The Success Secret the Pros Know: Create a Dream Team

Would you like to exponentially increase your happiness, personal power, fulfillment, results and success?

There’s a little known secret that the most successful among us apply innately, but the majority of the population (especially women), don’t realize. Pros of all kinds, from actors to athletes, take advantage of the principle, while others continue to struggle to achieve their full potential. Once we disclose it, we know it will resonate with you. The concept literally changed our lives.

Here is the secret revealed: By enlisting the assistance of others, you can draw upon the benefits of their experiences, successes, and mistakes, to maximize your own personal growth and development. You can accomplish much more with a team, than you ever will alone.

This is a concept used by every pro athlete, every professional actor, every political figure, and every successful business person. They each have a team consisting of advisors, mentors, allies, and coaches, who they rely upon to help them improve, advance and achieve their goals.

For many women this concept is foreign. Few have utilized a coach or a mentor at all, and if they have, it’s been merely for professional development and career advancement. Yet, if we were to trust our instincts, we would quickly realize that connecting with other women is the key to clarifying our life’s direction. Imagine harnessing what comes so natural to us, to empower ourselves to be, do, and give more!

Envision having a team of advisors available to you when you are faced with a difficult challenge or problem. A group of confidants, supporting you and cheering you on, as you work toward your goals and dreams. Think of how much more you could accomplish, the obstacles you could avoid, and how much further (and faster) you could advance toward your dreams.

Best of all, your own personal “dream team” may be closer than you think! Soulspring Groups makes it easy to assemble your team, providing the instructions, processes and resources your group needs to get on the fast-track to living your best life!

Assemble your team and start a Soulspring Group today! There’s no reason to put off your dreams any longer.

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulpiration of the Week:
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~Helen Keller

The Power of Words

My sisters and I, along with long-time Soulspring member LuAnn Myers, just couldn’t pass up the opportunity yesterday morning to cheer on the amazing women and men who have committed themselves to walking in the 2010 Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day. This walk is a 3 day, 60 mile – yes, I said 60 miles – walk to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. I’ve always wanted to experience every aspect of the walk; walk, cheer, crew. Having participated two previous years as a walker, this was my year to cheer (maybe next year will be my year to crew?).

It really is true what they say; once you experience any aspect of this walk you are immediately addicted to the contagious energy! The morning was incredible, watching all 2400 walkers march before us as we held our “Words of Encouragement”. Our “Words of Encouragement” have put on a lot of miles in their own right. They accompany us to many Soulspring Groups events and there’s something about them that draw people in (local press and KARE 11’s own Lee Valsvik among them! See the video here!).

Inspire…Belief…Power…Passion. These were the words the walkers saw as they traveled along their day 2 route. Almost immediately women began pointing, smiling, asking us to pose with our “words” for scrapbook photos, some even shed a tear. Whatever the reaction though it was clear that these words meant something to each of them, spurring them on to reach their final destination.

Isn’t the power of a simple, lone word amazing? Straight and to the point, and most importantly open to individual interpretation; defined by happy moments, tragedy, experience, and the overall journey of life.

Thank you to all the walkers participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day this year! We’ve got a “word” for you…AMAZING! That’s the best way we can describe your hard work and endurance as you create awareness and put names and faces to this disease. Never doubt that you are changing the world!

Becky,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ~Mother Theresa

Women…It’s Time to Stand Up and Be Noticed!

In the time it takes you to read this blog post, how many women will have achieved a goal, built up a strength through adversity, or just made a difference is a simple way? I have to confess I don’t know the answer to that question but it makes one stop and think, doesn’t it?

Our lives are jam packed with incredible ladies who achieve amazing things. I’m not just talking about bold, heroic, self-sacrificing events. Of course those deserve our attention, too. But the rules have changed slightly and these days if you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone, if you’ve stood up for what you believe in, if you’ve faced adversity head-on, if you’ve taken a leap of faith to follow your passion, if you’ve done something that made even a small difference, then you are a woman who accomplished something and deserves to be noticed!

We are coming up to one of our favorite observances in September, “National Women of Achievement Month”. There are a number of women in history who paved the way for what we are lucky enough to experience today…The right we have to cast our ballot, the right we have to run for office, the right to hold a job that we are qualified for, and the list goes on.

But, have you ever stopped to think about how we are paving the way for those who will follow us; our children and grandchildren? Whether we realize it or not they are learning from our example everyday. They see us earn college degrees while working full-time. They see us leave the corporate 9-5 because it goes against everything we believe in and pursue a more meaningful way of life. They see us throw caution to the wind in a quest to follow our passions. They see us get out of damaging and unhealthy relationships. They see us excel in sports of all kinds. They see us learn from our mistakes. They see us take on the big-wigs and stand for what is right. They see us battle illnesses with courage and grace. They see us experience new things, facing the fear and doing it anyway. Yes, women are making a difference in every corner of our world.

At Soulspring we have set aside the month of September to recognize and praise these everyday women who portray courage, strength, determination, and perseverance. They are not only the shining examples of the legacy we are leaving for the next generations, but their stories will also lend the empowered hand to others who may need it, encouraging them to take the next step toward something great.

You know who they are, it may even be you! We invite you to share their stories with us. Simply submit their name, a brief description of their accomplishment, and their website (if applicable) in the comment area below, or visit our nomination post on our Facebook page (and please, “like” us while you’re there!). Throughout the month of September, we’ll be honoring each nominee with a tweet via Twitter, and acknowledging their triumph in the twitter-sphere! What a simple way to show another their hard work has not gone unnoticed! Mother, sister, coworker, friend…no achievement is too big or too small!

So often the contributions of the everyday women are overlooked or taken for granted by society; giving the message that as women our accomplishments are not important. Not this time ladies! Nominate your Woman of Achievement today!

Jenny,
Sister of Soul

Soul-spiration of the Week:
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” ~W. Wilson

Women's Empowerment Tip: Power from No

If you think this is another article about prioritizing and learning to gracefully say no to some of the many requests we receive as women, you’re in for a bit of a surprise. I’m not going to be sharing about saying no, but rather getting no’s.

Why would we want to hear the word no? After all, don’t we spend a lot of time avoiding that negative word? I know it seems crazy, but bear with me.

What if the word no wasn’t as negative as we believe? What if the word no was actually a gateway to positivity, empowerment and all that we want from life?

O.k., now that I have your attention…I have a theory and I challenge you to think about this in your own life. I notice that when I have a request and need to ask for something from another, I tend to make the request in my own mind, and then as if I know how the other party will respond, I give myself the answer. If I think the other person will say yes, I tend to move forward and make my request and of course the outcome is as I imagined and my request is granted.

But sometimes, and maybe more often than I care to admit, I hear the word no as the reply to this back and forth exchange going on in my head. Worse yet, this no is followed by a barrage of reasons why my plea couldn’t possibly be granted. I feel a sense of disappointment, and to save myself from rejection give up on the whole idea.

Then it occurred to me; why am I assuming I know how the other person is going to respond? Why do I believe they will decline my plea? Why am I afraid of that little, two letter word? What am I withholding from myself and my life, by so easily accepting anything other than a yes to my need?

As women we are so accustomed to granting the wishes of others, but how often do we make a request on our own behalf? I don’t think the average woman asks for enough. Maybe we don’t think we’re deserving, maybe we don’t want to be demanding, or maybe we’re just afraid to hear a no.

So I’m implementing a self-imposed challenge, and I invite you to join me in my quest for no’s (3 no’s a day to be exact). I’m still planning to rehearse my requests in my head, but instead of hearing a no, I’m going to hear a yes and experience the happiness and gratitude upon hearing my need affirmed. Now for the important part; I’ll actually follow-through on my request. Regardless of whether I get the yes I’m expecting, or the no I feared, at least I’ll have asked and I’ll know that I’m receiving all that is possible for me.

The worst that can happen; I hear a no. But that will be overshadowed by the number of wishes granted to me; many of which I would have never had the courage to ask for before!

Three no’s a day will be my goal. To me that’s the magic number to know that I’m asking for enough from life.

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek; and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” ~Matthew 7:7-8

Overcome the Busyness Epidemic ~ Free Tele-Class Event!

"I'm so busy." How many times do we hear that statement (or have even said it ourselves) in the course of a day?

Depending on the study, research attributes 50 to 80 percent of all diseases to stress-related origins and ask any woman to name her number-one stress; 90 percent will site being too busy.

Do you feel like your life is out of control and don't know where to begin to get your time back? Do you wake up in the morning already feeling behind, only to rush through your day trying to catch up to some unknown goal? Do you say "yes" when you really should say "no" and ultimately live your life out of balance and incongruent from your values?

If so, you've just joined the ranks of millions of other American women. Overwhelm really is the new epidemic!

How did we get so busy? What motives and reasons fuel our busyness impulses? Are we living a fulfilled life or just a full one? Where do we even begin in the quest to live the life that we really want?

Join us in our tele-classroom for the answers to these questions and discover the 5 secrets to getting your life back under control. This free tele-training event is not to be missed!

REGISTER NOW!

Monday, August 16, 2010
7:00 p.m. CST
In the Soulspring Tele-classroom
*Fee: We invite you to be our guest

Visit our Soul Store and register to receive your tele-classroom access code and training materials via email 24 hours prior to the training call.

*Long distance charges apply where applicable.

Online Women's Empowerment Danger: Stinkin' Thinkin'

We’re all so much more connected now with social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. While it’s a great way to stay linked with family and friends, there are also many dangers lurking there! I’m not talking about internet stalkers but negative thinkers!

Yes, social media is just one more way to get sucked into the negative thoughts of others (or pull others into ours). Here’s a sampling of what I’ve seen recently on the Facebook News Feed:

"Bad night=Crabby Morning ;("
"Went from having a great day to a bad night."
"Why can't life be simple?"
"Why can’t diets be fun??"
"Wants to know why everything always goes wrong."

It’s time to clear out the social media negative thoughts; not only for yourself but for your entire virtual community of family and friends. While you can't control or change the posts of others, there is one thing you do have control of and that's the news you post and how you choose to respond to the posts entered by your social media friends. While some may argue that this is easier said than done, it only requires that a simple decision be made; the decision to stop and be inspiring.

Let’s give all Facebook and Twitter users the benefit of the doubt; maybe they don’t realize how negative they’re being? Maybe none of us realize how negative we’re being? Here’s a simple exercise that will easily bring our negativity to light:

Grab yourself a common household rubber band. Place it on your wrist and wear it for an entire day. The catch is that every time you have a negative thought you must snap yourself. I’ve actually done this exercise myself and it works! It’s amazing how our negative thoughts can become so second nature that we don’t even notice them anymore. With this simple exercise you will become immediately aware of your negative thoughts, and thus able to quickly correct them with a simple thought of “Stop!” after which you can replace the negative thought with a powerful and positive one!

We all know that negative thinking only brings about more of the same. The question becomes, “How much stinkin’ thinkin’ will you allow in your life?” Make the choice today to change your negative social media ways and inspire others in the process. Who knows, the life you change most may be your own!

Becky,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” ~W. Clement Stone