Women, Intuition and Business: The Fruits of My Labor

Many of us have been taught “do what you love and the money will follow.” But what if we’ve been doing what we love and the money hasn’t found its way to us yet – and isn’t even tagging along at a distance?

There are many of us who are blazing forward with our passion, with our vision of how we want the world to be. We are creating products and services that heal, nurture, connect, beautify, educate and empower. But there is a disconnect going on. Many of us have taken the big leap into the pool of faith and are doing what we love, but we are not realizing the financial splendor that was promised to us. For many this has not only been a crisis of finances, but also a crisis of faith.

The well-known film, ‘The Secret’, told us that if we think it, vision it and believe it, it will come. Most of us, however, by now have discovered that there were some important elements missing from that formula. I was determined to find out what these were.

I decided to participate in a free teleseminar led by Gina Ratliffe, success coach and motivational speaker, and David Neagle, an income acceleration coach for entrepreneurs. Gina’s story is about going from being completely broke to running a million dollar business. I wanted to find out what she knew that I didn’t.

What she discovered was that she was missing some key elements in her financial life — and these were adequate structures, systems and a sound marketing strategy.

To some the idea of setting these important systems and strategies to run a business might seem elementary, but to those of us who are follow-your-heart people and live by the more intuitive sense of things – those important elements never seem to rise to the top of the agenda.

So I wondered, was I wrong to start a business on intuition? I don’t think so. But my experience shows me that intuition alone won’t put tofu on the table…and I suspect that there are plenty of like-minded spiritual seekers out there who would be inclined to agree.

We as yogis are taught that the word yoga means union. So how about this union – Ms. Intuition meets Mr. Market Strategy?

It might be a fun first date, but how long will it last and what do you think the odds are that the union will bear fruit?

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Tabby Biddle is a writer and editor specializing in helping women entrepreneurs and emerging authors get their message out. Additionally she is the founder of Lotus Blossom Style, a yoga lifestyle company created to support women in their personal transformation. She lives in Santa Monica, CA.

Make Your Own Luck

“What are the odds that the next person you meet will change your day, your year, your life?” This is the opening line of an article I recently read in Oprah’s February issue of “O.” “Chance of a Lifetime” discusses whether or not we make our own DESTINY. Coincidentally (or maybe not), I was looking at that magazine in the offices of Oprah’s new network OWN, getting ready to pitch ideas to network executives.

I have always been a big believer in signs that the Universe provides to knock us onto our track or to assure us that we are indeed on the right track. For instance when I see a look-a-like of the dog I had as a child, I feel like the Universe is telling me that everything is okay…that I am on the right track. Then when I see TWO of these dogs at the same time, then I know things are REALLY good.

On the other hand, I have been a big believer in making things happen. For example, when I wanted to work for the National Geographic Society, I called every connection I had there, requested informational interviews, and did my NGS homework. I got the job.

I have vacillated between the theories and practices of making things happen and letting things happen throughout my life. Sometimes I am totally on side, sometimes on the other, and sometimes I embrace both. Lately I have been struggling with where I am now.

Colleen Seifert, PhD, who is featured in the O article and is a specialist in cognitive psychology (the science of why people think the way they do) shed some light on this battle of philosophies. “Chance favors the prepared mind,” Seifert says quoting Louis Pasteur. It sounds good to me, but what does this actually mean?

My interpretation of what Dr. Seifert says is that we are always exposed to randomness. By definition a chance encounter is a random event. Our actions however play a crucial role in the outcome. When you are mentally prepared for a chance encounter you give yourself the opportunity to change your behavior and take action. Life hasn’t changed. It is still random. But you may have. So maybe Louis Pasteur had a good point. The prepared mind has a better chance of getting what it wants, or as many call it, “getting lucky.”

Seifert isn’t alone in believing that if you prepare yourself to make the most of chance encounters, good things are waiting to happen. Apparently there is a real science to prove that while you can’t control the random events of life, you can indeed create your own luck. Take for example the research of Richard Wiseman, PhD.

Dr. Wiseman has spent more than a decade investigating why some people have more luck than others and argues that only 10 percent of life is truly random and that 90 percent is actually defined by the way we think, In his book, The Luck Factor, Wiseman says, “Luck is not a magical ability or a gift from the gods…instead, it is a way of thinking and behaving…Lucky people create, notice, and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives.” Another way to say this I think is that being in the right place at the right time is actually about being in the right state of mind.

As I sort all of this out, I think back to when I have had most success and what my strategy and state of mind was at the time. I have tended to think that chance encounters, fortunate circumstances and great successes have come from the friendly Universe. But maybe it is not chance after all. Maybe I really am making my own luck. I still feel gratitude to the Universe though when I see one of those dogs.

Do you think you can make your own luck?

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Tabby Biddle is a writer and editor specializing in helping women entrepreneurs and emerging authors get their message out. Additionally she is the founder of Lotus Blossom Style, a yoga lifestyle company created to support women in their personal transformation. She lives in Santa Monica, CA.

What Sounds Help You Tune Into Your Best Vibes?

photo by Lee Schneider

Stressed? Yes, most are these days…but what do you do to bring back your sanity?

I tend to choose yoga, quiet time, fresh air, walking, running, and being with friends as my de-stressors, but there is something else that has been showing up on my radar …and that is chanting, singing and the power of SOUND.

Think of how you feel when you hear the sound of a baby crying, compared to the soothing sound of trickling rain, to the sound of a jackhammer, ocean waves, gunshots on the tv news, or the sound of laughter. We all can feel how sound affects our mood, but what is interesting to me is why and how.

I recently learned that sound does not go through a thinking process. Sound actually connects to the emotional component of our brain.  Sound vibrations also reverberate through our bones. Knowing that, it’s more clear how sound can stress and conversely how sound can relieve and heal.

One of my resources for learning about the power of sound is my good friend Cecily Miller who has been using sound techniques for almost 20 years. Cecily is a sound specialist and is the founder and creator of Baby Welcoming, a company that supports pregnant women and their partners as they lovingly welcome their baby into their life. Sounding is one of Cecily’s amazing services. Click here for a sample.

So what if you are not a pregnant woman, but want to try out sounding as a de-stressor and technique to enhance your well-being?

If you live in the Los Angeles area, Cecily offers group classes as well as private sessions that she calls “Tune-Ups.” She says: “When we stress we contract and this activates in the nervous system a flight/flight/freeze reaction. Sound speaks to, infuses and clears cells, bones, tissues, and muscles…Sound will communicate with the real you and tune into your best vibes.” Cecily is a great teacher and I highly recommend working with her.

If you are not in the LA area or aren’t into trying out a class, you can tune into sounds from your own body such as your breath or your heartbeat, you can tune into nature sounds such as ocean waves or the birds outside, or you can tune into the sound of your loved ones.

What sounds help you tune into your best vibes?

Women’s Stories to Change the World

I’m finally doing it! I am writing that long dreamed of book that I have been yearning to write.

My kick in the butt came from a very talented friend, writer and teacher, Jen Sincero, who teaches a class called “How to Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal in 8 Weeks.” Jen lives in Venice, CA and has written two books, “Don’t Sleep with Your Drummer,” and “The Straight Girl’s Guide to Sleeping with Chicks.” Jen is a hoot and just the one I needed to get myself right to it and have fun! While my story is not about sex, it is about being naked.

Ten years ago I left an adventurer’s dream job at the National Geographic Society to take a year-long personal journey through Nepal and Southeast Asia. Before I left, I was asked if I wanted to take a laptop to report on stories from afar. While this could have been an outstanding career opportunity, I declined. This trip was for me … it was a personal journey. I wanted a trip where I could find my own rhythm, find my own pace and not be accountable to anyone but myself. I wanted to be naked — with nothing between me and the experience.

Through my travels I found, ironically, that the farther I moved away from my comfort zone and the familiar, the closer I actually felt to the truth of my very own self. So what was keeping me from writing my book? Were my stories not worth telling?

In the ten years that have passed since that initial transformational trip (with many later that followed) I have come to realize that I cannot keep my stories to myself anymore. I feel that my stories and many women’s stories need to be told NOW.

But why the urgency?

As I look at the situation we are in nationally and globally, I wonder how we are going to pull ourselves out…make the shift…create the change. In my opinion, I think we need the strong work and wisdom of women in the formula. It feels as if there has never been such an important time for women to STEP UP, support each other and step more into our truth. One powerful way this can happen is by sharing our stories…and sharing them honestly. This is not to take men out of the equation by any means, but it is to put women more into the equation.

Maybe as women we need a little extra kick and faith that our story is worth telling? I know I did. I think that as we share our stories, we can shift our world onto a better path.

What is your story to tell? How will you tell it? When will you start?