“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
Golda Meir.
—–
Are you a meaning-filled business owner or entrepreneur? You created a business to transform the world, and you didn’t realize you embarked on a personal transformation. Now, your business has become the greatest teacher of your patterns, your areas of growth, and how open you are either to give or receive. And you are learning every day as if you were in a “business transformation” boot camp.
Just for you, I’ve created this program called “Business and Self-Love Transformative Power Practices.” When we realize that we are the center of our business, instead of focusing on the external of our business, we can focus on our inner world.
Transformative Practice #1: See yourself with love.
When you wake up in the morning and see yourself in the mirror, look at yourself with love. If you can’t and you are only seeing what you are lacking, try to see beyond it.
How would you do this? See yourself with love, or borrow another person’s eyes: A dear friend, a grandparent, a loved one, or someone who can “see you” and show you how to see yourself through their eyes of gratitude and appreciation.
Practice this until you are the one who appreciates and loves yourself. See beyond the surface and toward your own inner beauty, to the deepest essence within you. Put a Post-It™ note next to your mirror and say “I love me” often.
Transformative Practice #2: See others.
Are you so busy in business that you feel scattered and unclear? Have your sales and financial results been getting in the way of connecting with others? For this week, change your intention into one of being present rather than one focused squarely on the outcome.
Ask questions and listen to the responses, then ask more questions and listen more. Be genuinely curious about another person’s life and needs. Don’t discard them because they don’t fit your target audience. If you are next to someone, the universe guided you to them for a reason beyond your logical mind.
They may become a dear friend, a cheerleader, or a teacher for a day; listen and show you are there to see them in fullness. Go beyond the surface energy toward the deeper energy of being more fully available.
I have noticed that a connection and relationship are an energy exchange. When I feel an appreciation, I feel this ease around others, I open up more. When we are in a rush, getting and doing part of us disconnects from being and servicing, we are so focused on ourselves and our needs and desires that we miss the opportunity of a real conversation.
See others, and may the magic of connection become available to both of you. Create an intention for connection, receptivity, and engagement.
Where do you want to do this? In your next meeting, in your next networking; be fully present and available. Practice it also in your daily interactions with loved ones, employees, or collaborators.
Transformative Practice #3: Practice self-compassion.
As a business owner, you are probably facing self-doubt, self-criticism, burnout, or lack of clarity. Sometimes, we face different experiences at different stages of business; as we are building confidence, we are also building courage and through this process, we may go into an “I know better, I should feel this way” kind of mentality.
Sometimes, we don’t permit ourselves to feel the vulnerability that owning a business is, the newness, the constant learning.
Today, practice self-compassion. Find an area of your life and business that isn’t working as you expected; send it love and talk to yourself as lovingly as you would talk to your best friend.
Would you give them a “you suck” statement, or would you encourage them, asking them to see the situation from a higher perspective, or to see what they are learning?
Encourage yourself and choose to give yourself a compassionate act. You may want to see yourself in the mirror and wink at yourself, write yourself a note to encourage yourself. Simply change your inner audio tape from one of self-criticism to one that gently says, “You are learning, please go on.”
You may be hearing the critical voices of others around you; say to yourself, “I choose to give myself compassion today, it is safe for me to receive compassion. I am learning and growing.”
See if an image or an inspiration pops up; maybe you’ll be inspired to go for a walk, give yourself a break, write yourself a kind note, or paint something. Listen closely and choose compassion.
Transformative Practice #4: Love yourself now, and savor the process.
If you are a high performer or an over-achiever, you may feel frustrated at your current pace and results. You may be too focused on outcomes, and just as you achieve one goal, you are moving on to the next.
Savor the moment, the process, each day at its own pace fast or slow. When I was in the corporate world, I had many successes, yet I didn’t really savor them or appreciate myself in the process.
When we start losing the attachment to the outcome as a reflection of ourselves or our worth, we can start savoring the process. We will realize that all was orchestrated beautifully in a way that creates everything. Make time to celebrate the small, the big, the unpublished, and the published.
Only you know all the effort and dedication you are giving to something you are creating. Don’t be disheartened by others’ perspectives and reactions to your craft, art, or creation. Love your creation as it is now. Savor the journey and everything in it.
So, don’t wait to be happy until you have the big price, the big project done. Be happy and joyful now.
Transformative Practice #5: Rest and play unapologetically.
We have forgotten how to be in the presence of our child’s essence. That’s not something hard to do, we just have to connect within when we rest and play. Since we always have agendas and appointments, taking time for yourself is a good thing. Ask yourself, did you craft any “you” time that didn’t have a specific objective like being in shape, or creating a business plan?
Give yourself permission to play and rest unapologetically. Don’t wait for your husband, children, or clients to offer it. Give it to yourself.
Rest and play are where you find yourself again. It’s where you restore and find clarity. It’s in the stillness that you find the responses to the questions you have asked yourself.
You may be uncomfortable with yourself because you haven’t connected with your own self for a while; let yourself be uncomfortable if that happens and let the discomfort tell you what you need.
Or maybe, you’ll see that you feel at ease with yourself. It doesn’t matter the experience—be with yourself, remember who you truly are, and when you capture that inner glimpse, you’ll be able to gift it to others.
Transformative Practice #6: Trust yourself.
Today practice trust in yourself, in your inner wisdom.
I have noticed that in business we hire coaches or consultants for a lot of things, and that is beautiful since we are learning while acquiring new skills and new perspectives.
Imagine yourself having an inner teacher or guide and accessing your own wisdom. Sit with yourself and ask intentionally for your inner teacher to reveal itself to you.
You may have a small or deep question for which you are waiting for a response. Listen to yourself and your heart. Sometimes, our logical mind takes over 20,000 other ideas. Let all of you answer.
Does your heart feel contracted or expanded in the choice? Do you feel at peace and at ease, or are you tensed up? Does your mind have reasons why yes or why no?
Start developing a constant practice of trusting yourself and your choices by actively sitting to listen to your whole self.
Decisions matter, and taking the time to listen to your whole self matters.
I often hear women saying they can’t trust themselves, then when I ask them they go inward and they reveal they decide without listening to something. They may see something like I knew something was off, something didn’t feel right, my intuitive feeling told me this.
Let your whole self be part of the decision and if you feel you need a partner in it, do so. Start by trusting yourself and your own inner guide and build a relationship within.
Transformative Practice #7: Experience self-gratitude.
Have you been grateful for yourself lately? Have you said “thank you” to yourself for all you do for the world, for your courage, for the relationships you have built and kept, and for all the love and service you bring into the world?
Write yourself a letter with deep gratitude for all you are, for the amazing person you are, and be grateful for you.
Let yourself be center stage and feel within yourself a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for all that you are, taking a moment to be with yourself in deepest gratitude. Write all you are grateful for yourself. And then read it to yourself aloud.
May you appreciate yourself and your inner beauty today, and may you remember to appreciate yourself more often.
___
Edited by Ludwig Laborda