Purposeful Birthday Lessons

As today is my birthday, I want to share some wisdom learned in my 44th year of life. Yes, I know I look 30... that's on purpose! Thank you very much!

Now I knew that when the time came to let go of something that no longer served, that I must just let go. But I have learned over that past year that I must just let go. There is a definite reason for releasing. I liken it to a cup of tea -- if the cup if full to the brim, but the tea is lukewarm, there is no room to pour in the hot water. I must be willing to pour some of the tea out of the cup in order to refresh the tea. Don't you love analogies!

So, my point being -- I had to let go of some things that still seemed useful, though lukewarm. The Divine wants me to have the hottest cup of tea I can possibly have. And, if you are a tea lover like me, you know lukewarm tea is really nasty! Unless I surrender the lukewarm, I cannot attain the hot.

Of course, I knew this intellectually, but try shoving it down to the heart of the matter. There's the rub! It's all about loss and pain, and who wants that? But it's growing pains, and praise be, I am still growing!

I am celebrating my birthday for nine days (like a novena). Just because it's my passion and purpose!

Like passionately and celebrate the now!

Coach Carolyn

Lessons from the June Meetup

Hey Purposeful and Passionate People!

Our June Becoming a Woman of Purpose was awesome! We had some amazing sharing, insights, and revelations. It truly amazes me when I hear women say that they don't know what their purpose is. Or even, they cannot tell you what they are passionate about. This is not because we don't know. This is because we operate in a perpetual motion and doing, that we have not stopped to take the time to ask the questions. We don't take the time to just sit and be and find out whose life am I really living? Mine or someone else's?

One of the lessons at this gathering had to do with women who, because they have no children, does that mean they are not maternal or have that "maternal instinct"? It doesn't matter if a woman has given birth to one child, to several children, or to no children at all. We all have that innate knowing. During every woman's lifetime, she will have nurtured and cared for someone; be it a parent in old age, a family member, or a sick friend. That maternal instinct does kick in. This, like purpose, is part of a woman's DNA, if you will.

As I posted previously, we are operating out of our limiting belief system. To know that we are more than enough is difficult for some women to wrap their minds around. We are our own worse critics. One way to combat this is to cultivate the spirit of gratitude. When we are truly grateful, we only focus on our truths, not our fears or false beliefs. Being a woman of purpose means being grateful for all the joys of life. It also means being able to see the lessons learned in the sorrows, which also brings us to a place of gratefulness. And so it is.

Stay in a spirit of gratitude and your purpose will find you!

Coach Carolyn

The Power of Purpose and Limiting Beliefs

Greetings Purposeful Divas, and Dons!

Because my birthday is in one week, I have found myself on the dark side. And when I am in this funky space, I tend towards limiting beliefs and negative self talk. You know the kind: "I should be doing this," or "Why aren't I doing that?" Yes, those gremlins. And yes, I have them too; which is why I can speak about them as an expert. Well, every year, like clockwork, the gremlins visit me for a private birthday celebration. Nasty like demons!

So, I thought I'd write about them -- for a few reasons. To share with you, to get out of my own head, and to journey together to rid ourselves of them. Just in case you are having a private party yourself.

What are beliefs? Beliefs are a set of generalizations we make about others, about the world around us, and about ourselves. They are NOT facts, though we may act as if they were. This is an important point: in the middle of the word 'belief' is the word 'lie.' But because beliefs form our reality, we see them as truth.

So, how do we rid ourselves of those pesky little gremlins called limiting beliefs? The only way to break through limiting beliefs is to choose to do so. Yeah, I know what you're thinking? Is that it? Well, yes. Choice is our most powerful weapon in the universe. And unfortunately, we, especially we women, don't exercise that power very often. That muscle has become atrophied. Time to exercise, ladies!

Once we make the conscious choice to break through the limiting beliefs and the negative self talk, then we need to live in that intention. One effective method for me: I take myself on an artist date. Yes, I am a devout student of the Artist's Way. Going on artist dates not only stirs and sparks creativity, but it gets you out of your head, which is where those gremlins take up residency. Rent in New York City; and they get to live for free!

On my artist date, I love long bus rides. They are tremendously freeing. I just sit back and meditate. I go through my gratitudes and blessings, which are many. I create new ways to empower women, including myself. I journal. My morning pages know all hours of the day. And being on the bus allows me to experience sorrow, joy, and gratitude -- all while being driven to some fabulous and perhaps unknown destination. What I am saying is I can just be. This is my choice, to be and be free!

Until next time, live passionately on purpose!
Coach Carolyn

Purposeful Musings from Blogland

My passion and purpose is to guide and create passion and purpose for others, especially women. To often, women are the ones to undervalue themselves. Well, I just won't stand for it anymore! Women are the goddesses on this planet, heiresses to the throne of the Divine, and we must behave like it.

When I find other women on this same journey, it really excites me. I read several blogs daily for my own spiritual enrichment and connection. I found this post to be a wonderful expression of Divine purpose and wanted to share it with you. It comes from Susan Hanshaw of Sanctuary for Change. Susan's mission is to support others on the transitional journey she walked herself. A certified spiritual counselor and coach, Susan works with individuals seeking to experience a life with greater abundance, joy, and sense of purpose. She is the author of Unleashing Your Soul: Finding the Courage to Follow Your Heart.

"I have talked a lot here about my belief that life has purpose. Yet where does that purpose come from and where does it begin? Consider first that we were all created from a divine energy that many of us call God. That means that we each began as a spark from the divine. If you can see yourself as a divine spark, you then accept the invitation to see that there is something that God wants to do through you. This is your divine purpose."

Susan has a beautiful way that she languages life and purpose. To truly be women of purpose, immerse yourself in the light and wisdom of other women of passion and purpose, like Susan. This is what I call a nutritious connection! So, bathe in it!

Life passionately, on purpose!
Coach Carolyn

Meetup Video Stories

I was privileged to share my meetup story with one of the Meetup Staff, Rushabh Doshi, creating a two-minute video. It was lots of fun and the purpose being that when a newbie goes to the Meetup site, just by reading one cannot get a sense of what Meetup is really all about. So, these stories will be a way of "seeing" and experiencing what Meetup is all about.

I think I was very gushy, but I am an "on purpose gusher," and I gush with passion!

So you can check out the video by following the link at the top of the sidebar, or by going to our Becoming a Woman of Purpose Meetup About Page, or by going directly to YouTube.

Let me know what you think of the video. And be kind...on purpose!

Peace,
Coach Carolyn

A Mogulette of Purpose

One of the things I tirelessly advocate is that we are all on a journey -- be it a journey of faith, a journey of transition, a journey of peace -- it all equals the journey of life. And while we are on this journey, we definitely need companions, fellow sojourners travelling on the road with us.

Sacred Scripture tells us that the disciples were sent out two by two. Why is that? Well, because if one becomes discouraged, the other can lift her up. Then there is the old saying, two heads are better than one.

One of the toughest things, I believe, is thinking that we are alone on this journey called life. In my many years on the journey, I have found that there is always someone else on the road with a similar story. I am very blessed to have several fellow sojourners on this path I take. One of them is my Mogulette sister, Carmina Perez. Carmina is Mogulette Extraordinaire and implementer of the Mogulettes Meetup and Mogulette in the Making Blog. She is a femprenuer who is passionate about her journey and on purpose to achieving it, not just for herself, but for fellow women on the journey. Her weekly meetups are for women on the road to living out their passions and building their businesses.

One of Carmina's blog post, which prompted this post, is on having action partners -- those fellow travellers who can share your struggles, but who can also encourage and inspire you to greatness.

Check out Carmina's meetup and blog. Both are loaded with information for any woman looking to startup and build her business. Carmina is definitely a woman of purpose!

Zaadz Reflection Question

If you pop over to Zaadz, not only will you be embraced by an on purpose community of spirit-filled folks, but you will be challenged to come up a little higher. One of the ways Zaadz does this is with daily reflection questions. Today's question just stirred my soul:

If you had the support of everyone around you, what would you do?

I wrote briefly on my Zaadz blog, but wanted to bring the joy here as well.

Sometimes we get caught up in the shoulds, you know those nasty little gremlins that steal your dreams and your joy. And those gremlins sometimes look like our closest family and friends. Yes, they mean well, but stay away from well-meaning people. Meaning well usually does not mean well for you, dear one. They are giving you advise out of their own experiences, which may be a misinterpretation. You must follow your own heart and create your own lived experiences. If you mess up, just say, "Oops, and oh well," and try something else.

But just imagine if there were no gremlins, that everyone around you supported your dreams. Would there be any fear? What would you accomplish? What would you step out and try?

Share with me some of your musings. If you are reading this, then I am part of your support system, too. And then, pop on over to Zaadz and check me out. I am the Mystic Empath.

Remember to live in the questions, for the answers will come.

Live in peace,
Coach Carolyn

Purposeful Musings

Okay, I just had to share this. I pulled my three Grace Cards this morning:

Vision: Pay attention.
Perception: See the past as part of our spiritual evolution.

And guess what else?

Peace: When we balance silence and activity, we discover true peace of mind.

You think someone's trying to tell me something?

And believe me, I do shuffle the deck.

In the school of living life on purpose, lessons unlearned will be repeated. You never flunk out. You just get to take the test over again. So don't worry over not getting it absolutely perfect. Just land somewhere in the ballpark and grace will find you.

Live passionately,
Coach Carolyn

Purpose, Attraction and Nutritious People

One of the things I love is networking -- meeting new people of like mind and purpose. And I have found that when I put my attention and intention on meeting people who will be nutritious, I meet nutritious people. I recently had a meeting with people from my Zaadz community. Zaadz, Dutch for seeds, is an online community of consciously inspired people who are social networking with a purpose; a community of seekers and conscious entrepreneurs circulating wisdom and inspiration.

Although I just met Holly and Scott, it was as if we had know one another for years. The conversation was very nutritious and on purpose. Now, why do I bring this up here? Because to be a woman of purpose means having nutritious people in your life; making purposeful connections. In order to create a life of passion and purpose, you must keep your life free of toxins, and that includes toxic people. You know, those energy vampires that just suck the life out of you, draining you of everything you have and giving you nothing in return. Exorcise those people from your life ladies!

Now, if you are married to an energy vampire, or have a family member that has the fangs, it may be difficult to completely cut them out of your life. What I tell my clients who have family members that steal their joy and suck the life out of them is to create balance. You don't have to be around them 24/7. Make sure you have folks in your life that are extremely nurturing, supporting and giving. Being around them will fill your tank with plenty of joy and care, so that when you are around the energy vampires, they won't suck you dry.

I myself live with energy vampires -- others would call them family. I call them relatives. I purposely choose my family. I don't stay around them, I don't allow them to take away my joy. If they truly need something, and I can give it, then I will. But for the most part, I steer clear. I still have the fang marks from past drainings. Sorry, but my neck isn't for sale anymore!

I would love to hear your vampire tales. I have millions! I bet you do too. Share them with the readers and help other women.

Wishing you purposeful and nutritious connections!
Coach Carolyn