Insights for the Savvy

Issue #13

September 5, 2003

Claudette Rowley
MetaVoice Coaching & Consulting

I'm excited to announce a new tele-workshop I'm co-presenting this fall -- How to Bring All of You to Work. Learn how empowering yourself to be authentic in your professional life can open the door to outrageous success.

We're offering a FREE introductory session followed by a six-week series. For more information and to register now, visit the Here's What You Need to Know section of the newsletter or head directly to http://www.metavoice.org/teleworkshop.

You may have noticed that this newsletter's name has changed slightly. Insights for Savvy Entrepreneurs is now Insights for the Savvy. The name change evolved as I recognized that this newsletter served an audience far broader than entrepreneurs. So I decided to share with everyone! Only the name has changed - the content remains the same. Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas for the name change.

My best to you,

Claudette

Insight of the Month

The Power of Presence

This month I would like to share with you a powerful way of being that I've practiced over the past few months: being present. Being present means being aware or conscious of what's going on inside of you in each moment, and allowing it without judgment. This level of consciousness gives us full freedom to be who we are. It also brings a tremendous sense of inner peace.

How do you know when you're present in the moment?

You know you are present when you feel at ease with yourself. There's no underlying tension, your mind isn't chattering on in judgment of you or someone else. You are also present when you ALLOW a moment to be as it is. For example, you notice that you have a story in your mind about a situation. And you observe it as a story not as truth. Or you feel a negative emotion and you notice that without judging it. You stay in the moment of whatever you are feeling.

What stops us from being present?

Reviewing the past and projecting into the future. Many of us spend half of our time ruminating about the past and reliving our emotions about it. Then based on what we've experienced in the past, we project into the future about circumstances that may never occur. Our mind makes up fear-based stories that catapult us out of the present and into a made-up future. In other words, we end up resisting the present moment in fear of what the future might bring.

Let me clarify: By future projections, I mean imagined scenarios that cause emotional strain, such as What if this happens or that happens? versus planning for the practical matters of life, such as scheduling your October vacation. Another way of thinking about this is psychological time which always causes fear or strain, versus the time we keep by clock which we use to organize the practical matters of life.

What are avenues for being present?

Observe. When you notice that your mind has made up a story about the past or the future, simply observe it. Observation of the story will bring you right into the present. After a while, you'll start to notice that you are not your story, and that two separate entities exist: you in the present and your mind with its story.

Allow. Allow whatever is in the moment to be there. It is what it is. Once you begin observing and allowing, you'll notice how often you resist the moment you are in. That resistance keeps you in your head and out of the present.

Here's an example of the distinction between allowing and resisting. At times when my ten month old son is cranky and I'm frustrated, my natural reaction is resistance. In other words, I want the moment to be different than it is, which creates stress. Those times that I've allowed the situation to be what it is, I've felt present and experienced peace.

Once I've become aware of my resistance to what's occurring - I'll often experience it as physical tension - I'll say to myself, "I don't like this moment." or "I'm noticing that I feel frustrated and impatient." Simply observing and allowing what I experience brings a conscious level of awareness.

We each have an inner peace and freedom that already exists inside of us. Our job is to release the muck surrounding it, and reclaim as our own. Stay present by ALLOWING what's there to be there. Then you can accept it, change it or talk to someone about it. By spending so much time in the past and the future, we often resist the gem that's right in front of us.

Here's What You Need To Know

• NEW tele-workshop! In How to Bring All of You to Work, we will explore the remarkable impact that being authentic can have on your professional and personal life. Join us for a FREE introductory tele-workshop on September 23, 2003 from 7-8pm EST. To register or learn more: http://www.metavoice.org/teleworkshop.

• FREE 30 minute coaching sessions. If this month's insight has inspired or intrigued you, contact me for a free introductory coaching session. I'd love to hear from you! To schedule your 30 minute phone session, e-mail me at claudette@metavoice.org or call 781-676-5633.

• For a list of articles available for free reprint, send e-mail to articles@metavoice.org, or visit my website at http://www.metavoice.org/articles.

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Different Voices

• "Cooperate with the movement of life internally - always. Great power lies in that." -Eckhart Tolle

• "Decisions are a way of defining ourselves. There comes a time in life when there is nothing else to do but go your own way. Where you are headed there are no trails, no paths, just your own instincts." - The Dolphin by Sergio Bambaren

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