One of my joys of entrepreneurship is occasionally letting my kids skip their after-school program to have playmates over after school. Monday afternoon was such a day for my daughter K and her friend D.  The two girls schemed for this event for a week.  They planned to wear matching outfits, bake cookies, and go door-to-door in our neighborhood selling them.  When K initially informed me of the agenda, I admit I was completely resistant. 

I was surprised at my resistance.  Shouldn’t I have been excited that the Joy of Entrepreneurship could be catching on in my next generation?  Then I remembered my secret truth: selling scares me.  Oh, yeah – that. 

Determined not to let my fears get in the way of my kids’ growth (just as I do everything I can to push gently through my fears for the sake of my business’ growth), I chose to wholeheartedly endorse her idea.  Here’s what I learned about selling from K and D’s foray into the one-day cookie business:

1. Believe in your product.  The kids sampled both flavors (sugar and chocolate chip!), so they knew first-hand how delicious they were and could speak to  prospective customers about it.  Note for Brilliance-Based Businesswomen: recognize and be able to articulate your Brilliance and its value.
    
2. Knock first on the doors of the people who like you best.   K didn’t methodically go up and down the street knocking on every single door.  She started with the neighbors who know her.  With each big sale, she and D felt more confident going to the next house.  Note for Brilliance-Based Businesswomen: networking is great, but start by selling your services within your existing community. 
    
3. Buddy up.  K can be shy at first, but D felt comfortable stepping right up to ask for each neighbor’s business. K handled the money.  Eventually they felt ready to trade roles.  Note for Brilliance-Based Businesswomen: if you can’t bring a friend or team member when you talk to your prospects, work with a mentor to learn the ropes until you feel comfortable. going at it alone.

I’m proud of myself for supporting my daughter to experience something that scared me a bit.  Do I see the irony in having this fear of selling, when I teach entrepreneurship skills to women?  Absolutely!  But we all teach what we’re here to learn.  It’s part of our Brilliance.

Recently I had a dream where I triumphantly declared, “I’m a billionaire!!!”  I felt so happy, and so, so relieved.  When I woke up immediately afterward, that feeling of delight enveloped me.  And then I realized – I’d never ever before imagined myself as a billionaire. A millionaire, I’d dreamed of.  But never higher.  Even my dreams tend to be practical.  What could happen if I started dreaming bigger?

A few days later, I dropped by an open house, just for fun.  As I walked through each room I thought, “This is where I’d love to live.”  Before then, I’d never dreamed of living in a house like that.  I hadn’t even imagined one.  The house wasn’t particularly big or fancy, but it was laid out in a unique way that seemed to perfectly suit my family’s needs. Even better, it was situated very close to a dear friend and in a top school district.  Once I had that visual, I started imagining the three of us moving to such a home.

That same afternoon I began my scheduled spring vacation, all by myself.  Have you ever taken a solo vaca?  I never had.  Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS.  For five days and five nights, I did what I wanted, when I wanted, where I wanted.  I read, rode my bike, took a tennis lesson, sat on the beach, shopped, sat in the outdoor hot tub, had a mani/pedi, ate well, wrote in my journal and slept tons.  My rejuvenating retreat was a dream come true.

Being away from my daily routine and usual environment freed my brain. I felt different.  The billionaire dream combined with seeing my ideal house seemed to blast an invisible ceiling on my imagination.

As soon as I returned from vacation I received this Note from the Universe:

The real reason your brain is so large, compared to most of the other blessed creatures dwelling in time and space, is so that you can vividly imagine all the exquisite, exciting, and enthralling details of your heart’s desires; not so that you can figure out who you need to meet, when you need to meet them, where you need to be, or how you’re going to pull it all together. Your brain’s not nearly that big.

But mine is,

The Universe

Just days later, I received this Note:

A main “Criterion of Consciousness” for the human experience is never having all you want. For as one dream comes true, another swiftly takes its place. Not having all you want is one of life’s constants. And learning to be happy while not yet having all you want is the first “Criterion of Joy.”

Thanks to this series of experiences, I get it now!  My role is to dream as vividly as possible, as big as possible, whether I’m asleep or awake.  It is NOT to figure out the “how” all by myself.  And the fact that I currently have dreams that haven’t come true yet is absolutely no indication that I’m incapable of having dreams that become reality.  With this newfound wisdom, I feel happier and more excited about life!

What are your biggest dreams?  Could you dream even bigger?  Do you ever doubt that your dreams could come true because you don’t know how to bring them to fruition?  Please, share below so we can support each other.

I was sick recently.  Had a raging sore throat and headache and generally felt wiped out physically.  Surprisingly, it lasted a few weeks.  I knew I only had a virus, albeit a somewhat nasty one, so I wasn’t worried.  But deep down I knew there was an energetic reason for my symptoms. 

Fortunately it was immediately clear to me the key to my recovery was deep rest.  So that’s what I did.  I slept many hours every day and another 9-10 hours each night.  During my sleeping hours I dreamed in intense Technicolor storylines.  During my waking hours (the ones when the kids weren’t home) I read or stared into space.  I let my mind wander.  I rarely left the house (other than kid pickup and drop off).

During this time I missed a few meetings that I usually attend regularly.  One friend, noting my absence, emailed me with the subject header “putting the illness in stillness.”  Without having talked to me (I made and received practically no phone calls during this period) she hit the nail on the head. 

My body is powerful and wise.  Why did I get this sickness that lasted so long?  Because I had reflections to process and experiences to integrate. 

I’ve come to acknowledge that I play full out.  When I am healthy, which Thank G-d is most of the time, my mind and body are typically moving from the moment I wake to the moment I collapse into my bed.  And I always expected that constant high from myself.  Until very recently, I criticized myself whenever my energy dipped.

Now I see that my body put the illness in me so I could experience stillness.  Because it was much needed.  And until I’m willing to add more stillness to my daily routine (probably adding more mediation, journaling and/or gentle yoga) I’m likely to continue having these extreme energy highs and lows, with little in between.

Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed most of the time?  I created the Brilliance-Based Business Success System as my ticket out of constant overwhelm.  If you’d like to learn and be coached through the System in an affordable, intimate environment, connect with me today to find out if the upcoming Brilliance-Based Businesswomen’s Salon is a match for you.

How do you make regular time for stillness?  Have you experienced illness that may have been your body’s way of compensating you for lack of downtime?  Please comment below so we can learn from each other’s experiences.