What Dis-Empowering Spells are you Under?

There are times when life is pure magic; and then there are times when the spell is on you!  We’re not talking hexes or voodoo.  The curses we’re referring to are the ones we cast on ourselves.  Below are the top 5 dis-empowering spells we see women living under and how you can break them.  

Break the Spell of Negative Thinking: Watch what you think about because often it’s what you will bring about.  Think positive, happy and grateful thoughts, and you’ll attract more of the same.  Likewise, focus on what’s wrong in the world, the deadlines at work, difficulties with the family, and you’ll find it hard to fit a good thought in edgewise!  If you’re looking to make a big impact fast, change the way you look at things.  Find the silver lining in every situation and soon your outlook will transform, as if by magic.

Break the Spell of Limiting Beliefs: Our thought patterns are formed at a young age, often inspired by influential adults and experiences during our young formative years.  Our beliefs about money, self-worth, deservedness, and more, are shaped early-on, never to be questioned again.  But question you must!  What if you belief is a lie?

Every belief that is holding you back from your best life can be converted into a new, true, and empowering belief, simply by changing your mindset.  “The Work” by Bryon Katie, offers a formula for questioning these thoughts: Is it true?  Can you absolutely know it’s true?  How do you react (what happens) when you believe that thought?  Who would you be without the thought?

Break the Spell of Blame: Have you been playing the game of “Blame and Complain”?  Well, no more pointing fingers at your parents for the way you were raised, at your spouse for not helping enough around the house, or at the boss for hating your job.  If you know there’s a problem and things aren’t working, decide to make a change and then follow through.  Nobody is in charge of your happiness but you.

Break the Spell of Mistakes: We’re all human and make mistakes.  Don’t let them hold you hostage for the rest of your life!  Think of them as experience and practice for your future.  Admit your role, make amends with those hurt (including you), and then break free from the past so it won’t screw up the present.

Break the Spell of Envy: Do you have a propensity towards a “grass is always greener” way of thinking?  If you actually had the opportunity to walk a mile in some else's shoes, you might be surprised at what you find.  If we all threw our problems into a pile, and saw ours compared side-by-side with everyone else's, we’re pretty confident we’d each grab our own back.

Kim,
Sister of Soul

Soulspiration of the Week:
“The appearance of things change according to our emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.”  ~Kahlil Gibran

Women's Empowerment Tip: A Life Lesson from Coffee

I was inspired by an email forward the other day, and of course I knew I needed to share the lesson with my favorite group of empowered women!

As the story goes, a mother in an effort to teach her grown daughter a life lesson, puts three seemingly unrelated objects into separate pots of boiling water: a carrot, an egg, and some coffee.  And here comes the lesson:

The mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting.  However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.  The egg had been fragile.  Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened.  The ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter.  “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?  Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

And we ask the same of you...

Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity wilt and become soft and lose your strength?

Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?  Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, became hardened and stiff?  Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or, are you like the coffee bean?  The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain.  When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.  If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

Of course there are life lessons in every adversity we face, and as we mature and gain wisdom, our typical reactions to various situations change.  Can you think back to particularly difficult time?  Did you respond like the carrot, the egg or the coffee?  How would you hope to respond to challenging times in the future?  We would love for you to post your comments below.

Becky,

Sister of Soul

Soul-spiration of the Week:

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."    ~Mary Engelbreit

Who Do You Think You Are: Four Strategies for Self-Awareness

Ask a woman to describe who she is and you'll often hear her describe herself in terms of her current title or role (wife, mother, daughter, etc.) or career (manager, accountant, nurse, etc.).  Come on, we're so much more than that!
 
When it comes to self-awareness, we're our own expert!  Being clear about who you are, what you want, and why you want it, empowers you to consciously and actively make those wants a reality.  We can't rely on our spouse, family, work and society to tell us who we are!  What we need is a clear direction; a feel for our own true north.  Armed with that awareness, it suddenly becomes easier to side-step the drama, steer clear of the confusion, and step through your fear to the life you were meant to live.  

We’ve found these four strategies especially helpful to the self-awareness process:

1. Know your purpose: Wandering through life hoping you'll stumble upon health, happiness and prosperity leaves too much to chance.  Where does your true self want to go in life? What legacy do you want to leave behind?  Where do you want to make a difference?  If it's been a while since you've put any thought into what your purpose is for your life, it might take some time to tune in once again. Your true "purpose" resides in your soul and to discover yours you need not only intellectual contemplation but a connection with your intuitive self as well. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  Tap into your personal power, pick a direction that represents genuine happiness, and move toward it.

2. Know your passions: What would life be without our passions?  And yet, we find that many women toss their passionate pursuits aside, wrongly believing they are not important.  It's amazing what we let come between us and our dreams.  If you've always wondered what it would be like, not to wait around for the good things in life to come to you, but to actually go out and get what you want out of life, focusing on your passions is the first step in that process.  As we like to say, our passions run deep.  Stop waiting for "someday" and make your "someday" today.

3. Honor your strengths: Have you ever wished for a super power?  Maybe the ability to leap tall buildings or become instantly invisible would come in handy?  Well each of us possesses talents and strengths unique to us that allow us to contribute something special to the world.  We tend to take these abilities for granted but it's time to start thinking of your strengths and talents as your own super powers!
 

An amazing resource for identifying your core strengths is Tom Rath's book, StrengthsFinder 2.0.  A life-changing book for us, it was amazingly powerful to see our unique abilities on paper, allowing us to put into words what we could before only sense and feel, let alone explain.  Pick up a copy and discover your strengths!  It will change your perspective in a big way! 

4. Write a mission: Businesses do it all the time and for good reason.  Something truly powerful happens when you put your purpose into writing.  Suddenly doors open to you and opportunities just show up.  Where there was once struggle and never-ending challenge, now there seems to be a shift in energy and things flow easily and effortlessly.  Putting pen to paper focuses your subconscious in a specific and targeted direction, declaring to the universe your desires and ultimate goal.  Nothing screams authenticity like putting your mission in writing.

Kim,

Sister of Soul 

Soulspiration of the Week:

“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”  ~Steven Pressfield

Women’s Empowerment: You’re Empowered If...

We’ve been blogging for over three years now and we’ve tackled the question of, “What is empowerment?” many times. However, would you truly recognize an empowered woman if you saw one? Odds are you probably wouldn’t; not entirely anyway.

At Soulspring Groups (the meetings, the gatherings and all the events), empowerment is a common topic of conversation. When asked about empowered women, you’re probably as quick as most to list off a slew of names; women you know, women you admire, women you aspire to be. Yet one important person is likely to be left off the list, and that person is YOU.

So we ask you...Would you recognize an empowered woman if you saw one? What behaviors do they exhibit? What traits do they possess? More importantly, are you one?

As the old adage goes, seeing is believing. Are you living empowered?  Check yourself against these ten examples of empowering qualities and behaviors and see just how empowered you really are.

You are empowered if...

• You recognize the fear and do it anyway. Why would we let a little thing like fear hold us back from what we want in life? After all, the key to overcoming our fears is to just stop it!

• You learn something new every day. The world is full of adventure and there’s a lesson around every corner.

• You believe that you have the potential to achieve great things. In the words of the great Dr. Seuss, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

• You display patience and accept divine timing. We once heard Echkart Tolle, author of such great books as “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” say, “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.”  Well said!

• You welcome each day with enthusiasm and excitement. Each day is a gift after all; is there really any other way to accept something so special?

• You accept challenges as opportunities for strength and character building. Heck, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?

• You squash the negative self-talk and speak only positive and affirming statements. Our positivity is what fuels us and makes us shine! That’s why we offer a new positive affirmation with every visit to the Soulspring Groups’ website!

• You begin your day with a ritual such as quiet journaling, meditation or prayer. Silence, personal reflection and time spent connecting to our Creator, keeps us focused and centered on the bigger picture.

• You believe above all else that you have what it takes. How cruel of a joke to be given a deep desire with no way to achieve it. No, we’ve got everything we need, or at least have access to it, if we stay focused and conscious. While it may not come to us exactly as we envision, our passions will be realized in wonderful ways if we keep the faith and believe.

• You take time for regular personal development and the exploration of important life principles. For a growing number of women, that means being active in their Soulspring Group. If you’re not yet part of this inspiring trend, you’ll want to learn more about joining a Soulspring Group or starting one of your own today.

The Soul Sisters

Soulspiration of the Week:

"By conquering your challenges, taking control of your thoughts, listening to your soul and uniting with others like you, you can bestow your unique gifts and talents unto the world. When your strengths and spirit meet that's when you achieve a level of true empowerment!" ~The Soul Sisters