Shera R. Sever: Igniting the Spark™

Earlier this year, I declared that I was not participating in this recession, particularly since I had experienced my own 5- year “karmic cleanse” starting in  2003 ( post 9-11). It’s a much longer story to be shared, so let’s BE HERE NOW.

There’s a lot I love about this recession.

In many ways, I see it bringing us all closer as we begin to recognize our interconnectedness (and how similar) we all are when it comes to  needs, purpose, wanting to make a difference and be happy!  There’s a collective global consciousness that continues to emerge as a result of the recession. We are learning to use our own “human technologies” and adapt to the changes.

1. FEAR only has as much power as we allow it.  In other words, it’s simply an illusion.  One of my beloved buddhist teachers from Spirit Rock Meditation Center, during a 10-day Vipassana Retreat, told us a story about  how he helped  his 3- year old “embrace” his fear of the dark.  He simply instructed his son to say “Hello” to the Fear, every evening when it arose. Within a week of applying this seemingly very simple advice, his son was able to recognize (name), befriend, and then move beyond the fear. This 3-year old began greeting the fear of darkness peacefully.

2. Living with uncertainty- births creativity, improvisation, flexibility, innovation- all essential qualities of a great leader and awakened entrepreneur.

3. Doing more with less- we are all adopting”green”  practices- or more accurately put-learning to live sustainably (living in a way that meets the needs of future generations)

4. Social entrepreneurship has become mainstream. See March, 2009 Ode Magazine.

5. Transparent Communication- Social Media has changed the way we do marketing. Now more than ever- authenticity , not hype , is what people are needing and seeking  The underlying message is to Be  Yourself- Everyone Else is Taken.

6. Real Dialogs- Van Jones calls this the need for human technologies- There’s an unprecedented grass roots global movement taking place- a caravan of world citizens.  Paul Hawkin, founder of Wiser Earth, first cited this movement in a keynote he gave at  Bioneers several years ago.  People are returning to their need to connect, gathering together to dialog:  in circles, in community gatherings, in living rooms, around fires, and town hall meetings-to share concerns, solutions, compassion, and their human connection- actually an anthisesis to all the wonderful social media marketing tools that keep us tied to a mobile gadget or computer.

7. Letting Go-We are learning to let go of STUFF , consumption (become citizens, rather than consumers), an illusory future, and simply be with the miracle of each moment.

I think Alan Watts says it best: “No use clinging to the rocks that are falling.”

What opportunities are you creating and what are you learning

as a result of the recession?

An article this past weekend in the NY Times referred to a new phenomena in todays’ economy, what Mark V. Cannice, Executive Director of the entrepreneurship program at the University of San Francisco calls “Forced Entrepreneurship.”

According to the article, the motivation for these new “forced” entrepreneurs (mostly laid off GenY job seekers)  is to produce quick revenue streams, rather than millions of dollars over the long term.  Jerome S. Engel, Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Berkeley Haas School of Business, most of these “forced entrepreneurs” are focusing on serving immediate needs for individuals and businesses.

“Forced Entrepreneurship” . . . maybe, or . . ?

What if this whole economic shift is yet another opportunity for us (personally and collectively) to awaken to our purpose?  What would that look that?  How would it FEEL to be living in purpose with our work while making the contributions and leaving the legacy that we so desire to offer to our communities and the world.

Is the “job” obsolete?

Imagine starting a business, not with “forced” entrepreneurship, but with deliberate intention- a choice that is in alignment with our values, priorities, gifts, and passions. What if we declared “the job is obsolete?” Plenty of other laid-off workers across the country are doing just that- burned out by a merciless job market- they are building business plans instead of sending out résumés. For these people, recession has become the mother of innovation and reinvention.

Reinvent Yourself!

Whether you are looking for a  personal career branding plan (including social media marketing tools)   or ready to lay the foundation for that long-held dream  enterprise (even part-time),

NOW IS THE TIME!

Contact me for a complimentary consultation (through April 10).

Stay tuned for my NEW!

” INNOVATION & REINVENTION“

6-week coaching program starting in April.

THE FUTURE IS NOW!

I think this recession is a phenomena much more exciting than an economic downturn-

It feels more like a planetary upswing, and right now we are on quite a ride!

It’s a collective transformation and a huge opportunity for all of us to not only live more authentically and in purpose, but to live more simply with less consumerism, less waste, and much more attention to the health and wellness of each other and the planet.

Compassion in Action. Intentional Acts of Kindness.

There is an increasing shared consciousness  that we really are all in this together.

By letting go of the cultural influences of “entitlement” and the illusions of what “security” is,

we ‘re growing up!

Would love to hear your comments- include your website.

In the past few weeks, probably like you,  I have received hundreds of messages inviting  me to participate in workshops, teleseminars, meetings and groups for setting intentions this new year.

THE AWAKENED ENTREPRENEUR™

These invitations inspired me to create an overarching  theme for the year by declaring this to be “The Year of the Awakened Entrepreneur™.  An Awakened Entrepreneur understands that it’s not just about YOU OR ME any longer. We have entered a whole new game of interdependence and collaboration.  Vision is the Soul of our Business, and Committed Action, the fuel.

Read more. 

Last week, along with approximately 20 others,  I started my vision board for 2009- with images of actions I commit to this year. I’m sharing just a few of these commitments here:

FOSTER a CULTURE of TRUE COLLABORATION

In December, I attended the year end San Francisco Women in Consulting meeting. Of the 70 or 80 women business owners in attendance, I discovered that many were offering similar or complimentary services and targeting similar audiences.

Many attendees was asking for leads or referrals to clients, yet I wanted to hear more about what their clients wanted and needed. I was looking for introductions that answered these key questions:

What do I do best? Who am I serving?  

What do they need?  How can my business fulfill that need?

I thought, “Wouldn ‘t it be wonderful if we could combine our expertise and offerings with  authentic and transparent collaborative models?”  

Successful non-profits have been doing this for years, building coalitions and networks that share resources, expertise, and human capital. Peter Senge teaches very sophisticated decentralized, collaborative models with his systems approach in the private sector. And LOHAS just published their 2009 business trends. Coalitions and affiliations are in the Top 10.

How much more could our clients benefit if WE-small businesses and consultants- created more collaborative “One-Stop Shops”, that serve our clients’ needs in all areas: Strategic Planning, Marketing & Social Media, Human Capital & Leadership Development, Technology, Legal, and Financial?

GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE on THE BUS

We have a new leader. He can’t do it alone. With the right people on the bus, small steps lead to big change and transformative results. This year I am personally committed to staying very awake and alert with each step, and thereby expanding “OUR” fields of influence.

As collaborators, having the “right” people as “power partners ” is crucial. One of my mentors, Jim Collins, author of Good to Great,  makes some interesting distinctions between “Effective” and “Great” Leadership. Great leaders, he claims, first hold a vision and attract the right executive team , BEFORE executing a strategic plan. “Effective” Leaders  create their strategic plan and then search for the implementers, which, according to Collins, can result in a lot of silo structures and organizational fragmentation.  

Stephen Covey, in his newest publication,  The Leader In Me, has taken leadership even further, by introducing personal and collaborative leadership models and practices to youth and future generations.

INCREASE value-based SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

with Relationships, Learning, and Resource Sharing

In some of my free time in past 11 months, I’ve been immersed in studying WEB 2.0 business, marketing, and collaborative learning trends, teaching myself new skills, testing collaborative technology tools, and asking for help, which I still need a lot of!  It’s been a very motivating learning curve, and I am loving it!

I took my website down about five months ago, and replaced it with this WordPress site. The template still needs  more visual customization and a banner (any wordpress geeks reading this?);   I love the collaboration inherent in WordPress.  Now, my readers (You!) can respond transparently, with added information, insights, resources, and links.  I sincerely welcome your participation.  I invite and encourage you to subscribe to my blYou can leave a comment on any post, and share them with others.  

COMMIT to EXPANSION

with new publications, course offerings, and media

With conversations birthing and potential collaborations brewing, stayed tuned for an upcoming “Awakened Entrepreneur™” course series delivered in multi-formats, aiong with on-going group coaching. To join the development conversations, and participation, I invite you stay connected via this site, Facebook and Twitter. 

Let’s invest in our “inner economies”. Take a break from the news,  and come play with me.

It’s a new world, and We are creating it!

Commit and Do It!

Action is the anecdote to despair- Joan Baez

In the past few days, I’ve been reading hundreds of posts, messages with warm new year ‘s wishes along with workshop and seminar offerings focused on intentions, resolutions, manifesting miracles, etc. etc. for the New Year.

Yet, how many of us have spent our months or even years with good intentions– intentions to change this or that and find that year after year, like good green citizens, that we keep recycling these intentions?

I am all for intentions-they are the first step for change or transforming any behavior. However, it’s the intentions  that are held with desire, clearly communicated and acted upon, that actually BECOME change or achievements. One of my mentors, Tony Robbins is famous for his “Take Massive Action” mantra.

This year’s theme for me is a COMMITMENT to ACTION!

I have found that actively practicing the following  helps me stay in integrity with myself, others, and my commitments:

• I take responsibility for everything in my life- I let go of being a victim
• I practice the Gratitude Scan ™    (see previous post)
• I engage in on-going Forgiveness- releasing old resentments opens the door to massive flow, new energy, and manifestation.   Forgiveness releases the prisoner- YOU- to Freedom in it’s ultimate form of unconditional love.
• I ask myself daily:  “What made me happy today?”- not Who, but What?  What action did I commit to today that brought me happiness? How do I feel as a result?
• I transform my “To-Do” lists into “To Be ” lists.  What will I become as a result of taking action and achieving my goals?

So who is on your team?

Intentions are only as good as the determination (commitment) to DO IT! Staying committed is an on-going process-and we can’t do it alone.  Fortify your partnerships and strengthen your participation with  like-minded communities, who will support your intentions and hold you accountable for  taking ACTION towards the changes we want this  year.

Let’s make 2009 the year we actually  BECOME our dreams and the changes we wish to see.

This past week has been a wonderful reminder of how good it feels to GIVE, and even more so, to do it, anonymously.

One of the communities that I am part of hosts an annual gathering on Dec. 24 in Sonoma County, CA. In addition to healthy, organic food and chocolate, we participate in a sustainable gift exchange.  No purchases, no additional consumption,  but rather, an offering of a treasure that you no longer use/need. During the “dancing” exchange, we keep passing from hand to hand these wrapped anonymous gifts, until the music finally stops.  It always turns out that each one of us receives the absolute perfect gift!

Here in my neighborhood, I love setting boxes of used “treasures” and clothes out for passerbys to take home. There is a Chinese woman who visits my “boxes” regularly. She also helps herself to the recycling bin before the weekly city pick up, and receives a few cents for each glass container that she recovers from the bin.

Last week, I saw her walking by with her shopping cart. She stopped, pointing to her feet. “Shoes good”, she said with a big smile.  I was delighted to see my pair of black clogs fitting her feet perfectly.

I am a big believer in tithing, and set aside 10% of my annual income to donate to such organizations as Global Exchange, Spirit Rock, Bay Area NVC, IONS, Seva Foundation, and CEO Women among others. 

TITHING

Do you tithe?  For more information on tithing and prosperity, read Catherine Ponder’s works, starting with The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity.  Catherine did not market and sell “The Secret.” Rather, she shared her simple formula starting back in 1958 to groups of business leaders, helping them go from recession to abundance!

 SHARE YOUR ABUNDANCE

In this time of reviewing, reflecting, assessing, and goal setting, take stock of all you have to be grateful for. To whom can you give anonymously?  What can you let go of (behaviors, beliefs, or actual “things” ) to bring in the new?  Share your abundance.  This is the SECRET!

 “Even after all this time,

The Sun never says to the Earth,

You owe me.

Look what happens to a love like that. . .

It lights up the whole sky.”

Hafiz

“Sit by the fire and share the truth within your Heart.”

I am starting a personal campaign today- 10 days of presence and appreciation.

I’m choosing to not buy gifts this year.  Rather, I am giving my PRESENCE,  my APPRECIATION,  my TIME (including  gift certificates for coaching and other inspirational “gifts” that I create), and SERVICE-helping others complete or “seal” a project.  

What if we all  gave the people in our lives the best gift of all–our presence and appreciation–  by letting  others know what we appreciate about them and how they have impacted our life in a positive way?

The gift of PRESENCE– Is there something you’d like to share with another- perhaps there is something incomplete that needs to be released? Create some time to be present with this person and ask yourself in the words of Hafiz: 

“How Do I Listen to Others?

As if everyone were my Master

Speaking to me

His

Cherished last words.”

Remember what most people want, more than anything else, is to know that they are loved, valued, and appreciated–that’s the best gift we can give to them – for the holidays and at any time of the year. 

May all beings be at peace,

May all beings be the light,

May all beings be happy and free!

What we focus on expands. 

Are you going to let this recession determine your fate? 

CABAN by artist Ruby Lee

Now is not the time to retreat, recoil or recede. It’s time to move forward with more confidence and certainty than ever with 100% participation! – John Asaraf

Focus on the  possibilities, opportunties,  what’ s needed.  How can you  as an awakened entrepreneur build your product, brand and services to truly serve others in this time?

My former client of 3 years, McGraw-Hill Publishers, recently released a market study and found that companies that maintained (or increased) their marketing throughout the 1981-82 recession saw an average sales growth of 275 percent through 1987.  But those companies who cut their marketing saw meager sales growth of 19 percent over the next five years.

The truth is, this might be the best time in 70 years to build a really great business. According to other marketing gurus, this is what happens in recessionary times:

The people who maintain their focus and take the right actions, in the right order, come out way ahead. 

And this is where I come in.  Are you a small business owner frozen in fear? Are the phrases “economic crisis or “financial crisis” part of your daily mantra? Or are you the warrior ready to lead the way with a clear vision, strategic action plan, and the right power partners in place?

My gift to you

Contact me  before Dec. 22 for a complimentary consultation where we will look at your strategy for 2009. This is my gift to you along with  a daily e-mail reminder through Jan 1, 2009 of steps you need to take to make 2009 a vibrant year for you, your business and your clients.

I am loving these long nights, and the clarity available in moments of stillness. Visions are birthed in the winter sky. What do you see, hear and feel? I just received the following message:

NOW is a time to speak of great things, to let your heart sing out in your words.  Today is a day that says ‘yes’ to all things, ‘yes’ to the future your soul wishes to create through you, ‘yes’ to your heart that wishes to release all the old burdens of regret and blame, and ‘yes’ to your center of truth that wants to rise up through the clouds of old ways of thinking and being and express itself truly.

NOW is the time to be yourself, but yet transformed into your true self, the self that lies underneath the complaints, fears and doubt, the self that is in love with life, that sees a sparkling future full of exciting adventures, new friends, new situations, new doors and windows to throw open so that the great winds of change can come pouring through, clearing away the cobwebs and the dust.

NOW is the time to talk of a glorious future, to let yourself actually say it in words:  “This is my dream.  Yes, yes, I know it is big, bigger than I could ever have imagined for myself.  But my heart and soul are speaking to me, and this is what they see.”

NOW is the time  to set aside all doubt and to know, absolutely, that you have within you everything that it is required to fulfill the dreams of your heart and soul. 

It is all within you.  All of the talent.  All of the abilities.  All of the courage. It is all there.

And so, today, let the dream hang before you, let the vision shine.  And then, today, take one small step forward from where you are toward where you wish to be.  Take just one small step; do one little tiny thing.

The tree of greatness begins with the dreaming seed and then sends forth a tender shoot, pushing up through the fertile earth, long before it can be seen by others. 

Today, let the seed fill your mind.  And then, with one little action, begin to sprout forth into new life, nurturing that little sprout with the vision you hold in your mind of the fully grown tree.

The Future is NOW!

Breathing In- I know I’m alive.

Breathing Out, I smile to my aliveness.

Thich Nhat Hahn

Are you feeling tired with the constant gloomy news in the media? I hope by now, you have turned off your TV!

It’s a constricted lens that complains about all the things we don’t have or all the problems in our life.  But as my reader, you’re bigger than that- right?!

The Gratitude Scan

I’ve re-instated The Gratitude Scan into my morning daily practice by starting each day expressing thanks for all the abundance in my life.  Right now can you think of at least 3-5 things you are thankful for? How about 10? or even 20?

Starting tomorrow morning before you get up, release anxiety, stress and noise in your mind by expressing gratitude before you engage in any other activity! I find writing down all that I am grateful for to be a very powerful practice.

Excellence is a habit!

If you keep it up daily, you’ll start to notice a sense of peace, joy, and renewed confidence.  As a result better, clearer decisions,  more resilience, and a peacful “knowing”  are at your fingertips.  And most of all, you will attract more blessings, synchronicity, and  opportunities to you. And now, let’s take this a step further.

Practicing an Attitude of Gratitude in the Workplace

1. At a future meeting, ask everyone in the room to share something they are thankful for about their job:

• this could be as simple as a window in their office
• an ergonomic workstation
• a manager who really cares
• a supportive co-worker
• or the learning experience associated with a current project they are working on.

2. Let your co-workers, boss, and employees know how much you appreciate them. A simple note, e-mail, or dark chocolate(!?) at least once a week can uplift everyone’s spirit and add to the sense of collaboration in the workplace.

3. How can you let your clients know how much you appreciate them?

• Send a one or two line weekly motivational tip or favorite quote
• Offer a free resource reminding your clients that you are on their team to support their continued success.
• Call them on the phone
• Host a gratitude luncheon for your clients.
• Remember: Good things come to those who collaborate!

As the season of Thanksgiving is approaching let’s  make a special effort to have an Attitude of Gratitude. Engage yourself in activities and environments that reinforce your JOY!. It’s your birthright!