Working With Power
The online newsletter dedicated to helping you integrate feminine and masculine power for sustainable success with ease.
In this issue:
It’s Not Just Bad Luck: 2 pages
Approximate reading time: 8 minutes
IT’S NOT JUST BAD LUCK
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Or was it actually very good luck? Might the things that “go wrong” in your world be a not-so-subtle hand on your chest, stopping you from moving too fast, too far in the wrong direction? Might the things that slow you down be – rather than the curses they feel like in the moment – blessings that allow you to remember a better way of going about your work and your life?
We’ve sure experienced that this week. We’re working on our book, and Monday and Tuesday were to be our second writing retreat. We drive 45 minutes to Tacoma and hole up at a wonderful waterfront condo (thanks, Pat and Harry) to pull out the wisdom of the 12 Elements of Power in book form.
Or so we’d planned. As we cruised down I-5, Sara said, “Is that a helicopter?” and we both listened intently to the rhythmic thudding noise. Michele said, “Change lanes and see if it’s ruts in the road.” Well, it wasn’t. We pulled over and learned we had a very flat tire. The day of writing turned into a morning by the side of the road waiting for AAA, a very kind Washington DOT assistance driver who actually changed our tire, then a trip to Les Schwab to buy a new one. Our big plans lay in ruins. But as we waited for the new tire to be installed, our frustration turned to laughter in the shiny showroom. “A FLAT TIRE? What could be a better signal to STOP?” We howled. “The way you’re rollin’ isn’t working.” Oh. We get it. Guess it takes a pretty blatant message to get through our busy little heads.
We hope you’re not as dense as we are… If you listen sooner, you won’t need messages quite so LOUD. In our lives, the really “bad luck” things seem to happen when we’re really overriding our own awareness that we’re tired, we’re doing too much, we’re moving too fast, and we’re pushing things that don’t want to happen at the rate we want them to happen. Oh, and the other signal the tire alerted us to: we’re scared. This whole process of writing a book and publishing and sending our message that far is a little scary. And we didn’t really let ourselves feel that until we were stuck on the side of the road with nothing better to do.
How ‘bout you? Have you been “sidelined” in some way lately? Has “bad luck” struck? And if so, can you imagine that your “misfortune” could actually be a blessing, giving you the space to see where you are and how you’re pushing forward? And – crazy though this might sound – might the breakdown be the precursor to things getting a whole lot easier?
Here’s how it happened for us: after Les and his crew set us up with our new tire, we released our attachment to our plans for the day. With the pressure released, we asked, “What do we actually need today?” Since it was so clear that we were depleted, pushing too hard, and balking a bit at our own plans, we stepped back and gave ourselves the space to recharge and get clear. After a few hours of relaxing and exploring what was really going on, we were ready (amazingly quickly) to get back to work. And we’re confident we were much more productive than we’d have been if we’d tried to just push through and “catch up” from the delay in our schedule.
So we hope the same for you. In the Practices for Turning Bad Luck Into Good section below, you’ll find three ways to look underneath your “bad luck” for the blessings it often contains. And if your “string of bad luck” is showing you that the way you’re working isn’t working for you, one of the best things we can recommend is the Elements Intensive, an 8-week tele-course starting in January that will help you tune up the way you’re using your power, and have fun doing it. Talk about an easy way to get rid of “bad luck.”
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PRACTICES FOR TURNING BAD LUCK INTO GOOD LUCK
The following practices have helped us and our clients find the opportunities in our apparent “bad luck.” Please E-mail us and let us know your experiences with them.
1. ISN’T IT IRONIC?: To quote Alanis Morissette, “a little too ironic…” It’s actually very FUNNY how life slows us down with obstacles that reflect our misuse of power. Our flat tire STOPPED US because we were pushing forward too fast and too hard even though we were exhausted. Your dead batteries all over the place may speak of your need to recharge. Or your computer crash might have something to do with having “too many programs open” in your life and your head. Look for the irony, the metaphor, and… for sure, look for the humor!
2. SHIFT HOW YOU’RE USING YOUR POWER: The bottom line of why life throws curve balls to get our attention is because we rampantly misuse the power that’s ours to use. Participants have told us that our 8-week Elements Intensive makes life a whole lot easier and those annoying breakdowns a whole lot less frequent. So without plugging it too mercilessly, we do encourage you to learn more about where you might be over-driving, being too self-reliant, or getting into distorted focus. And take it from us: being on the phone with other cool people learning about your power is lots more fun than sitting by the side of the road in the rain.
3. GO COUNTER-LOGICAL: For sure, the thing we’re all tempted to do when obstacles slow us down is to push harder. The two of us are no exception. But what’s lots more effective is to do the opposite of whatever we feel an urge to do. So if you think you need to drive harder, slow down and receive. If you’re feeling not very focused, surrender and try NOT to focus, until focus becomes easier. It worked for us!
From our team to you, your team, your family and friends: may this be a blessed holiday season, full of the “good luck” you make by listening to things that appear to go wrong. Have a wonderful end to 2006, and we’ll look forward to seeing you in 2007.
Until next time,
Here’s to your integrated power!
Blessings,
Sara and Michele
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© 2006 Sara Harvey Yao and Michele Lisenbury Christensen. All rights reserved. Feel free to forward or re-publish, with the following copyright and contact information attached: To make subscription changes, please don't e-mail us; click the link at the very bottom. You can make your change or end your subscription in just a few seconds. Challenged? E-mail support@elementsoffemininepower.com. Thanks! PRIVACY and Spam Policy: You'll never get an e-mail from a stranger as a result of this list, since we never sell, rent, or give away our subscription list. All privacy, no spam! TO SUBSCRIBE FREE: Visit www.elementsoffemininepower.com/subscribe.html |