
Topics: Living Authentically | No Comments »
Afraid to Fail? Don’t Be…
By paulag | March 23, 2012
I’ve seen this video on a few different occasions and I just love it. If you are afraid of failing, get over it. You haven’t even begun to live if you haven’t failed at something. Those who do great things always keep going and don’t listen to the voices of doom.
Topics: Success Secrets | No Comments »
Roadmap to Self Employment – How Do I Get There?
By paulag | March 19, 2012
This post originally appeared on BlogHer.com.
People often say to me – Wow! You made the leap to being your own boss… how did you even know where to start? The answer is – I didn’t! In fact I never had any dreams about being my own boss. I was not one of those kids who sold lemonade. I was not the teenager who did small jobs or tried to create a fledgling business. I did not spend my college years drinking from the entrepreneurial cup.
So, how did I end up here?
Well… it was in the midst of my own personal transformational journey that the idea hit me like a big V-8 moment. I can vividly remember standing in San Diego during my coach training with Debbie Ford and looking at the harbor with a fellow participant. It was a beautiful spring day, the sun was shining, it was just blissful even with all the deep inner work that we were doing. He owned his own business (very manufacturing distribution widget like business) and I asked him how the heck he chose that as a career path. He responded that being his own boss and owning a company was his way of being in control of his destiny. A way to build his professional life to support his personal life (not the other way around). I was stunned. I had never even entertained the idea that what you did professionally could serve your personal goals (I know go figure – total DUH moment given what I do for a living today, right?). It was then and there that I decided I would learn whatever I needed to learn in order to discover how to do that too.
Becoming an entrepreneur, being self-employed is THE fastest path to personal growth known to mankind. Someone told me that at the outset and I thought they were full of crap, exaggerating. They were not! When you are your own boss and your livelihood (and that of your family) depends on YOU…there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
There is no textbook out there on how to take this journey. Sure there are a lot of great books. For bigger entrepreneurial adventures there are launchpads and venture capitalists and even degree programs in entrepreneurism. For most of us, though, it is a big do-it-yourself project where you navigate your own journey and bring on support when and where you need it. For me, having a mentor and coach as a guide has been invaluable. I am humbled and honor to be that coach and guide for others now.
That is why I thought it would be great to create a multi-part series here on BlogHer on how to start your own business. The practical and internal things you need to consider as you walk the path. The cool thing about this roadmap is that even if you’re already in business, the inner inquiry is worth doing. Nothing stays static when you’re the big cheese and customer and business climates are in constant flux. So I invite you to follow along whether the idea of being your own boss is just a flicker in your mind or you already took the leap.
I’ll be covering topics from WHY you want to be self-employed in the first place to the importance of creating systems and metrics to mark your journey. You can expect an inner –> outer approach to the topic because that is what I know WORKS.
What are your questions about walking the entrepreneurial path? What are your questions? Fears? Concerns? I want to hear them here…in the comments right now and ongoing. I will do my best to address them as the series unfolds in the best way I can.
Paula Gregorowicz is owner of The Paula G Company and The Intuitive Intelligence™ Coach and helps you learn how to tune into and turn your intuitive knowing into practical action for more purpose, peace of mind, and better results in your life and business.
Download the Free Report: Your Own Uniqueness: The Path to Purpose, Prosperity, and Playfulness at http://www.thepaulagcompany.com.
Topics: Small Business Success | No Comments »
Silence Speaks Loudly
By paulag | March 16, 2012
What do you hear in the silence?
Do you ever give yourself permission to be silent so you can listen?
Or, are you terrified of what you might find there?
I recently had the blessing of going away for several days with a small group of women from my meditation community. During that time away to relax, rejuvenate, and go within, there were plenty of opportunities to be silent. In addition to gathering in circle for meditation some of us observed silence for an entire day as well.
When I tell people this, their immediate reaction is:
I could NEVER do that!
They get visibly uncomfortable and start going on about how they could never, ever be in silence for an entire day.
So I ask – why? They dance around the answer for a while…throwing out excuses like “I’d go nuts” and “What would I DO?” but at the end of the day what they mean is…
I’m afraid of what I’ll discover if I am alone with myself (my thoughts, my feelings) in silence.
Bottom line: this is the source of the discomfort. And, I understand. The first time I ever did an extended period of silence was when I did my first weekend at a powerful retreat. This was more than ten years ago and I was definitely NOT the personal growth/spiritual retreat type (it was my first). I was terrified but willing.
You know what? I didn’t die. That’s right… I may have felt awkward, uncomfortable, and more than ready to break the silence at the end, but no lives were lost. I experienced the world and myself in a different way. When you aren’t babbling on about something, you truly can and do observe others and yourself differently. I’ve personally found that there is so much that gets said in the course of a normal day that doesn’t add to the conversation. It is just noise to fill the space. In this ongoing noise is where we lose touch with our intuition and ourselves. After all you can’t hear the whispers when there’s all that cacophony going on.
Consciously observed silence breaks that pattern.
Now, hear me clearly: just because you’ve decided to observe silence on the outside (what is spoken) doesn’t mean your mind is suddenly clear and ripple free like a lake in summer. Oh no, no, no. Quite the opposite. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Intuition, Meditation, Mindfulness | No Comments »
Tips to Find the Right Career Coach – Paula G Featured on SecondAct.com
By paulag | March 15, 2012
I’m thrilled to be featured in the recent article on SecondAct.com called “6 Tips to Find the Right Career Coach”. There are a lot of excellent tips in this article.
Hiking a forest trail for the first time is a lot easier with a map and compass. When you’re starting down the path to a new job, a career coach can serve as a similar type of personal navigation system.
One of the biggest advantages to hiring a career coach is the fear it takes out of the job-hunting process. “A coach can keep you focused and moving forward,” says Paula Gregorowicz, a Philadelphia area business and career coach.
Read the rest of the article on SecondAct.com
Topics: Career Coaching | No Comments »
Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Plate
By paulag | March 8, 2012
This is just plain good advice. While the inspiration for this article came from a piece I read about athletic training, the principles behind it are relevant for anyone who wants to have peak performance in their business and life in general. That means you!
Do you find that you spend a lot of time watching, thinking about, or worrying about what someone else is doing? Such as:
- Scoping out the “competition”?
- Watching your colleagues and big name mentors’ every move?
- Reading yet another how-to, self-help, or advice laden book hoping to find the answers?
If so, it’s time you dropped all that. Nix the misperception that somehow someone else has all the answers for you. Stop the distractions that keep you focused on everything and everyone else but yourself and what is right in front of you.
They don’t. In fact they too may be lurking and trying to avoid facing their own fears and sense of inadequacy by eating off of someone else’s plate as well.
So why does this matter?
What someone else is doing or not doing has no relevance to your life or your goals.
You are unique. Your definition of success is unique. You can’t get there by copying someone else. You can only get there by being authentic and following your own intuitive guidance system.
This doesn’t mean that someone else can’t support you. I do that for my clients all the time. I have people on my own team that do that for me. The key difference is that I believe in being a catalyst for others, not a savior. I expect those that support me to bring out the best in me, collaborate with me, not do it for me. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Confidence, Success Secrets | No Comments »
Your Big BUT is in Your Way
By paulag | February 27, 2012
Yes you read that right…your big ole BUT is in your way.
Note: Before you get offended, particularly if you’re skimming this article – notice I did not add a second T in BUT!
Your BUT is in the way of having the:
- Life you REALLY want personally and professionally
- Prosperity you deserve (more profitability, more money, more time, more love, more peace…)
- Experiences you yearn for
Why is your BUT the culprit? Because when you say something and then put a BUT in the middle of the sentence you essentially negate everything that came before it. Instead you give power and affirmation to your excuses and everyday reasons for why you can’t have what you want. This keeps you in more of the same-old and stuck like sap on your favorite pair of blue jeans.
For example…
I really want to make more money and be profitable in my business BUT I couldn’t possibly charge what I’m worth. (Meaning of this sentence? I can’t charge what I’m worth).
I wish I could take more time away to do the things I really want to do (have fun, adventures, travel, just chill out) BUT my business and to-do list is holding me hostage. (Meaning of this sentence? I allow my business and to-do list to run my life and refuse to choose something different.)
I really need to get organized and focused BUT I ever seem to have the time to get around to it. (Meaning of this sentence? I choose to stay busy and distract myself rather than face what IS.)
Get the point? When you put your big BUT forward you stand proud in your justifications as to why you can’t have what you want; why things can’t be different.
Believe me I am not preaching from on high here. I used to have the biggest BUT in the land. I mean really, really BIG. There was a time where I could barely spit out a few sentences without throwing my BUT around. I had a realistic reason for why things were the way they were and why I could never create what I wanted. I had an excuse for everything. I could lead every conversation with a litany of reasons and examples as to why something could never possibly work.
Do you know where that got me?
Absolutely nowhere. I experienced more of the same and usually things got worse (more chaotic, more things went wrong, more misery). In the process I also managed to alienate some of the closest people in my life. I lost friendships, my relationship went on the rocks, and I frankly felt like the only saving grace to all this would be to get a terminal illness.
I am not kidding here. To say my glass was half empty is an understatement. Let’s try half empty with a hole in the bottom. It was not attractive, not productive, and while I like to believe it made me feel better in a righteous way, it actually made me feel desperate and hopeless. And let’s remember for context here, we’re not talking about my hiding in a corner languishing during this period of my life. I was out there, succeeding in the workplace and achieving ongoing goals. I was getting promoted and increasing my earnings.
BUT the bottom was falling out. (See how I just used BUT effectively?)
So, how about you? Where in your life are you letting your BUT get in the way? Does it show up when you go to networking events? Set and communicate your prices? Want to take time to do something you love?
No one is immune to the big BUT. We’re human. However, you can learn to undo its damage.
Here’s my coach’s request to you:
1) Be on the lookout and start noticing where your BUT shows up.
2) When it does show up, replace your BUT with an AND. AND opens to possibilities and allows both realities to be true at the same time. I really want to take that trip to Italy AND I am in the process of determining how I can make that happen.
3) Notice what happens when you start to call yourself out on your own excuses and open to possibilities.
Then start to enjoy the process of getting more aligned with your authentic self and what you really want. You’ll find that all the things you want to create start to happen more frequently and with less effort.
Need help getting out of your own way (You can’t see what you can’t see!)? I can help you break free of the tyranny of your own BUT… AND in order to do that, you need to take a step? That step is to apply for your customized Intuitive Intelligence Activation session today http://www.thepaulagcompany.com/application
Photo Credit:Valerie bb via Flickr
Topics: self-sabotage | No Comments »