Hot Mommas Teachable Role Model: LaSara Firefox of The Ecstatic Presence Project and Gratitude Games
Read more at my Compassionate Living Blog!
Showing posts with label lasara firefox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lasara firefox. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Hot Mommas Teachable Role Model: LaSara Firefox of The Ecstatic Presence Project and Gratitude Games
Read more at my Compassionate Living Blog!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Happy Happy Birthday Barbie! (Or, In Defence of the Doll.)
In case you hadn't heard, this is the month of the 50th birthday of the longest-standing winner of the crown of Most Ambiguous Idol of Women's Power - BARBIE! And, it's also Women's History Month (Irony? Or Not? You decide.)
Quoted below is a (very) little piece on the Plastic Priestess I write for my book Sexy Witch (Llewellyn, self-help/nonfiction, 2005), for chapter two - that chapter in which I addresses self-esteem.
In honor of the gran dame's 50th, I thought I'd post it, slightly updated.
Then, of course, I got carried away, and had to add a bunch of commentary, as a recognition and celebration of our (read my) changing feminist values and views.
With a spotty family history (I'll spare you the drama), and the fervor of Take Back the Night, I stepped into adulthood at the tail-end of the 2nd Wave, and a chip on my shoulder the size of...well, the size of womanhood itself, and the ills heaped upon it (or, us), I guess.
At 18 I started body building, and learned self-defense techniques that made it possible for me to kill a man with my bare hands.
At 19, I shaved my head, wore boy-clothes, and started walking, talking, and f*cking like a man. Anything HE could do, I could do better - f8ck the "high heels and backwards" part! I wore combat boots. (Didn't we all?)
At 21, I worked as the only female employee in a moving company of 130+, and became one of the guys. Worked twice as hard for half the respect, yada yada yada.
Yeah. A lot of men were ass3s. And yes, gender was bu77sh1t. And yes, shaving my head, the confidence of knowing how to kill "a perp," and the strength to lift a washing machine single-handed made it possible for me to pass as a guy with confidence, and do all sorts of stuff that girl's (yep, even most "riot grrrls") couldn't, or wouldn't do.
And as a red head, shaving your hair off is a sure-fire way to find out who's been objectifying you! At least, that's how I felt when men talked to me eye to eye instead of eye to breast. Then there were the friends who bailed - I figured to he77 with 'em, if they can't take the "real" me.
Result: I hated men more, loved myself less...and slowly, overtime, found a long and winding path towards my own healing, from the inside out.
First, I made gender my own.
Then I started the process of making peace with my body and its female vulnerabilities.
Then, I began the (still-challenging) work of making peace with men, and the fact that they truly COULDN'T (and can't) understand what it was like to be a woman.
Not their fault. Not always a comfortable truth, but a truth all the same
Just like the fact that I can't understand what it's like to be a woman from Chiapas. I can empathize. I can listen to her life stories. I can do what I can to put myself in her shoes. But I cannot know what it is like to BE her.
I learned, and as I learned I taught. I taught workshops. I taught classes. I had debates - formal and informal. I wrote articles. As a matter of fact, all of this lead to writing Sexy Witch.
In the midst of it all, I became a mom.
As a strong, some might even say extremist, feminist, what changed my mind about Baribie?
My daughter was a Daughter. A Daughter, with a capital "D". Delicate, pale shell of an inviolable (please god, please - prayer whispered again and again) holy of holies. Alabaster skin, tiny ankle, long, fine fingers.
It was as if she were born with a very "traditionally feminine" tenderness. Holding her felt like holding a fragile china doll, with a pulse - one I was entirely responsible to protect from a hard world.
My little one's fragility announced itself like a metaphorical pink bow tied around her mostly-hairless head - it was like she had an extra x chromosome, just for good measure.
And who knows? Maybe she does? Human genetic sex is a spectrum that contains 47 possible combinations of Xs and Ys.
Even before my eldest daughter's birth, I had Rules (with a capital "R") about how she'd be raised. No gender-based gifts, no pink clothes, no dresses. The hubby and I hand-dyed "baby pink" and "baby blue" cotton infant shirts black. Back in '97 there were no hip, punk-rock baby shops.) We gave her dolls, but made sure she had tractors, too.
But then the damndest thing happened; my daughter started speaking for herself. Very early. And very - you guessed it - outspokenly. At about seven months.
One of her first favorite words was "pretty." And, it referred to anything pink.
I loosened up. She LIKED dresses. She loved pink ones the most. Especially ones with tutus, frills, and bright colours. So, bit by bit, along came the wings, and the wands, and the tulle, and the ballet shoes. The girly summer sandals.
I still held on to the "no Barbies" rule. For a very long time. It was a point of reference for me. Something to hold on to.
Against all the ribbing, joking, cajoling, I held on. The Beauty Myth. Anorexia. Bulemia. High heels. Tiny waists. Huge breasts. Make up. Etc. I was afraid of the impact the plasticine queen would have on my - already SO female - daughter.
When she was two-and-a-half, my precocious one asked; "Mom, why can't I have a Barbie?" She was (is) quite a sharp cookie, and a little pitcher with some big ears! I took a breath, and said "I'm afraid she'll make you feel badly about yourself." Her response?
"Mommy, she's just a doll!" I swear to this day that her voice had a slight edge of disbelief that I could ever be quite so silly.
She won that argument, hands down.
My daughter taught me something in that moment. Sometimes a doll IS just a doll.
And over the years of welcoming Barbie into my family in her many guises, the lovely lady has taught me a few things, too. My girls and I especially loved the Witch Barbies a couple of Halloweens ago. But the greatest sight by far has been the Barbie knock-offs you find in the Middle East. These lovelies sing Middle Eastern Disco, and wear hijab - a hair covering traditional for women in Muslim culture.
The latest of Barbie's 95+ careers? CEO. To shed some light on that, The Onion has a wise (ass), and very relevant article on the topic.
Yes, the pink-collar ghetto is still a real thing. Women still make less than men, on average, across the board. The statistical nexus where gender, sex, race, education, motherhood and the market place converge are so convoluted that only economists can do them justice.
And, even at that, there's HUGE debate about the gender-wage-gap, it's origins, and possible solutions.
So here I'll site only a couple of stats I can recall off the top of my head: a white woman, on average, makes about .75 for each $1 a white man makes. That is a quarter less per dollar. $25 less for every $100. $250 less for every $1000. 75 cents on the dollar is a big deal.
The largest wage gap is between white men, and Mexican and Hispanic women. If I remember correctly, the gender-wage-gap is lowest between Mexican and Hispanic men, and Mexican and Hispanic women. (Probably because Mexican and Hispanic men make damn near nothing!)
In all this truth, thank God for Barbie. God bless her, from her misshapen little feet, to her plastic space helmet, to her smart, strong, suits, to her new measurements. Sure, she's still got an "unrealistic" bod. So does Angelina Jolie, and I love her none-the-less!
To grossly reduce the parody The Onion offers, Barbie's careers are seemingly "unrealistic", too. Fer chrissake, in 1979, there was a black Barbie for President doll!
Some kinds on "unrealistic" are good. Women getting the vote was, at one time, unrealistic. The civil rights movement? World peace...
Unrealistic doesn't mean impossible. Sometimes unrealistic is just a challenge that spurs us on.
In Barbie's world, your worth isn't based on whether you're married by the time you're thirty - as a matter of fact, Barbie's never been married. In her world, a woman can have any career she wants - or even a whole bunch of them! And she's no less beautiful, womanly or feminine as a surgeon than as a nurse. And no less strong as a nurse than as a surgeon.
With luck, some perseverance, and some "unrealistic" dreaming, perhaps someday it'll be so in our world, too.
Quoted below is a (very) little piece on the Plastic Priestess I write for my book Sexy Witch (Llewellyn, self-help/nonfiction, 2005), for chapter two - that chapter in which I addresses self-esteem.
In honor of the gran dame's 50th, I thought I'd post it, slightly updated.
Then, of course, I got carried away, and had to add a bunch of commentary, as a recognition and celebration of our (read my) changing feminist values and views.
In Defense of the Doll: The Barbie RevolutionFlashback to the late '80s, and My Long, Long Journey Towards Respecting Barbie:
Barbie has gone from being a vapid example of how women are "supposed to be," to being the most successful female in America. Barbie has had 95+ careers, has been created in 45 different nationalities. And, has busted through the glass ceiling on many frontiers. Launched in 2004: White House Barbie!
With any luck, we mortals will soon catch up with this versatile plasticine character.Sexy Witch
With a spotty family history (I'll spare you the drama), and the fervor of Take Back the Night, I stepped into adulthood at the tail-end of the 2nd Wave, and a chip on my shoulder the size of...well, the size of womanhood itself, and the ills heaped upon it (or, us), I guess.
At 18 I started body building, and learned self-defense techniques that made it possible for me to kill a man with my bare hands.
At 19, I shaved my head, wore boy-clothes, and started walking, talking, and f*cking like a man. Anything HE could do, I could do better - f8ck the "high heels and backwards" part! I wore combat boots. (Didn't we all?)
At 21, I worked as the only female employee in a moving company of 130+, and became one of the guys. Worked twice as hard for half the respect, yada yada yada.
Yeah. A lot of men were ass3s. And yes, gender was bu77sh1t. And yes, shaving my head, the confidence of knowing how to kill "a perp," and the strength to lift a washing machine single-handed made it possible for me to pass as a guy with confidence, and do all sorts of stuff that girl's (yep, even most "riot grrrls") couldn't, or wouldn't do.
And as a red head, shaving your hair off is a sure-fire way to find out who's been objectifying you! At least, that's how I felt when men talked to me eye to eye instead of eye to breast. Then there were the friends who bailed - I figured to he77 with 'em, if they can't take the "real" me.
Result: I hated men more, loved myself less...and slowly, overtime, found a long and winding path towards my own healing, from the inside out.
First, I made gender my own.
Then I started the process of making peace with my body and its female vulnerabilities.
Then, I began the (still-challenging) work of making peace with men, and the fact that they truly COULDN'T (and can't) understand what it was like to be a woman.
Not their fault. Not always a comfortable truth, but a truth all the same
Just like the fact that I can't understand what it's like to be a woman from Chiapas. I can empathize. I can listen to her life stories. I can do what I can to put myself in her shoes. But I cannot know what it is like to BE her.
I learned, and as I learned I taught. I taught workshops. I taught classes. I had debates - formal and informal. I wrote articles. As a matter of fact, all of this lead to writing Sexy Witch.
In the midst of it all, I became a mom.
As a strong, some might even say extremist, feminist, what changed my mind about Baribie?
My daughter was a Daughter. A Daughter, with a capital "D". Delicate, pale shell of an inviolable (please god, please - prayer whispered again and again) holy of holies. Alabaster skin, tiny ankle, long, fine fingers.
It was as if she were born with a very "traditionally feminine" tenderness. Holding her felt like holding a fragile china doll, with a pulse - one I was entirely responsible to protect from a hard world.
My little one's fragility announced itself like a metaphorical pink bow tied around her mostly-hairless head - it was like she had an extra x chromosome, just for good measure.
And who knows? Maybe she does? Human genetic sex is a spectrum that contains 47 possible combinations of Xs and Ys.
Even before my eldest daughter's birth, I had Rules (with a capital "R") about how she'd be raised. No gender-based gifts, no pink clothes, no dresses. The hubby and I hand-dyed "baby pink" and "baby blue" cotton infant shirts black. Back in '97 there were no hip, punk-rock baby shops.) We gave her dolls, but made sure she had tractors, too.
But then the damndest thing happened; my daughter started speaking for herself. Very early. And very - you guessed it - outspokenly. At about seven months.
One of her first favorite words was "pretty." And, it referred to anything pink.
I loosened up. She LIKED dresses. She loved pink ones the most. Especially ones with tutus, frills, and bright colours. So, bit by bit, along came the wings, and the wands, and the tulle, and the ballet shoes. The girly summer sandals.
I still held on to the "no Barbies" rule. For a very long time. It was a point of reference for me. Something to hold on to.
Against all the ribbing, joking, cajoling, I held on. The Beauty Myth. Anorexia. Bulemia. High heels. Tiny waists. Huge breasts. Make up. Etc. I was afraid of the impact the plasticine queen would have on my - already SO female - daughter.
When she was two-and-a-half, my precocious one asked; "Mom, why can't I have a Barbie?" She was (is) quite a sharp cookie, and a little pitcher with some big ears! I took a breath, and said "I'm afraid she'll make you feel badly about yourself." Her response?
"Mommy, she's just a doll!" I swear to this day that her voice had a slight edge of disbelief that I could ever be quite so silly.
She won that argument, hands down.
My daughter taught me something in that moment. Sometimes a doll IS just a doll.
And over the years of welcoming Barbie into my family in her many guises, the lovely lady has taught me a few things, too. My girls and I especially loved the Witch Barbies a couple of Halloweens ago. But the greatest sight by far has been the Barbie knock-offs you find in the Middle East. These lovelies sing Middle Eastern Disco, and wear hijab - a hair covering traditional for women in Muslim culture.
The latest of Barbie's 95+ careers? CEO. To shed some light on that, The Onion has a wise (ass), and very relevant article on the topic.
Yes, the pink-collar ghetto is still a real thing. Women still make less than men, on average, across the board. The statistical nexus where gender, sex, race, education, motherhood and the market place converge are so convoluted that only economists can do them justice.
And, even at that, there's HUGE debate about the gender-wage-gap, it's origins, and possible solutions.
So here I'll site only a couple of stats I can recall off the top of my head: a white woman, on average, makes about .75 for each $1 a white man makes. That is a quarter less per dollar. $25 less for every $100. $250 less for every $1000. 75 cents on the dollar is a big deal.
The largest wage gap is between white men, and Mexican and Hispanic women. If I remember correctly, the gender-wage-gap is lowest between Mexican and Hispanic men, and Mexican and Hispanic women. (Probably because Mexican and Hispanic men make damn near nothing!)
In all this truth, thank God for Barbie. God bless her, from her misshapen little feet, to her plastic space helmet, to her smart, strong, suits, to her new measurements. Sure, she's still got an "unrealistic" bod. So does Angelina Jolie, and I love her none-the-less!
To grossly reduce the parody The Onion offers, Barbie's careers are seemingly "unrealistic", too. Fer chrissake, in 1979, there was a black Barbie for President doll!
Some kinds on "unrealistic" are good. Women getting the vote was, at one time, unrealistic. The civil rights movement? World peace...
Unrealistic doesn't mean impossible. Sometimes unrealistic is just a challenge that spurs us on.
In Barbie's world, your worth isn't based on whether you're married by the time you're thirty - as a matter of fact, Barbie's never been married. In her world, a woman can have any career she wants - or even a whole bunch of them! And she's no less beautiful, womanly or feminine as a surgeon than as a nurse. And no less strong as a nurse than as a surgeon.
With luck, some perseverance, and some "unrealistic" dreaming, perhaps someday it'll be so in our world, too.
I trust our girls to know which elements to strive to change, and where to put their focus.
It's our responsibility not to irresponsibly bare our wounds, hand our daughters the glass ceilings that held us down, or limit their reaching for the sky, the scalpel, or even the Malibu spa.
And, it's our responsibility to have the conversation about body image, health, self-acceptance, self-love, and self-esteem over and over again. Even more, it's our responsibility to model that health for them.
And surely, that conversation does not begin, nor end, with Barbie. After all, she's just a doll.Thursday, February 26, 2009
Compassionate Living with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP
Introducing my NEW blog - Compassionate Living with LaSara Firefox! I will be posting there now, instead of here. SO, go there!
peace, love, gratitude!
-LaSara
http://www.lasarafirefox.com
peace, love, gratitude!
-LaSara
http://www.lasarafirefox.com
Friday, November 7, 2008
Win Some, Lose Some - An Election End-Note from Yoga Mama
Win Some:
I truly believe I have experienced what may be THE definative political event of my lifetime; the first black American president has been elected. By a landslide, in fact.
Not only that, he's the first president who is more Gen-X than Baby Boom. And, as advertised, as much as Obama is proof of change, he's harbinger of change. Don't quite buy it yet? Check out the new President-Elect's website: www.change.gov. Seriously! Change dot Gov. And it is a change - Obama and his team are ready to drag this country, perhaps kicking and screaming, into the new millennium. (Hey, we're only eight years late, right?)
Web 2.0 savvy was part of what delivered this heroic victory. And, Obama has been nothing but generous with the praise for a country that heard a message of hope, and went for. Motivated to achieve it.
I look forward to seeing what the country looks like in a year's time, four year's. We have an opportunity to take a lead from an honorable man, and embrace change. This is only the beginning. We are the change that elected this president, and we can be the change that rises this country from the ashes to fly strong again.
Lose Some:
In California, widely considered at least one of the most liberal states in the union, the citizens voted in Proposition 8, the nefariously worded "Protect Marriage Act." It's is a proposition that "protects traditional marriage" by disallowing anyone but one man and one woman the rights that marriage affords.
However, the fight goes on. As I write, people all over the state are demonstrating against Prop 8.
To paraphrase a facebook friend's update the day after the elections; I never thought I'd see the day when I was proud to be an American, and ashamed to be a Californian. Well, here it is. (can't recall who that was from, or I'd give you a link...)
And, an end comment on the election from Yoga Mama:
So, the struggle for rights - equal rights for everyone, regardless of color of skin, sexual orientation, sex or gender - continues unabated. But still, I have hope.
Hope possessed of a leader. Hope for, and trust in, the country that elected him. Hope that a day will come when the changes that are coming have come and gone, leaving a sweeter memory behind. To quote a great man;
-LaSara
http://www.lasarafirefox.com
I truly believe I have experienced what may be THE definative political event of my lifetime; the first black American president has been elected. By a landslide, in fact.
Not only that, he's the first president who is more Gen-X than Baby Boom. And, as advertised, as much as Obama is proof of change, he's harbinger of change. Don't quite buy it yet? Check out the new President-Elect's website: www.change.gov. Seriously! Change dot Gov. And it is a change - Obama and his team are ready to drag this country, perhaps kicking and screaming, into the new millennium. (Hey, we're only eight years late, right?)
Web 2.0 savvy was part of what delivered this heroic victory. And, Obama has been nothing but generous with the praise for a country that heard a message of hope, and went for. Motivated to achieve it.
I look forward to seeing what the country looks like in a year's time, four year's. We have an opportunity to take a lead from an honorable man, and embrace change. This is only the beginning. We are the change that elected this president, and we can be the change that rises this country from the ashes to fly strong again.
Lose Some:
In California, widely considered at least one of the most liberal states in the union, the citizens voted in Proposition 8, the nefariously worded "Protect Marriage Act." It's is a proposition that "protects traditional marriage" by disallowing anyone but one man and one woman the rights that marriage affords.
However, the fight goes on. As I write, people all over the state are demonstrating against Prop 8.
To paraphrase a facebook friend's update the day after the elections; I never thought I'd see the day when I was proud to be an American, and ashamed to be a Californian. Well, here it is. (can't recall who that was from, or I'd give you a link...)
And, an end comment on the election from Yoga Mama:
So, the struggle for rights - equal rights for everyone, regardless of color of skin, sexual orientation, sex or gender - continues unabated. But still, I have hope.
Hope possessed of a leader. Hope for, and trust in, the country that elected him. Hope that a day will come when the changes that are coming have come and gone, leaving a sweeter memory behind. To quote a great man;
"Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is...better than the one we inhabit today."Peace, and hope.
-President-Elect Barack Hussein Obama
-LaSara
http://www.lasarafirefox.com
Thursday, October 30, 2008
"A Ringing Endorsement - NOT POLITICAL!" - a letter of recommendation from a client
Included in this post: "A Ringing Endorsement - NOT POLITICAL!" - a letter of recommendation from a client
One of my lovely clients, Aletha Schelby, wrote a lovely note about working with me. If you've been thinking of coaching, perhaps her words will speak to you.
peace,
-LaSara
Hello dear friends!
I wanted to take a quick moment and introduce you to a person in my life that has made a tremendous impact on me in the short time that I've known (and worked with) her. Six months ago I got an email - much like this one - forwarded from a friend of mine, talking about a woman named LaSara Firefox who was a Life Coach. A Life Coach! I had heard of them, and flirted with the idea of having one, but always thought they were not for People Like Me (boo). But I decided that the Universe was trying to tell me something and so I took the plunge anyway (yay!).
Now, I'm sure I've spoken with most of you about some of the work I've been doing recently for myself, but if I haven't, I'll just summarise: 6 months ago I was sufficiently recovered and reintegrated from my year in India, to start thinking about actually moving forward. I had some thoughts about which direction to move in, but I didn't really trust them, and I didn't trust myself (understatement), and I definitely couldn't imagine how to get myself moving forward.
Bring LaSara onto the scene and I've had a partner and coach since then, leading me through all sorts of challenges - finding a spiritual community, improving my confidence and thus my performance and upward mobility at my job, increasing my capacity to love myself - all personal goals that LaSara helped me define and achieve.
But why tell you this now? Why? Because I just heard that LaSara is currently taking on new clients in her practice, and I thought you might be interested and probably a good match for this work! Or that you would know other groovy people that would be interested. LaSara offers a FREE introductory session for anyone interested in exploring coaching, which I highly highly encourage you to take advantage of if it speaks at all to you.
I can NOT say enough about how much LaSara has influenced and improved my life. Her work is spontaneous yet rigorous, highly adaptable but methodical. Whether your goals are personal, financial, spiritual, or physical - from starting a business to starting to love yourself - LaSara brings her incredible intellect, impressive experience, and always her great big heart to all the work she does.
So go for it! Check out her website!
www.lasarafirefox.com
YOU are WORTH it!!!
Love and sparkles,
~aletha
--
Aletha Schelby
Project Manager/Business Analyst (new fancy title coming soon!)
TechSoup Global
www.techsoupglobal.org
One of my lovely clients, Aletha Schelby, wrote a lovely note about working with me. If you've been thinking of coaching, perhaps her words will speak to you.
peace,
-LaSara
Hello dear friends!
I wanted to take a quick moment and introduce you to a person in my life that has made a tremendous impact on me in the short time that I've known (and worked with) her. Six months ago I got an email - much like this one - forwarded from a friend of mine, talking about a woman named LaSara Firefox who was a Life Coach. A Life Coach! I had heard of them, and flirted with the idea of having one, but always thought they were not for People Like Me (boo). But I decided that the Universe was trying to tell me something and so I took the plunge anyway (yay!).
Now, I'm sure I've spoken with most of you about some of the work I've been doing recently for myself, but if I haven't, I'll just summarise: 6 months ago I was sufficiently recovered and reintegrated from my year in India, to start thinking about actually moving forward. I had some thoughts about which direction to move in, but I didn't really trust them, and I didn't trust myself (understatement), and I definitely couldn't imagine how to get myself moving forward.
Bring LaSara onto the scene and I've had a partner and coach since then, leading me through all sorts of challenges - finding a spiritual community, improving my confidence and thus my performance and upward mobility at my job, increasing my capacity to love myself - all personal goals that LaSara helped me define and achieve.
But why tell you this now? Why? Because I just heard that LaSara is currently taking on new clients in her practice, and I thought you might be interested and probably a good match for this work! Or that you would know other groovy people that would be interested. LaSara offers a FREE introductory session for anyone interested in exploring coaching, which I highly highly encourage you to take advantage of if it speaks at all to you.
I can NOT say enough about how much LaSara has influenced and improved my life. Her work is spontaneous yet rigorous, highly adaptable but methodical. Whether your goals are personal, financial, spiritual, or physical - from starting a business to starting to love yourself - LaSara brings her incredible intellect, impressive experience, and always her great big heart to all the work she does.
So go for it! Check out her website!
www.lasarafirefox.com
YOU are WORTH it!!!
Love and sparkles,
~aletha
--
Aletha Schelby
Project Manager/Business Analyst (new fancy title coming soon!)
TechSoup Global
www.techsoupglobal.org
The Ecstatic Presence Project * 705 N. State St. #205, Ukiah, CA, 95482 * 707-293-5153 * firefox@lasara.us * www.lasarafirefox.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
Be a Model Twitizen: A Twitter How-To
by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, www.lasarafirefox.com,
(Follow me at http://www.twitter.com/Yoga_Mama)
I was skeptical at first, but now Twitter is my golden city. As a busy mom and entrepreneur, I can take a few minutes and digest a handful of posts from my favorite Twitter friends, or post a bite-sized delight about my own day – all condensed to 140 characters or less. Who doesn’t have time for that?
Yes, often those posts will contain a link that may lead to an off-site exploratory mission, but so far it’s the most organic and dynamic way I’ve found to keep to my finger on the quick-beating pulse of the magical and diverse interwebs, and at the same time keep a constant stream of interest in what I have to offer.
If you’re new to Twitter, or have yet to join the chorus, here are a few ground rules that will help you to make your tweets harmonious.
1. Follow me, and I’ll follow you…and vice-versa:
If I follow you, please do the community-oriented thing and follow me, too. That way it becomes a conversation, a collaboration, a community. For us dedicated tweeters, Twitter is about building relationships. Build one with me!
Most of us don’t tweet to hear the sound of our own voice. No one wants to be shouting into a well. Consider my follow an invitation into my world, as well as a tip of the hat to your skill in presenting a doorway into yours.
2. Write a good bio:
In the beginning, this tiny bio is all we know about each other. 160 characters of character. The bio is often an under-utilized aspect of Twitter. I’m encouraging a bio revival! Make me want to know you. (It’s great practice for your elevator pitch, too, right?)
I encourage you to include something about your openness to new followers, or the reason you’re on Twitter. I put “Follow me, I’ll follow you,” in my bio. If you only want people you already know to follow you, you can protect your updates. In addition, you could say “I only follow people I know.” This little step will save both of us time, energy, and pride.
In addition to the bio, there’s a spot for a url. Add a link to a place where I can find out more about you; your blog, your website, an article you’ve written, your facebook profile.
3. Building your “Twitterverse”:
The way to build your network is to follow people. Yet, you ideally want a good balance between following and followers. So there’s a rhythm to building your twitterverse. Here’s how mine goes:
a. Find prospective Twitter friends (see step 4 on some tips on that), and follow them.
b. Allow a few days for the prospective community member to follow me in return.
c. If they follow me back, I make personal contact through a direct message (aka, “dm”, see section 6 for more info) and all is good. If they don’t, I evaluate whether they’re worthwhile to follow without the benefit of a two-way conversation. If they are, I keep them on. If not, I unfollow them.
4. Finding your twitter-posse:
You want to follow people you find interesting. You want to be followed by people who will find you interesting. Whether this is for work, fun, community building, or all of the above, your skill in creating your personal Twitterverse predicts how rewarding your Twitter experience will be.
There are worlds of possibility in every moment, but even more so in Twitter. Bloggers, and moms, and marketers, oh my! Really, you can find followers and followees from all walks of life, and with interests that run the gamut. These people are going to be getting into your head, and introducing you to new worlds day by day. Choose accordingly!
First off, click on the Find People tab on your home page (upper right, see it? good!) you might want to follow your irl (in real life) friends. You can search them by name or e-mail address. You can also invite them to join twitter, if you think they’d enjoy the experience.
Next, you’ll want to choose a few terms that indicate shared interests. For me, those terms were mom, mommy, mama, momma, and the dad variations, too. Then yoga. You can either search by terms at http://search.twitter.com/, or you can use the Find People tab again.
When you search your terms, the search will bring up profiles that list terms in the Twitter user name, in a tweeter’s bio, or even sometimes in a tweeter’s tweets. I found pages and pages of members listed on most of the terms I searched.
I chose selectively from the tweeters listed. Some of the parameters I used to decide whether I should follow someone or not were;
* The date they last tweeted - if someone hasn’t been on in months, what are the chances they’ll respond to a follow alert from a stranger?
* What their most recent tweet said; for example, if the tweet said “Why the hell are all these strangers following me? Creepy!?!”, that member is not a likely candidate for community building!
* Their bio, and whether it sounded like we’d be a good match.
Most often I would choose not to follow people with protected updates, but in rare cases I’d risk it and request permission to follow. I recommend that you judge that one on a case-by-case basis.
Another way to find like-minded tweeters is to go to a like-minded tweeters page, and follow the tweeters they follow, and those who follow them. You can see bios by placing your cursor over a tweeter’s name.
I would follow as many tweeters as I felt inspired to in one fell swoop (I think my “following” list got up to around 2000 once), and see who followed back. After a few days, I’d go back check out which tweeters had responded, and go through the evaluation of whether I would keep following tweeters who had followed back, or not.
Through this strategy, I built my list of followers up to over 700 in a matter of days.
5. Ethics for business (and personal) networking:
Some disagree with me on this, but I believe that even - or perhaps especially - if “you” are a business, you should follow in return. Yes, Twitter is free advertising, and it’s SMART advertising – JetBlue, Zappos, Vans and thousands of entrepreneurs can’t be wrong!
But, as always, there needs to be some buy-in. In this case, imnsho (in my not so humble opinion), the buy-in is this; I’ll pay attention to your posts, but I expect you to pay attention to mine, too. It’s a give and take, baby!
Besides, think of the marketing information you’ll be able to gather. Two-way communication with your demographic is just plain smart business sense.
Also, it’s not good manners to follow me, and then turn around and unfollow me when you think I’m not looking. I will come back and check from time to time, to see if those I follow are following me. (I do the same for those who are following me, too. I go and check my followers and make sure I’ve returned the follow.)
Not only that, there are tons of third party systems coming into being that are created to augment the Twitter experience. One of these even helps twitterers keep track of their follower activity. And, there are sure to be more of them as time goes by, and Twitter’s popularity continues to soar to new heights.
There are a few exceptions to the rule, but I generally don’t follow those who aren’t willing to follow me in return. I cast a line out, and if you grab hold I’ll hang on too. However, if there’s no resultant tug on the rope, I’ll reel it back in and cast in another direction.
If you have something amazing to say, and I just can’t live without your voice, I’ll stick around. But I tell you, it’s so much more fun when we can all sing out together!
6. A few easy commands that will be useful to know:
@username: this creates an automatic link to a tweeter’s profile, and alerts the user that you have sent a public post that cites them. If you’re replying to a tweet, including @username (like @yoga_mama) is great. It both promotes the tweeter, and creates a connection between you and the tweeter in question.
#tag: (like #gratitude, #palin, #debate, etc.) makes it easy to search an item, and get all the tweets that are relevant. It’s also is an easy way to see relationships between tweets by multiple tweeters.
rt, r/t, or retweet: when you repost someone’s tweet, it’s proper to add “rt @username” and then the retweet. Basically, it’s a way to give credit where credit is due. And again, it promotes tweeters who are tweeting things you appreciate or agree with.
dm username: direct messages are the way to send a private note to another tweeter. Remember, it’s “dm(space)username”. You’re only able to “dm” tweeters who are following you.
In closing:
Twitter is a community. In some way more profoundly than any other networking site I’ve ever been part of, the tweeters I follow have worked their way into my heart.
Maybe it’s the often unguarded, haiku-like quality of the “microblogging” experience. Maybe it’s the frequency with which I see the words of a given tweeter. Maybe it’s the fact that the Twitter experience has the contour and context of a conversation drifting in through the kitchen window.
And this in a country (the USA, in my case) where we often don’t have a sister or best friend living next door, or a neighbor we could easily ask for advice on a moment’s notice. Much less, hundreds of neighbors, many of whom might send well wishes when you need them, and heartfelt advice when you ask for it. (Or, just like any family, sometimes even when you don’t!)
Twitter has brought us into one another’s living rooms. It’s allowed us to share our vacations, our kid’s Big Game, our successes and heartbreaks.
It’s opened a window into a community that never goes to sleep - tweeters live all over the world, as one tweeter tweets her last missive of the night, another wakes up to a brilliant new day. A community that is always willing to give a shout out, send a smile, talk about politics, and lift one another up in a challenging moment.
Remember this as you build your personal Twitterverse. You are creating a new world, from nothing. Build it, grow it, nurture it with intention and care. And you know, everything will be just right.
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is a coach, trainer, and published author. LaSara helps clients find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values. She teaches and coaches internationally. She’s wife to an outstanding man, and mom to two brilliant girls.
You can find out more about LaSara at www.lasarafirefox.com. While you’re there, be sure to check out LaSara’s weekly conscious parenting podcast; Yoga Mama Satsangha.
(Please feel free share this article, in its entirety. Repost, send to your list, share with your friends. Please include all links, and LaSara’s bio. Quoting is always welcome, and should be executed in accordance with basic MLA quoting guidelines.)
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Yoga Mama's Guide to Compassionate Citizenry, Ecstatic Presence Newsletter
In this newsletter: Note from LaSara: Yoga Mama's Guide to Compassionate Citizenry * Empowerment for Presence: There Is No Other * LaSara Recommends...*
As the election nears, there are questions on everyone's lips. Whether it's okay to talk about politics is one of this big ones. My opinion; it's not just alright, it's your responsibility to do so! This is a democracy, and as citizens, we are empowered to participate in the governance of our country.
Yoga Mama's Guide to Compassionate Citizenry:
1. Assume positive intent.
Just because politics tends to get dirty doesn't mean that I should add my own mud to the slinging. It can be a challenge to hold back, but doing so is good form. I want to hear your point of view, and I want you to hear mine. Let's keep it clean as we are able.
2. Generate Bodhicitta.
Bodhcitta means wisdom-consciousness, or awakened-consciousness. Engage in the political conversation from a place of wisdom and compassion. This allows you to recognize your own wounding, while allowing yourself not to react from the wounded place. It also allows you remember that everyone is doing what they think best for the world.
You don't have to agree with their methods (and you won't in many cases), but trust that everyone is doing their best. In addition to contributing to the process of your own potential awakening to the enlightened mind, it makes it easier to have a civilized conversation.
3. Don't take it personally.
While it is easy to get caught in the fervor of fear, hurt, power and probabilities, and while the outcome of election day is very important, remember that comments made about your candidate are not comments made about you. Political disagreements don't need to become personal ones.
As a business person, I know I am taking a risk by being public with my political views. But it is a risk I willingly take on, in order to be the best citizen, of this country and the world as a whole, that I can be. I respect your right and duty to do the same.
The place where politics and spirit meet is addressed in this issue's Empowerment for Presence; There Is No Other. Read on, and have an ecstatic day.
peace.
-LaSara
*****
Ready to give coaching a try? Contact me for a pre-coaching evaluation NOW! Drop a note to: firefox@lasarafirefox.com, or call 707-293-5153 to schedule.
*****
Empowerment for Presence: There Is No Other
by LaSara Firefox, www.lasarafirefox.com
I have a lot going on in my life right now, and all of it is the opportunity to achieve a more constant state (or station) of awakening to compassion. One of the largest of my personal challenges to living in my compassionate heart is Sarah Palin.
Why? To begin with, she's the iconic proof that we haven't "come a long way, baby!" at all. Palin represents the dumbing-down of America, but more painfully to me, she is the "answer" to senator Clinton's "ball-busting" demeanor. Palin is hailed by some as the perfect feminine candidate; MILF-esque, down-to-earth (folksy), and seemingly, dumb as a doornail. Ouch.
So here's the practice I am sitting with in accepting Palin as part of the undifferentiated all-that-is: three steps to cultivating compassion.
1. I recognize Palin, and my feelings for her, as my own shadow, my own wounded self seeking the light of acceptance, my own wounded femininity aspiring to recognition in a "patriarchal" world, my own fear and my own failing.
2. I awaken my "witness self", the one who easily sees my own broken parts, and loves me into wholeness, even when I feel unlovable, or unloving.
3. I allow my heart to open and grow, and visualize Palin held securely in my own heart, or enveloped in my heart-energy. I breath into this love, and allow myself to heal in, and through, it.
I undertake this practice for the benefit of all beings, pervading space and time.In the process, I heal my own heart. I address my own shadow, and in moving through the pain of it, I become more awakened to the process of integration.
In the healing of my own heart, and the growth and expansion of it, I come to have more faith in the possibility of healing. Anger is a poisoned blade that harms the one that holds it. I am only capable of healing myself. But, perhaps in healing myself, I heal the world.
Consider yourself empowered.
LaSara Recommends...
Book:
Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature
Edited by Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams, Tarcher, 1990
Meeting the Shadow addresses the dark areas of the psyche from many angles and perspectives, and through numerous lenses. It's helpful both as a cautionary measure, and as a doorway to cultivating understanding of the shadow and how it functions and manifests. Even-handed, honest, and engaging, essays from scholars, spiritual seekers and leaders, pundits, parents and more.
TV Show:
Grey's Anatomy is a really, really good show. My husband and I watch it together, and are equally moved by it. Grey's Anatomy deals with epic themes with a light hand. And, as a fan of moral ambivalence that's true to life, the show offers opportunities for viewers to arrive at our own conclusions about right and wrong.
As a comment on women in culture, the show makes up for my heart-ache regarding Palin. (See above!) Grey's posse is sexually empowered, though wounded - like most of us; hard-working, yet sometimes over-extended; invested in image, though often pissed-off when objectified. In other words, I know these women. They're me. And you. And my sisters. And my peers.
So glad to have another year of growing up with this crew.
The Ecstatic Presence Project * 705 N. State St. #205, Ukiah, CA, 95482 * 707-293-5153 * firefox@lasara.us * www.lasarafirefox.com
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Friday, September 19, 2008
GIVE-AWAY: an easy, fun way to introduce gratitude practice to your loved ones.
Want to win your own Gratitude Games package?
Want to be SURE to get a package, and HOURS of creative fun with your loved ones? Buy NOW, and you'll get yours half-price. Offer good through October 15th. Price goes to full on October 16th.
"Bring the "thanks" back to your Thanksgiving festivities (and the rest of the holiday season) with Gratitude Games and Gratitude Gatherings! Meaningful fun for the whole family, designed by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP." (Read more here.)The Gratitude Games package is three-in-one, and includes:
- Gratitude Games
- Gratitude Gatherings
- Enagaged Gratitude
Want to be SURE to get a package, and HOURS of creative fun with your loved ones? Buy NOW, and you'll get yours half-price. Offer good through October 15th. Price goes to full on October 16th.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Writer to Coach, with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP
Are you a writer? Are you tired of your writing not feeding you financially?
By now, you probably know that writing on its own is not yielding the livelihood you desire. But, what if you could have the best of both worlds; continue sharing your gifts, skills and views with the world, AND make money at the same time?
If you're a writer, you are an expert! Maybe it's time to think about moving from just writing, to offering your "expert" skills as a coach. Your writing is a great platform. Now, it's time to use it!
INTERESTED? Click this link and drop a note NOW to schedule your complimentary, risk-free, 30-minute, pre-commitment intrductory session. But ACT NOW - I'm only taking three new clients this month.
Some benefits of the coaching model:
I have a client who recently came to me with questions about a career change. I helped her transition to coaching from more "traditional" models of teaching. Within two days she had her sample sessions filled. Within two weeks she had her coaching practice filled through the next three months. She then listed an on-line class, and the class filled in a matter of days as well.
Call me now at 707-293-5153, or drop a note to info@lasarafirefox.com, to schedule a free, 30-minute, pre-commitment evaluation. Together, you and I will build a highly personalized strategy that will bring you to a whole new level of making your mission, your dream, work in the world; a plan that will increase your alignment with purpose, earning-potential, visibility, and professional achievement.
peace.
-LaSara
707-293-5153
www.lasarafirefox.com
P.S. I'm taking only three new clients at this time. If you want to be one of them, get in touch now. 707-293-5153, or, info@lasarafirefox.com.
By now, you probably know that writing on its own is not yielding the livelihood you desire. But, what if you could have the best of both worlds; continue sharing your gifts, skills and views with the world, AND make money at the same time?
If you're a writer, you are an expert! Maybe it's time to think about moving from just writing, to offering your "expert" skills as a coach. Your writing is a great platform. Now, it's time to use it!
INTERESTED? Click this link and drop a note NOW to schedule your complimentary, risk-free, 30-minute, pre-commitment intrductory session. But ACT NOW - I'm only taking three new clients this month.
Some benefits of the coaching model:
- You get to continue offering your expertise.
- You get to continue working from, and in, your passion.
- You can build your business to fit your life.
- You can have clients all over the world, instead of just in your geographical locale.
- You get to live your life purpose -- as your work!
Who can be a coach?
You can! Anyone who has a skill to teach, or an area of expertise, can be a coach. The better your existing platform as a published writer, the easier the transition to coaching will be.I have a client who recently came to me with questions about a career change. I helped her transition to coaching from more "traditional" models of teaching. Within two days she had her sample sessions filled. Within two weeks she had her coaching practice filled through the next three months. She then listed an on-line class, and the class filled in a matter of days as well.
"Changing the focus of my career was super scary, and something I had to just jump into. I jumped into the wild blue of changing, and was delighted to be caught by LaSara's net. I have made such insane progress - beyond what I imagined at all. Quick new ways of thinking about things - like; this isn't hard, I can just DO this!"INTERESTED? Remember; I'm only taking three new clients this month.Click this link NOW to schedule your complimentary, risk-free, 30-minute, pre-commitment intrductory session.
-Ariel Gore, www.arielgore.com, author of How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead, and more.
How to start?
As a teacher, writer, advocate, or educator, you're ready to offer your services as a coach now. The only thing missing is the structure of the business itself, and the support that will make way for your success. I can walk you through the transition and transformation step-by-step, and help you to arrive at your desired outcome as easily as possible.Call me now at 707-293-5153, or drop a note to info@lasarafirefox.com, to schedule a free, 30-minute, pre-commitment evaluation. Together, you and I will build a highly personalized strategy that will bring you to a whole new level of making your mission, your dream, work in the world; a plan that will increase your alignment with purpose, earning-potential, visibility, and professional achievement.
peace.
-LaSara
707-293-5153
www.lasarafirefox.com
P.S. I'm taking only three new clients at this time. If you want to be one of them, get in touch now. 707-293-5153, or, info@lasarafirefox.com.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
[Ecstatic Presence Ezine] Coming to practice...change Your Work, Change the World...Gratitude Games
LaSara’s Note * Change Your Work, Change the World * Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: Gratitude Games!
Hey friend,
When it’s hardest to give myself to practice, it’s the most important to do so.
Big changes are afoot in my life, and I - knocked off center - come back to the zafu, sit in front of my quiet altar, draw a card for contemplation from my goddess deck, and receive Kuan Yin. Goddess of Compassion. She will lead my practice today.
I draw at random from my stack of meditation books. It’s Jon Kabbat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are. I open to a page at random, and it’s an essay called “A What-Is-My-Way? Meditation”.
I find my way in the few minutes of quiet. The way of surrender. The power of prayer enfolds me, and I surrender to being held by something larger.
I feel my heart constrict, a baby in the birth canal, I am being pushed through this moment, into a larger awareness of self, of potential.
Death and birth are solitary walks. Every moment of it, truly alone…yet not alone. In facing my absolute sense of self, I break nearly into a knowing of the larger truth – that there is no alone.
Compassion sits just outside my reach, because I have placed it there. Presence is, or is not. Presence is releasing expectation, releasing attachment, releasing time.
There is no time in the eternal now, the forever unfolding is-ness of the moment.
I am present, in practice. I am breathing compassion, in practice.
So I come back to the meditation altar, back to the pillow, and sit.
peace.
-LaSara
www.lasarafirefox.com
For those of you who missed our Teacher to call class, all is not lost – Robert and I made it into a training product! And, if you pre-order now, it’s less than half price! Read on for the details.
Change Your Work, Change the World; Teacher to Coach Training Product
with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, and Robert Allen, BA, MHP
Teacher to Coach is a career call to action for teachers, advocates, authors, and educators to take their expertise and develop a dynamic coaching business! Teacher to Coach is now available as a training product for you to use at home and office.
From coaching styles, to marketing, to self-care, Teacher to Coach offers information on how to transform your area of expertise into a career as a coach, FT or PT.
This value-packed, multi-media home course will help you begin transitioning your entrepreneurial endeavors from teaching to the coaching model. Buy NOW, and as a thank you gift for your pre-order, you’ll get:
This product is totally green: zero waste! You will receive audio files and pdfs. You can use the product entirely from your computer (or palm-top). Or, print or burn as needed.
Product will be shipped on or before September 1, 2008.
Need more info? You can contact Robert at Robert@coachingwithrobertallen.com, or LaSara at firefox@lasarafirefox.com.
Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: Gratitude Games!
by LaSara Firefox, www.lasarafirefox.com
I wrote this Empowerment for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, every day is a good day to practice gratitude. If you feel inspire to integrate gratitude practice into your life, create a Gratitude Gathering. You can use these games as a starting point.
1. Gratitude Practice: The old standby. Everyone in your cluster takes a turn saying something they’re grateful for. One offering isn't enough? Go around again!
2. "Gratigories": Take turns choosing categories, and then everyone at your table offers one thing they are grateful for in the chosen "gratigory."
At our family Thanksgiving last year we played this, and it was great! Some fun - and surprisingly touching - gratigories we came up with; public utilities, things that happened to or for us when we were teens, family traditions that have been handed down, the influence of famous people.
Have fun with the gratigories! The more diverse, the better.
3. A Grateful A to Z: An alphabet of gratitude! Start with A, and make
your way to Z. Make sure everyone takes a turn. This is obviously a great gratitude game for the wee ones in your crew.
4. Compassionate Gratitude: The most challenging o my gratitude games perhaps, but what better way to strengthen your practice of compassion, than with gratitude?
The point of Compassionate Gratitude is to find things to be grateful about in areas that challenge your lovingness. Politics? Family? America? Media? Culture? Choose your topic, and find the gift in the challenge!
Consider yourself empowered!
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is mom to two amazing daughters, a life coach, and an educator. She helps her clients and students to find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values.
Visit LaSara’s website at www.lasarafirefox.com for more information. At the site, you can listen to her “Yoga Mama Satsangha” podcast series, download free parenting-related items, and more.
Hey friend,
When it’s hardest to give myself to practice, it’s the most important to do so.
Big changes are afoot in my life, and I - knocked off center - come back to the zafu, sit in front of my quiet altar, draw a card for contemplation from my goddess deck, and receive Kuan Yin. Goddess of Compassion. She will lead my practice today.
I draw at random from my stack of meditation books. It’s Jon Kabbat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are. I open to a page at random, and it’s an essay called “A What-Is-My-Way? Meditation”.
I find my way in the few minutes of quiet. The way of surrender. The power of prayer enfolds me, and I surrender to being held by something larger.
I feel my heart constrict, a baby in the birth canal, I am being pushed through this moment, into a larger awareness of self, of potential.
Death and birth are solitary walks. Every moment of it, truly alone…yet not alone. In facing my absolute sense of self, I break nearly into a knowing of the larger truth – that there is no alone.
Compassion sits just outside my reach, because I have placed it there. Presence is, or is not. Presence is releasing expectation, releasing attachment, releasing time.
There is no time in the eternal now, the forever unfolding is-ness of the moment.
I am present, in practice. I am breathing compassion, in practice.
So I come back to the meditation altar, back to the pillow, and sit.
peace.
-LaSara
www.lasarafirefox.com
For those of you who missed our Teacher to call class, all is not lost – Robert and I made it into a training product! And, if you pre-order now, it’s less than half price! Read on for the details.
Change Your Work, Change the World; Teacher to Coach Training Product
with LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, and Robert Allen, BA, MHP
Teacher to Coach is a career call to action for teachers, advocates, authors, and educators to take their expertise and develop a dynamic coaching business! Teacher to Coach is now available as a training product for you to use at home and office.
From coaching styles, to marketing, to self-care, Teacher to Coach offers information on how to transform your area of expertise into a career as a coach, FT or PT.
This value-packed, multi-media home course will help you begin transitioning your entrepreneurial endeavors from teaching to the coaching model. Buy NOW, and as a thank you gift for your pre-order, you’ll get:
- The Teacher to Coach multi-media course for less than half the usual price. You’ll pay only $19.99. (Regular price; $49 – reduced rate ends Sept. 1.)
- AND, a half-hour personalized coaching session with Robert and LaSara as follow-up, for the first 15 people to purchase a pre-order.
- a 45minute audio recording with Robert Allen and LaSara Firefox, that covers the details necessary to begin your coaching practice (mp3)
- Six reasons to Build a Phone Coaching Practice, by LaSara Firefox (pdf)
- How to Monetize Your Blog, by Robert Allen (pdf)
- Introduction to Social Media Marketing, by Robert Allen (pdf)
- Pre-coaching evaluation from LaSara Firefox (worksheet)
- Pre-coaching evaluation by Robert Allen (worksheet)
- BONUS GIFT: Doing Business with LaSara Firefox and Robert Allen – interview with Dan McComb and Lara Feltin, founders of Biznik.com, on How to Choose a Business Network (mp3)
This product is totally green: zero waste! You will receive audio files and pdfs. You can use the product entirely from your computer (or palm-top). Or, print or burn as needed.
Product will be shipped on or before September 1, 2008.
Need more info? You can contact Robert at Robert@coachingwithrobertallen.com, or LaSara at firefox@lasarafirefox.com.
Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: Gratitude Games!
by LaSara Firefox, www.lasarafirefox.com
I wrote this Empowerment for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, every day is a good day to practice gratitude. If you feel inspire to integrate gratitude practice into your life, create a Gratitude Gathering. You can use these games as a starting point.
1. Gratitude Practice: The old standby. Everyone in your cluster takes a turn saying something they’re grateful for. One offering isn't enough? Go around again!
2. "Gratigories": Take turns choosing categories, and then everyone at your table offers one thing they are grateful for in the chosen "gratigory."
At our family Thanksgiving last year we played this, and it was great! Some fun - and surprisingly touching - gratigories we came up with; public utilities, things that happened to or for us when we were teens, family traditions that have been handed down, the influence of famous people.
Have fun with the gratigories! The more diverse, the better.
3. A Grateful A to Z: An alphabet of gratitude! Start with A, and make
your way to Z. Make sure everyone takes a turn. This is obviously a great gratitude game for the wee ones in your crew.
4. Compassionate Gratitude: The most challenging o my gratitude games perhaps, but what better way to strengthen your practice of compassion, than with gratitude?
The point of Compassionate Gratitude is to find things to be grateful about in areas that challenge your lovingness. Politics? Family? America? Media? Culture? Choose your topic, and find the gift in the challenge!
Consider yourself empowered!
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is mom to two amazing daughters, a life coach, and an educator. She helps her clients and students to find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values.
Visit LaSara’s website at www.lasarafirefox.com for more information. At the site, you can listen to her “Yoga Mama Satsangha” podcast series, download free parenting-related items, and more.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Daily Practice.
When it is hardest to give myself to practice, it is the most important to do so.
Big changes are afoot in my life, and I - knocked off center - come back to the zafu, sit in front of my quiet altar, draw a card for contemplation from my goddess deck, and receive Kuan Yin. Goddess of Compassion. She will lead my practice today.
I draw at random from my stack of meditation books. It’s Jon Kabbat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are. I open to a page at random, and it’s an essay called “The My-Way Meditation.”
I find my way in the few minutes of quiet. The way of surrender. The power of prayer enfolds me, and I surrender to being held by something larger.
I feel my heart constrict, a baby in the birth canal, I am being pushed through this moment, into a larger awareness of self, of potential.
Death and birth are solitary walks. Every moment of it, truly alone…yet not alone. In facing my absolute sense of self, I break nearly into a knowing of the larger truth – that there is no alone.
Compassion sits just outside my reach, because I have placed it there. Presence is, or is not. Presence is releasing expectation, releasing attachment, releasing time.
There is no time in the eternal now, the forever unfolding is-ness of the moment.
I am present, in practice. I am breathing compassion, in practice.
So I come back to the meditation altar, back to the pillow, and sit.
Big changes are afoot in my life, and I - knocked off center - come back to the zafu, sit in front of my quiet altar, draw a card for contemplation from my goddess deck, and receive Kuan Yin. Goddess of Compassion. She will lead my practice today.
I draw at random from my stack of meditation books. It’s Jon Kabbat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are. I open to a page at random, and it’s an essay called “The My-Way Meditation.”
I find my way in the few minutes of quiet. The way of surrender. The power of prayer enfolds me, and I surrender to being held by something larger.
I feel my heart constrict, a baby in the birth canal, I am being pushed through this moment, into a larger awareness of self, of potential.
Death and birth are solitary walks. Every moment of it, truly alone…yet not alone. In facing my absolute sense of self, I break nearly into a knowing of the larger truth – that there is no alone.
Compassion sits just outside my reach, because I have placed it there. Presence is, or is not. Presence is releasing expectation, releasing attachment, releasing time.
There is no time in the eternal now, the forever unfolding is-ness of the moment.
I am present, in practice. I am breathing compassion, in practice.
So I come back to the meditation altar, back to the pillow, and sit.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
From Teacher to Coach - How to Offer Your "Teachable Skills" as a Coach!
From Teacher to Coach - How to Offer Your "Teachable Skills" as a Coach!
Are you a teacher, educator, author, or advocate? Are you tired of your work not feeding you financially? Are you nearing your breaking point, and weary of wondering if teaching is ever going to pan-out for you?
This one-hour teleclass is loaded with value, and it's only $49...register now, and get the following bonuses as a gift from us to you!
Bonuses:
Social Media Marketing 101, by Robert Allen and Al Polito available from Healer's Lounge
Using Your Blog to make $! by Robert Allen, available from Healer's Lounge
Six Reasons to Build a Phone Coaching Practice, by LaSara Firefox, available from lasarafirefox.com
Click here to register.
a one-hour teleclass, with LaSara Firefox (www.lasarafirefox.com) and Robert Allen (www.coachingwithrobertallen.com)
5 - 6 PM Pacific time, August 13, 2008
Are you a teacher, educator, author, or advocate? Are you tired of your work not feeding you financially? Are you nearing your breaking point, and weary of wondering if teaching is ever going to pan-out for you?
What if you could have the best of both worlds; continue sharing your gifts, skills and views with the world, AND make money at the same time? It's time to think about moving from "being an educator", to offering your teachable skills as a coach.
Some benefits of the coaching model:
* You get to work from, and in, your passion.
* You can build your business to fit your life.
* You can have clients all over the world, instead of just in your geographical locale.
* You get to live your life purpose -- as your work!
Who can be a coach?
You can! Anyone who has ever taught can be a coach. The better your existing platform as a teacher, the easier the transition will be.
A client recently came to LaSara with questions about career change. LaSara helped her client transition to coaching from more "traditional" models of teaching. Within two days the client had her sample sessions filled. In two weeks she had her coaching practice filled through the following three months. The client then listed an on-line class, and the class filled in a matter of days as well.
Not everyone will get the results that this client did, but until you explore the option of coaching, you won't know what might be possible for you and your practice.
Robert had a client who was a nutritionist and body-worker. She had hit her limit for hands-on sessions, and was feeling worn-out from the work. With Robert's help, she integrated coaching as an element in her healing practice. She ended up making more money with fewer clients, and being able to comfortably scale-back the number of hands-on sessions she was offering per week.
Is coaching the next career step for you? Think of your teaching or healing platform -- and whether it's ready to transition over to the coaching model. If you were to make the transition, what kind of coaching practice would you build?
The good news is that you can choose exactly the topic or area of interest that moves you into the most full alignment with your sense of purpose. What is the area that brings you the most joy?
How to start?
As a teacher, writer, advocate, or educator, you're ready to offer your services as a coach now. The only thing missing is the structure of the business itself, and the support that will make way for your success. Robert Allen and LaSara Firefox will walk you through the transition and transformation step-by-step, and help you to arrive at your desired outcome.
This one-hour teleclass is loaded with value, and it's only $49...register now, and get the following bonuses as a gift from us to you!
Bonuses:
Social Media Marketing 101, by Robert Allen and Al Polito available from Healer's Lounge
Using Your Blog to make $! by Robert Allen, available from Healer's Lounge
Six Reasons to Build a Phone Coaching Practice, by LaSara Firefox, available from lasarafirefox.com
Click here to register.
Questions? Call 707-293-5153, or drop a note to greenfieldcoachinginstitute@gmail.com.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Free intro session for teachers, authors, advocates!
Are you a teacher, educator, author, or advocate? Are you tired of your work not feeding you financially? Are you nearing your breaking point, and tired of wondering if teaching is ever going to pan-out for you?
What if you could have the best of both worlds; continue sharing your gifts, skills and views with the world, AND make money at the same time? It's time to think about moving from "being an educator", to offering your teachable skills as a coach.
Some benefits of the coaching model:
* You get to continue offering your expertise.
* You get to continue working from, and in, your passion.
* You can build your business to fit your life.
* You can have clients all over the world, instead of just in your geographical locale.
* You get to live your life purpose -- as your work!
I won't lie; building a coaching practice is not a quick fix, nor an easy solution. Building your practice, like building anything, takes time, energy, focus, and major amounts of commitment. It takes unbeatable conviction, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
True dedication is what building a business out of your dreams will call for. A successful practice must be built on the fundamental conviction that this is what you want to do with your life.
However, doing just this - building your dreams, your personal mission, your message, into the work you do in the world - is the way to continue offering your self, heart and soul, to the world. And, if your mission is what drives you, as it is for many of us teachers, you simply will not be satisfied with a life built on anything less.
Who can be a coach?
You can! Anyone who has ever taught can be a coach. The better your existing platform as a teacher, the easier the transition will be.
I have a client who recently came to me with questions about career change. I helped her transition to coaching from more "traditional" models of teaching. Within two days she had her sample sessions filled. Within two weeks she had her coaching practice filled through the next three months.
She then listed an on-line class, and the class filled in a matter of days as well.
Not everyone will get the results that she did, but right now, I'd like you to think of your teaching platform, and whether it's ready to transition over to the coaching model. If you were to make the transition, what kind of coaching practice would you build? What kind of coach would you be?
You can choose exactly the topic or area of interest that moves you into the most full alignment with your sense of purpose. What is the area that brings you the most joy?
Your topic might be love, relationships, and intimacy, or it might be spiritual purpose, or it might be adventure. Whatever it is, your commitment to bringing it to the world may be the key to your most ideal life.
How to start?
As a teacher, writer, advocate, or educator, you're ready to offer your services as a coach now. The only thing missing is the structure of the business itself, and the support that will make way for your success. I can walk you through the transition and transformation step-by-step, and help you to arrive at your desired outcome as easily as possible.
Call me now at 707-293-5153, or drop a note to info@lasarafirefox.com, to schedule a free, 30-minute, pre-commitment evaluation. Together, you and I will build a highly personalized strategy that will bring you to a whole new level of making your mission, your dream, work in the world; a plan that will increase your alignment with purpose, earning-potential, visibility, and professional achievement.
peace.
-LaSara
707-293-5153
www.lasarafirefox.com
P.S. I'm taking only three new clients at this time. If you want to be one of them, get in touch now. 707-293-5153, or, info@lasarafirefox.com.
P.P.S. Check out my interview with my latest major success story business coaching client; Ariel Gore! Yesterday I interviewed the infamous Hip Mama for my podcast series, WisdomBeing in Business; Bringing Enlightenment Consciousness to Your Work. We talked about ways to stay true to your heart, and your purpose, in your work.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
An Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: Three Steps to Engaged Gratitude
by LaSara FireFox, www.lasarafirefox.com
Do you want to increase the peace in your life? Do you want more love, more joy, more presence? Do you want to take an active part in becoming the actual manifestation of "heaven on earth"?
The most revolutionary thing we can do to increase the peace is to LIVE IT. As Gandhi said, "there is no way to peace. Peace is the way." The more we practice peace, the more peace becomes our lives. We can live peace in every moment.
I'm not talking about some abstraction, or idea of peace. Nor am I speaking of the absence of conflict. Even in the midst of conflict, we can BE peace.
Engaged Gratitude practice, in three steps:
1: Invoke and Embody The Presence of Love
Make love real. Agapic love. The big, big love that lives at the center of all things. The flame that burns "in every heart of man, and in the core of every star." How to realize, or remember, this love, you may ask. The practices are many, the goal one. Gratitude practice, asking powerful questions, inducing positive states, prayer and meditation are all ways to invoke love.
Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can invoke and embody the presence of love. In my "playshop" called Being The Presence of Love, I offer not only many practices to make this practice accessible, but also offer the template of experiencing being present in love, so that you have a reliable, physiological anchor that will make it easy to access the power of Divine Love in any moment.
For now, an easy way to manifest the presence of love is to think of something that makes you feel a love beyond limits, unconditional, eternal. The perfect love. I find this love at the heart of deep prayer, in the arms of my beloved, sharing a smile with my child.
Think about it, and then feel it. Ahhhh. There it is. Now feel it even more. Let your heart, your whole being, glow with this love.
Of course, invoking the presence of love is only step one.
2: Grow Your Gratitude!
Gratitude heals the heart. This is true on multiple levels. Of course it makes sense on the metaphorical level - how could becoming grateful NOT heal a broken heart? When we experience loss, healing comes from realizing that the sum total of the impact of any experience was for the best. When we get this, it becomes easy to be grateful for the experiences we encounter.
In addition to the metaphorical, gratitude also heals the actual physiology of your heart. This is wonderful, and true! Gratitude practice is recommended as part of many heart-surgery and heart disease recovery programs. How does it work? Gratitude is the antidote for stress, anger, anxiety and many other ills. Stress, of course, is a huge contributor to both heart disease and heart attack.
Gratitude offers a rest to our physiological systems. For instance, say you're standing in line at the grocery store, and the people in front of you are taking forever. You may be late getting to where ever you're going, but is stressing out about it going to change the fact that you're stuck in line? Not a chance!
The one thing you CAN change is how you are experiencing the moment. So, instead of obsessing about your situation, take the time and cultivate gratitude. Even starting small will work. You can be grateful that you have the money to buy food. You can be grateful that you have a chance to read those amazing headlines on the trashy mag in the rack. I get really simple with it, and remember to be grateful to have a moment to be in stillness and silence. (Standing in line is a perfect opportunity for a moment of meditation.)
This choice is affecting you, and as a true believer in systems theory, I would say that is affects all that is. Your stress is not just your stress - it may very well affect the whole system in some subtle way. Your gratitude is the same way. As you choose to relax instead of stress, the ripples spread. Your interaction with the cashier is going to be different. His interaction with the next person in line may well be different, too.
On the personal level alone, though, the benefits are too many to mention. Gratitude is SO much nicer to hold in our cells than the alternative.
Another wonderful bonus is that because our minds sort for, and we notice, that which we expect, when we start practicing gratitude, we start noticing more and more to be grateful for. Gratitude practice, just like any other practice, becomes easier the more you do it!
3: Make Love a Verb; Gratitude in Action!
Love and gratitude become more powerful by far, when put into engaged action. Engagement is the final step of this process. Take your love and DO something with it. That something might be sitting in prayer, but think of how much more prayer you'd bring if you were to start hosting a weekly group prayer night at your home.
When you find gratitude for the food on your table, let it remind you that you can do your part to reduce suffering by offering food to those in need. Make a meal, box it up, and offer it to a local homeless person you have seen around.
While you're at it, have a conversation with this person.
At the Season for Nonviolence gathering a while back, Dr. Arun Gandhi pointed out that compassion is different from pity. I paraphrase the esteemed man here; pity offers the food and hopes the person will walk away with it. Compassion offers the food, asks the person how they ended up on the streets, witnesses the story, and does it's part to cause an end to the reasons that this person and others end up without.
Namaste. We are one. We are none. Consider yourself empowered!
Do you want to increase the peace in your life? Do you want more love, more joy, more presence? Do you want to take an active part in becoming the actual manifestation of "heaven on earth"?
The most revolutionary thing we can do to increase the peace is to LIVE IT. As Gandhi said, "there is no way to peace. Peace is the way." The more we practice peace, the more peace becomes our lives. We can live peace in every moment.
I'm not talking about some abstraction, or idea of peace. Nor am I speaking of the absence of conflict. Even in the midst of conflict, we can BE peace.
Engaged Gratitude practice, in three steps:
1: Invoke and Embody The Presence of Love
Make love real. Agapic love. The big, big love that lives at the center of all things. The flame that burns "in every heart of man, and in the core of every star." How to realize, or remember, this love, you may ask. The practices are many, the goal one. Gratitude practice, asking powerful questions, inducing positive states, prayer and meditation are all ways to invoke love.
Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can invoke and embody the presence of love. In my "playshop" called Being The Presence of Love, I offer not only many practices to make this practice accessible, but also offer the template of experiencing being present in love, so that you have a reliable, physiological anchor that will make it easy to access the power of Divine Love in any moment.
For now, an easy way to manifest the presence of love is to think of something that makes you feel a love beyond limits, unconditional, eternal. The perfect love. I find this love at the heart of deep prayer, in the arms of my beloved, sharing a smile with my child.
Think about it, and then feel it. Ahhhh. There it is. Now feel it even more. Let your heart, your whole being, glow with this love.
Of course, invoking the presence of love is only step one.
2: Grow Your Gratitude!
Gratitude heals the heart. This is true on multiple levels. Of course it makes sense on the metaphorical level - how could becoming grateful NOT heal a broken heart? When we experience loss, healing comes from realizing that the sum total of the impact of any experience was for the best. When we get this, it becomes easy to be grateful for the experiences we encounter.
In addition to the metaphorical, gratitude also heals the actual physiology of your heart. This is wonderful, and true! Gratitude practice is recommended as part of many heart-surgery and heart disease recovery programs. How does it work? Gratitude is the antidote for stress, anger, anxiety and many other ills. Stress, of course, is a huge contributor to both heart disease and heart attack.
Gratitude offers a rest to our physiological systems. For instance, say you're standing in line at the grocery store, and the people in front of you are taking forever. You may be late getting to where ever you're going, but is stressing out about it going to change the fact that you're stuck in line? Not a chance!
The one thing you CAN change is how you are experiencing the moment. So, instead of obsessing about your situation, take the time and cultivate gratitude. Even starting small will work. You can be grateful that you have the money to buy food. You can be grateful that you have a chance to read those amazing headlines on the trashy mag in the rack. I get really simple with it, and remember to be grateful to have a moment to be in stillness and silence. (Standing in line is a perfect opportunity for a moment of meditation.)
This choice is affecting you, and as a true believer in systems theory, I would say that is affects all that is. Your stress is not just your stress - it may very well affect the whole system in some subtle way. Your gratitude is the same way. As you choose to relax instead of stress, the ripples spread. Your interaction with the cashier is going to be different. His interaction with the next person in line may well be different, too.
On the personal level alone, though, the benefits are too many to mention. Gratitude is SO much nicer to hold in our cells than the alternative.
Another wonderful bonus is that because our minds sort for, and we notice, that which we expect, when we start practicing gratitude, we start noticing more and more to be grateful for. Gratitude practice, just like any other practice, becomes easier the more you do it!
3: Make Love a Verb; Gratitude in Action!
Love and gratitude become more powerful by far, when put into engaged action. Engagement is the final step of this process. Take your love and DO something with it. That something might be sitting in prayer, but think of how much more prayer you'd bring if you were to start hosting a weekly group prayer night at your home.
When you find gratitude for the food on your table, let it remind you that you can do your part to reduce suffering by offering food to those in need. Make a meal, box it up, and offer it to a local homeless person you have seen around.
While you're at it, have a conversation with this person.
At the Season for Nonviolence gathering a while back, Dr. Arun Gandhi pointed out that compassion is different from pity. I paraphrase the esteemed man here; pity offers the food and hopes the person will walk away with it. Compassion offers the food, asks the person how they ended up on the streets, witnesses the story, and does it's part to cause an end to the reasons that this person and others end up without.
Namaste. We are one. We are none. Consider yourself empowered!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Six Reasons to Build a Phone Coaching Business
by LaSara Firefox, www.lasarafirefox.com
The benefits of transitioning your face-to-face practice to a phone-based model are numerous. Here are six reasons to begin that transition today.
1. Geographical availability:
You can be anywhere, and serve clients all over the world. I’ve had clients in three countries at one time. This is a great benefit for anyone who wants to build a global perspective into their work.
2. Mobility in work and life:
You can travel, and still be available to your clients. I’ve been able to serve my coaching clients while I was traveling in the Middle East, on the east coast on book tour, and in Los Angeles on business. I’ve even been able to help a client with a time-sensitive issue by carving ten minutes out of a family vacation.
The freedom and security of being able to be mobile and still serve your clients is a huge benefit.
3. You’ll save time and money:
Fewer hours traveling means less money spent on gas, and fewer hours wasted in your workday. And, your clients don't need to travel to you either, so you're saving your clients time and money, too.
With gas currently at over $4.25 per gallon, I’m sure you can see how this could change your life for the better. Say you drive 60 miles a day (30 to work and 30 back home), your car gets 25 miles to the gallon, you drive to the office 5 days a week, and you’re paying $4.25 a gallon; you spend $204 a month on gas to get to the office and back.
Working from home, you stand to save nearly $2500 a year on work-related gas money alone!
Time-wise, I’m sure we can all think of better ways to spend the hour-or-so a day saved by not commuting. A few ideas; hanging out with loved ones. Marketing your services. Exercising. Taking a bath. Reading a new magazine. Talking with a friend.
4. You’ll Reduce your carbon footprint:
Working again with the driving distance of 60 miles a day (a low-average for most Americans), five days a week, your car at 25 miles to the gallon, you are producing 11,290 pounds of carbon a year.
You could buy “carbon offsets” (see carbonfootprint.com for more info), but why not just ax the negative impact of use, and cut straight to the chase?
5. You can work from home:
How great would it be to be there when your kids get home from school? I can tell you it's really great. I build in a break at 3:20 on my "kid days", so that when my girls get off the bus I can give (and get) hugs, hear about the school day, hang out for a few, share a snack, and set the monkeys up with activities before I dive back in to my work.
You can coach in an environment that is comfortable to you, and your clients can simultaneously be in environments that are comfortable to them. I love to take coaching calls in my yard on temperate days, where I can be held by nature, connected to beauty, and totally available to my client on all levels. Where would you most like to have your “floating office”?
6. Flexibility in scheduling:
You can choose what hours you want to be on the phone, and work it around your life. As opposed to an office environment, you have the flexibility to easily accommodate clients in other time zones or with non-standard work hours.
And, you can shape your coaching hours around your own needs, too. Like to go for a run after coffee, but before the heat of the day sets in? Me too! I build my schedule to support my self-care routine.
Not sure where to start? Check out the offerings at Greenfield Coaching Institute, by visiting my website at www.lasarafirefox.com.
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is a master practitioner and trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), life coach, educator, and professional speaker. LaSara helps her clients to find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values.
In addition, LaSara is a mother of two, a successful author (Sexy Witch, nonfiction/self-help, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005), founder of Ecstatic Presence Project and Global Family Awakening: an educational, peace and humanitarian family adventure club, and co-founder of Greenfield Coaching Institute (GCI). She teaches and coaches internationally.
The benefits of transitioning your face-to-face practice to a phone-based model are numerous. Here are six reasons to begin that transition today.
1. Geographical availability:
You can be anywhere, and serve clients all over the world. I’ve had clients in three countries at one time. This is a great benefit for anyone who wants to build a global perspective into their work.
2. Mobility in work and life:
You can travel, and still be available to your clients. I’ve been able to serve my coaching clients while I was traveling in the Middle East, on the east coast on book tour, and in Los Angeles on business. I’ve even been able to help a client with a time-sensitive issue by carving ten minutes out of a family vacation.
The freedom and security of being able to be mobile and still serve your clients is a huge benefit.
3. You’ll save time and money:
Fewer hours traveling means less money spent on gas, and fewer hours wasted in your workday. And, your clients don't need to travel to you either, so you're saving your clients time and money, too.
With gas currently at over $4.25 per gallon, I’m sure you can see how this could change your life for the better. Say you drive 60 miles a day (30 to work and 30 back home), your car gets 25 miles to the gallon, you drive to the office 5 days a week, and you’re paying $4.25 a gallon; you spend $204 a month on gas to get to the office and back.
Working from home, you stand to save nearly $2500 a year on work-related gas money alone!
Time-wise, I’m sure we can all think of better ways to spend the hour-or-so a day saved by not commuting. A few ideas; hanging out with loved ones. Marketing your services. Exercising. Taking a bath. Reading a new magazine. Talking with a friend.
4. You’ll Reduce your carbon footprint:
Working again with the driving distance of 60 miles a day (a low-average for most Americans), five days a week, your car at 25 miles to the gallon, you are producing 11,290 pounds of carbon a year.
You could buy “carbon offsets” (see carbonfootprint.com for more info), but why not just ax the negative impact of use, and cut straight to the chase?
5. You can work from home:
How great would it be to be there when your kids get home from school? I can tell you it's really great. I build in a break at 3:20 on my "kid days", so that when my girls get off the bus I can give (and get) hugs, hear about the school day, hang out for a few, share a snack, and set the monkeys up with activities before I dive back in to my work.
You can coach in an environment that is comfortable to you, and your clients can simultaneously be in environments that are comfortable to them. I love to take coaching calls in my yard on temperate days, where I can be held by nature, connected to beauty, and totally available to my client on all levels. Where would you most like to have your “floating office”?
6. Flexibility in scheduling:
You can choose what hours you want to be on the phone, and work it around your life. As opposed to an office environment, you have the flexibility to easily accommodate clients in other time zones or with non-standard work hours.
And, you can shape your coaching hours around your own needs, too. Like to go for a run after coffee, but before the heat of the day sets in? Me too! I build my schedule to support my self-care routine.
Not sure where to start? Check out the offerings at Greenfield Coaching Institute, by visiting my website at www.lasarafirefox.com.
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is a master practitioner and trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), life coach, educator, and professional speaker. LaSara helps her clients to find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values.
In addition, LaSara is a mother of two, a successful author (Sexy Witch, nonfiction/self-help, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005), founder of Ecstatic Presence Project and Global Family Awakening: an educational, peace and humanitarian family adventure club, and co-founder of Greenfield Coaching Institute (GCI). She teaches and coaches internationally.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Eight Gifts from a Wild Fire, OR, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, 2008, OR, What I Gained in the Fire
by LaSara FireFox, www.lasarafirefox.com
1. It's reminded us what's truly precious.
Life, limb, love, family, breath itself. Houses can be rebuilt. Communities will resurrect. Dreams can be molded from scratch. Life itself, and those we love, are the only truly non-renewable resources we stand to lose in the ancient battle of man against nature.
Nature's bigger, and we owe It Its due. Sometimes it's time to stand down, turn-tail and run. If it comes to it, at least we know we did what we could to create the most positive possible outcome.
The permanence/impermanance questions arise and fall away, and what's still true when the smoke clears is that if we're all still standing, we've made it through with what truly matters.
2. It's an opportunity to catch up with childhood friends.
Many of us have moved far a field from the halcyon days that founded the fields we grew up in. But in the last week I've seen more than a couple friendships renewed.
It's great to see everyone claiming the ground we stand on again. We've had a chance to meet anew on common soil. We can continue the trend.
3. It's a chance to remember what we're capable of.
Felling and moving trees by hand, making homestead after homestead fire safe, sleeping with the crackling of fire and the occasional "BOOM!" of an exploding tree echoing in the distance.
Emergency may bring out the best or the worst in each of us. I think most of us have had our moments of each. But the glory of the body under strain is miraculous. Feats of amazing strength and endurance stand as testament to our ability to persevere. To endure.
My personal contribution, while not monumental in the overall scheme of things, has made me feel more competent and confident. And younger than I was last week.
On a community level, we've been reminded too. Teams of community crew have been out roaming from home to home, making sure things are as prepared as possible. I think we've been given back something in that; it's a thing we FOUND in this fire.
4. A common "enemy" unites the good in us all.
When was the last time you got to see a sheriff, county and state employees, and medical marijuana providers pulling together to create a positive outcome?
Well, there's a first time for everything. This was it, for this particular assemblage. It was, and is, a thing of beauty.
Let's adopt this one for the long term, wherever we can. What would the world be like if we focused on the areas that bring us together rather than the ones that divide and conquer?
There will be a lot of rebuilding to do here in our community, in our county, and across the state, once the fires have burned themselves out. Let's learn from the fires, and from the flooding in New Orleans, and the other disasters that we've all been shaped by over the past few years. Let's find, and reinforce our strengths.
5. It's a chance to let bygones be bygones.
Communities pull together in times of challenge. With communities as old as ours, there's a lot of water under the bridge. What better chance will we ever have to let the past fall away and the present emerge renewed, like the naked floor of our forest home, than this?
We're all lending a hand. Let's try to find a smile for one another in the shared work. Let's let words be a balm and hearts heal. It's never too late to let our wounds heal.
6. It's a chance to get perspective on continuity and change.
Last time our community had to pull together to fight fires, it was a generation earlier. The kids at the edges were us - now we're the ones on the front lines helping the older folks stay out of harm's way.
A generation ago the gardens of green would have been yanked before the fire crews got on site. Now the conversation had as we sit with the civil servants waiting for the flames to come - or fall away - are about legalization, double binds, fair taxation, and how to end the war in Iraq so we can all feel good about paying our taxes again.
Some things change, some stay the same. We're still proving what we're made of out in the outlaw hills of Mendo, but we're also taking direction from the trained professionals who are here to help. We're sitting in community, uniforms of tie die and jeans, and uniforms of safety yellow, side by side.
7. It allows the space to cultivate nonattachment.
Nonattachment is a practice. Sometimes it's a practice breath by breath. With the fire, we've had days of preparing for the possible loss of childhood homes, investments, holdings. And, day by day we sacrifice more to the hope of stopping the fire before it hits the houses.
Trees come down, one by one. Bulldozer tracks are cut into hills and valleys. Dirt stands exposed - raw soil open the amber, apocalyptic haze of day.
We lose a limb, to save a body. And even then, it's a gamble. There is nothing to control, nor be controlled by. Moment to moment new choices arise. And then the moment passes, and that is gone too.
8. It gives us a chance to gain global perspective, and cultivate compassion and gratitude.
While taking tools in hand and making our space "defensible", i thought long and hard about my friends in the middle east who have this thought as a constant one, and not against a force of nature, but against other human beings.
With this awareness, I grow the love in my heart, wishing that this love could come like a cleansing rain and quench the thirsty soil and soul of a planet embattled. I find gratitude in the moments where common ground is found, and grow the prayer, rising up, from my lips;
"May this act and all acts be dedicated unto the complete liberation and supreme enlightenment of all beings pervading space and time. so it is. may the benefit of practice, mine and others, come to fruition ultimately and immediately, and i remain in a state of presence."
May this act benefit all beings.
Stay safe wherever you are. Kiss your babies. Hold your loved ones. Look for the silver-linings in those billowing clouds of smoke. And, keep on loving each other.
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPT-NLP, is a master practitioner/trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming/Patterning, life coach, educator, and professional speaker. LaSara helps her clients to find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values.
In addition, she is a mother of two, a successful author (Sexy Witch - Llewellyn, 2005), and founder and CEO of two companies; the Ecstatic Presence Project and Global Family Awakening: an educational, peace and humanitarian family adventure club. She teaches and coaches internationally.
LaSara's first book, Sexy Witch, was published in English and internationally distributed in 2005, has been reviewed in twelve languages (at last count), and will soon be available in Spanish, Russian and Czech. Her next book, Yoga Mama, is due out in 2009.
For more info, please visit www.lasarafirefox.com.
(Feel free to share this article. Please see “copy left” info below. THANKS!!!!)
(L) – Copy Left: All Materials may be reproduced with attribution, and in-full. Leave links intact. May not be excerpted without permission. Quoting is welcome, when conducted in accordance with Basic MLA quoting guidelines. Created by LaSara FireFox, January 2008. Updated 6.23.08.
www.lasarafirefox.com * 707.293-5153 * info@lasarafirefox.com
1. It's reminded us what's truly precious.
Life, limb, love, family, breath itself. Houses can be rebuilt. Communities will resurrect. Dreams can be molded from scratch. Life itself, and those we love, are the only truly non-renewable resources we stand to lose in the ancient battle of man against nature.
Nature's bigger, and we owe It Its due. Sometimes it's time to stand down, turn-tail and run. If it comes to it, at least we know we did what we could to create the most positive possible outcome.
The permanence/impermanance questions arise and fall away, and what's still true when the smoke clears is that if we're all still standing, we've made it through with what truly matters.
2. It's an opportunity to catch up with childhood friends.
Many of us have moved far a field from the halcyon days that founded the fields we grew up in. But in the last week I've seen more than a couple friendships renewed.
It's great to see everyone claiming the ground we stand on again. We've had a chance to meet anew on common soil. We can continue the trend.
3. It's a chance to remember what we're capable of.
Felling and moving trees by hand, making homestead after homestead fire safe, sleeping with the crackling of fire and the occasional "BOOM!" of an exploding tree echoing in the distance.
Emergency may bring out the best or the worst in each of us. I think most of us have had our moments of each. But the glory of the body under strain is miraculous. Feats of amazing strength and endurance stand as testament to our ability to persevere. To endure.
My personal contribution, while not monumental in the overall scheme of things, has made me feel more competent and confident. And younger than I was last week.
On a community level, we've been reminded too. Teams of community crew have been out roaming from home to home, making sure things are as prepared as possible. I think we've been given back something in that; it's a thing we FOUND in this fire.
4. A common "enemy" unites the good in us all.
When was the last time you got to see a sheriff, county and state employees, and medical marijuana providers pulling together to create a positive outcome?
Well, there's a first time for everything. This was it, for this particular assemblage. It was, and is, a thing of beauty.
Let's adopt this one for the long term, wherever we can. What would the world be like if we focused on the areas that bring us together rather than the ones that divide and conquer?
There will be a lot of rebuilding to do here in our community, in our county, and across the state, once the fires have burned themselves out. Let's learn from the fires, and from the flooding in New Orleans, and the other disasters that we've all been shaped by over the past few years. Let's find, and reinforce our strengths.
5. It's a chance to let bygones be bygones.
Communities pull together in times of challenge. With communities as old as ours, there's a lot of water under the bridge. What better chance will we ever have to let the past fall away and the present emerge renewed, like the naked floor of our forest home, than this?
We're all lending a hand. Let's try to find a smile for one another in the shared work. Let's let words be a balm and hearts heal. It's never too late to let our wounds heal.
6. It's a chance to get perspective on continuity and change.
Last time our community had to pull together to fight fires, it was a generation earlier. The kids at the edges were us - now we're the ones on the front lines helping the older folks stay out of harm's way.
A generation ago the gardens of green would have been yanked before the fire crews got on site. Now the conversation had as we sit with the civil servants waiting for the flames to come - or fall away - are about legalization, double binds, fair taxation, and how to end the war in Iraq so we can all feel good about paying our taxes again.
Some things change, some stay the same. We're still proving what we're made of out in the outlaw hills of Mendo, but we're also taking direction from the trained professionals who are here to help. We're sitting in community, uniforms of tie die and jeans, and uniforms of safety yellow, side by side.
7. It allows the space to cultivate nonattachment.
Nonattachment is a practice. Sometimes it's a practice breath by breath. With the fire, we've had days of preparing for the possible loss of childhood homes, investments, holdings. And, day by day we sacrifice more to the hope of stopping the fire before it hits the houses.
Trees come down, one by one. Bulldozer tracks are cut into hills and valleys. Dirt stands exposed - raw soil open the amber, apocalyptic haze of day.
We lose a limb, to save a body. And even then, it's a gamble. There is nothing to control, nor be controlled by. Moment to moment new choices arise. And then the moment passes, and that is gone too.
8. It gives us a chance to gain global perspective, and cultivate compassion and gratitude.
While taking tools in hand and making our space "defensible", i thought long and hard about my friends in the middle east who have this thought as a constant one, and not against a force of nature, but against other human beings.
With this awareness, I grow the love in my heart, wishing that this love could come like a cleansing rain and quench the thirsty soil and soul of a planet embattled. I find gratitude in the moments where common ground is found, and grow the prayer, rising up, from my lips;
"May this act and all acts be dedicated unto the complete liberation and supreme enlightenment of all beings pervading space and time. so it is. may the benefit of practice, mine and others, come to fruition ultimately and immediately, and i remain in a state of presence."
May this act benefit all beings.
Stay safe wherever you are. Kiss your babies. Hold your loved ones. Look for the silver-linings in those billowing clouds of smoke. And, keep on loving each other.
About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPT-NLP, is a master practitioner/trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming/Patterning, life coach, educator, and professional speaker. LaSara helps her clients to find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values.
In addition, she is a mother of two, a successful author (Sexy Witch - Llewellyn, 2005), and founder and CEO of two companies; the Ecstatic Presence Project and Global Family Awakening: an educational, peace and humanitarian family adventure club. She teaches and coaches internationally.
LaSara's first book, Sexy Witch, was published in English and internationally distributed in 2005, has been reviewed in twelve languages (at last count), and will soon be available in Spanish, Russian and Czech. Her next book, Yoga Mama, is due out in 2009.
For more info, please visit www.lasarafirefox.com.
(Feel free to share this article. Please see “copy left” info below. THANKS!!!!)
(L) – Copy Left: All Materials may be reproduced with attribution, and in-full. Leave links intact. May not be excerpted without permission. Quoting is welcome, when conducted in accordance with Basic MLA quoting guidelines. Created by LaSara FireFox, January 2008. Updated 6.23.08.
www.lasarafirefox.com * 707.293-5153 * info@lasarafirefox.com
Friday, June 20, 2008
Happy Summer Solstice!
In this post: LaSara's Note; Happy Summer Solstice! * An Ecstatic Presence Empowerment
Hey Love,
Happy Solstice! May your worlds of dream come into manifestation in perfect alignment with your purpose!
Manifestation is an act of creation, and you are breating it, and being it, right now.
Lotsa love, and have a peaceful day,
-LaSara
P.S. Just a reminder that I'm raising my coaching and mentoring rates today. If you want to get on board at the current rate (and lock that rate in for your next coaching program, too), commit before midnight (pacific) tonight. Call me at 707-293-5153, or drop a note to info@lasarafirefox.com.
An Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: The Gift of Recognition
by LaSara FireFox, www.lasarafirefox.com
Sometimes when I'm in the middle of a project, it's hard to hear a request for my attention as anything other than a distraction. And the less I pay attention, the bigger my loved-one's need gets for a moment of connection.
Soon, the chant of "MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!" begins, and my edge starts rising.
The moment I remember that this is an opportunity for presence, and a chance for a moment of divine interaction, the energy shifts. All I need to do is come present in the Love.
I invite you to consciously enter into interaction as a moment of divine presence. Bring your whole self into your heart, and connect from there. Recognize the inherent wholeness, integrity, perfection in your loved ones, in strangers, in yourself. Make Love a verb.
Consider yourself Empowered!
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