Conscious Living Connection

Successful Women in Business

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Uncategorized

This is a guest blog-post by my good friend and colleague, Louise Abbot, business coach of www.CRCoaching.com. Louise & I are co-creators and collaborators of the upcoming Women/Money/Mastermind. Her post is timely and is one of the subjects we will be exploring during this highly personalized mastermind experience.

When you think of highly successful women in business. Who do you think of? Oprah? She is thought of more of a personality than business owner, but is certainly successful with her production company, Harpo and her magazine. Martha Stewart? She is definitely successful with her TV show, home product lines, and now her expensive line of pet merchandise in PetsSmart. Who else? Drawing a blank?

This is not surprising, because those women who are successful in business are pretty much off the radar except for the high profile two mentioned above. What this means for the “ordinary” woman in business, if there is such a thing, we have very few role models.

What we often hear about the regular business women, are the chinks in their facade, how difficult it is to work for a woman and how difficult it is to be the woman boss. Where is the good news about successful women in business? It is happening quietly in small home offices around the country, in large corporations and in medium size businesses.

It is quiet, I believe, because as a culture, we are still very uncomfortable with the really, really successful woman in business. Let’s face it, women are uncomfortable with themselves being successful in business.

It isn’t difficult to figure out why. We have a history of viewing women as the home maker, the woman behind the successful man, as the assistant (secretary, office manager) or in the helping (relatively low paying) professions of teacher, nurse, counselor, social worker and so on. Quick, name a female steel magnate or railroad baroness. There are none.

It is time for both men and women to lay aside any negative or weak stereotypes for how women are to function in the business world. If our nation, indeed our world is to move forward, we must see women as forces for economic growth and change taking our place alongside men to shoulder the responsibility and reap the benefits.

With economic stability comes power and with that power comes the ability to set aside fear. It is fear of poverty and of being viewed as inferior that is the basis for much of the conflict we see in close relationships and in the world.

Women are learning how to lead in the business world with a new paradigm that we haven’t seen before. This new way of leading is energetic, focused, cooperative, creative and empowering to men and women alike. It draws on deeper truths and embraces thoughtful change and individuality.

Women are ready and now we all must take the first steps.
To your continued success!

Gifts From The Heart

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Uncategorized

I was struck by this article and wanted to share it with you.

Gifts From The Heart
Michael Josephson

According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert
came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The
water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he
could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his
teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to
the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and
thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young
man returned to his village with a happy heart.

Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He
spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become
stale because of the old leather container. The student
challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why
did you pretend to like it?”

The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted
the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of
loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter.”

I think we understand this lesson best when we receive
innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it’s a
ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper
response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because
we love the idea within the gift.

Gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Unfortunately,
most children and many adults value only the thing given
rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind
ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and
purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all,
gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.

Handling the time when Mercury is in Retrograde

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Authenticity, Divine connection, Energy, Feminine Essencce, Feminine Essence, Intuition, Personal Energy, conscious choice, life purpose, mindsets

I just received an e-mail from one of my mentors, Jenna Avery concerning Mercury in Retrograde so I decided to share some tidbits from her e-mail and other sources.

“Mercury in Retrograde means that the planet Mercury appears to be moving backward relative to our own orbit. Mercury primarily governs communication. Therefore, communication, and communication-related technology, seem to “go backwards” during this time.

In other words, this means you’ll be likely to have trouble saying what you really mean, get into snafus around communicating, and run into technology problems (computers, phones, etc.). Short distance ground travel can also be affected.” Jenna Avery

This is a perfect time to space clear your physical environment, to resolve old issues, complete projects, review what’s going on right now and to listen to what your heart and your hand are whispering to you.

There’s also a full moon tonight . This is a time to truly listen to your inner intuitive wisdom. Take some time to reflect, to connect with your deep divine feminine essence and allow more time for things to unfold.

Colleen Recommends:

Private Life Purpose Breakthrough Hand Analysis Sessions. Uncover your hidden heart map that shows you the why of your time on earth and what you are here to share with the world. Learn about your Life Lesson and your spiritual Life School. Connect with me at colleen@consciouslivingconnection.com

Tags: Clearing, Feminine Essence, Mercury in Retrograde, Purpose

Staying Present- Katelyn’s Birth

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Joy, Life Fulfillment, Love, Making Decisions, Uncategorized, abundance, listen to your heart

Friday our second granddaughter was born. Katelyn Grace arrived at 2:25 in the afternoon a healthy 9lbs. 3 oz, 21 inches long. I wasn’t present for the birth yet I was there. Modern technology has made it possible for us to be “present” for events, celebrations etc yet not be physically there. I was working when I received a text saying “ The baby’s coming and the doctor is on the way.” For that pause of time I was not where I was physically. I was able to share in this experience in real time because of technology and then share it with the people I was with.

Staying present is challenging because the tendency is to warp speed ahead to the maybe’s, the I gotta do’s, and the what if’s. That’s where the overwhelm, the frustration, the worries and angst of life begins to grab us by the throat and suck the joy out of life.

It takes a conscious choice to stay present in what you are engaged in and it’s in those only moments that the joy and purpose of your life hugs your heart.

Tags: Joy, Presence

The Duet- Collaboration versus Competition

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Uncategorized

Lately the concept of Partnership -collaboration has been filling my world. I’m always more aware when happenings, thoughts and conversations come in threes around a central idea or subject.

So it has been the last few weeks. I’m a participant in a global tele-course on Feminine Power and one of the session discussions centered around learning to activate the power of the collective field. In a nutshell, learning to be grounded in your own power center to be open to working with another to create something powerful and bigger than you could alone. The other synchronous happening was that I was invited to join a smaller sister circle within this program called Partnership. On my intention/wish list this year was to be open to possible collaborative opportunities if they came my way. So here I was learning about being in a deeper relatedness with others to create a better society, then being invited to join a circle named Partnership. So here ’s the third occurrence: I was asked by not only one but three different women if I was interested in collaborating with them on specific projects.

Aside from some decisions to make, I’m awed by what the Universe is bringing forth for me and am taking some time for reflection. What’ve I’ve come to see is that with a true partnership each person is strong in their own right yet complement the other in skill set, personality, presence and expertise. There is no room for sabotage, upstaging or hubris. One of the best examples I’ve experienced recently in collaborating with a female is with my granddaughter playing a very spontaneous duet on the piano. In the spirit of transparency, we just got up and are in our PJ’s.

Enjoy the video!

An inquiry: What lens do you view others through? What ‘s the truth about being or working with others on a project?

Are you taking time out for yourself?

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Business Mindset, Personal Energy, Personal Management, Rejuvenate, Self-Love, Self-worth, Time management, Uncategorized, self-care

Yesterday I attended a Time Management/Life Mastery workshop facilitated by my colleague Louise Keith Abbott. untitled

She was outstanding in her presentation to the group of business owners who took time out of their schedule to learn more about creating a business that they run versus running them. Following a preliminary survey, members shared what was revealed for them regarding their time management issues. A large share of the group determined that prioritizing tasks/ projects was a challenge for them. In not prioritizing, they found that they did not schedule time for themselves to refresh or rejuvenate or if they did they felt guilty.

As entrepreneurs, it’s especially important to schedule what society calls “down” time. In our society though time not spent “busy” or working is considered not productive. So there is a conflict right away for the business person especially for women in business. You do not want to be perceived as “lazy”, “selfish”,a “primadona” or not committed to growing your business. Entrepreneurship requires not only business basics but also creativity and energy. Creativity does not blossom in the midst of anxiety, stress or feeling that you have to do it all. Angst saps energy; energy needed to be your best you with customers, clients, snafus and the daily routine of running a business.

Make yourself a priority and schedule time for yourself. Maybe you can plug in a once a month “me time” day and do absolutely nothing, watch reality TV, eat 2 quarts of Ben ‘n Jerry’s, have a movie marathon, play golf, get a massage, read a Nora Roberts novel. As you begin to manage yourself within time, your personal time may be able to increase to twice a month or weekly. Just do it! Your business, your health, your family and your emotional well being will thank you.

P.S. I’m going to go read -fiction of course!

Please let me know what you thought about this post.

Tags: Business, conscious choice, heart health, Personal management. Women in Business, Time management

Quieting the Inner Critic

Posted by Colleen Crook | Filed under Feminine Power

I love what I do. What I do is to support and encourage women( and others) to shine and bring life and the present to their dream, to nurture their creativity and take their vision to the next step. In a nutshell, I love helping people.

I have a new client and it’s so exciting to see her business vision blossom into something even larger than she thought possible. As we look at her business and she looks to me for support my inner critic, my gremlins, my shadow self starts to get rambunctious and begins clamoring for attention.

“How do you think you can help her?” “Who are you to think you have the tools for her to tap into her wisdom?’’ “ Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

My inner critic is out to play. For women especially, the critic is ever present to show you how you’re not good mother’s, not doing enough with the family, not professional enough in your careers, in dreamland thinking you could have a successful business and so on. As a woman, in order to step up into the light of who you truly are and to love your self beyond belief, it’s important to have practices, exercises or activities that takes you out of the inner critic nagging. These A.N.T.s ( Automatic negative Thoughts) are what stop you from embracing your dream- your “I deeply desire this_____.”

I’ll share some of my favorite ways of quieting the inner critic.

1. What is your body telling you? Where in your body are you feeing this thought? Does it feel good?

If it doesn’t feel right, your energy is fueling this negative thought. What activity can you do to move your energy to a more positive thought. Dance, go for a walk, state 5 things you are grateful for. I call this going from Grim to Grin.

2. Byron Katie’s 4 questions can bring one back to reality quite quickly.

Is this thought true?

Is it absolutely true?

Who am I without this thought?

Now reverse the thought – Who am I being with this new thought?

3. Who am I listening to in my head? Or what message am I reacting to?

It helps to identify the voice of the inner critic- is this your voice, the voice of a parent, or teacher or bully from school. Who are you allowing to design your life or write your story?

A DVD I have used and love is The B.E.S.T Release by Morter Health Systems. It offers a simple way to reset your brain when these ANTs show up. You can check it out here.

http://www.morter.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=378

There are many ways to quiet your inner critic. You decide which ones resonate with you. The critical piece is that you become aware of when the critic is active, take action in quieting it so you can continue to move forward in living your life.

Tags: authentic, conscious choice, Conscious Living, Feminine Power, Inner Critic

« Older Entries