Reflections: Fresh
Beginnings
Inspirational video
Ways to connect and Dare to Blossom
New edition of "The Essential Guide to Cervical Cancer"
Reflections: Fresh Beginnings
September - for many, a return to school, or to work, or other study after a summer break. A time of fresh beginnings: maybe new surroundings, new friends, new colleagues.
This week, (as I write it is the last week of August), I received one of those 'Facebook memories' telling me it was nine years since I began a new job on 25th August 2009. This was with Outset Cornwall, a new programme to provide 'business start-up support' in the county. In March that year I had been made redundant from a local college when an earlier version of such a programme had come to the end of the funding.
In all I spent twelve years doing that sort of work in the two organisations. It was a joy and a privilege, and a time of deep learning and some uncomfortable lessons too.
In June 2015 the second contract with Outset Cornwall ended and most of us were made redundant. I decided to focus on Dare to Blossom Life Coaching, which I had been running and developing all that time alongside being fortunate enough to be paid as an employee to be a business coach and trainer. Despite being offered work back with Outset Cornwall a year later when the programme restarted in a different form, I took the decision to create my own work, to follow my heart more truly than I found possible as an employee. Another fresh beginning.
A note to add here: I have also followed my heart in the jobs I have done over the years, for example, following my experience or cancer, when I moved into health research and took a cut in salary. Fortunately, many people are able to do change roles and follow their hearts in organisations, as not everyone is suited to self-employment. In my business coaching roles, even though one of the 'measures' was the number of people who started a business, I felt the coaching had been a success when someone realised that this route was not for them. In my private coaching, a key theme is to 'start where you are' and examine what can be easily changed to make wherever that is a more fulfilling and happier place for you, before embarking on any big changes.
When I look back on the three years and three months since then - so much has changed, emerged. So much has truly blossomed for me, and through my work, for others. As I prepare new offerings for September; as I continue to work on my new book; as so many ideas flow around me - sometimes all those potential new things, fresh beginnings, can feel overwhelming. And so, it can be valuable to look back, to see how far I have come. To notice how I did that: one step at a time. Sometimes those steps were sideways; sometimes backwards; sometimes retracing, back to a fork in the road and making a different choice. All along, the petals have been unfurling, row after row, layer after layer.
.
Recently I shared my regular coaching exchange with Kathy Kane of the Purple Ink Cafe. We connected some years ago now, neither of us can remember exactly when. I had followed up a piece i had seen on on-line, where some words Kathy had written really struck a chord for me. She became one of my team of coaches for a while as I took part in one of her programmes, and I have recently been a guest speaker in The Purple Ink Cafe. Highly recommended - I love the way Kathy and her business partner host the live calls and they attract fascinating speakers.
So, to return to the point about reviewing, and about fresh beginnings. After my turn in our recent exchange, Kathy sent me a summary of some of my words in our call.
Inspirational video
Ways to connect and Dare to Blossom
New edition of "The Essential Guide to Cervical Cancer"
Reflections: Fresh Beginnings
September - for many, a return to school, or to work, or other study after a summer break. A time of fresh beginnings: maybe new surroundings, new friends, new colleagues.
This week, (as I write it is the last week of August), I received one of those 'Facebook memories' telling me it was nine years since I began a new job on 25th August 2009. This was with Outset Cornwall, a new programme to provide 'business start-up support' in the county. In March that year I had been made redundant from a local college when an earlier version of such a programme had come to the end of the funding.
In all I spent twelve years doing that sort of work in the two organisations. It was a joy and a privilege, and a time of deep learning and some uncomfortable lessons too.
In June 2015 the second contract with Outset Cornwall ended and most of us were made redundant. I decided to focus on Dare to Blossom Life Coaching, which I had been running and developing all that time alongside being fortunate enough to be paid as an employee to be a business coach and trainer. Despite being offered work back with Outset Cornwall a year later when the programme restarted in a different form, I took the decision to create my own work, to follow my heart more truly than I found possible as an employee. Another fresh beginning.
A note to add here: I have also followed my heart in the jobs I have done over the years, for example, following my experience or cancer, when I moved into health research and took a cut in salary. Fortunately, many people are able to do change roles and follow their hearts in organisations, as not everyone is suited to self-employment. In my business coaching roles, even though one of the 'measures' was the number of people who started a business, I felt the coaching had been a success when someone realised that this route was not for them. In my private coaching, a key theme is to 'start where you are' and examine what can be easily changed to make wherever that is a more fulfilling and happier place for you, before embarking on any big changes.
When I look back on the three years and three months since then - so much has changed, emerged. So much has truly blossomed for me, and through my work, for others. As I prepare new offerings for September; as I continue to work on my new book; as so many ideas flow around me - sometimes all those potential new things, fresh beginnings, can feel overwhelming. And so, it can be valuable to look back, to see how far I have come. To notice how I did that: one step at a time. Sometimes those steps were sideways; sometimes backwards; sometimes retracing, back to a fork in the road and making a different choice. All along, the petals have been unfurling, row after row, layer after layer.
.
Recently I shared my regular coaching exchange with Kathy Kane of the Purple Ink Cafe. We connected some years ago now, neither of us can remember exactly when. I had followed up a piece i had seen on on-line, where some words Kathy had written really struck a chord for me. She became one of my team of coaches for a while as I took part in one of her programmes, and I have recently been a guest speaker in The Purple Ink Cafe. Highly recommended - I love the way Kathy and her business partner host the live calls and they attract fascinating speakers.
So, to return to the point about reviewing, and about fresh beginnings. After my turn in our recent exchange, Kathy sent me a summary of some of my words in our call.
"Re-member...dismember...put self together...coming
home to self...direction...grounding."
And then:
"You are open to the creative process.
The process will reveal itself!
Enjoy the process
Seeds are germinating
You allow growth to take place
You are enough
You remember how much you've learned."
Thank you Kathy, if you read this. I highly recommend Kathy as a one to one coach, and in her community at the Purple Ink Cafe.
I have sessions with several coaches on a regular basis. Some are exchanges, others I pay whatever their rate is. I choose people with different talents and skills, people who I admire, people who charge more than I do. They help me see the potential for the germination of my ideas, based in the rich soil of my past experience. (If you are one of my treasured team, and you have anything you are planning that you would like me to share here - do contact me.)
Returning to Kathy's words. As I shared with you last month, my process in writing my new book has involved a lot of introspection and exploring memories. Sometimes maybe I could 're-member', and even 'dis-member' some of these. Seeing the past differently. That has been happening in conversation with people in my family who have quite different memories of the times I have been writing about. Yes, there are facts involved, and - for the purposes of exploring my 'pathway to power' the fact that different people remember the same time differently has no particular significance.
What I choose to do with that now is what I wish to explore. Another response I have had recently was from the person whose challenge to 'stop hiding' I am finally responding to. She said "Perhaps you can also write your own future?" In many ways that is what all of us are doing. I have begun to explore that in my journeying visualisations, with some interesting results. More on that another time.
For you, in your journal or meditation:
- What do you wish to re-member?
- Do you need to dis-member it first?
- Do you want to flow-write about 'writing my future'?
Inspirational video
From 'Food for My Soul' - this is a beautiful piece. Make music with what remains....
Ways to connect and Dare to Blossom
Once again, a summary this month, follow the links for more details on anything you are drawn to explore.
Next week, on Thursday 6th September at 7.30 pm (UK time) I am hosting a taster call for the October month-long introductory Dare to Blossom Mastermind Circle. Last year the group of wonderful women who joined me for that trial month all signed up for the group that has been progressing through 2018. One person joined us during the year and has become an integral part of the Circle.
The working title for October is "Spiritual Life (and Business) Planning for the Creative Soul." I will be refining that after the call. If you are on Facebook the link for the free taster call is here. If you prefer not to use Facebook you are most welcome to join us on the call on Zoom, simply email me to say you would like to do that, and I will send you the link to use on the day.
The next workshop in Cornwall is on 15th September, "Progress - Moving On". Bookings are already coming in, so do contact me if you are intending to join us.
Root and Branch Listenings are now available as a one-off, or as a quarterly subscription, you will receive your personal Listening four times a year. The next will be in September, around the Autumn Equinox.
New edition of "The Essential Guide to Cervical Cancer"
I am delighted to say that the new edition will be published in November and is available to pre-order now from Need2Know Books
Until next time,
with love,
Mary
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