Last month, I found myself on an early morning flight.  5 am.  Which meant being at the airport by 4 am. 

Ok, that’s early!  (And no, that’s not what I’m talking about regarding courage.  Read on, please…)

When the plane boarded and took off, the pilot turned off all the interior lights.  It was dark.

And I was awake.  Wide awake.  And I wanted to work.

But working meant turning on a light.  And turning on a light meant disturbing other people. 

For the next 10 minutes, I agonized over whether I should turn on my light. 

I thought,

“If I turn on my light, people will get mad at me.  They’re trying to sleep.  What if I’m the only one with my light turned on?  I can’t turn it on; my seatmate is asleep.  I should just be nice and keep it off.”

On and on it went inside my head.

It was like I had two people whispering in my ear because the other things I heard were…

“Oh, please, you can turn your light on.  It’s YOUR light!  That’s why they have individual lights. You don’t have to cater to everyone else in this.  You can work.  Just because everyone else is asleep or staying in the dark doesn’t mean you have to.  Seriously, Anne, go ahead and turn it on if you want!  Get some work done.  Honor yourself, for goodness sake.  Stop being afraid!”

(Ever have conversations like these?)

When I heard that, I finally screwed up my courage, reached up and turned on my light.

And the plane still moved forward, and nobody yelled at me (or even glared).

I pulled out my notebook and began to work.  A moment later, I looked up and noticed that several other people had turned on their lights and were working.

When I turned on my light, then they realized it was ok to turn on theirs, too.

Oh, my gosh!  What a powerful metaphor this was – for business and for life.  It goes back to what Marianne Williamson said:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Marianne Williamson

When we stand out, when we stand up, when we live authentically, when we do business authentically, then we shine.  And we give others permission to do the same.

Branding is like this.  Branding your business in a powerful way allows you to stand out, to stand up … to shine.  And when you do this for your business, miracles occur. 

So, step up.  Stand up.  Turn on your light.  Be visible.

Others are waiting for you.  When you do this, they will have the courage to do it, too.

And isn’t that why we’re all in business?

Get going, Divine One!  Your world is looking for you!

Hugs, Anne

© 2011 Rev. Anne Presuel. All rights reserved worldwide.

Last week, on 11/11/11, at yes, 11:11 am, I sat down and wrote out my intentions for the next couple of years.  The moon was full that day, the numbers aligned, and I wanted to take advantage of the creative energies available to me in helping me create the vision for my life.

This morning, I looked at what I wrote, and immediately went into a place of fear.

“That’s too big,” I thought. “How can I create that?”

(ok, it gets worse)

“Who am I to do all of that?  It feels too big.”

Ouch.

I noticed.  I listened.  And I heard.  That’s my fear talking.  That’s not my place of faith.  I wrote it in a place of faith.  And now I wasn’t feeling so inspired.  Instead, I felt afraid.

(By the way, this happens to all of us.  It does.  Really.)

I took a deep breath and recognized what was happening.  And then I remembered.

Recently, as I was on Facebook, I saw a link to a YouTube channel for The Raw Food Coach.  I clicked on it, and was taken to Karen Knowler (The Raw Food Coach) showing people how to make raw veggie burgers.

Now, while I’m not a raw foodist by any stretch, I am fascinated by the concept, and am a (mostly) vegetarian.  (Yeah, I get it – they’re not the same, but I figured I’d get some points anyway.)

I was impressed by the professional quality of Karen’s videos.  After one finished, I watched another one.  Then I noticed that she has a book coming out that is being published by my favorite publishing company, Hay House.

(This was a fine example of social media marketing, by the way.)

Cool.   Hmmm…

(I’m getting to the point, I promise)

Karen started several years ago as an unknown.  She began coaching with a business coach, who helped her get branded, and who helped her get her message out to the world.  She didn’t start where she is now.

She started where most of us start.  With a passion for what we do.  She wanted to make money with her passion.  So she got help.

And, damn, look at her now!  Let me just say, You GO, Girl! Truly awesome work and truly awesome results.

For all of us, it starts with a passion for our gifts, whether it’s writing, or healing, or speaking, or connecting, or coaching others or uplifting them or guiding them.  And then we see others making money – good money – with their gifts and we think “Oh, wow, I want to do that.”

And the hunger builds… until we take action to actually build our dream.

So, here’s my question for you:  what action are you taking today to build your dream? What gifts are you aching to bring to the world in a powerful way?  And what steps can you take to do this?

Get going!  Your world is waiting for you!

Hugs, Anne

© 2011 Rev. Anne Presuel. All rights reserved worldwide.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve either heard someone say this (or said it myself), I think I’d be rich!

This question is one of the most challenging questions that every spiritual, heart-centered entrepreneur faces as they grow their business.

I faced this question over ten years ago when I first started my business.  I was terrified, and at the time, I was a single mom to a teen-age daughter.

Seriously … what if I couldn’t build my business?

But I had two things going for me:

1) my desire to create my business was stronger than my fear of failing, and

2) tapping.  God bless tapping!  Because truth to tell, I’m not sure I’d have made it to where I am today without it. (Well, that’s just silly.  I KNOW I wouldn’t be here without it!)

For those of you new to this, tapping is EFT or the Emotional Freedom Technique, a simple, easy-to-use acupressure technique which helps remove blocks.

I personally use it for removing the mental blocks which keep me stuck.

And when I was in the Seminary, this same question surfaced among my fellow seminarians.  What if we couldn’t do it?  (Be a minister.)  What if we failed?

It’s a common fear.

We worked our way through our fears together and were ordained in one of the most moving ceremonies I’ve ever experienced.

And we all became ministers.

Then I decided to re-create my business – this time online.  I had had a delightful and successful healing practice, complete with beautiful office space when I lived in Virginia, and when we moved to Florida, I knew I never wanted to have to uproot my business again.  I wanted to be able to take my business wherever I went.

Creating it online was the answer.  But boy, oh boy, it was very different.

The technology was a challenge, but my mindset was the bigger challenge.  What if I couldn’t do it?

Again, thank God for tapping!

Which brings us to today.  Last week, I had a session with a client who is starting on this business-building journey.  Her main question was  “Can I do this?”

I smiled inside as I recognized this very familiar fear, and said, “Well, let’s tap on that and see what happens.” In a very short time, she moved from being too afraid – to being inspired … and then she took the very action she had been so afraid to take.

Whenever we step into a new way of being, whether it is creating a new business, or doing our business in a new way (i.e., leveraging our time by offering group work vs exchanging time for money by working with clients one-on-one), or we step up to a new level of business owner, we find ourselves facing the same question:  “Can I do it?” The fear that is always underneath that – “What if I can’t?”)

To which I will always respond:  “Well, let’s tap on that, because what if you can?”

You and I are given dreams that, with the help of the Divine, we are fully capable of bringing into being.  It is up to us, however, to get out of the way of ourselves and our fears, and to follow the guidance that we are given.

Our intuition will never guide us wrong, but our fears will keep us from taking the action we are given.

The Divine is just waiting to help you, to support you, to lift you up.   But you have to let it in.  You have to say “Yes!” to it. The changes won’t happen without you taking the action you need to take.

Here are some actions steps to help you move through some of your own blocks.

1. Take a look at a specific situation where you are saying to yourself “What if I can’t?”

2.  Write down 3 fears you have that keep you from taking action.  Pick the biggest one.

3. Write down 5 reasons that support you in thinking you could create what you want to create – like “I’m persistent.” “I’m creative.” “I’m smart.”

4.  Tap on the fear.  Try saying, “Even though I’m afraid because (enter your fear here), I also know that I have (enter here a reason or two that support you) to help me.  (If you need to know where the tapping points are, they are on my website under “Tapping Points.”)

5.  Finish your tapping with “I am strong. I am capable. And I am supported by the Divine in all ways, always.  I can do this!”

6.  Check in with yourself to see how you feel.  If you need to tap more, then just do it!

7.  Then go take some action to help you anchor this new belief.

Before long, you’ll be asking yourself “What if I can?” questions as you build your confidence in your ability to move through your fears and doubts.

How fabulous is that?

© 2011 Rev. Anne Presuel. All rights reserved worldwide.

Several weeks ago I wrote an article entitled “Are You A HO?” The article was about making the distinctions between being a Hobby Owner vs being a Business Owner in your business.  To my surprise, that article generated some interest – and not all of it positive.

While there were new subscribers and some wonderful email responses, there were also some unsubscribes, and one colleague got upset and challenged my appropriateness in using the word “HO.”

Worst of all, I learned that I had not given credit where credit was due.  Uh-Oh.  Time to take care of that.

So, first things first:  “Are You a HO?” is Suzanne Evans’s brilliance, which came from her recent event “Be the Change.” I completely loved the cleverness of the idea and wanted to share it with all of you.  (Next time, I’ll remember to give credit, right?)

Here’s what’s especially interesting: during the  same week I wrote the “HO” article and I was publicly challenged by my colleague, I was participating in a class called “Money, Marketing & Sales Mastery” led by my wonderful coach, Pamela Bruner.  Not only was the class on learning how to better market your business, but it also had lots of tapping (doing EFT – the Emotional Freedom Technique) opportunities.

The very day that my ezine came out, someone in the class was tapping with Pamela over the phone on her fears of being judged for putting herself “out there.”

Two days later, my colleague stepped forward with judgment and accusations about my using the word “HO.”  (By the way, she later  also publicly apologized because she realized she had been triggered (hello, who can’t relate to that, right?); I thought that was really great of her.)

So, here’s the thing with all of this:

1)      When you are building your business, you’ll make mistakes.  Sometimes ones you cannot completely fix.  It’s ok.  Just move forward.  Learn from them and grow.

In my particular situation, I had already submitted that article to article directories.  I can’t chase down each one and give credit to Suzanne, much as I may want to.  But I can do it here and on my website.

2)      When you are putting yourself out there, not everyone will like the way in which you do it.  It’s ok.  You’ve got to realize that it’s their stuff.  And you are not responsible for their stuff.

In this particular situation, I was not responsible for my colleague’s trigger regarding my use of the word “HO” in marketing.  She was.  And I was able to let it be ok with me that she didn’t approve or like what I did.

3)      If putting yourself out there or making a mistake brings up your stuff, well, then, guess what?  Yup.  It’s your stuff, and that’s your work to clear up and take care of.

So, in my situation, my stuff was that when I realized I hadn’t given credit to Suzanne, I felt like I’d been taken to the principal’s office and I’d gotten in trouble – and everyone knew. 

It was old stuff that was coming up for me to clear (yes, that happened when I was a kid, more than once!) – and I am grateful to be able to clear it out.

It is important to realize that mistakes are a part of the learning curve; they are a part of putting yourself out there.  And it’s ok to make them.  And sometimes you won’t make a mistake and someone will want to let you know that they think you did.  To the degree that you can let them have their opinion and not let it affect you, you will be free.

And isn’t that what we all want, both in our businesses and in our lives?

So go, grow in your business and be ok with the goofs. 

Hugs, Anne

© 2011 Rev. Anne Presuel. All rights reserved worldwide.

“I feel like I have all of these gifts I want to share with the world,” Karnie said.  “And I keep taking trainings, and when I’m taking them, I think, I could be doing this!”

“I really want to be teaching other people how to help others heal, and how to be happy, and how to have a great life!”

“That’s awesome!” I said.  “So what is getting in the way of doing this?”

“Well, I just don’t really know how to do it,” she replied.  “I mean, I know how to help other people get what they want, but I don’t know how to really market that.”

Karnie and I were having an “Ignite Your Business Intuition!” strategy session.  She had asked for this session to help her get clear about where she was headed in her coaching business.

As we talked about how she could build her business, Karnie began to realize that in order to build her business the way she wanted, she was going to have to take some actions that would cause her to treat her business as a business, rather than a hobby.  She would have to step up in a whole new way.

She had to take a risk, believe in herself, and make some seriously different choices regarding her business.

Karnie was a Hobby Owner (“HO”).  And she realized that she really wanted to be a Business Owner (a “BO”).

In order to become a BO, Karnie was going to have to be willing do whatever it takes to build her business, instead of just doing what was convenient.

Even though she felt intimidated by these new actions (particularly marketing action) she said “Yes!”

Karnie knew that in saying “Yes!” she was going to create the business she dreamed about.  She was going to be able to have the money she wanted to have, the time to live the life she dreamed of, and she was going to be able to bring her unique gifts to the world in a much bigger, more powerful and authentic way.

She just had to say “Yes!” to herself, instead of saying “yes” to her doubts and fears.

Karnie bravely took action for herself and for her business.  And in so doing, she is creating her life and her business in a whole new way.

What about you?  Are you a HO?  Or are you a BO?

© 2011 Rev. Anne Presuel. All rights reserved worldwide.