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time! Enjoy!
I was sound asleep. It was a dreary
Sunday morning and I was suddenly awakened by an insistent honking
sound outside my bedroom window. My husband ventured downstairs to see
what the ruckus was about. It was the fire department engaged in their
urgent mission to rouse and evacuate our neighborhood. A flood was
coming.
Although it had been raining for a
week it hadn't occurred to me that we were in any danger. Apparently I
was wrong. Suddenly we were told to gather our important belongings and
head for higher ground.
There I stood with sleep in my
eyes, my jaw on the floor and a rising wave of panic I knew better than
to give in to. I needed to think clearly --what do I do first?
Fortunately, my children are grown and living elsewhere so my thoughts
turned immediately to what else was most valuable to me.
I backed up my computer (of
course), grabbed the family photos, and my favorite clothes and threw
them into the back of our truck. As I frantically scurried around my
home of twenty years gathering what else I had room for, I was heart
sick at the idea of what I might lose, and simultaneously, a bit
horrified at how attached I was to my material possessions.
Within about an hour, I gave my
house a final hug and we drove out of the driveway and off to friends
that lived in a safe part of town. The next dilemma, what route should
we take? Already roads were closed. Bridges washed out. We were
listening to the radio, and asking any local officials we could find
for any information that might shed light on the ever-increasing danger
our town was facing. We couldn't get a clear and consistent message
from anyone. There was chaos everywhere.
As we made our way across town it
suddenly occurred to me that my sense of safety was being washed away
like the floodwaters. All that I thought made me feel safe was an
illusion. And, I guess it makes sense - it takes becoming vulnerable
within a life-threatening event to be reminded of that. As
cliché as it may sound, life is a risk and there are events both
natural and man-made that can threaten our existence at any moment.
What does it mean for you to live
with risk?
As entrepreneurs, whether we like
it or not, taking risks goes with the territory. Every day there are
large and small decisions to make. You need to decide everything from
the best business hours to be open to whether to spend major money on
an unproven new marketing mailer. Most of the risks you take as a
business owner have by definition, uncertain outcomes.
So, how comfortable are you with
risk? Where do you look to find a true sense of safety and security
within the many illusions our culture, business and personal, creates
for us?
You look to your previous
experience, data, research and trends to make calculated risk
decisions, but ultimately, you look inside your self. You look to the
foundations and principles you live your life from. Are you
relationships strong and healthy, are your values intact? Does your
word mean anything?
Because when it's all said and
done, you only have yourself. Fortunately, our home was spared the
devastating flood that hit Keene, NH in October 2005. The overflowing
brook that typically meanders through this side of town overflowed its
banks damaging many homes as near as one block away.
The rushing water may have washed
away some of the illusion that lulls me into a false sense of security,
but the raging passion of the natural world reminded me of what's truly
important as I forge ahead growing my business and living the very best
life I can.
It's YOUR life...imagine the
possibilities!
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Suggested Reading
The Kite Runner by
Khalad Hosseini. I resisted reading this book from the beginning.
Perhaps with the "War On Terror" so fresh (when the book was released
in 2003), it felt too emotionally harrowing to immerse myself in a
novel about the reality of life in Afghanistan. I was wrong. This book
is an absolute masterpiece, and a champion of humanity. Not only does
it provide an educational view of the decades of turmoil in this ravaged
country, it tells a uplifting and well developed story of two young
boys and the profound healing relationship between their families. It's
both heartbreaking and triumphant. Do yourself a favor and read this
book.
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Resources and Opportunities
Banana Bread Baking Binge.
Recently I had a bunch of over ripe bananas on my kitchen counter with
nobody eating them. I'd love to share my favorite recipe for Banana
Bread. http://www.pathofpurpose.com/downloads/BananaBread.pdf
Annual Strategic Planning. Hard
as it is to believe, we're in Q4. Most of my small business clients
never have time for the day-to-day planning necessary to run a
successful business let alone engage in an annual strategic planning
process. I created this very basic Special Report to help you wrap your
arms around this important task. Download it here
Check out this unique and creative 60 second
audio-visual preview to a witty yet deeply spiritual book which has
just been released: http://www.ToBeeBook.com/preview.html Dan
Millman, Stephen Levine and Ram Dass have all written endorsements for
To Bee or Not to Bee, A book for beings who feel there's more to life
than just making honey. The eBook version is being offered FREE to the
first 10,000 visitors. It's an illustrated, inspirational
allegory-clever and spiritually sophisticated-about a worker bee who
transcends the mindless tedium of life in a honeybee
colony. Witty, yet deep and heartful, this touching tale
shows that the only way out is in, that the greatest present is the
present and that life is a journey from I to we.
Experience the benefits of life
coaching at a fraction of the cost of working with a coach
one-on-one. Helaine's 12-week Ecourse Complete
Life Balance How To Reclaim Your Life In 90 Days Order
now $29 (regular price $47) For complete program details http://www.pathofpurpose.com/coach-selfstudy.php
Anyone who publishes a newsletter and needs a program to
automate, allow for flexibility as well as room for growth. Check
out GetResponse.com. It's affordable and easy to use (and the
customer service is great). http://www.GetResponse.com/index/64328
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