The New Leaf™
The Official Newsletter of Authentic Promotion™
Volume 6, No. 4, January 27, 2004
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1530-311X
Molly Gordon, Master Certified Coach
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In This Issue
Not So Fast Focus: Foggy Business
Simple Gifts: A New Discernment Guide
Teleclasses: Big Ideas, Small Bites, Insight & Profit
The Bedside Table: Holy Moly Mackeroly!
Resources and Links
Small Print: Copyright | Getting On and Off the List
Privacy Statement | Contact Info
Fast Focus
Foggy Business
Life is full of situations in which we feel we must make a choice without knowing which direction to turn. This can lead to a vicious cycle of pressure and confusion: as confusion increases we feel more pressure, and increased pressure makes us increasingly confused. We might as well be lost in the fog. Yet what if the fog were not merely an obstacle but somehow a context designed to help us find ourselves?
The first time I felt "found in the fog" was in 1997, the year that I learned that coaching wasn't just a descriptive term for the work I was doing, it was an emerging profession. On one hand, I felt like I had come home. On the other, there was so much I did not know. How should I describe this work? What, really, were my qualifications? How quickly should I expect to grow my business? Should I build a Web site? Which of the hundreds of important books should I be reading? Which training programs should I attend? Did I know what I was doing? (What would it mean to know that? How would that look?)
None of these questions lent themselves to easy answers, and I lived with a persistent sensation of not knowing. Whenever I tried to get rid of that sensation by trying to predict things that were unpredictable or by making premature declarations and decisions, I would get instant feedback from my body or the world. I'd get a cold or the flu or some minor injury or external events would prove my choices to be in error. With time, I interpreted this pattern as an indication that I had been making bigger moves than were appropriate to my circumstances. I resigned myself to slowing way down and to turning my attention to listening into the spaces in my life at least as much as to trying to see through the mist.
It was as I practiced feeling into each present moment that the image of being in a dense bank of fog came to me. I realized that I was like a person who could see no farther than her hand. And then I realized that this was all the further that I needed to see. What a revelation! When I pulled in my sights and adopted a more relaxed and spacious way of sensing, I began to feel more confident, grounded, and connected than ever to my long term goals, even though my daily actions toward reaching them were very, very small. In this shift, I felt I was being educated in who I needed to be in order to grow into my business.
I spent many months in that fog bank laying the foundations for the business I have today by integrating various practices for listening to the promptings of my heart while attending to the openings that arose in the world around me. It was not a solitary process. My husband, friends, spiritual director, therapist, and colleagues and clients shed light on signs I would have overlooked and sometimes disclosed to me my own intentions and longings.
My sojourns in the fog have taught me that life is not a path for the naive or the faint of heart. Blind trust is as foolish and as fatal as blind ambition, and paralysis as great a risk as plunging into the unknown. We must absolutely learn to listen and listen deeply for guidance, humbly testing our understanding to see if it is solidly grounded, ever willing to adjust our course for the sake of a greater integrity, a higher cause yet always testing to see that our high flown commitments make sense here on the ground.
Here in the fog is where matters of the heart and Spirit meet squarely with matters of the world. Here is where we meet ourselves and find out what we are made of.
I welcome your comments and questions. Please send your letters to letters@mollygordon.com . Letters may be quoted in future issues of The New Leaf or on my Web sites. If you prefer that your letter not be published, please say so. Please do not reply to this newsletter or your message will be lost in cyber-limbo.
Simple Gifts
A New Discernment Guide
In the past two years over 2200 readers have requested my simplified guide to discernment. Recently, in preparation for our teleclass, Discerning Meaningful Action in Life and Work, I asked John Forman, an oblate* of the Order of St. Benedict, to revise the guide. He's improved it in several respects, and has kindly agreed to make it available by autoresponder to anyone who requests it. For your copy, send a blank email (with "guide" in the subject line) to discernment@mollygordon.com (AOL users, please copy and paste this address into your email program: discernment@mollygordon.com .)
The discernment course is ideal for spiritual directors and others who want to deepen their capacity to approach the people they serve in the way that will be most graceful for them. It is also appropriate for individual spiritual seekers who wish to refine their understanding of what it is to attend to the movements of Spirit and connect those movements with the challenges and opportunities of daily life and work. There are still a few places left in the class. For more info, visit http://authenticpromotion.com/teleclasses/discernment.html
*An oblate is a layperson who takes vows as a member of a religious community.
Teleclasses
Big Ideas, Small Bites, Insight & Profit
That headline is my attempt to summarize the benefits of my teleclasses. Here's what one participant said:
"I tend to be super picky when it comes to workshops/trainings/etc. and I just think you are extraordinary. I love the idea you're playing with (How does 'Fake it till you make it' reconcile with being authentic?), and I found your content interesting, challenging and inspiring. Your intelligence, clarity and beautiful way of articulating things is pretty astounding to me." -- L.A., Career Counselor
I've dedicated my life to attaining wisdom while living in the mainstream, and I've learned a lot while making some stupendous mistakes along the way. I bring all of that -- my extensive studies in consciousness, business, and human potential plus my real life experience applying big ideas to every day challenges -- to my classes. I'm committed to demonstrating how real life can provide each of us the right blend of challenge and support so that we can grow both spiritually and materially. I back that commitment with an unconditional refund policy. If you complete any course and apply the principles and tools without experiencing full value, simply request a refund.
Starts next week! Discerning Meaningful Action in Life and Work with John Forman, OblSB.
How can a spiritual practice of discernment help you to integrate spiritual and material aspects of experience? What are the opportunities and pitfalls on this path? We'll delve into these questions with John's expert guidance while engaging in a daily discernment practice. Mark your calendars for four consecutive Thursdays in February (Feb. 5, 12, 19, and 26) from noon to 1:30 pm eastern time. Given the fact that over 1800 people have downloaded my free discernment guide, this class is expected to sell out early. Learn more or register here:
http://authenticpromotion.com/teleclasses/discernment.html
Starting February 17: Believe! Working with Your Beliefs to Build Your Business demonstrates the opportunities and limits for identifying and shifting beliefs so you can be more successful. This class goes beyond conventional teaching about affirmations to explain where people get stuck in and shows you how to move on. This course covers material that is not included in the Authentic Promotion ebook or class. Four 90-minute teleclasses on Tuesdays from Noon to 1:30 pm eastern time February 17 and 24, and March 2 and 9. Learn more or sign up at authenticpromotion.com: http://www.authenticpromotion.com/teleclasses/believe.html
Thriving in the Sweet Spot: Naming a Meaningful and Profitable Niche
Are you struggling to tell people what you do really? Do you want a simpler, more effective way to market your work? Thriving in the Sweet Spot will teach you a way to name your niche that increases your scope and your value to prospective clients while vastly simplifying the task of marketing your work. This course goes beyond the material in my e-book, Authentic Promotion, to provide practice naming your own niche, a niche that fits. Four 90-minute teleclasses on Tuesdays from 2 – 3:30 pm eastern time February 17 and 24, and March 2 and 9. Learn more or sign up at authenticpromotion.com: http://www.authenticpromotion.com/teleclasses/sweetspot.html
Watch for new teleclasses featuring integral theory!
In a few weeks I will be publishing a list of possible class titles and descriptions for your review and feedback. If you want to be placed on a special notifications list, send a blank email with "integral" in the subject line to integral@mollygordon.com (AOL users, copy and paste this address: integral@mollygordon.com) and I'll be sure you get a heads up about integrally informed classes.
The Bedside Table
Holy Moly Mackeroly!
Thanks so much to Mary Wiseman, artist and art instructor, for contributing the following recommendation.
As I grow my business I experience many moments the good, the bad and the neutral. Gloria Page's book, Holy Moly Mackeroly, from 3 Art Stamps to the Smithsonian, is truly an inspirational volume which I will return to over and over again. Having already been marked up, read in many a bubble bath, and endured turned down pages I see it is destined for a permanent space in my personal library, that is, if I ever put it back onto the shelf! This book honors those Holy Moly Mackeroly Moments every artistic entrepreneur encounters. Bravo Ms. Page!
Mary Wiseman is "In Charge of What's Next" at Papergems: Whimsical, magical and functional paper creations
http://www.papergems.com
Another artist and reader who brought this book to my attention is Marney Makridakis, editor of Artella, a print and online art-zine. You can visit Artella online at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com
I appreciate those of you who share your impressions of useful and inspiring books, as it's just not possible for me to read all of them myself. Send your briefly stated recommendations to bedsidetable@mollygordon.com . You may include a link to your Web site, if you have one, and a phrase describing your work. I reserve the right to edit and publish submissions according to editorial vicissitudes (whatever that means).
Cultivating Wisdom
There are many paths to wisdom and many steps along those paths. Here are two quite different books that have each in their way contributed to my growth and success.
Stephen Covey's classic, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, offers a pragmatic, structured formula for improving performance through practices designed to build character and capacity. If you have not read it, it's well worth your time. If you have, perhaps it's time to revisit and see what you may have forgotten or missed the first time around.
US: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671708635/mollygordonperso
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684858398/mollygordoncerti
Full engagement with life's challenges and opportunities requires connection with a still point, a place from which peace, clarity, and conviction can arise. I can often reach that place by spending half an hour with this volume of letters by Thomas Merton. The Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns
US: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/015640141X/mollygordonperso
Meditation trains attention, promotes wellness, calms emotion, and frees creativity, in addition to being a core practice of many spiritual traditions. For a clear, conversational tone introduction to a variety of meditative practices, check out Pragito Dove's welcome book, Lunchtime Enlightenment. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0670894575/mollygordonperso
Authentic Promotion: Grow Your Business, Feed Your Soul
By Molly Gordon, MCC
My own book (an ebook that you can order from my secure server and download immediately) charts a course for developing your business while growing in wisdom, awareness, and grace. Here’s what one readers says:
"I want you to know that this e-book is changing my entire experience of running a business. I thought I was my work and my work was me. Now I see differently.
"I read through the entire workbook once to get help with some urgent issues related to my new venture. Now I'm working through it thoroughly, chapter by chapter. It is truly transforming. I've recommended it to all of my creative colleagues, all of whom are brilliant marketers on behalf of clients, yet oddly uncomfortable with promoting themselves. Thank you for providing a fresh perspective." --K.M. Jones, Benevolent Planet, "A simple path to purposeful living." http://www.benevolentplanet.com
Learn more about Authentic Promotion and read a sample chapter at http://www.learntolovemarketing.com . (AOL readers, copy and paste this link into your browser: www.learntolovemarketing.com .)
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US: http://www.mollygordon.com/searchbook.html
UK: http://www.mollygordon.com/eurobook.html
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Quick Links
Resources and Links
Thank you for supporting The New Leaf by purchasing the products and services recommended below. I personally test every product I recommend, and every merchant will refund your investment if you are not satisfied. If they don't make it right, I will.
===>Client Compass Software
Create and maintain client files that integrate intakes, session notes, billing, and all the administrative functions that support you to create prosperity by showing up and serving your clients. In addition, there are a Practice Building component for identifying "Ideal Clients," strategies for growing a coaching or therapy business, and prospect tracking. You have 60 days to try it and request a refund, so your risk is nil. http://www.cartville.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=32114
===>Integral Naked
Ken Wilber and the Integral Institutes have created a Web site on matters integral full of cheeky irreverence and attitude. Members enjoy exclusive online access to audio taped conversations between Ken Wilber and some of the leading integral thinkers of the day. The headache rating is much, much lower than reading most of Wilber’s books, and the cast of characters is very entertaining. Cost, $10 a month. Check it out at http://www.integralnaked.org . Enter "mollygee" (without the quotes) in the referrer box and I'll get a free month. Thank you!
===>What to Say if You Hate to Sell
Kendall SummerHawk's three-tape series, "What to Say if You Hate to Sell," shows exactly how to have a respectful, authentic, thoughtful conversation with prospects, a conversation that results in people asking if they can hire you (how would you like that!?).
http://www.cartville.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=38272
Small Print
Copyright | Getting On and Off the List
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is written and
edited by Molly Gordon, MCC.Copyright (c) Shaboom Inc. (r) 2004.
All rights reserved. www.mollygordon.com
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