ONE SPIRIT COMMUNITY

By Stephanie Frank

These are very interesting times.  The world seems to be polarized – truly feast or famine.  Businesses are going under and the cries of “the economic crisis” ripple through the planet like waves ripple out when you drop a rock in the water.  Fear, failure and the world’s obsession with dramatic events blanket the airwaves.  It’s almost impossible to ignore.

But there’s something else going on – something nobody’s talking about.

On the other side of the fear and failure are people and organizations that are experiencing massive success.  Reality television shows make instant celebrities.  Business owners with “hot” ideas are growing faster than they ever have before.  One in 8 couples are now meeting online.

And they are getting crushed under the pressure of sudden success.

While most people think they want fame, fortune or something bigger, they are wholly unprepared for the emotional, mental and physical skills they will need to manage newfound success.  Celebrities deal with this all the time.  The late Michael Jackson, undeniably the King of Pop (whether you like him or not) lived a life of emotional trauma, lost youth and low self-esteem.  Shia LaBeouf: “I don’t handle fame well,” LaBeouf says. “Most actors on most days don’t think they’re worthy. I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s a God-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it, and I’d be on my way.”

Now you don’t have to be a celebrity to experience the demands of sudden success.  Take the business owner who suddenly finds himself or herself leading an organization for which they are ill-equipped to run.  They lack the people skills, the leadership skills and emotional intelligence to make things work smoothly.  Working hours increase.  Productivity decreases.  Frustration and overwhelm take over.  Anxiety becomes normal.  Then personal criticism starts, which begins a never ending cycle of self-doubt and lowered self-confidence.

It doesn’t have to be that way.   Here are 5 things you must know if you are experiencing sudden success in any area of your life.

1.  Sudden Success Brings out the Weirdos. When you become more visible in your company, publicly or even in your family, weird things can happen.  It’s like the old story of the crabs in the pot – whenever one crab almost reaches the top of the pot and newfound freedom, the other crabs pull him back in to die.  Expect opportunities to arise, communications to increase and watch out for people who want to use you or ride your coattails.  You will need some trusted advisors to put together a system to discern your good opportunities and weed out the dream stealers.

2.  You will need to learn emotional intelligence. When success demands more of you, it will demand more of your emotional energy as well.  You will have days where you wonder if it’s all worth it, and begin the cycle of self-defeat.  Don’t go there.  Likewise, you will need to learn to manage your emotional state in every situation to be able to think clearly and react appropriately to things coming at you fast.  People will begin to judge you, have opinions about you, and that can make you feel bad if they are negative.  With a high level of emotional intelligence, you will understand that people’s opinions of you have nothing to do with you, and everything to do with whatever they are experiencing at the time (if you don’t understand this now, you will.  I’ll explain in another post about perception).

3.  People skills become VERY important. Most people aren’t trained in understanding others’ personal style, filters, values and perspective.  Therefore, communication breakdown occurs more often as teams grow and you need more people around you to handle daily activities.  It is imperative that you become a student of people and behavior to be able to hire the right staff, understand their needs and get people to their most productive level.  Once of the biggest mistakes people make when hiring people to work for them is the “warm body” approach.  They take a person with a certain skillset and try to make them do a job they aren’t good at, and then wonder why it isn’t working.  Proactive understanding of people matching to skillsets is a must.

4.  You MUST become a better leader. When more demands are placed on you as you grow, the general tendency is to be like a rat in a cage, trying to run faster and faster on the wheel. Worry that things won’t get done, anxiety over whether people are actually doing the work, when will it get done cause many sleepless nights for fast-growing business owners.

Recently, I was hired by a small business owner to help with this exact issue.  She was working almost 20 hour days, losing sleep over details and she had people she wanted to work with to build a team but didn’t know how.  We restructured her time, I taught her communication and people skills, but most of all, I taught her how to let go without losing control.  As a result, we engaged a team of 5 amazing people to help her.  She reclaimed 47 hours per month.  Doing things right, she hit ALL of her revenue goals within 30 days.

I tell you this because as a small business owner, you don’t always get to see what the big companies do to develop their people.  Big companies spend millions on leadership training, communication training and the like just to help people get along and be more productive and have better performance overall.  Small business owners struggle, not knowing that a different way is so close.

5.  You will learn to say “No”.  Decision-making skills are imperative in helping you deal with success.  Information, requests, communication will all increase, and your ability to say no to time-wasters, distraction, guilt, frustration and overwhelm will become a skill you’ll wish you had a long time ago.  Your goals will become more clear, and so your ability to weed out potentially unproductive opportunities will be heightened as you truly go to that next level.

While there are many other things that go along with sudden success, these are some of the most important.  When your focus turns inward to making yourself a better leader, communicator, influencer and visionary, your entire world will change.  Your success will be sweet, exciting and manageable.

To get started, download the free audio program called The 13 Vital Traits of Super Effective People.  It will open your eyes to getting started on the calm road of success.

Stephanie Frank is one of the Key facilitators at One Spirit Weekend. For more information about Stephanie visit http://stephaniefrank.com/

By Morgan Langan

Everyone we know is experiencing some form of increased “pressure” during these transforming times. These pressures may appear in the form of financial struggles, relationship challenges or health issues. It is helpful to understand both scientifically and spiritually speaking, that any particular form comprises only a small percentage of “all that is” about your life. It is equally helpful to live life from the perspective that you are part of a collective. One of the many, calling forth the changes we are experiencing. We do not want things to remain the same! Thus we must be better prepared to adapt to the even greater changes we know are coming. When one understands that “I am creating my reality,” this knowing becomes the impetus to evolve both as an individual and as a species. This is Biology 101: adapting to change is the same as being prepared to evolve. We are evolving as a species one individual at a time! New discoveries in Biology are actually proving scientifically what the great sages and saints of our history have been saying: We Are ONE!

In this human form, we tend to focus on what we can see. It sure seems as if we are separate from each other and our environment. Yet many of us have had momentary glimpses of another reality; one in which we are all interconnected through the One Spirit that animates all life and cloaks us in abundance, beauty and divine love. This view of life feels more real to us. As leaders, this is the view we need to focus upon while incorporating the physical sights we sense with our eyes. This “Shift of Perspective” is the key to developing a new vision. Thousands of years of biological development has entrained us to concentrate on our physical senses. The Biological study of Epigenetics is providing proof that the physical senses are just a part of who we are. The evolutionary leap we are about to make, first as leaders and ultimately as a species; requires disciplined practice. We have been preparing for this leap our entire life time and perhaps beyond. Before making the leap, we will need to let go of the limiting beliefs which have been the focus of our physical senses. Let us extend a hand of support for our fellow leaders, in order to make the leap more graceful! We can no longer do it alone, once we truly integrate the concept that there is no such thing as Alone!

By Kerrie Dancing Butterfly

“Destiny rarely calls upon us at a time of our choosing.”  ~ Optimus Prime

This courageous leader of the Transformers who is trying to save the Earth from hostile takeover, reminds us of the simple honest truth about destiny and service.  When I was at the movies the other night with my children, and I heard this quote it hit me hard in the core of my being.  Sam, the young hero in the movie is trying to deny the call into service by Optimus Prime.  He feels it’s not his battle and that he is too insignificant to make a difference.  He prefers his life to be simple and normal. I can relate to his resistance.  Sometimes I don’t feel up to it or worthy or ready to serve in the way in which Spirit is calling me, however destiny beckons me anyway.   Sometimes I am in denial of what my potential is. Are you feelin’ me here?

The time is ripening and so are we.  Destiny is calling us to serve in a big way.  Perhaps we are being called to step up beyond our comfort level, or into a new role or into shoes we couldn’t even imagine we would ever fill.  I chuckle inside with the irony that the Transformers movie has brought to my doorstep and to yours.  We are being called to play a profound role in the destiny of our existence here on Earth.  It does sound like an epic movie saga straight from Hollywood but in this movie we are the main characters and the storyline is real and not a movie script.  With each choice we make, we are writing the future.  Are you ready and willing to play your part?  Your role in this saga of human evolution may look nothing like you thought it would.  Spirit is writing a grander script with a fabulous ending that at times we are too small to comprehend.  Are you ready to release your attachments to the way things are and open to allow a very different destiny?  Are you open to “boldly go where no one has gone before” and create new ways of living and loving in harmony together and with Mother Earth?

Destiny is calling…what is your answer?