Sunday, May 31, 2009

(re)Branding...Day 6

New Business model: Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs...



What exactly is this Rebecca? I will define the terms and then lay out the elevator speech below…

men·tor (mntôr, -tr) n.  v. men·tored, men·tor·ing, men·tors Informal
1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher, especially in occupational settings. To serve as a trusted counselor or teacher to (another person).

mid·wife (mdwf) n. pl. mid·wives (-wvz)
1. A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth.
2. One who assists in or takes a part in bringing about a result: To assist in bringing forth or about.
3. A person qualified to deliver babies and to care for women before, during, and after childbirth

life·style also life-style or life style (lfstl) n.
A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.

en·tre·pre·neur (ntr-pr-nûr, -nr) n.
A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture. The owner of a business who attempts to make money by risk and initiative.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.



Rebecca E. Parsons Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs...



A wise and trusted counselor or teacher. who is qualified to assist a business owner in creating a new business (before, during, and after launch) that will honor and support the life style and values of the owner and create wealth.


How are you going to do this Rebecca? I will tell you exactly how in the next post (r)Evolution of (r)Ebecca

Friday, May 29, 2009

(re)Purposing...Day 5

Off into the unknownsomewhere over the rainbow


I continually as myself, “Why oh why can’t I???” and the answer is always, “I can!!!”

So what are my plans…I had to stop planning!!!! I understood that I could not keep doing what I have been doing (endless hours of research that I came to admit is avoidance or what my friend Antoinette Sykes call paralysis by analysis) and hope to end up somewhere else…so I had to stretch myself and do some things that I am not comfortable doing…I order to climb out of the hole I was in…

It seems ironic that I have to leap off a ledge in order to climb out of this hole…But that is precisely what I had to do…so leap I did…onto The Path to My Purpose ™…

First I made a new daily schedule… If you want something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done…

6 am – 8 am Hour of Power (Prayer, Meditation, Centering)
8 am – 12 pm Write/publish articles, work on e-book & websites
12 pm – 2 pm break
2 pm – 5 pm Make art and/or mentoring sessions
5 pm – 7 pm Social Media interaction and e-mails and blog
7 pm – 11 pm Journal, unwind, walk on beach, play with pets

I had to get off the social media circuit…and connect first with my self and God, then with my business which is my purpose, and finally with others. So I mapped a workable plan for myself that honors my work style and values and allows me to accomplish and manifest my purpose.

I am (re)Purposing over 25 years of work and knowledge coupled with the life lessons of the past few years into my new business model:

Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs...



What exactly is this Rebecca? I will define the terms and then lay out the elevator speech tomorrow in (re)Branding…

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

(re)Invention...Day 4

discernment

The intention is set and now I must make decisions. I have no choice…and I also have nothing to loose…so it is time to step out on this fog-covered path and make the map along the way…

How do you make decisions…big as well as small? If you take the time to look deeply within yourself, you will find that you have unique biases, which affect your decisions…and ultimately your life.

Wikipedia defines bias as follows:
Bias is a standard point of view or personal prejudice. especially when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced, or objective. The term biased is used to describe an action, judgment, or other outcome influenced by a prejudged perspective. It is also used to refer to a person or body of people whose actions or judgments exhibit bias. In this context, the term “biased” is often used as a pejorative.


It goes on to state that in psychology, cognitive bias is bias based on cognitive factors. One type of cognitive bias is confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret new information in such a way that confirms one’s prior beliefs, even to the extreme of denial, ignoring information that conflicts with one’s prior beliefs. The fundamental attribution error, also known as “correspondence bias”, is one example of such bias, in which people tend to explain others’ behavior in terms of personality, whereas they tend to explain their own behavior in terms of the situation.

In the Five Steps to Decision Making from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the Jeuits say:

Biases in unique persons – There are two basic exaggerations in the way with which people make their decisions. Some people put closure on the decision-making process too quickly; others keep avoiding placing closure on the decision-making. The first group is made up of “closure artists” who appear to enjoy the making of decisions. They make decisions quickly. They easily come to closure on what-should-I-do or what-needs-to-be-done questions. However, they are inordinately eager to cut off the considerations of some variables. After all, too many variables would make their decision-making more difficult and their lives too ambiguous! The second group is made up of “avoiders” who appear to avoid conscious decision-making until the circumstances force them to act. They often fear the burden of responsibility for mistakes because they do not want to face the fact that, as humans, we are never cognizant of all the variables.

Discernment for me is somewhere in between. As an entrepreneur, I am a quick decision maker…kind of a gut feeling pattern that I embrace. During this period of my life, depression has made me a waiter looking for aspects, which generally become more evident as the movement is allowed to unfold. Perhaps it is avoidance or fear, probably both.

Fear is normal as we work through it and learn to trust ourselves again. In the back of my mind is the fact that I have done something to bring me to this place of transition-this place of many crossroads, and I have to choose one and go forth without a clue as to where I am going or how I will get there.

I have to believe that quote: “Sometimes you just have to take a leap and build your wings on the way down”-Kobi Yamada….when I so don’t want to jump…

It takes courage to allow yourself to grow…to step off that cliff, blindly not knowing if someone is there to catch you, or how far down it is, or if there is something to break the fall. The metaphor seems to hint that you will just have to flap those wings until you build the strength or the skill to fly…on your own.

Do I have discernment…perhaps!

Do I know which path to take…perhaps!

Am I full of fear…Yes!

Yet I am on the move, taking that leap of faith today and trusting that, even if it is the wrong direction, God will make it the right one…

Saturday, May 23, 2009

(re)Engineering...Day 3

putting one foot in front of the other on this path to my future….

How do I work through this process and reengineer my life and my business? All I know is that I am stepping out, one unsure step at a time…along the way I made a remarkable discovery…you don’t have to know the end to begin…

My path has been anything but a linear process. One day I would feel strong and able to make plans…the next I was scared sh..less…the next restless and dazed…and always an unbearable fatigue. There were, and still are, major highs and lows…times when I thought I was coping and getting stronger…and times when I knew that I was not.

My way of coping is to withdraw…go within and make art and journal. This helps me focus and create a new paradigm…one where I am proud of my past accomplishments, understand the value of the life lessons…and can build upon those.

I am still in the process of reengineering my life…and creating new opportunities for growth and learning…my love of writing brought me here and it may prove to be the greatest gift for healing and reinvention.

turning point
This (r)Evolutionary journey I find myself on is a transition of major importance…to my life. Of this I am sure. It has been awkward and painful while enlightening and strengthening…I cannot explain it quite yet, but I know it is about growth into my spiritual maturity.

One Tuesday in March I came to a crossroads, one where any direction I headed was going to be a stretch…indeed the biggest risk of my life. I was going so far out of my comfort zone that I wanted to retreat, yet I knew I could not. I had to go forth on a new journey. As uncomfortable as it was…I took the first step.

I have said before that I have such a difficult time asking for help that I almost never do it. I had a life-changing opportunity present itself but I needed some way to take advantage of it. The decision had to be made within 48 hours or the opportunity was gone. So I set an intention to make this happen. And, as so often occurs when you ask, Tuesday morning someone called and during the conversation I asked her if she would invest in me. So we struck a deal, I would mentor her as she builds a new and exciting business. The money for this just appeared…I had manifested the outcome I desired.

So I am investing in my future and myself and taking a giant leap of faith by taking that blind first step toward financial security and success again.

I say success ‘again’ because I have had a successful career for many years in graphic design (award-winning), art (juried competitions) and business guru (well-known author, writer, speaker, teacher). I do have name recognition, and now I must learn to capitalize upon all those years of hard work.

On a roll, I set a 90-day goal. I am chronicling the journey by recording every step I take and the emotional movements that occur. I will share the good and the less than good moments. I trusted that I would create a valuable business model that:

  1. fulfills my life purpose,
  2. is in service of others, and
  3. makes an income to sustain me and more.
The intention…
On or before June 15, 2009, Rebecca E. Parsons will launch a thriving business that supports her emotionally, financially and spiritually or something better!
The intention is stated…the plans are being drawn…the trust established.

Friday, May 22, 2009

off to north carolina...

i am off for two weeks of teaching in north carolina...my students are eager...i am excited to share creativity with them...


i have several posts to share over the next two weeks about my new business platform...scheduled to launch in june...

peace, love, and wealth

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

for those who love entrepreneurs...

for those who love us....

"Slide into bed with an entrepreneur, and you wind up cuddling his/her business. At a certain point, the entrepreneur's spouse has to answer the question: Are you in or are you out? In for as long as it takes to succeed? In for what is potentially a lifetime of financial risk? Or out of patience, out of tolerance, out of your mind with stress and the bitterness of dreams deferred? The entrepreneur doesn't pose the question overtly, but the spouse does answer it, by giving or withholding support, warmth and encouragement-the manifestations of love." -Meg Cadoux Hirshberg, Balancing Marriage and Business: When your marriage is hitched to a business, life is one long test of allegiance from companyofprayer.com
Do you have a good, working and encouraging support system? Some of you may and I consider you blessed...for those of us who have none or have dysfunctional ones...I offer the following thoughts:

There are several essential ingredients of the entrepreneur work-from-home success formula:
  1. Support of your family, especially from your spouse or partner,
  2. Passion, passion, passion,
  3. Clear vision of business, and
  4. Are comfortable with risk. 
A budding entrepreneur is often advised to remain flexible - these items are not. These are the non-negotiables. The ‘musts’ to succeed when things get rough and cash flow is small or non-existent. And at the top of the list is support from your family! 

Deciding to make the leap to self-employment is never easy, especially if it involves leaving employment with benefits position. Add in the work-from-home element or the mother element, and it suddenly gets much harder. 

Starting a business is stressful under the best of circumstances. Add being a mother to the mix is even more so. Trying to do it without the support and full buy-in from your spouse and other significant family members or friends, you’re almost guaranteed to struggle. 




A lot has been written about what you need to succeed as a home-based entrepreneur. From my experience, as well as the many clients I have mentored through this process, getting a new business off the ground can be the most frustrating and lonely period of your life. 

Even with burning passion, supreme confidence in the concept and a strong belief in the market potential, I often encountered huge resistance and sometimes laughter when I shared my ‘ground-breaking’ idea! During this laborious birthing process I had little or no support from my family and, in fact, a lot of my old friendships fell away. 

Those who remained gave fleeting moments of support or a shoulder to cry on. But, the turning point came when I found a paid personal coach and an unpaid spiritual director who walked with me throughout the entire process and helped me transform into the successful spiritual businessperson I am today. 

Those who are blessed enough to have an encouraging environment as they build and shape their business rarely realize their good fortune until much later. Mostly because they are so focused on creation, but also because they have a safe place to fall when everything seems ready to collapse, and it will. 

Having people in your corner in the early stages of launching a business is both comforting and cost-effective. Don’t despair if you are launching alone. You can find a critical support team who will serve as the emotional backers and/or advisors you need. Hire a coach or find a mentor. Join organizations with like-minded people who will often be a cheerleader or expert for you if you return the favor. Or you can join or start a mastermind group. You can also hire experts, tech support and even a virtual assistant to free you to do what you do best…birth a business.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

embracing change...The Purpose of Me...

new day...new life...new biz...new haircut...yes i decided to wipe the slate clean & i whacked the hair off...it was draining all my energy...don't you love the flair earring...


change...re-Engineering...transformation...i am bubbling over with joy and excitement to share with you...

i got very quiet and listened to my inner voice...mine has been screaming to me for several months now...so i took the difficult/faltering/hesitant first step, wrapped in the fog of fear, blindly onto my then unknown path...

and that one action, done with little more than blind faith, has aligned my passion with my life purpose...and given me the belief in my power and strength...and, best of all, it has opened the way for me to embrace all the dissonant parts of myself and marry the Inner BEing to the Outer BEing into a single focus...

i have such clarity of purpose now and it comes from a place of love, not fear...

i have been struggling for years with the false belief that i had to keep separate my business life and my spiritual life...while i was getting somewhere in my business, it was taking a discernable toll and stealing too much of ME to get there...because, DUH!!!...i was not operating within my life purpose...

for those of you who have studied with me and read my books and articles, i am sure that my passion for you to succeed did come through...for those who have been to my retreats and/or my  creativity workshops, you came much closer to discovering the inner BEing...when i decided to go into formation for spiritual direction, none of you seemed surprised which helped me realize that the Inner BEing must come through everything i do...the first in a series of BIG aa haa moments for me...

for years i have been trying to MAKE it happen, when all i needed to do was let it BE...and live the Purpose of Me...

once i stopped DOing and began BEing...and clearly understood doingness is the function of the body and beingness is a function of the soul...i leveled up from the default circumstances of my life and stepped confidently out on my path in full trust and belief that i am BEing who i was placed on this planet to BE!!!

Rebecca E. Parsons the Passionate Spiritual Leader and Mentor with a Big Job to do!!!







Tuesday, May 12, 2009

(r)Evolutionary Women...Day 2

so i am stepping boldly into my purpose...my soul purpose...and sometimes i have to pinch myself as i take step after faltering step into what i am called to do...i call that (r)Evolutionary Woman thing to do...for i am evolving big time...

i was recently told, by someone i trust implicitly, that i am a visionary spiritual leader and teacher with a BIG job to do...my first reaction was, "yeah right!"...but they persisted, and slowly i began to be open to the possibilities...

this was the same reaction i had when my spiritual director suggested that i go into formation for spiritual direction...that little transition from spark of idea until i enrolled in a program took several years...

this time, because of circumstances and my search for a way to re-engineer my life, i have decided to trust the universe that, along with the idea...it is inherent within me the ability too create it!!! you are never given an idea without the knowledge to manifest it..

so i walk in belief and trust...and i recall that wonderful quote from Napoleon Hill...
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are children of your soul, the (very) blueprint of your ultimate accomplishments.
so as i step into my vision and dreams...i invite you to join in the (r)Evolution...look for more about this in my next post...

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Beloved Women Before Me...

A Mother's Dat Tribute - first posted in 2005...

"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be." -The Beatles, Let it Be.



Let us pray for all of those who have ever undertaken the profession of motherhood and all the women who have come before us who helped shape us into the women we are today.


This is my beautiful and spirited Mother in one of her musicals (circa 1945). She was a singer and a dancer. She loved music. She had a radio show for years. I used to listen as a baby with my beloved Grandmother Annie Niland. A tale from my childhood: When I was about three, I missed my Mother. I was precocious, to say the least. I thought if I could get her out of that radio box, she would come home. I sent Annie to the kitchen to get me some juice. While she was gone, I took the opportunity to knock the radio off the stand and break it. Annie came rushing back in and found me standing amidst the pieces of the radio. Looking up at her with wide-eyed expectancy I announced, "Mommy will come home now." She didn't come home.






Me with the said radio


Mother and I circa 1953


My beloved Grandmother Anna Rebecca Casey Niland 
(she was in a play called The Girl of the Golden West)


My Beloved Grandmother  Emma Constance Bledsoe White

My beloved Great Grandmother "Nana" Casey

My beloved Great- Great Grandmother Penrod

Today's Intention - Tell your Mother how much you love her - in person, by phone, or in a prayer lifted up to her by angels.
U Be Creative Today!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

(r)Evelation...Day 1

"Circumstance does not make a woman, it reveals her to herself",  paraphrased James Allen from As a Man Thinketh

(r)Evelation

The circumstances of my life these past few years have (r)Evealed much to me...I have grown as a woman into my own place of freedom. The best part was uncovering the freedom to live an emotionally authentic life...my life lesson. And I have never been as excited and passionate as I am about this platform...

This is Day 1 of the unveiling of my new business platform. I will give you a little nugget with each post... This (r)E-Branding is a result of my stepping into my life purpose...embracing who I am fully and (r)Everently...and stumbling headlong down the path with joy and wild abandon!!!

Last week I offered a sneak peek with (r)Evolutionary Times...This is a time of (r)E-Engineering, (r)E-Purposing, (r)E-Branding and (r)E-Invention at (r)ebecca E. Parsons Studios, Inc.

It started with a significant (r)Evelation... By revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words. --Eph. iii. 3.

Revelation \Rev`e*la"tion\, n. [F. r['e]v['e]lation, L. revelatio.]
1. The act of revealing, disclosing, or discovering to others what was before unknown to them.
2. That which is revealed.
3. (Theol.)
(a) The act of revealing divine truth.
(b) That which is revealed by God to man; esp., the Bible.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

The (r)Evelation... I am a Spiritual Business Visionary who has a life purpose of leading the transition of women entrepreneurs into The Age of Aquarius.

1) Women Entrepreneurs Stabilizing our Economy,
2) Women Entrepreneurs Reinventing How Business is Done, and
3) Women Entrepreneurs Living Fully in Their Spirituality.

You might say, “This is a really BIG Vision.” And I would agree. How will this happen?

By creating Women Led, Spirit Fed TM companies that will become the employers, the role models, and the innovators of a new way of doing business. The old way of doing business has not served our economy, our planet, or us. It is time for massive change…time for new ideas and thinking…it is time for women to step fully into our innate abilities as leaders, heroines, and nurturers.

Stay tuned for the next step…

Monday, May 4, 2009

work like a woman...



please let me know what you think of my new venture...a link to the newsletter will appear on the webpage...

Sunday, May 3, 2009

doingness and beingness...


I am taking a Living Your Purpose course with Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations With God. I am a member of his Messenger's Circle


Today's Lesson is learning the difference between:

"Doingness" a function of the body
"Beingness" a function of the soul

To become clear on the purpose of your life, you must decide what you wish to BE not what you wish to DO.

This is the foundation for my new business model...working from the place of being - i.e. working from your soul in a way that supports your spirit and expresses who you are by aligning your passions with your purpose...