Category Archives: Natural Flow and Balance

Work that Helps the “Greater Good”? How About Good for Your Well-being at the Same Time?

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So many people don’t know the right direction for their work in the world, for their career or business. Not to mention confusion around how it fits in with what’s actually needed for the Greater Good.

I love that some people are asking the question about truly serving in a meaningful way.  Yet I know they worry about how to do good work without overwhelm, or whether they can actually find or create meaningful work that can also meet their needs for income and rest.

What is the best use of you? Good work without burnout? There are simple steps to find your way.

I have found ways that work, for me, and the way I came to it seems to also work for others, even in many different circumstances. We are finding ways to serve the Greater Good in our work, without overwhelm. I’ll explain. Continue reading →

From Good Girl to Fighting for the *Greater* Good. Let’s Be Paradigm Shifters, Together.

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This is a funny combo of quiet and outspoken, and I know I’m not the only one:

I’m a recovering “good girl” who now openly questions the insane harmful systems that dominate around the globe.

In other words, I used to be too quiet in an attempt to seem “good” and stay safe (beyond the normal level of the positive quiet of introverts). Now my desire for the Greater Good is winning out and I’ve become more outspoken, more and more each year.

I am determined to be part of moving from the dominant broken paradigm (money-driven and violent) to a life-affirming, nature-centric paradigm.

I know. It’s a long journey but I am finding it very joyful along the way. It’s way better on this road than the old one.

A nature-centric world view is what research has shown me is the true ancestral heritage of all humans. No wonder it feels so much more true to my own nature.

This true nature paradigm has been alive all along, sometimes in the shadows and in Indigenous cultures around the globe, and it is expanding, despite pressures against it.

This paradigm shift expansion is part of why there’s repression of it, because people who hold power don’t want that to change and they have a lot of power to manipulate and repress. Grrrr.

My truest work is about helping other introverted paradigm-shifters to find their place in this unfolding.

It might sound scary on the one hand to join in the shift, but a sense of truth is the freedom we crave anyway. Truth will lift your spirits and it all gets easier each step of the way.

I’ll share some examples and how paradigm shifters need each other. Continue reading →

How To Sense When It’s the Right Career Path, or Not.

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I’m just popping in with a quick tip today…

The key to knowing when it’s the right career or business path for you is to follow what feels True to you. Anything else leads to burnout at some point.

But following your truth? Hmm, that can be confusing and hard to do, huh?

In other words, tune in to the bright spots, which are there somewhere, if you look around. Then double down on that direction. Follow the signs of where it feels good, where you’re smiling. Explore those directions further.

I’m NOT saying look at the bright side and stay where you are, and just buck up. No.

Follow the signs and go towards more and more of what feels right inside. Your body knows. First look for what feels right already as the starting place.

In a way, I’m saying to follow where a pleasant breeze is already blowing!

Most of us are focusing on what’s going wrong (because that’s how the brain works), instead of looking for what is going right, even if it’s still small and difficult to see at times.

When you turn your attention to what feels right, a lot is revealed.

To me, the breeze analogy means you are following what is coming naturally to you, and also what your heart enjoys, and it also means it’s resonating with the people you are here to serve. It feels like doors opening in your heart and mind.

If something you’re trying feels like working against something inside yourself (like your natural strengths or against your values), that’s not going “with the wind.” Make sense?

career path clarity tip

Following the breeze means following your natural strengths. When you do that, you’re in the right direction. When you don’t, it’s exhausting, like fighting the wind.

But That Sounds Scary (or Hard)…

Continue reading →

Having a Big Heart Can Also Mean Big Exhaustion. Start with Grounding.

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My clients and I have big hearts (naturally empathetic), which means we automatically care about people and how it’s going in the world all around us. It’s a gift, and… sometimes it can lead to taking on more stress or responsibility than one body can handle.

We can be at risk for overwhelm from others’ energy or the ever maddening news. Well, let’s be honest, overwhelm can come just as easily from the inner critic (which says things like “You’re not good enough”). This week it was the national news that got to me.

But we have things to do here on earth. Ya know? People with big hearts are needed!

So, I’m thinkin’ we have to find a way that works for us. We need to manage our outer and inner roadblocks as job #1. We won’t be able to live our purpose if we don’t. The solution is not to shut our hearts down. It’s to stay open but add in effective grounding.

We need a giant Pause button so we can find solid ground and start from there.

Persephone, sculpture by Valerie Gilman

She’s saying to me: “Stop, let me take a pause!” Sculpture artist: http://www.valeriegilman.com

As a highly sensitive introvert, I’ve had to find good grounding methods so I can keep living my purpose without exhaustion. I know we can do this.

In this post, I’m including:

  • what I mean by grounding and why it matters so much,
  • what works for me,
  • a self-assessment to help you choose your best grounding methods.
  • a way to learn a simple method that’s especially good for calming during tough moments.

Continue reading →

What Do I Do with All These Emotions?

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One of the most essential lessons for my well-being has been what to do with emotions. Whether it’s the ones that seem to have no reason, or from big tragic causes, or in joyful moments, it all comes down to some simple understanding of what emotions are and what to do with them.

resisting emotions

The topic of emotions keeps coming up in conversations with friends and clients.

In this crazy culture of ours, the topic of emotions, a simple universal internal system, has become foreign to us, and something we hide in the closet.

And yet, it is discussed frequently… in private. Or at least when people talk to me.

An acquaintance recently asked me on the sidewalk:
“I hear I’m supposed to allow emotions, but how does that really work when I’m afraid it will just swallow me if I look at all this grief?”

Good question! I know that feeling.

I’ll tell you about our conversation and how I’ve learned to understand and manage emotions as a highly sensitive introvert. Along the way, I’ll explain some simple truths about emotions that can bring you so much freedom and joy.

Continue reading →