Guest Post By: Belinda Ryan

One evening as I was folding laundry, my 5 year old son hopped onto the bed, drew close to me, and whispered in my ear, “while you took a nap today I did something dangerous in the living room”.

As you might imagine the “mothering alarm bells” went off full blast. Images of matches and heights danced unbidden through my mind. But it was a mischievous grin and twinkling eyes that marked his face. So I took a breath to pause, and said gently above the fearful ringing in my ears, “hmmmm…what was it you did; in the living room? Would you like to share?”

His smile grew broader. His eyes bright, he hunched down conspiratorially and asked “promise you won’t tell?” I agreed, hoping it didn’t involve any of the family pets and knives. He came so close I could feel his breath tickling my ear. Trying not to laugh, I waited until in a whisper so low I barely caught the words, he said, “I was singing to myself”.

This may well go down as the moment I most exercised self control, as I stifled the laugh that threatened to break free and with equal dramatic flare in my face and voice, leaned back to him and said, “Really? Tell me about it.”

What ensued was an animated and delightful conversation about the value of bursting into spontaneous song.  Being the ever practical mom, I did gently offer, “you know the rules I have about furniture and pets, water, fire and heights, are for the safety of everyone in the house?” My son rolled his eyes and said affectedly, “Mom, I know what really dangerous things are. I would never do any of those things.”

“Wow”, I thought. Five years old. Knows the difference between fantasy and reality and isn’t afraid to play with the concepts.

So I encourage you, whatever your age, to allow yourself to play with the “concepts”. Do something “dangerous”. Dance naked, burst into song, pretend to be someone you admire for just awhile, dress up silly, laugh for no reason, talk to the trees. Who knows…someone, maybe the Universe, will join you in a myriad of ways not yet imaginable!

Belinda Ryan, MSC is a (happily) single, divorced mother of two, graphic artist and author of the book For Better or Worse: How One Woman Used Divorce as a Catalyst for Personal Happiness and Fulfillment and How You Can Too © Belinda Ryan 2002

Guest Post By: Caroly Wilson-Elliott

In a staff meeting, Martha described all the obstacles and setbacks her team had encountered while starting a new project. She was frustrated and tired. Her energy was low. Soon, everyone in the room was tense, shooting down ideas and suggestions, frustrated by our own inability to find a creative solution to the stalled project.

My first instinct was to try and shift the energy of the group from dissonance to cooperation. But, no one was having any of that.  Soon, I was too exhausted to even try. I began wondering why I was even here. This wasn’t any fun!

I disengaged from the discussion and wondered why I had bothered to attend this meeting? What was so appealing about this project when we began? A spark of energy ran through my body and out of my mouth popped the words, ‘”Martha would you remind us of the vision we’re holding for this project? What was our original intention?”

As Martha spoke of our goals and dreams and visions, the tension drained from her body, color returned to her face, passion for the project softened her voice. The other team leaders sat silently, remembering in their bodies, the creative energy and enthusiasm they had all shared at the original opportunity to take on the project. When the discussion resumed, everyone’s creativity flowed and it took less than five minutes to find a joyful Inspired solution to the seeming blocks and obstacles that had shown up.

It was not my question that changed the group’s ability to problem-solve. It was the energy behind the question that made the shift possible. We’ve all experienced situations with another person who “said” all the right things, but deep down, we knew they didn’t really mean it, that they weren’t concerned with how we were feeling.

If I had asked the same question while I was still trying to “fix” the group’s frustration–if fixing everyone else had been my intention–the question could have been ignored or perhaps escalated the tension in the room. Martha, and the rest of the group, would have perceived, consciously or unconsciously, my true motive of wanting them to relieve my frustration with the meeting.

As soon as I focused in, however briefly, on my own needs–remembering why I wanted to be a part of the project–my energy shifted into a place of self-responsibility. From that energy of self-responsibility an Inspired Action–asking the question that would re-connect me to my original desire for the project–came so suddenly that the words were out of my mouth before I knew it.

Now, when I want to be open to Inspired Actions, I just ask myself two questions: 1. What’s my Intention for this situation?
2. What do I need right now to get into the energy of my Intention?

The first thing that shows up–as a thought, an image, a feeling–no matter how bizarre, is my Inspired Action. If I doubt my first impression, I just measure the energy of the action against the energy of my Intention. If they are a match, I move forward on the Action. If they don’t match energetically, I begin asking my questions again.

See below for a few more details of how the 30 Day Empowered Spiritualpreneur works, where you’ll find
everything that’s set up and waiting for you, and how to have even more success with what you learn in the Challenge.

Click HERE to Read Lesson 1 NOW!

A number of members have asked why not all the Lessons are available immediately after you register.

There’s a very good reason that the Lessons are NOT all available in the Members Area when you first join the Challenge.

What happens is that every 2 to 3 days over the course of the month after you join, a new Lesson is added to the Challenge.

This means that if you joined the Challenge on March 8th, you’ll see the Introduction and Lesson 1 as soon as you visit the Spiritualpreneur Challenge. You’ll then see Lesson 2 about 3 days later, on March 11th.

On the other hand, if Mary joined the Challenge on March 14th, she would see the introduction and all of the lessons that have been posted up to that date. But I would encourage Mary to begin with Lesson 1 and not continue on until a few days later (which means she would complete the Challenge on April 14th instead of April 8th).

Why would I encourage her to go through the Lessons over the span of an entire month rather than trying to read them all at once?

Well, research shows that when you get material like this in small, manageable, baby step pieces, you will get BIGGER RESULTS – and you will also be both less distracted and experience less overwhelm in the end.

The truth is, less than 10% of those who get materials all at one time even open them at all — ever! Of those who actually open the materials, only about 5% or less actually do anything with what they find inside.

On the other hand, when the exact same material is delivered over time, about 60% of those who get access to the material go through them at least part way. And, more like 25% to 30% of those who go through the materials actually implement what they learn.

The goal of the 30 Day Empowered Spiritualpreneur Challenge is getting you RESULTS in YOUR business through guiding you to become an EMPOWERED Spiritualpreneur!

By delivering the material to you over the course of the month, you’ll be MUCH more likely to do what is necessary to actually GET RESULTS from all that you learn (and ACTIVATE what you need) from the Lessons.

To access the new Lessons when they appear, all you need to do is visit HERE NOW and look for the new lessons on the blog.

You’ll find the new Lessons right at the top, labelled by name for easy access to you!

I also want to remind you to visit the forum, where you’ll be able to meet other Challenge members and join in the POWERFUL Mastermind Energy that will be there for you as a part of the Spiritualpreneur Community that the forum brings to you.

Visit the Forum by Clicking HERE NOW!

You’ll want to make sure to visit the forum at least once each week during the Challenge in order to be eligible to W.I.N. the prize that will go be awarded to the “Empowered Spiritualpreneur” that has made the
greatest amount of improvement in their business over the course of the Challenge.

This “Empowered Spiritualpreneur” will win a full-tuition scholarship to the Coaching From Spirit Institute’s 6-month Empowered Spiritualpreneur tele-program (a $2000 value!)

The 16+ Lessons are available to all Challenge Members only on the blog.

If you prefer to print out the Lessons so that you can work through them when you’re away from the computer and have the Lessons on your hard drive, in pdf format, to refer to whenever you’d like in the future, then all you need to do is Upgrade your Membership to Gold Challenge Member.

Upgrade to Gold Now!

As a Gold Challenge Member, you’ll not only be able to download all 16+ Lessons, you’ll also get access to:

• 4 LIVE Weekly Teleconferences — the calls for the 30 Day Empowered Spiritualpreneur Challenge take place on Wednesdays at 12:00 noon EST. The first call is Wednesday, March 11th at 12:00 pm.

On this call, I’ll talk about the meaning behind: “You CAN Have it All – How a Spiritualpreneur Manifests Success”

(recordings of the calls will be available to Gold Members If you missed the live call!)

• mp3 Recordings to all 4 of the LIVE Teleconferences.

AND – at the end of the Challenge, you’ll receive an Activation Call from a Coaching From Spirit certified Spiritual Life Coach ($300 value), where you will quickly and clearly identify blocks that stand in the way of your success and learn how to clear them from your life.

During your Activation session, you will:

• Make a vibrational shift right on the call that will affect the rest of your day and week ahead.
• Learn a decision-making process that takes you to an elevated level so that you’re able to receive clear guidance on your next step within 48 hours.
• Activate the next steps that are aligned to allow in more prosperity, peace and fulfillment.

When you emerge from your Activation Session, you’ll feel an even greater level of relief from the simple realization that someone else out there knows what you’re going through and can help make a difference – immediately!

To upgrade your membership to Gold Challenge Member, visit HERE NOW!

But you’ll want to HURRY! The next Gold Challenge Teleconference starts in less than 48 hours!

I look forward to connecting with you in both the forum and when you upgrade to Gold Challenge Member, on the Teleconferences!

Not a day goes by lately that I have not been reminded of the raging battle that is going on between 2 very opposite sides.

One side says the economy is getting worse every day.

It is only going to get harder. They say that you are crazy if you think you can succeed in business right now. You are even more crazy if you think you can have prosperity!

According to what this side believes and preaches, we are all going to hell in a hand basket and there’s nothing you can do about it.

This is the voice that’s telling you the economy is getting worse every day.  That it’s time to hunker down and protect your assets. It’s the side that believes in crushing the competition, and the idea that you should try to do everything alone.

It is the voice of your fears…

BUT – this battle is not one-sided!  The voice of doom does not have to prevail, because there is another side of the story. There is a voice out there that has struggled through the cries of doom like a beacon of light.

Many of you know this voice.  It started off soft, many years ago, raging against the current.

This voice says that you can create your own reality. Whatever is going on around you doesn’t
control you. This voice says that one person has the power to affect change. One person has the power to affect the Universe.

It is the voice of Spirit, manifesting as the voice of the Spiritualpreneur – and it has been getting louder every day!

On this side, miracles occur. On this side, things are not seen as what they are, but as what they can be.

This is the side that is partnered with Spirit – and in this battle, this side knows that no matter what occurs in any experience, ultimately, all will be well.

I know this place. I have had many challenges in my life and business, and I know this for sure: When you choose the side of the Miracle Maker – YOU ARE FREE!

The voice of the Spiritualpreneur has a strength and ring to it that it has never had before.

It is proclaiming a declaration of power that is echoing throughout the world, and it is telling you that the time has come for you to make a decision!

That is why today, I’m coming to you with a choice – and a Challenge.

The time has come to draw a line in the sand, take each other’s hand and say, “WE ARE ONE”.

It is time to proclaim, “I’m not going to let others dictate my reality“.

I know. Those are big words when you feel the fear of losing your house, your job, or your business.

But it’s make or break time. You choose a side, or it chooses you. Why not choose the side that says, “You’re a Miracle Maker?”

I truly believe that choosing the side you want to be on today could be the most important decision you will ever make when it comes to having prosperity in this economy.

That’s why I came up with the 30 Day Empowered Spiritualpreneur Challenge – a 100% free, month long journey that is going to teach you how to become an Empowered Spiritualpreneur, and enable you to choose your side in that battle that is raging out there with the confidence that you are on the side that will win!

What you’re going to learn when you sign up to take the FREE 30 Day Empowered Spiritualpreneur Challenge will help you to:

• Learn tools that will help you be fr.ee at a level that transcends logic
• Recession-proof your business and realize that you CAN have it all
• Live a life of prosperity no matter WHAT is going on around you
• Learn how to get into the heart and mind of your client/customer in a way that will make the sales process FUN for you AND for them
• Create an actual sales process that feels good for you and gets results
• Make more money than you ever dreamed possible while really enjoying what you are doing

I want to equip you for the battle – and today I am asking you to make your choice.  All you have to do is sign up to learn more.  It all kicks off on March 8th, 2009.

Visit www.coachingfromspirit.com/SPCHB to learn more about the 30 Day Empowered Spiritualpreneur Challenge.  You will not want to miss out on this incredible opportunity!

Sign up to be on the winning side!  The collective voice of the Spiritualpreneur WILL ultimately WIN!

Guest Post by:  Carole Yeend, MSC

Mindfulness, I am discovering–and I say discovering because I am not there often enough– is feeling the connection between mind and body–mindbody, one word with no separation, a oneness of awareness. Mindfulness seems to be another dimension of spirituality.

In my discovery process, I realize that I have lived my life mostly in my head often trying to rework the past into something I can live with in the present. That hasn’t worked well. I have spent even more time projecting into the future, anticipating what could go wrong and how I could fix it. Most of that stuff never happened, so the energy spent on that exercise was wasted.

Mindfulness is about attention, through conscious living, to activities and attitudes that increase the quality of life through improvement of ones physical and mental health. This is where I am “mindful” of what I eat, how I move my body (exercise?!?) and how my thoughts affect my body (and my mind) since I really can’t separate them. Integrating an awareness with one’s senses of what the body is doing AND feeling is a big AHA!  There is a wealth of data there; and for an information junky like me, it’s a fascinating discovery.

There was a time when I thought I could keep these separate and in control. I thought I could push my body with my mind to achieve. Years ago, when I was raising a family, managing a household, working full time, going to school at night, overseeing the care of an aged uncle, and surviving a divorce (this was my superwoman phase), I remember telling myself, “if you just hang in there and give it a little more effort, you can do this and be glad you did.”  Talk about mental abuse–I was my own worst enemy. My body paid the price. No, my mindbody paid the price because now when I’m tired, not only does my body refuse to “go there” but so does my mind refuse.

So, for me, mindfulness is a way to keep me grounded in the physical, bringing me into balance with the spiritual. I do recognize now that balance is required for healthy spirituality.  To me mindfulness seems to be staying in the present moment, giving me an opportunity to slow my mind, to focus my attention on what I’m thinking and feeling, and to notice if I need to stop my thoughts from going where they are going. And when I do these things, I automatically connect with Spirit.

Carole Yeend  is a Master Spirit Coach and career management professional who coaches individuals,  facilitates group coaching sessions, training workshops, and teleclasses.  Carole is also a ghost writer, copy editor and senior editor.