taking wing...soaring

this week i started taking flying lessons...no, not those normal one involving aircraft, control panels, maps, auto pilot and fuel...special flying lessons of the sort where i am learning to soar...my heart open and my own uniqueness on display...

let me back up for a minute...i suppose that this could very well involve aircraft, control panels, maps, auto pilot and fuel...for who but myself is at the controls of my life and business? who but i charts the course of my daily life and business? who but the world around me fuels my creativity?

you may believe that i already know how to fly...and, at times, i may even have reached my dreams here in Cre8Topia...but one can always dream bigger...right?

so i find myself heading into the wind with hundreds of other would-be flyers...here...with kelly rae roberts as flying instructor extraordinaire...

Cre8Tiva & i will be sharing our experiences as i go through flight school the next 5 weeks...my expectations are really big:

1. increase awareness of Cre8tive Compass Magazine, Blog & Radio Show 1 & 2
2. learn to monetize my blog & etsy
3. establish new and meaningful connections

all photos by Rebecca E. Parsons taken on Amelia Island, FL

Revisiting conspicuous consumption...

Seth Godin's blog post about Revisiting conspicuous consumption may be an answered prayer for those of us who are artists and craftsmen...

Rich people will always indulge the desire to stand out, but I wonder if there's a new version:

Spending on and investing in time, not stuff.

And it's not so wasteful, this focus on craftsmen.

The new trend in spending money is to buy things that are painstakingly hand built instead of efficiently mass produced. It might not be a better price than what you could buy at Target, but the very fact that you can pay for an artisan to create it, an artist to design it, a talented worker to bring it to life--that act makes a powerful statement about what you can afford and what's important to you. Instead of a bigger house, it's a house that's built from scratch by craftsmen. Instead of a bigger steak, it's a handmade dish of local poached vegetables...

think differently...

Lord, help us find our way back...

My Sabbath Song today is about our world and the economic path we have taken the past few decades... and i pray...Lord, help us find our way back...

as i pursue my dreams i have often asked the Lord to guide me to my deeper purpose...and He has responded by leading, and sometimes dragging me kicking and screaming, into my deeper purpose...

"Most of the companies I admire in the world I think have a deeper purpose. I've met a lot of successful entrepreneurs. They all started their businesses not to maximize shareholder value but to pursue a dream." -John Mackey, CEO and founder of Whole Foods Market, Inc. in a Wall Street Journal interview

looking to increase shareholders gains seems to have enabled a few blinded by greed people to bring our economy and our very lifestyles to the brink of collapse...

"Over the past few years, there clearly has been an erosion in the country's financial values. This erosion has happened at a time when the country's cultural monitors were busy with other things. They were off fighting a cultural war about prayer in schools and the theory of evolution. They were arguing about sex and the separation of church and state, oblivious to the large erosion of economic values happening under their feet." -David Brooks, The New York Times

we can no longer do business as usual..nor should we look to the past to repair the present and the future...we must look for new ideas and new people to be the visionary leaders who will accompany us on our journey out of this darkness and despair...

"Select capable men from all the people...men/women who fear God, trustworthy men/women who hate dishonest gain." -Exodus 18:21

if we had not been trying so hard to negate and devalue our "one country under God" founding principle...perhaps we could have elected/followed/believed those capable, trustworthy individuals who hate dishonest gain and not have been led to this place we find ourselves in today...

yet i stand firm in belief that we will find those visionary leaders who are out there for everyone to see...

"My deepest vocation is to be a witness of the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch." -Henri J.M. Nouwen

and we can catch a glimpse of them if we are open to the possibilities...

"There are people among us who are ethical, responsible and diligent. I hope your story encourages those who toil in obscurity to know that their reward is simple-- they will be ready when the test comes. We need to try to do the right thing every time, to perform our best because we never know what moment in our lives we'll be judged on." -US Airways Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger from a Wall Street Journal article by Jeffrey Zaslow

so i make a call to those of you who read my musings...to be open...and aware of those visionaries who touch your life and whose words resonate within your heart...

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teachings show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about you." -Titus 2:7-8

as i follow my path on this journey of my life i struggle to live by the words above...and of an old Irish prayer my Irish grandparents taught me...

"Three wishes I ask of the King when I part from my body: May I have nothing to confess, may I have no enemy, may I own nothing! Three wishes I ask this day of the King, ruler of suns: May I have no dignity or honours that lead me into torment! May I not work without reward before Christ! May God take my soul when it is most pure!"

all photography copyright rebecca e. parsons 2009

easy come...easy go...

♥heart♥ week had a crazy sad ending...these are always a mystery to me...i need my friends to send good energy my way...bless you in advance...

"We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world." Helen Keller

i guess i am learning another life lesson...to be brave and patient...within 6 minutes yesterday afternoon, the intern position i was so looking forward to and had worked very diligently for three days, went kaput...one minute i was skyping with my boss about what i had been working on...the next she was saying there was an emergency...then next thing is that my job description had vanished... this is the exact conversation with times:

[8/7/09 1:18:24 PM] Boss: S----e and I have some major internal issues we need to sort out

[8/7/09 1:18:30 PM] Boss: within the company - client issues

[8/7/09 1:18:50 PM] Boss: i apologize

[8/7/09 1:18:52 PM] Boss: it's unexpected

[8/7/09 1:19:15 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: okay...sorry

[8/7/09 1:19:25 PM] Boss: sorry?

[8/7/09 1:19:28 PM] Boss: not your fault

[8/7/09 1:19:31 PM] Boss: I apologize

[8/7/09 1:19:49 PM] Boss: it seems C---a wants on full time and we need to speak to her

[8/7/09 1:20:23 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: okay...i understand...will hold you in good energy

[8/7/09 1:24:38 PM] Boss: thanks Rebecca

[8/7/09 1:24:43 PM] Boss: sorry - don't mean to be flakey

[8/7/09 1:24:58 PM] Boss: but if she wants full time - then we essentially lose your entire job descrip

[8/7/09 1:25:01 PM] Boss: so I need to speak to her

[8/7/09 1:25:12 PM] Boss: i was under the impressiont hat she was having family issues

[8/7/09 1:25:21 PM] Boss: i apologize i will speak to her and see what the deal is

[8/7/09 1:25:22 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: wow...that hurts

[8/7/09 1:25:41 PM] Boss: i am sorry?

[8/7/09 1:25:58 PM] Boss: i didn't understand? do u mean for C---a or for you?

[8/7/09 1:26:17 PM] Rebecca E. Parsons: for me... :(

at 8:15 PM i received this e-mail from the Boss:

I am so sorry about C---a. She will be on full time – and really needs the money for her husband’s treatment. I am afraid that she will pretty much be doing everything we had set aside for you! It won’t be a “real” intern experience this way. I am just as disappointed – but I don’t want this to be a dead end for you. I am so sorry. I was pretty excited to work with you. We would still love to refer out folks for web copy to you – and utilize your graphic design experience as the need comes.

so the intern position that started with such high hopes on wednesday, officially ended friday...was i wacky to be excited about an opportunity i found over facebook? with people and a company i knew little or nothing about? is the the way business will be conducted in the future? without regard to someone's feelings...with no respect? is it easier to do this to someone because the relationship is virtual? just a see ya???

H E A R T L E S S

i am almost speechless....still in shock..and my heart is broken open...

those of you who have been following me this past 18 months know exactly how much that income meant to me...it meant food and electrical power...although i still believe that everything happens as it should and that i live in the midst of infinite abundance...it is a little more difficult today...

so i am learning another life lesson...to be brave and patient...in the face of heartbreak and hunger...please pray for me...

two jobs thru facebook...leveraging the power of social media

I dwell in the midst of infinite abundance...

inspired by a post by blissstudios (Tuesday 14th July 2009)

i am, as you are, an energetic being...created from energy, surrounded by energy, and using the power of thought to create my world...

this week something amazing happened...an answer to prayers surely...i responded to two facebook posts about jobs...and manifested both of them...the power of positive energy combined with the power of social media...energy radiates forth...to create what i desire...

so how did this happen...two different companies posted a comment on facebook about needing help...one as an social media intern for an Internet marketing company...the other as a copywriter, web/graphic designer for an Internet launch business...i posted a reply of interest...they requested a resume...we corresponded over the weekend...and on tuesday i was told that they both wanted to hire me...

lesson: always conduct yourself with honesty, respect, and integrity over social media because everything you post, or is posted about you, will reflect on the person that you are...and create a personal brand of sorts...what does your social media brand say about you???

Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true. ~Brian Tracy

my beliefs about who I am and what I can co-create with God are limitless...my vibrational output and my inner dialog must always be focused on what i want, not on what i do not have...for i know:

What i worry about is what i create.

so i am grateful and blessed beyond measure this week...and I dwell in the midst of infinite abundance...

What in the World is Going On???

In a Feb. 2007 article by Herbert Meyer entitled What in the World is Going On? there are some profound statements:

"We are coming to the end of the age of employer and employee. Employers can't guarantee jobs anymore because they don't know what their companies will look like next year. Everyone is on their way to becoming an independent contractor. The new workforce contract will be: Show up at my office five days a week and do what I want, but handle your own insurance, benefits and health care. This used to happen only with highly educated professionals. Now it is happening at the level of the factory floor worker."

"This fracturing of American business is now in its second generation."

"This has several implications, the first of which is that we are now getting false readings on the economy."

"Outsourcing also confused the numbers."

Obviously something has confused the numbers and the corporations and the nation...

We must ask ourselves, "Can we possibly trust the same people that got us into this economic mess to get us out of it?"

I do not believe we can...

Our world is indeed going through a cleansing process...and no place will this cleansing be more evident than in the world of business! We no longer trust big corporations balance sheets nor the executives who approved them. We see jobs disappearing and finances crumbling as a result of the virtual business model and greed of the past few decades.

It is time for a change. It is time for new thinking. It is time to restructure the way we work and feel about working. Small businesses will use this transition period to reshape and re-engineer the very foundation of our economic structure.

I believe that now, more than ever before, women are poised to lead these small businesses with an inherent skill and a pioneering spirit I call the (r)Evolutionary Woman.

The (r)Evolution of (r)Ebecca...

I have created a new business model honoring my soul, my values and my vision. I stand firmly in the knowing that my life and business are never really separate…so you will see that my approach to mentoring is holistic taking care of every part of you–spiritual, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative and material. This is the basis for my Lifestyle Business model.

I have a lot of business knowledge to give women, especially spiritual women business owners. I have been mentoring people for the past 15 years, usually on a one-to-one basis. I have helped them build wildly successful businesses doing what they love.

I keep talking about my path and journey, so you will understand the process I went through to get where I am today. And the Evolution Revolution I experienced.

Learning to embrace fully the creative part of me has always been easy–a piece of cake. When I was struggling to make money doing what I love, I made the conscious decision to become an expert in business management and practices. The student of all things business became my analysis addiction. And that addiction propelled me into expert status. With that hard-won expertise, I have helped thousands of people learn to be skilled entrepreneurs.

But too much of anything can be just that…too much! I realized I was spending so much time exercising and developing my business muscles that other areas of my life began to atrophy. And when a good thing causes paralysis by analysis, you have to (re)Group big-time.

I began to search for balance in my life and my business and gradually my business evolved into what I call 'a lifestyle business' – one that supports who I am, honors my way of life, and aligns my passion with my purpose.

About a decade ago, having mastered the creative and business paths of my life’s journey, I felt the stirrings of something else. Something that had always been an important part of my life and who I am…my foundation–my spirituality.

My spirituality has always been a part of how I operated my businesses because it could never be separated from the me that I am. Although I never had the courage to verbalize it, my spiritual self managed to come across in my books, articles, speeches and teaching. People were coming to me to learn art making and/or business, and leaving with life-altering breakthroughs. These are typical responses of my students:

“I came to learn how to be a faux finisher, but Rebecca changed my life. She taught me how to value myself as a woman and honor the talent I have, plus so much more.”

“I still have my rock from your speech a few years ago.” (He takes a rock from his pocket and shows me) “That day was a turning point in my life and my business. I learned that I could charge what I needed to charge and not feel guilty about it. My wife and family call you our angel.”

“I was getting a divorce and was so depressed and afraid when I met Rebecca. The three days I spent with her mentoring, teaching and befriending me changed my perception, my life and my soul. I was able to reinvent myself and create a thriving business doing what I love. Thank you Rebecca from the bottom of my heart.”

So I cautiously began integrating the spiritual, the creative and the business parts of me to form a new business model. During this process I discovered three life-changing things:

My Life Purpose is…Visionary Spiritual Leader, Mentor and Healer with a Big (global) Job to Do. This means I am here to create new groundbreaking ideas and be a spiritual leader, mentor and healer on a massive scale.

My Life School is...Love and Service. This means I am here to develop my ability to love myself and others while staying present with my feelings no matter the circumstance; not to stuff my emotions, withdraw or go out of control. I am also here to develop my ability to be in service consciousness while I learn to serve joyfully without an agenda; to help, not control; to service others without neglecting myself.

My Life Lesson is...Emotional Authenticity and Self-Sacrifice. This means I must open my heart, feel the feelings and embrace fully all aspects of my personality while learning to nurture without burdensome obligation, self-sacrifice, self-indulgence or selfishness.

It was in attending this life school and doing the homework of the life lessons that I became an Holistic Soul Proprietor™ and a Wealth BEing™. Because I have clarity of purpose, my life and my business have blossomed beyond my wildest dreams. Now I am comfortable to live amongst this ability to build a life while serving others and guiltlessly making money doing what I love. And I am able to help others also!

This all brings me to my new business model and the launch of my new business venture…

Rebecca E. Parsons Holistic Wealth BEing and Wealth Being Mentor
Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs
–helping them birth the business of their dreams!

I will help you....

1. Affirm & Live the Purpose of You
2. Level Up from the default circumstances of your life
3. Faultlessly earn piles of money doing what you love
4. Create your personal economy
5. Honor your soul, your values, and your lifestyle

My life purpose is to help you become an Holistic Wealth BEing...

Visit the Wealth Being Mentor Blog today!

your heart's passion...

passion is the life blood flowing forth from you to connect to the world...

what is your burning desire...

what keeps you up late into the night without regard to time or space...

what fuels your soul?

You must be able to passionately describe your vision. You must have a fire burning inside you. You must be driven by your dream. I received this question from a former coaching student. The following is the question and my answer...it describes my feeling about passion...

I am a fan ... read you in the The Faux Finisher all the time ... you have the life I should have had ... and hope to have something similar soon ... thank you for your inspiration and your advice ... M

M:

Thank you for your kind words. I pray that your dreams come true soon. You can always start part-time while doing another job. I did!! It takes patience, but is worth it in the end. If you have a passion for painting and believe in your skills, you can do what you love every day...I promise.

To help you do this, I will share a Secret Plan to reorienting your life around your passion. This is actually a session from my Mini Business Workshop. The plan begins with passion and leads to success.

The first step in the plan—starting from the heart and discovering your passion—by identifying your dreams. Start from any other source and you set yourself up for frustration and regret. Fulfillment comes only when the results you seek and the activities you embrace are in accordance with the person you are. You cannot look to reason or judgment for insights into your soul. Who you are is what’s in your heart.

Make A Decision, Make A Commitment

You have probably thought and dreamed about having your own business for years. All too often people convince themselves that you could not succeed. You fail to make the DECISION TO GO FOR IT.

This is the simplest step to take for your future, but many people fail to take it and live their lives with regrets. Just decide that you are going to go for it and make a commitment to make this goal a reality. It’s that simple! Do you know how many great artists are working jobs that they hate, dreaming of something else, but refusing to take this one step? It costs nothing to decide. Commitment is free. You are limiting yourself. Why?

You must be able to passionately describe your vision. You must have a fire burning inside you. You must be driven by your dream.

My second little secret to achieving your goals is writing them down. Take a sheet of paper and write the following - "I must be a decorative painter and I am committed to making this a reality." That is all you need to do now. You have taken the first step toward your dream, you have put it on paper. Now your brain can start working on how to achieve it. I am proud of you.

After you come to terms with your Dream, it is time for reasoning and rationalizing. You must clarify your purpose and define your actions—you need to think. Because the world can often dissuade you from pursuing your passion by presenting roadblocks. You must pursue it with forethought and care. Careful and thoughtful planning can help you define a purpose and set a strategy for following your Dream. This is our Business Plan

Once you have felt you passion and thought it through, it is time to act. Equipped with both your passion and your plan, you will begin to make changes in your life. This is Taking Care of Business.

If you remain true to your passion and follow these steps, you will find the results you seek. And you will also reap rewards you never anticipated because passion can take you to another level of living. It can open worlds and expand horizons. It can bring new awareness and heightened perceptions. It can empower and improve. Your idea of Success may change as you begin to fulfill your potential, but your passion will propel you onward to even greater achievement and happiness.

so what point am i trying to make with this? last night i spoke with one of my mentors. He asked me about my new business model and asked me to describe it. I faltered at first and then went on to describe 2 or 3 business models i am trying to marry... He listened and then said, "Rebecca, you have a track record and an established brand with the Doing What You Love. You have credibility and name recognition, why do you want to change that?"

this was written about me a few years ago:

A master decorative painter, widely-read columnist, popular motivational speaker and instructor, Rebecca E. Parsons has spent over 30 years honing her craft. For the past fifteen years she has been advising, mentoring, and consulting creative entrepreneurs worldwide. Her knowledge of the business and her passion for successful entrepreneurship have made her the industry’s most recognized advocates for business success. Her book “Do What You Love–Love What You Do, The Step–by–Step Guide to Creative Business,” is hailed as the best business guide on the market.

so i am wondering why i have lack of clarity and focus at this time...i need to follow my own advice and teaching...i opened my book this morning searching for the passages about passion and realized i need to sit down and read my own book!!! and do what i have always told students to do -- ACT!!!

(r)Evolution of (r)Ebecca...Day 7

my life purpose print - 2009*

I have created a business honoring my soul, my values and my vision. I stand firmly in the knowing that life and business are never really separate…so you will see that my approach to mentoring is holistic taking care of every part of you–spiritual, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative and material. This is the basis for my Lifestyle Business model.

I have a lot of business knowledge to give women, especially spiritual women business owners. I have been mentoring people for the past 15 years, usually on a one-to-one basis. I have helped them build wildly successful businesses doing what they love.

I keep talking about my path and journey, so you will understand the process I went through to get where I am today. And the Evolution Revolution I experienced.

Learning to embrace fully the creative part of me has always been easy–apiece of cake. When I was struggling to make money doing what I love, I made the conscious decision to become an expert in business management and practices. The student of all things business became my analysis addiction. And that addiction propelled me into expert status. With that hard-won expertise, I have helped thousands of people learn to be skilled entrepreneurs.

But too much of anything can be just that…too much! I realized I was spending so much time exercising and developing my business muscles that other areas of my life began to atrophy. And when a good thing causes paralysis by analysis, you have to (re)Group big-time.

I began to search for balance in my life and my business and gradually my business evolved into a lifestyle business–one that supports who I am, honors my way of life, and aligns my passion with my purpose.

About a decade ago, having mastered the creative and business paths of my life’s journey, I felt the stirrings of something else. Something that had always been an important part of my life and who I am…my foundation–my spirituality.

My spirituality has always been a part of how I operated my businesses because it could never be separated from the me I am. Although I never had the courage to verbalize it, my spiritual self managed to come across in my books, articles, speeches and teaching. People were coming to me to learn art making and/or business, and leaving with life-altering breakthroughs. These are typical responses of my students:

“I came to learn how to be a faux finisher, but Rebecca changed my life. She taught me how to value myself as a woman and honor the talent I have, plus so much more.”

“I still have my rock from your speech a few years ago.” (He takes a rock from his pocket and shows me) “That day was a turning point in my life and my business. I learned that I could charge what I needed to charge and not feel guilty about it. My wife and family call you our angel.”

“I was getting a divorce and was so depressed and afraid when I met Rebecca. The three days I spent with her mentoring, teaching and befriending me changed my perception, my life and my soul. I was able to reinvent myself and create a thriving business doing what I love. Thank you Rebecca from the bottom of my heart.”

So I began integrating the spiritual, the creative and the business parts of me to form a new business model. During this process I learned three life-changing things in the past few years:

1. My Life Purpose is…Visionary Spiritual Leader, Mentor and Healer with a Big (global) Job to Do. This means I am here to create new groundbreaking ideas and be a spiritual leader, mentor and healer on a massive scale.
   
2. My Life School is...Love and Service. This means I am here to develop my ability to love myself and others while staying present with my feelings no matter the circumstance; not to stuff my emotions, withdraw or go out of control. I am also here to develop my ability to be in service consciousness while I learn to serve joyfully without an agenda; to help, not control; to service others without neglecting myself.
   
3. My Life Lesson is...Emotional Authenticity and Self-Sacrifice. This means I must open my heart, feel the feelings and embrace fully all aspects of my personality while learning to nurture without burdensome obligation, self-sacrifice, self-indulgence or selfishness.

It was in attending this life school and doing the homework of the life lessons that I became an Holistic Soul Proprietor™ and a Wealth BEing™. Because I have clarity of my purpose, my life and my business have blossomed beyond my wildest dreams. Now I am comfortable to live amongst this ability to build a life while serving others and guiltlessly making money doing what I love.

This all brings me to my new business model and the launch of my new business venture…

Rebecca E. Parsons Holistic Wealth BEing 

and Wealth Being Mentor

Mentor & Midwife to Heart & Spirit Centered Lifestyle Entrepreneurs

–helping them birth the business of their dreams!

I will help you....

1. Affirm & Live the Purpose of You 
   
2. Level Up from the default circumstances of your life

   
3. Guiltlessly earn piles of money doing what you love


   
4. Create your personal economy


   
5. Honor your soul, your values, and your lifestyle

My life purpose is to help you become an Holistic Wealth BEing...

* Ask about a custom Life Purpose Art Print of your hand with a hand analysis to reveal your life purpose, school and lesson!

(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

(re)Purposing...Day 5

Off into the unknown…somewhere 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…

(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…

(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.

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!!!

(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...

(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…

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...

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...

Do You Know What I Do???

Well do you??? If you have been reading my blog for a while you should know...unless I have not been so good about telling you about my Cre8Tive Businesses...after all I am a Cre8Tive Entrepreneur....

========================================

Do your readers know about your home business?

adapted from quiz by naomi dunford @ itty biz

Here's the game and challenge...answer the following in a blog post...Just Do It...NOW!!!! Don't forget to leave a comment with a link back to your answers!!!

1. What’s your game? What do you do?
2. Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those knacks?
3. Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?
4. What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the others?
5. What’s next for you? What’s the big plan?
   

So here are my answers....let me know if you knew what I do...I will be most interested in the answer and to find out what you do...

What’s Cre8Tiva/Rebecca's game? (btw - these are my elevator speeches)

Cre8Tiva
I’m a midwife for small, sole-proprietor creative entrepreneurs. I help them birth their business idea all the way from dream through success. 

Rebecca
As a designer and wordsmith...I design and develop innovative business communication (print and web) to help creative entrepreneurs find ways to double their income and have fun doing what they love.  

What do I do?

As a creative entrepreneur, I understand the needs of the small creative business. Together we create an inspired, inventive, original, and clever action plan tailored to those specific needs. Then we walk your action plan together...with me as the companion, cheerleader and tough love advisor.

We develop your brand identity by creating the right marketing materials, with the right words to attract the right clients, achieve your business dreams and ensure your business gets noticed, sounds good and sells more. We specialize in the creation of an appealing image with compelling content that will articulate your vision and engage your audience.

Your package is customized to fit your budget and needs. Everything is possible: from website and/or blog design and content development, brand identity to collateral pieces, newsletter creation to video production. 

Why do I do it? 

I have a passion to succeed and to help others succeed doing what they love. My motto is...it is no harder to do what you love than to do what you don't... I have one life purpose...to empower you to do what you love for the rest of your life. I have been on a blessed journey for over 35 years, learning much along the way. I love to share that creative business knowledge with you on your journey to self-employment.

Who are my customers? What kind of people would need or want what I offer?

Our customers simply want to do what they love and earn a living doing it. 

Artisans and craftspeople, from any discipline, can create all day but usually have trouble selling themselves and the work of their hands. We can change that.

What’s my marketing USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? Why should you buy from me instead of the other firms?

As a boutique design firm, REP Studios, Inc. brings expertise instead of process, ways of thinking instead of methodologies. We are willing to push the envelope creatively. Our team possesses specialized design, writing, and branding skills and has a lot of experience as a small, sole-proprietor creative entrepreneurs.

Rebecca, a 35-year professional artist and business owner, leads the way with specific expertise as a veteran creative entrepreneur. This speciality knowledge brings more credibility to the table—as creative business success is our chief focus.

There are many advantages to working with a boutique firm: A more intimate connection with the designer and a designer who picks up her own phone. Your experience will be more personal and satisfying.

What do you need from your design service provider? Do you need to fix a problem; create a brand, or publish a book? Our mission and our legacy is to help shape your aspirations into a profit-making business.

Are you looking for a long-term, strategic partnership or are you looking for someone to build a working prototype and bill you for it? REP Studios offer both.

What’s next for Cre8Tiva and Rebecca?

1. Sell my art on Etsy
2. New websites up and running - U Be Creative and Art as Prayer
   
3. Tutorial and workshop videos
4. eBooks...I have written several books, thousands of articles, and millions of words in my lifetime. Convert them to e-books
   
5. Continue developing the Cre8Tiva brand

What’s the big plan?

Keep on doing what I love and helping you do it too! Launch The Artist as a Spiritual Traveler.

This was a great exercise for me today...it helped me clarify and quantify some business plans. I have been doing a SWOT Analysis...a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. I will show what I did in my next post...

please take a moment to become a fan of my blog if you like what you see..click at the top of the right column...have a gr8 weekend

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats....

One of my most useful discovery tools is a SWOT Analysis. I use it often and almost always use it with the artisans I coach. The process always gets me to focus in on my next big idea (and I have a million ideas). It helps me:

1. Determine what personal attributes are helpful to achieving the objective;
   
2. Determine what personal attributes are harmful to achieving the objective;
   
3. Determine what external conditions are helpful to achieving the objective; and 
   
4. Determine what external conditions could do damage to the performance.

 my visual SWOT analysis

What is a SWOT Analysis?

A discovery of your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats  for a specific goal. A personal SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique to identify your Strengths and Weaknesses and to examine the Opportunities and Threats you face. A business/career SWOT can help you discover and develop your unique niche which utilizes your specific talents, abilities, and opportunities to the fullest.

Download your SWOT Analysis Worksheet PDF file . This is with my compliments to do your own analysis.

As an artist it is helpful for me to create a visual SWOT Analysis as shown above. I illustrate my strengths after I do the above form. During this illustration process I work through many ideas and usually have an answer when I am finished with the artwork. It is a type of visual journaling also that I allow to flow intuitively.

Identification of your SWOTs is essential because subsequent steps in the process of planning for the success of the selected objective may be derived from your SWOTs.

The first objective is to determine whether the goal is attainable, given my SWOTs. If the objective is NOT attainable, I must choose a different objective and repeat the process.

If, on the other hand, the objective seems attainable, my SWOTs are used as source information to the creative generation of possible strategies, by asking and answering each of the following four questions, several times:

• How can I Use each Strength?
  
• How can I Improve each Weakness?
  
• How can I Exploit each Opportunity?
  
• How can I Mitigate each Threat?

When used in a personal context, it helps you develop your career path in a way that takes best advantage of your talents, abilities and opportunities.

What makes a SWOT analysis particularly powerful is that with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you are best suited to do. By gaining a clear understanding your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats before they possibly cause you problems.

Possibly the best outcome of a SWOT analysis is the ability to craft a strategy that allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors, capture your fair market share, and compete successfully.

How to use the tool:

To carry out a SWOT Analysis, print out our free worksheet, and answers to the following questions:

Strengths:

1. What advantages (for example, skills, education or connections) do I have that others don't have?
   
2. What do I do better than anyone else?
   
3. What personal resources do I have access to?
   
4. What do other people see as my strengths?
   

Consider this from your own perspective and from the point of view of the people around you. And don't be modest, be as objective as you can. If you are having any difficulty with this, try making a list of your characteristics. Some of these will be strengths!

Click for a great checklist of strengths.

Weaknesses:

1. What could you improve?
   
2. What should you avoid?
   
3. What things are the people around you likely to see as weaknesses?
   

Again, consider this from a personal and external basis: Do other people perceive weaknesses that you do not see? Do co-workers consistently out-perform you in key areas? It is best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible.

Opportunities:

1. Where are the good opportunities facing you?
   
2. What are the interesting trends you are aware of?
   
3. Useful opportunities can come from such things as:

A useful approach to looking at opportunities is also to look at your strengths and ask yourself whether these open up any opportunities. Alternatively, look at your weaknesses and ask yourself whether you could open up opportunities by eliminating them.

Threats:

1. What obstacles do you face?
   
2. What are the people around you doing?
   
3. Is your job (or the demand for the things you do) changing?
   
4. Is changing technology threatening your position?
   
5. Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten you?
   

Carrying out this analysis will often be illuminating - both in terms of pointing out what needs to be done, and in putting problems into perspective.

Mindtools says: A SWOT matrix is a framework for analyzing your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats you face. This helps you to focus on your strengths, minimize weaknesses, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available.

I encourage you to use this for decision making, especially business decisions. Let me know how you like it and if it helps you.

Information for this article was taken from:
Mindtools