I missed getting my weekly Wild Spirit Wisdom card out there for last week. Too much going on....too many hours of work, commitments I needed to honor, and participation in the Next Great Visionary Business contest.
These things happen..the world interferes with our plans..and we need to stay committed, and still be flexible. Have the faith in yourself and the solid foundation that you know you will get back on the path. Don’t beat yourself up...acknowledge your commitment and willingness to KEEP ON.

The Pomegranate Bodhisattva is this week's Wild Spirit Wisdom Card.....the seeds of the fruit are possibilities and potentials for your future. The seeds of a new life to come...perhaps birthed in the coming new year.

I have posted Lisa Zimmerman’s Astrological blog posts before, and what she sent out last week spoke to me very strongly. Here it is:

We're still in the energy of the New Moon in Virgo, the time for new beginnings. If there's something you want to attract, create, or grow in your life, take an action to begin it now!
 
We're in a two-week period that can become a turning point in your life based on the seeds you plant at this time. Decisions you make now will have lasting effects, so don't squander this opportunity!
 
Abundant Jupiter and the North Node of Destiny are connecting harmoniously with the New Moon energy, supporting your growth and expansion. This is not the time to play small.
 
With the New Moon in Virgo, it's a particularly good time for any health/wellness regimen, work habits pertaining to order and clearing clutter, and it's a wonderful time to initiate being of service in any way. Take this opportunity to realign your life!
 
We face potentially challenging energy on Monday when Mars (warrior) squares Saturn (structure/authority). If you encounter an obstacle, don't allow yourself to be discouraged. Stay primary and hold your vision steady, as you seek practical and innovative solutions. Use the higher expressions of Mars and Saturn: methodical actions, commitment, patience and flexibility - and they will serve you well.
 
You may find that the New Moon in Virgo highlighted areas of your life that are calling for course corrections, healing or realignment of some kind. Don't judge your shortcomings - just give them your compassionate, loving attention and take a constructive action :)).
 
Allow September to launch something new and good for you. October (or "Rocktober") is going to be full of intensity, twists, turns and who knows what, so take advantage of this relatively quiet, stable time to move forward now. You will have plenty of time to course correct later :))

You can find Lisa at http://soullevelsolutions.com

WOW! The trip to Portland for WDS (The World Domination Summit) was amazing! First of all, the drive was gorgeous..and I had not been up into that part of Oregon before. I arrived on July 4th, and got to celebrate with my friend Jennifer Anderson and her family, who so graciously housed me during my stay.
Jennifer and I both attended Pam Slim’s gathering on Friday (Pam is the author of “Escape from Cubicle Nation” and is well known as a teacher and coach). It was great getting to meet her in person...along with other attendees...and  catching up with some of the entrepreneurs I met a few years ago, while working with Christine Kane in Asheville, NC.
The weekend activities were mind blowing and I wasn’t able to experience everything that I would have liked to (if I had enough energy!)
The pervasive energy of the whole event (including presenters and attendees) was what affected me the most. Some of the highlights of the main schedule were:
Chris Guillebeau (who created this event)
Nancy Duarte
Jia Jiang
Steve Schlachlin (to name a few)
Each afternoon, there was quite an array of special speakers that were booked in various venues around 2 pm. You had to choose who to see. There were so many people at WDS (2800!)
so seats were limited at these smaller venues. I saw Danielle LaPorte on Sat. & Jonathan Fields on Sun. Both these events were filled and turned people away. I got to speak with Danielle briefly on Sun. Inspiring!
I came away feeling inspired and changed in some way. I hope to be able to attend next year’s event...and offer my own Meetup as part of the weekend.
Top photo--of the stage setting at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Below--Danielle LaPorte speaking at The Eliot Center

I am off to Portland, Oregon tomorrow to participate in Chris Guillebeau’s World Domination Summit. I have wanted to attend this event ever since I heard about it three years ago, when it first began. It keeps growing and changing each year, and is a hotbed of extreme talent, genius and innovation. I can’t wait!

Chris Guillebeau is an American entrepreneur, nonfiction author, blogger and speaker. He is best known for The Art of Non-Conformity blog and book. He has also written guides for travel and small business topics under the brand Unconventional Guides. The Art of Non-Conformity blog discusses entrepreneurship, travel, and personal development topics; its traffic grew substantially after the online publication of A Brief Guide to World Domination in 2008.

I have been reading Chris’s blog for about 4 years, and when he published
a book called “The $100 Startup”a couple years ago, I was on the list to receive a review copy, and I wrote some reviews for his book, and promoted it to my peeps.

Here is a great video interview with Chris where he talks about Creating your own Freedom...which has been his impetus for his entrepreneurial journey. And more about the World Domination Summit, what it is, who attends and what kind of presentations there are.

I will be writing about my experience after I return...so stay tuned for stories from WDS!

An old fave: How I kicked my time management habit and became exceedingly more productive, profitable and thrilled

I’m done putting my life into categories. Quadrants. Day types. Feck.

Here’s how it happened: Last year I turned my life upside down. Took a break from marriage. Moved. Shelved numerous obligations to meet a writing deadline. Avoided said writing deadline for a long time. Slammed that writing deadline. Put my health significantly further up on the priority list. Chose yoga over blog posts. Hung with friends instead of wooing clients. Launched stuff at light speed. Killed projects. Stopped cooking dinner mid-boil to capture an idea. Talked on the phone with friends…in the middle of the day…for hours.

I lived more, because it was time for some things to die. I devoted myself more deeply to liberation because the longing to be free was the passion of my inner Christ. I had to arrive at thrive or I would get stuck in survival mode. In this dimension, nothing is predictable, and unbridled is the only way to go. It was not the time to “manage” my time.

Time management systems are tricky beasts. They may help us be more productive, but not necessarily less stressed, or more fulfilled, or more in touch with our true nature. We may look freer with our priorities all tidy, but too often, time remains the master and we get “given” time for obeying the system.

I’d rather be fulfilled than obedient. And it turns out that when I’m fulfilled, I’m…fulfilled — whether I’m productive or not. And that gives me plenty of energy to be more focused on what matters most, which makes me truly productive. It’s a beautiful thing. Here’s how I got there:

HOW TO PUT TIME MANAGEMENT IN ITS PLACE.
(BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO.)

1. Stop keeping a detailed to-do list. If it’s truly important, you’ll remember to do it. A few post-it notes and texts to yourself should be all you need.

2. Say 'no, thank you' to four things a day. My coach gave me this assignment. It changed my life.

3. Relentlessly focus on the one or two vocational desires that turn you on so much that envisioning doing JUST those things seems so fantastical that it borders on erotic pleasure (yep, I think it’s your birthright to feel that hot about your work in the world). Everything else that is not about fulfilling your most intense vocational desires is getting in the way of making your fantasy life a reality.

4. Work with talented and excellent human beings. Amateurs, posers and mediocrity-makers are time squatters. Move ‘em out.

5. Delegate the stuff that doesn’t light you up.

6. Have (only) 3 important things to accomplish every week. Make those three things happen and you’re closer to making your fantasy life a reality. Accomplish more than that and you’ll feel like a super hero (good esteem fuels fulfillment AND productivity.)

7. Batch n’ chunk. Pay all of your bills at the same time. Create a day just for errands. Make all of your calls before noon. This “while you’re at it” kind of momentum is incredibly efficient.

8. Ask yourself every morning what you really feel like doing. Not what’s most important. Not what’s expected of you. But what you’re most excited to do. Enthusiasm is the DNA of making things happen. Start there.

Flying without a to-do list made me worry. It was scary to let go of revenue streams and planned projects. Going to yoga when I had obligations actually took some moxie. Doing what I was truly stoked to do each day was unnerving, guilt-inducing and exhilarating all at once. And… it didn’t take long for this free forming time style to reveal my most lucrative, artistically satisfying, relationship-enhancing year ever.

Easy does it.   (Go to DanielleLaPorte.com to share and get more: http://bit.ly/oGhvn2)