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Are you REALLY listening?

When was the last time you were honored by another’s deep listening? When was the last time you gave the gift of 100% attention to their story?

In today’s world, multi-tasking, e-mail and text communications, being overly busy with no time to pause are all too often the norm. Being fully present with another human being, just receiving all the other needs to share, without fixing, correcting, hurrying or shortchanging, is rare.

What does deep listening sound like, look like?

  • make eye contact
  • open, inviting posture
  • show that you are hearing with messages like: I’m so happy for you! or I’m sorry you had to go through that. or even, I’m noticing resistance in me-please help me understand you.
  • show you are interested with invitations like: Tell me more. or How can I support you? or What’s next with your idea? or You are so passionate about this – what makes it important for you?

What does deep listening feel like?

If you don’t know, then begin to offer it to others. Experience deep listening as the listener, the giver. You may find it so satisfying that you don’t often need to be the speaker! If, however, you DO want to be heard, ask for what you need.

What will we create in our world through the simple act of listening?

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I Know!

“I know …!”

What is it that you know? Stop to consider how limiting those two words are in today’s world. Think how fast everything is changing. How many millions of text messages and tweets and e-mails are traveling each second. Imagine ongoing research that is quickly making your 7th grade science curriculum obsolete. Truly, the more often I claim to know, the more I show my ignorance. I don’t know what you are thinking and feeling. I don’t know how you have been shaped by the challenges in your life – even if I know what those challenges were.

What if I came from a place of not knowing, of open curiosity and wonder? What if I trusted that, regardless of my level of expertise or experience, you could enlighten me in some way? I am immediately softer, more malleable, gentler, more calm and I experience more inner peace. I am not trying to maintain a posture of right or ego knowing or one-upmanship.

What don’t I know?
What might I learn?
What else is possible?

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Passion

What are you passionate about? What is it that, when you engage with it, you lose yourself, time stands still, you are energized?

I let myself peak behind this card today and found that I am passionate about inviting YOU into your passion! I am passionate when my actions, when who I am, has a positive impact in our world. I am passionate about expanding and sharing my expansive spirit. 

What about you? Is your passion ignited as:

  • an expression of your creativity?
  • engaging in an organization whose mission you feel deeply about?
  • being in relationship?
  • ??

What is YOUR passionate impact?
What helps you BE that?

 

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Marketing – or – Sourcing?

I struggle with “marketing”. I struggle with the word and I struggle with what society and business suggest that, as a business owner, I *should* do to promote my work. Since 2009 when I began life coaching, I have created and distributed brochures, blogged, created and maintained a website, practiced elevator speeches, attended networking events and been members of such organizations.

Yet, the outcome of my personal end-of-year review this past March 2 was this:

2014: The Year I Embrace Being, Intuition, Visioning and Celebrating ME!

And I found myself writing, “I am my own walking billboard”! Marketing feels like “telling you about me”. That is quite different from:

Being me – Listening to my intuition – Visioning/Setting intentions – Celebrating who I am!

In talking about this dilemma with my coach, I discovered the word, Sourcing. When I source my 2014 intention, when I embrace the idea of connecting to who I am, to being with the energy that sources me, when I practice sourcing, I come from a rich, full, engaging, lively, joyous place. From here, everywhere I am, everyone I meet, anything I do, becomes a place where “marketing” or “letting the world see me” happens.

I am committed to Sourcing, to feeding the being that I am, the energy that is me, celebrating this energy and sharing me with YOU.

What does marketing mean to you?
What is its purpose?
What action steps are yours to take?

Finally, what sources YOU?

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Be who you are, Hon!

Last summer, a dear friend and colleague gave me a very large gift in the form of these simple words:

“Be who you are, Hon!”

In essence, she was saying, “Jeanne, you are unique. You have your own wonderful set of gifts and talents. You have your own very personal ways of moving in the world, recharging, connecting with Life, creating impact. Be that. Judge not. Compare not. Be you.”

So today, I give you this gift: Be who you are! There is no one else like you on this entire planet. Do not let the unique essence of YOU go unexpressed in this lifetime. Be you! So I ask:

Who are you?
What is the purest essence that is you?
What do you refuse to see about you?
What will you express today?