My partner Lynne and I set the intention two years ago to work easy.  Since then we have worked collaboratively to teach people how to release their emotional baggage quickly and easily, giving them back their life.

Working collaboratively has been invaluable for both of us in our business. The benefits we have received are as follows:

Less Money

I knew I needed to do more to promote my coaching practice but believed I would need to invest more money to do so.  Working together we combined our resources for Maestro Conferences and Constant Contact to promote our businesses.  Plus we invested in the development of the www.workeasy4lifebalance.com blog.

Saves Time

We joined forces to collaboratively promote our businesses by jointly writing a monthly newsletter and blog articles.  In less than an hour each month we were able to quickly outline each month’s newsletter.  Developing the articles felt like a breeze. Plus jointly developing and delivering our Emotional Hot Button Removal Workshops, rather than competing, saved both of us a lot of time.

Creativity and Productivity

Working together we came up with more creative ideas to promote our services. Instead of struggling on our own through the process of coming up with ideas for articles, in conversation knowledge that we want to share freely flows out of us. We decided to start the free monthly Catalyst LIVE! tele-call to share our expertise for living magical lives with listeners.  Working collaboratively greatly increased productivity as well as enhancing the quality of ideas generated.

Learning

We each have unique talents and strengths that we can share as partners. I always learned something from Lynne who has spent 20 years exploring spirituality in both formal and informal learning settings.  I bring a vast knowledge of business to our relationship that Lynne can draw from for her business and to support her clients who are entrepreneurs.

Support

Mastermind partners are a huge source of support.  This is especially true for Lynne and I as we are both coaches.  We use our coaching skills to support each other’s personal growth and business development; especially if either of us is emotionally triggered. We are able to use our unique coaching techniques to bring our emotional reactions to completion and keep moving forward. I know I have certainly benefited from all the coaching that Lynne has provided me.

Accountability

Our agreement to meet regularly every Monday morning has kept us on track to keep building our businesses. Our commitment to one another has been invaluable to take on new challenges.  Over the last year I was very dedicated to writing my book “Divine Divorce” and without our scheduled meetings it would have been very easy to lose my focus on the promotion and development of my business and to let our workshops lapse.  Most of our business meetings start with a check in, allowing us to clear anything that might keep us from being at the top of our game.  Our partnership has kept both of us focused on all aspects of our business.

Fun

Finally, another intention we set was to have fun and do work that we love. This way work would feel easy rather than hard. By bouncing ideas off each other we inspire each other, giving us more energy to pour into our work and life. We have fun, get things done with ease, and produce better work together than either one of us could have done on our own.

Working together really has made our lives easier and given us life balance. Who could wish for anything more for their life than inspiring work they love and a sense of balance in their life?

Who could you work more collaborative with?

I love listening to live music. Although the young man is clearly playing for himself and fully enjoying his practice, his energy and love of music fills the air and washes over me.

There are many reasons why we may not be present to the joy of life.

Rushing: I could have just rushed on by to my hotel room like so many other people. I had just driven three hours to Whistler and was tired from the trip.  Instead I took a moment to stop and sit down in the chair and listen.

Mind Chatter: I could have been absorbed and worried about delivering my keynote speech; how will I do?  Will I be good?  God I hope my mind doesn’t go blank, that would be really bad!  Many of us have lots of mind chatter that keeps us from noticing the beauty that is right in front of us.

Technology: Computers and smart phones are great to keep us connected to others. At the same time we can get so wrapped up in responding to everyone that has communicated with us electronically that we miss being present to the current moment.

It is a choice to be present to the beauty that surrounds us and the people who are with us.  We need to consciously choose to see what is here right in this moment.

As I sit and listen to the music transform the little lounge into a pleasurable heaven for the two of us, I think how grateful I am to have this opportunity to be here in this beautiful hotel.  I think of how gorgeous the drive up to Whistler was, the deciduous trees turning color, the clouds hanging against the mountain tops when it stopped raining.  It was a spectacular fall day and rather than practicing my speech I drove carefully and manoeuvred each twist in the Sea to Sky highway. It is so lovely to have the ability to choose to be present to what is appearing in the moment, rather than having my mind take over with everything that needs to be done.

Being present is the first step to gratitude in the moment.  The next step is to stop, even for a few moments and really take it in. Close your eyes take a deep breath and notice what you feel in your body.  This is the true magic of life.  Thank you; young man for your love and enjoyment of the piano and creating an opportunity for joy to enter my life.

Are you looking for some help to move forward in your business. Mastermind groups are a great way to do this.

Here is a great video piece on Mastermind Groups.

Since I started my own business 10 years ago I have been part of at least one mastermind group.  They have been great for moral support, brainstorming and getting clarity on where to go next.  Being with people who were all having similar challenges and trying to figure it out together was also a comfort.

However when it came to overcoming fear, it was an illusion that the mastermind groups helped me.  They were  supportive in  keeping me  moving forward in spite of my fear.   It wasn’t until I resolved the emotional energy around fear and dropped off my emotional baggage,  that I was actually able to transcend it.  Now that I have removed the Emotional Hot Buttons of fear I am soaring forward.  Before, my emotional baggage kept me flying close to the ground.

 Like filling a hot air balloon, we do lots of things to lift us off the ground; mastermind groups, professional training, personal development work and stress management techniques.  These are all valuable and our balloon starts to rise.  Many times it does not fly very high, because we still have ballast attached to the side of the basket.  It is when we drop off our Emotional Baggage that our hot air balloon begins to soar.

May your balloon soar in your mastermind group as mine is now soaring within my group.

Is Your Balloon Flying?

In the past (and maybe still today) I interrupted people because an idea would pop into my head and I wanted to share it.  That was my ego wanting to be seen and prove how smart I was so  I could gain your recognition and approval.  Basically I wanted your love.

Yesterday I had the opportunity of having someone interrupt me from sharing a thought because they were concerned about what I was going to say.  It sounded like “this is not the appropriate time.”  How would they know if it was the appropriate time or not, unless they knew exactly what I was going to say?  We never know what someone is going to say, because we are not them and we can’t know their thoughts.  We need to be vulnerable in the face of our fear and have the courage and patience to listen.

Being told not to speak created an emotional reaction in me such that I no longer wanted to be part of the conversation or share my ideas.  On the way home I realized an Emotional Hot Button had been pushed.  My father would interrupt my mother on a regular basis and tell her that she didn’t know what she was talking about. I have emotional baggage around this.  It doesn’t feel safe to express myself.  Synchronistically,  I was working with a client yesterday who was holding old emotional energy in her mouth and throat.  She said “I feel like I want to scream.”  She felt like there were people both at home and at work who did’t want  to hear what she had to say.  Her ability to self-express had been shut down.

We can have a profound impact when our fears or ego shut down another person’s communication. We are telling them it is not OK to speak. Now I know why I’ve observed so many people sitting in class rooms or around the boardroom table who never wanted to speak.  They had been conditioned to believe it wasn’t safe, and no one wanted to hear them anyway.

Read more about the origins and traditions of Candlemas  and Blessed Imbolc

Traditionally it is a time to celebrate returning light, new beginnings, the birthing of that which has been gestating through the dark of winter.

 What are you birthing in your consciousness? What intentions have you set for yourself in the beginning of the year? How ready are you to take action? 

Rather than be trapped by repeating old patterns, over and over like Bill Murray’s character in the movie “Groundhog Day”, now is the time to commit to new ways of being to get different and better results.

 1. What will bring your life back into balance? Are you feeling like its all work, no joy? What does your heart need to bring more passion, fun and aliveness into your life?  Even doing small things, like taking more walks in the forest or singing to lift your spirits,  will balance your heart energy and  maintain aliveness.

2. Have a clear mental image of how you want to be seen by others and more importantly how you want to see yourself.  Clearly describe the kind of person you are in your highest potential. Decide on activities which will reinforce this new image.  Commit to checking in with yourself on a daily basis to track your progress.  Make note of your accomplishments and what you appreciate about yourself.

3. Recognize the challenge of making change for what it is.  There are parts of your brain and your internal wiring that resist change and want to maintain the status quo.  They kick up all kinds of fuss and can make it really uncomfortable. When you feel this way, know you are making progress and find a way to get past the terror of changing.  This is where coaching and removing past conditioning can be a real support in breaking out of old patterns.

 4. When you’ve made a breakthrough and accomplished your goal, celebrate! Treat yourself to a favorite activity. Do something you really enjoy (see #1)

 Last week for example I had an intensely busy schedule and was feeling energetically stretched, plus I  committed to calling people who seemed interested in a workshop I was co-delivering. Making ‘sales’ calls is not one of my favorite activities, in fact I felt shear terror at the prospect.  I knew I needed to keep my energy up so went for a walk early in the morning. I called my colleague Jacque and we did some emotional hot button removal techniques on my triggered emotions. Then I made the calls and got some positive responses and more registrations for Saturday’s workshop.  After making the calls I took time to consciously enjoy dinner with my husband.  Then on Sunday I took a day off.  It was a little cold for motorcycling so we went for a lovely hike in a beautiful seaside park.  At one point while near the water’s edge I noticed dolphins surfacing nearby, they actually came closer and it felt like they were acknowledging my presence. What a healing gift from nature for stepping way out of my comfort zones and keeping my energy up through a busy week.

En- Joy Your Self! 

Lynne