LH AGENDA > Articles by: Vanessa Jane

Author: Vanessa Jane

I was deeply affected by the passing of Robin Williams in August of this year.

Having suffered from depression myself over the years, I can appreciate the feeling. It reminded me of his legacy, the huge library of films he has, and of one in particular.

Probably the most prolific of all his movies was “Dead Poets Society”. There is a very famous quote from this movie:

Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary

It rings true for us all. What does it take to make your life extraordinary?

I think it goes a little like this:

Know you are extraordinary first and foremost – you DO NOT have to earn it.
Clean up your past, make peace with those you have wronged, and find a way to exist with your family in harmony cause who you are as a person is who you are in business.
Know what you love to do, really know it, not just what you think, but what truly lights you up.
Find something that you are really good at and stick with it till you master it.
Don’t let anyone tell you who you are and what you like, be true to yourself.
Stand up for yourself, don’t ever be a victim. Take responsibility for everything in your life.
Know that when you aren’t getting what you want, its because you are resisting something – find out what it is and heal it or it will be with you on the journey of your life.

Those are some of what I have found help make us extraordinary, over many many years of study, coaching, working and applying all of it. Sometimes we can’t find it for ourselves and we need a little help.

I recently created a dynamite webinar where I shared the blueprint I created that helps us find our own version of extraordinary, another way to say it is ‘our bliss’, or ‘what we were meant for’.

Find what You were Meant for & Design a Career around It is all about connecting the purpose to the career – that is where you are in that sweet spot, the bliss spot.

Our time here is not unlimited, we have to grab every opportunity to find what we were meant to do. Remember your bliss is your responsibility.

If you are seeking a career that brings you bliss, have been made redundant, going through a mid life crisis, feeling stuck or are not sure what to do next, this webinar is going to help you.

Check it out at https://vanessajane410.leadpages.net/find-your-bliss-webinar-
replay/

Hope you enjoy it!

Do you know that you are brimming with dormant, untapped talent and creativity, and that you already possess everything you need to charter your own magnificence? It’s absolutely true!

Vanessa Jane is an Entrepreneurial Muse & Creative Strategist, assisting people find their life’s calling through sessions at www.vanessajane.com. She holds a Diploma of Marketing, (Arts & Entertainment), a Diploma of Social Science (Psychology), is a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming/Advanced Neurological Repatterning, and is a Master of hypnosis.

Featured Photo Credit: messycupcakes via Compfight cc

Your challenges and tragedies contain the seed of your purpose and gifts.

Past challenges and tragedies guide us toward our next steps. (so called) Suffering helps us learn. as the phoenix rises from the ashes, so can we.

The lotus flower grows out of the mud is a lovely metaphor used by zen buddhist monk, thich nhat nanh. The lotus needs the mud to grow – just as happiness, love, compassion and understanding may grow out of suffering. One or all of these emotions may surface following suffering. Don’t suppress or hide suffering; rather embrace and feel it – let it transport you to the other side, even though it might be painful

Don’t suppress or hide suffering; rather embrace and feel it – let it transport you to the other side, even though it might be painful

The world is a not cruel or sadistic place. source, universe or god; whatever your belief, presents challenges, heartache, loss, pain for some good reason. It enables you to propel yourself toward what is meant for you.

Accept the challenge. Determine what the personal lesson was – perhaps to empower or learn to love oneself. Alternatively, to be more trusting or less trusting, or was it about overcoming visibility issues?

Self-illumination is often difficult but working with a mentor, will help shed the light. once you understand the challenge and the lesson, reverse your thinking and try to learn from the teaching. this is what you look at – the ‘light’.

You will never be able to dodge life, or problems, loss, or such… but what you can do is look to them for lessons of growth and expansion. This will lead to your greatness.

Create a purpose and infuse it into everything you do…

Purpose is your reason for being. its about making your mark in this world, standing up for a message, standing up for your dreams and desires, otherwise the environment, people around you, the news, your moods will constantly affect you.

This is an important subject. it is human nature to reflect on ‘what is my purpose’, ‘why am i here’? But purpose goes beyond our physical, emotional and immediate needs. purpose is elevated to a higher level than the basic physical needs for which we set goals. purpose goes beyond our immediate needs – it identifies our ‘reason for being’.

It is common to question – what is the purpose of being on earth? what is our influence? is justifying our existence a pre-ordained duty?

We each have a purpose for being here – it is not a coincidence or accident. The most content, happy, joyful people are those living a ethical, aligned, focused way– which they consider their purpose.The most content, happy, joyful people are those living a ethical, aligned, focused way– which they consider their purpose

Purpose is much more expansive than need and not merely concerned with survival. purpose is when we identify our needs – those we must have to survive in this life. purpose is freeing, needs are restricting. your passion is the clue to your purpose. Talent may play a role but people can always build up any skill requirement. Without passion though, talent can be largely ineffective.

I believe when you have purpose – whether with your work, in creating a family or being involved with your community – it provides for greater enjoyment and a fulfilled life. Recently the Dalai Lama at his public talk in Sydney, was asked how a person can ensure they get to the end of their life and have no regrets and no fear of death; He replied that the most important thing anyone can do is to live a meaningful or purposeful life in everything one does.

Here’s an example. through self-reflection and inner work, I discovered my own purpose relates to empowerment.

The greatest lesson I had to learn was the lesson of self empowerment, and to not rely on others to do this for me, or to allow anyone to make me feel unempowered. I worked on this throughout my own life and once I had a handle on it, I am now able to successfully assist others. it is the basis of my work as an entrepreneurial muse & creative strategist.

In fact there is some thought, that your purpose is what you have overcome in life, and once you have personally mastered it, you have a responsibility to help others. many people build businesses based on what they conquered. In addition empowerment informs how I am in the world, in all my interactions and experiences. Furthermore, it forms the basis of my business and personal relationships; I find myself always wanting to help others feel empowered, and in my work I help others learn to empower themselves. I support charities that teach this to children and women. I spend time with friends who follow this principle. I view and read material concerned with self-empowerment. it is a topic of great interest to me. I always want people to know and feel how extraordinary they are, that is my gift to others and the world. You can look at purpose this way – it is your unique gift to the world and others. My purpose is infused into everything I do, my personal life, business, friendships, contribution.

Everything I do is about my purpose, and my life is deeply and richly fulfilled, because what I do is rooted in my purpose. Purpose is different for everyone and arrives through enhanced and deep self-reflection. Do not think for any moment that this is hard, it is just a natural and easy flow for me. A mentor or coach helps us unlock our purpose. I consider myself lucky because through my work I get to help others find their purpose and do something amazing and creative with it. For clues on what your own purpose is in this world, look to what you love, what you have overcome, recurrent themes in your life….

Find something meaningful you can create in your life. if you don’t know how, let me know and I will help you.

photo credit: Celestine Chua via photopin cc

Vanessa Jane

Vanessa is an Entrepreneurial Muse & Creative Strategist. Visit her site www.vanessajane.com.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLE #3: DO YOUR OWN THINKING

The potential for total and absolute mind-power is one of the humankind’s greatest gifts. We literally hold the most incredible power in our minds

Most people don’t think for themselves. They appear to have an abundance of opinions, but these opinions are rarely their own. They commonly accept whatever is thrown their way and are often influenced and controlled by external circumstances. In his book, “Outwitting the Devil” Napoleon Hill describes these people as ‘drifters’. They drift through life without knowing what they think or want. Once you begin to drift in one area, you will tend to drift in all areas of your life.

Understanding how your mind works is the most powerful gift you can give yourself. Few of us are actively taught how to use the mind to its full potential. Instead, our knowledge is incidental – skills that are learnt by default from parents, role models, society and peers.Successful people can transform obstacles into opportunities, and this is the key to real success

Before the age of seven, specific thoughts, ideas and pictures become fixed into the subconscious mind. We literally ‘model’ or copy the people around us because we do not know how to do things, how to respond to things, what sort of behaviour is right in certain situations, how to do things…. This becomes our set-in-stone operating system, which defines and influences all our decisions, and shapes the way we approach the world. Inbuilt assumptions can limit us, creating blockages that sabotage our ability to succeed.

Successful people on the other hand, use the mind to its full potential. This means that they remain open, able to play and explore and to come up with inventive solutions to their problems. Successful people are creative. They can transform obstacles into opportunities, and this is the key to real success. They speak what are their opinions and feelings and thoughts, not what others have told them is right, wrong or what they should think.

A positive mental relationship with money is critical in the process of building a successful business or creative venture. If your mind is receptive to wealth, if it actively embraces profit as an inevitability, there is no possibility of failure. In his best-selling book “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill says working on the mind is the best way to become successful. Hill believes whilst you can’t change other people, you can change how you deal with them and with life. Everything originates in your consciousness.

In order to create wealth in reality, you must first conceive it in your mind. There are no accidents. It’s about work. Through effort, you can harness the incredible power that lies dormant inside you. And if you do this, your potential for success is limitless.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLE #4: DESIRE IS YOUR LIFEBLOOD. DECIDE DEFINITIVELY WHAT IT IS YOU WANT IN YOUR LIFE.

You must make a plan and pursue it with total passion, as though you are chasing the love of your life.

As celebrated mind coach Bob Proctor says: ‘you have to fall in love with any idea the way you fall in love with a person.’

While most people know what they don’t want, they don’t give much thought to what they do. By focusing on unwanted outcomes, we are simply attracting more of the same, and success is unlikely to follow. Only by clearly articulating the results we want can those results become a reality. And by articulating I mean, what you say, what you do, where you go, who you spend time – should all be in alignment with your desires.Passionate desires and wild obsessions are our personal Global Positioning System. They guide us towards what we want, and they show us what we are meant to do

We remain for the most part disconnected from our desires. Yet these passionate desires and wild obsessions are our personal Global Positioning System. They guide us towards what we want, and they show us what we are meant to do.

Desire contains the genesis of potential. Like a seed, desire can grow into something wonderful. To quote acclaimed mentor David Neagle:

“If you use the example of the seed of a tree, if you take that seed and put it into the right environment, nurture it, water it and give it all the nutrients it needs, it is going to live out the potential that is in it. It has the potential for a whole forest locked inside it. As with the seed, if you take the desire and nurture it and feed it and put it in the right environment, it has the potential to live out the most unbelievable things in your life.”

The seed of desire is highly contagious, and has a powerful impact on those around you. As your own potential flourishes, your family, friends and workmates are inspired to follow. They can’t help but notice your growing empowerment as you nurture your desires.

Everything starts with desire. All you have to do is listen and make the decision to do absolutely anything to make those desires come alive. Make it a priority to find yours and pursue them with absolute passion. Desire is so inherent to the human condition that life without it is almost inconceivable.

“Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire.” Bobby Unser

photo credit: Purple Sherbet Photography via photopin cc

Vanessa Jane

Vanessa is an Entrepreneurial Muse & Creative Strategist. Visit her site www.vanessajane.com.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLE NO 1

Success is something you are, something you become not something you go out and get

Successful people know who they are, they know who they are ‘being’ in the world. They know what they believe in, what they will stand up for, how to treat people, and how to respond to the challenges life will always present them. They understand what’s important, and they know that life and work is an opportunity to achieve something bigger. They are not just here to exist. This guiding commitment softens the inevitable ups and downs of life and business. In life, we should understand who we are, not just what we want. It’s an important distinction.

“With our thoughts we make the world.”
– Buddha

Your external qualities are how the world experiences you but your inner qualities are as equally important. You can’t think one way, but do the opposite. Instead, you must be consistent in both your thoughts and actions.

Your private thoughts and behaviors are incredibly powerful; particularly if they are things you think and do consistently. These thoughts and behaviors implant themselves and define your reality, so it’s crucial to be aware of them so that you can shape them to your will. Only you are in charge of your thoughts and actions. Like a director, you control the action and in turn, your life.

You can write endless lists and goals and tell people what you want, declare it on Facebook etc, however, if your private actions and thoughts (the things you do and say when no one else is around) are at odds with your public face, you’re undermining yourself. You cannot fool success – every thought matters.

The spoken word is incredibly powerful. Don Miguel Ruiz, the author of The Four Agreements,a hugely popular and influential book which explores 4 agreements or ‘commitments’ we can make to ourselves. One of them is: “Being impeccable with your word.” – This means only saying things that you mean and believe. Think before you speak – ensure your statements originate from you, and are not simply what you believe others want to hear. Ask yourself: are you recycling the thoughts of your parents or role models?

Don Miguel Ruiz implores us to say things we intend to follow through with, and only speak of things we want to happen, not the things we don’t want. You can’t assume that the world and other people already know what you want. You have to be specific. You have to articulate exactly what you want in order to achieve that goal.

Or, as Dr. Seuss says,
“Say what you mean and mean what you say.”

I believe these things matter and shape who you are – the ‘being’ part of you. Remember, be careful what you wish for, because you will always get it in some form or another.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLE NO 2

BE SIGNIFICANT, BE INFLUENTIAL, BE VISIBLE. BE MORE THAN AN OBSERVER

A 2013 research study investigated people’s life goals and desires. The findings showed that our deepest desires included being viewed by others as ‘significant’, and ‘of some influence’. We also want to know that our life ‘means something’ and that we are really ‘seen’. Essentially, we crave the knowledge that we have an impact on the world and on other people. That our life was for some purpose or reason.

Instinctively, we long to exist in a profound state of ‘being.’ And if we don’t, we can feel that something very important is missing.

Many people feel these deep, often unexpressed desires. However the majority of the population only ‘observe’ rather than participate fully in their lives.

The pathway to significance and influence is to engage and participate in life. To only ‘observe life’, or know life only through watching it on TV and movies, being more involved in our friends’ lives than in creating our own, observing celebrities in magazines, and just talking about it…this means a lack of understanding of the true meaning of success, love, victory, hard work, or failure and making mistakes.

In my opinion, to be a true success means avoiding sitting on the sidelines. Rather engage fully, ‘feel’, get hurt, make huge mistakes, lose money, take risks, be visible, have your photo taken, make that phone call that you think is hard, stretch yourself, leave a job, date that person, try things out and go places you feel uncomfortable.

A favourite quote of mine by anonymous:

You can’t be a secret and be successful, if you want to reach those who need what you have to offer, being visible is essential…

Incidentally, it is it no coincidence one of the most popular books of all time is Dale Carnegie’s “How to win friends and influence people”.

photo credit: Celestine Chua via photopin cc

Vanessa Jane

Vanessa is an Entrepreneurial Muse & Creative Strategist. Visit her site www.vanessajane.com.

The world is changing at a lightening pace, and business practices have evolved beyond recognition. Many believe the Global Financial Crisis was necessary to highlight excessive materialism and overspending.

Redundancies, cuts in discretionary spending and reduced customer loyalty are now commonplace, and large corporations can no longer amass the money they used to.

Change is essential for businesses to survive.

But how can businesses keep up? The new generation of successful business practice comes from invention and true innovation. Entrepreneurship is flourishing, with new business models reaping huge financial rewards. Numerous entrepreneurs I know have enjoyed record years despite the lean times, or the so-called mini depression.

I have observed a significant behavioural shift – from a sole focus on money, to a real emphasis on creating businesses and products with meaning and purpose. For decades, profit has been the sole motivator for business. Return on investment, tax breaks, key performance indicators, restructures, profit margins, streamlining and outsourcing – these measures and devices were always at the heart of business.

The accumulation of healthy profits was never enough, and excessive greed and outrageous, exploitative moneymaking was the benchmark for success. But times have changed. This kind of business model is unsustainable, and the ‘New Economy’ is upon us. This new approach marks a change in the way we do and create business.

In the New Economy these faceless, moneymaking machines are in decline. They are the dinosaurs of business, and as such, cannot continue. In their place, dynamic entrepreneurs are creating businesses that operate in a totally different way. They are creating work environments that encourage creative expression, have a human face behind the website, and cultivate a profound connection between the product and the client.

Combining your talents and strengths with passion to create a business you love is now the norm. The ‘Cookie Cutter’ recruitment company job description does not have to be the only pathway to employment. Technology permeates most areas of our lives. A noticeable trend however, is that technology is used to support rather than replace human effort, freeing us from the tethers of an office space, and giving us the time and permission to live the fullest lives possible.

The definition of success is also changing. By trying to fit into a cookie cutter style of employment, people’s creativity is stifled and they feel undervalued, which in turn wastes the most important recourse available to business – human talent. By harnessing individual creativity, by encouraging personal fulfillment, and by stimulating inspiration, businesses can truly supply what the world seeks, which in turn nurtures a stronger and more robust economy.

To quote Richard Branson:
“I make no distinction between work and play – it’s all just living.”

Life and work is meant to make you happy and to feel good, but it is your responsibility to design it that way. It is also important to note that successful people know that what you do for work, your career, is a way to live out your purpose, a way to use your gifts and talents and strengths and passions.

In the New Economy people create businesses exactly as Branson celebrates: making money doing what they love, using their natural talents with a purpose, and pursuing the desire to make their mark in the world. The new entrepreneur follows their passion, and conducts business on their terms. They can travel the world and live a life of luxury if they choose, but they also give back to the world by contributing their time and money. To become this kind of thriving entrepreneur, and to make your mark in the New Economy, you must first look at who you are, and what you are creating around you. Your personal relationship to the world determines your success, so you must closely examine this relationship. It is absolutely crucial. Are you following your true passion? Are your intentions and work practices authentic and driven from your heart? If not, you have some work to do.

I have come up with 18 different success strategies to ensure you thrive in The New Economy, I call them “The Only Success Principles that really matter”. By following these simple, effective strategies, you can design creative ventures, navigate success and live a career of meaning in the New Economy.

Business is an opportunity toward a deeper understanding of human integrity crucial to true success. Wouldn’t you love while you are making money, you are also making a difference, and contributing positively to the world. An entrepreneur preparing to launch a business must first build strong foundations of success. These success principles will change the way you do business and live your life.

Look out for these principles, Success Principle 1 coming soon.

Image credit : Rafael Souza

Vanessa Jane

Vanessa is an Entrepreneurial Muse & Creative Strategist. Visit her site www.vanessajane.com.