Cara Lumen | Sing a Deeper Song

Sing a Deeper Song

business growth

How Do You Define Success?

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If you do not define success in terms of money or clients or sales or followers, how do you define it? What values are important to you and how successful are you in making those values stand out in your life?

Success may be doing your best work

I was so proud of myself when I got my books up on Amazon. Although the writing part was easy, figuring out the formatting when I was brand new to Scrivener took perseverance and consistent effort. And I was successful.

Success may be “getting it”

I had a major important shift because of some webinars I was on. Through the shared vision and words of others, I deepened the direction of my work. I “got” the next level my work was to take. That was an enormous shift.

Success may be figuring something out and acting on it

It doesn’t take much to figure out that if I want my body to be stronger I need to eat better and move more. My success is in the acting on it.

I have actively searched for and found new triggers to create new habits that are reversing my physical decline. Figure it out and take action.

Success may be felt when you are an inspiring example

It’s hard to be aware of how we inspire others. I was recently reminded that I am an unusual and motivating version of 83. It never occurred to me that my enthusiasm and my outpouring of content could be inspiring – not just for the amount of content but because I’m an old lady doing her thing.

A friend pointed out, “Success is when people can look at you as a beacon for how they want to finish out their life or to simply live now.” That’s huge! That’s letting your light shine through by being you. It’s an example of success you may not even know you have.

Success can be “inspiring people to be different”

Finding out that I’m a Rainbow Mother, the one who sings and dances and writes and doesn’t fit in, was a huge release for me. There are two sides to our feminine energy and I only knew the nurturing, make-things-happen-for-others role. Now that I know there are other ways to express our femininity, I can offer people inspiration and ideas about being OK doing what they feel inside, with no need for permission or validation from others.

Success can be following your calling

The more I allow myself to move more deeply in the direction I’m being called, the louder and more urgent that call becomes. I’m practically sprinting down my inner hallways to talk to my inner voice. So, for me, success is about listening, and about interpreting and map-making for others what I discover.

How do define success for yourself?

Let’s not, for the moment, measure success in physical-plane results. Let’s talk about what’s going on inside. What are you changing within yourself? What values are you standing behind? What qualities are you encouraging within yourself? Inside is where the real work is done. How are you measuring up? What work do you need to do next?

To Sing a Deeper Song consider:

The Many Faces of Your Calling
The Length of Your Reach
Message from a Rainbow Mother
How Do You Nurture “Different”
44 – How to Define What You Do So Others Get It
41 – How to Make Decisions When Your Let Your Life Unfold
37-Self Mastery As a Choice

What Do You Do for People That They Can’t Get Elsewhere?

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The major focus of your business is to define and offer those services, ideas, and products that people can’t get anywhere else. I had to think about that because the work I do could be considered “airy-fairy”.

I offer an experience not a service

My first marketing coach, Veronika Noize, figured out that unlike anyone else in the class, I was the only one who was offering an experience, not a product. I am continually grateful to her for recognizing that because, from the beginning, I’ve had to do my outreach a bit differently.

Here’s the catch. Inner growth is tricky to measure. I have to find ways to help people recognize and accept the powerful and sometimes subtle changes my work brings them.

We each offer an eclectic mix

Whatever you offer, you’re doing it with your own unique mix of insights, knowledge and interpretation. That’s going to automatically and organically set you apart from all others in your field.

Just as it sets everyone else apart.

We need to figure out what we do for people that they can’t get elsewhere.

What sets you apart?

I think about esoteric concepts and figure out how to apply them to life.

Now, that sets me apart.

My work is the integration and application of philosophical concepts that resonate with me.

What sets you apart?

Look for clues within your passion

Figure out why you find this (idea, service, product) relevant, interesting, valuable, and exciting. If you’re not passionate about the work you’re doing, no one else will be either.

In this moment in time, I’m deeply called to figure out my spiritual foundation. I’m focusing my work on self-awareness, spiritual expansion and soulful service. They are connected, and interactive, but they each call for separate words, separate steps, and separate degrees of awareness. And each of those steps takes practice.

This calling is so strong for me that rather than start with what my target community needs, I explore and develop my own need for clarity and let my Deeper Song Community find me. I’m following my passion and my inner calling.

What do you give them that they can’t find elsewhere else?

Look at your uniqueness. Examine your passion. Review your gifts. Now figure out what you give people that they can’t find anywhere else.

This may be a service, this may be teaching, this may be an idea to consider. Your combination of skills, interests, passion, knowledge and desire to serve shapes what you offer and sets you apart.

What do you get out of your work?

You need to be doing work that expands you, that grows you, that takes you to the next level.

I’m learning and stretching and absorbing new ideas that resonate with me and my journey. I have created methods to expand my self-awareness. I have explored insights that deepen my spirituality. I share what I discover with others. I’m working on shaping my place of service.

How can you translate what you get out of your work in a way that can help others?

We learn by doing. We also learn when we teach. I learn when I write. How does the work you do help you? What do you learn? How do you change? Can you do that for others?

Share what you need to know

I share philosophical ideas that can change people’s lives. If you resonate with the general direction of my work, you’ll invariably find some idea that resonates deeply with you. If I’ve done my job right, you’ll understand the concept and have some ideas on how you can apply it to your life.

That result is your interpretation and integration of life-changing concepts.

Share what you need to learn

I have a need to explore my personal struggles and successes around feeling relevant. The need to feel relevant is universal so I share what I figure out. Aging is inevitable and has a wide range of manifestations that I seek to understand as I experience them. Those needs make me focus my work on self-acceptance, harvesting the crops only I can produce, learning new skills so I can reach a new audience, and in general sharing my passion and wisdom. I share what I need to learn. And people gain new insights for their own lives.

Figure out ways to apply this idea, service or product that only you can provide

A turning point in my writing was when I first came to the Center for Spiritual Living. At the end of the Foundations class, I created a small booklet that explained the form of affirmative prayer we were taught. I gave it to my class. The response to that choice helped me realize that I had a gift to explain the complex in simple terms that was helpful to others and I like to write in short forms. That booklet was translated into Spanish and Russian and I went on to write others, one of which ended up on the websites of Centers for Spiritual Living all over the country.

You just never know.

What do you do for people that they can’t get elsewhere?

Trust that because you are offering your unique combination of knowledge and insights, you are the only source for your particular work. That means people will find you energetically as well as intellectually.

Learn to identify that uniqueness and explain it to others through the words on your website or in the services you offer. Put what you do into as few words as possible so people get it.

What sets me apart – my gift – is that I explore complex philosophical concepts and transfer my understanding into interesting, entertaining, thoughtful, relevant “information products” that have the ability to change lives.

That’s what I do for people that they can’t get elsewhere.

What do you do for people that they can’t get elsewhere? How do you explain that to them?

TO SING A DEEPER SONG CONSIDER
Hw to Walk Beside Someone in Service
How Are You Harvesting Your Crop?
Fitting In Is Not What You Do To Be Extraordinary
How to Develop Your Distinctive Voice
32 – How to See Your Work As Art

Practice Moving Your Gaze

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Change is as simple as moving your gaze. When you look at a situation or a person from a different perspective, you discover new options, new motivations, and unique solutions.

Examine a Small Point of View

I am often prompted to move my gaze by something I read. A phrase, a concept, or a word resonates deeply within me and I stop what I am doing to consider it. What does that mean? How would l apply that in my life? What would I discover if I changed my perspective? I have entire articles and books and poems that have emerged from the impact on my thinking of one small word or phrase. What resonates to you out of the whole? What small concept would you like to incorporate into your life.

Change your viewpoint

I have a rocking chair in my living room. In the normal usage of the room, it faces the center of the room and thus the other chairs. I sit in that chair a lot to read. Recently I turned the chair to face a different direction. It was in the same place, it was simply turned to face another direction so that when I sat in it to read, I could easily glance up and see the birds at my feeders, or the clouds moving across the sky or the birch tree branches moving. Moving the direction that chair faced a mere 45 degrees allowed me to enjoy an entirely different view, one that had been closed off to me when I faced the “expected” direction. A different view can come from moving your gaze only a few degrees. How can you change your viewpoint.

Gain a new perspective

I avoided getting old for a long time. I hung out with younger people. I didn’t even go to the doctor because I wanted to keep holding a positive view of my life. Finally, I had to move to get closer to my children. I went through some physical stuff like knee replacement and cataracts, but then there I was, in a home with a lot of seniors wondering who I was. And I began to joke that my 5-year plan was to simply be here. That viewpoint did not lead me on any adventures. It did not open any doors. And it certainly was not at all satisfying. When a friend asked what I would like to tackle in the next 30 years it opened up such fields of possibility that my entire life changed. I had a purpose. I had interesting things I wanted to explore. I had things I wanted to produce and share. What do I want to achieve in the next 30 years? That’s a long time. How can I make an impact? How can I enrich lives? I have many skills to bring forward. I have lessons I have learned from my past. If I want to make an impact, what group of people do I want to impact and how do I want to do it? What happens if you raise your eyes and look at the next cycle of your life?  How can you impact others? How many lives can you touch? What do you want to tackle in the next 30 years?

Move a few boulders

Move some of the fixed objects in your life, if not in reality, in your imagination. One boulder might be in the form of a physical activity you can no longer do the way you did when you were younger. Choose a smaller boulder to conquer.

Another boulder may be a difficult person in your life. Look for ways to flow around that barrier. Figure out ways to turn away from and go around that person.

Most boulders are placed there by you. They come from your beliefs, your fear, and your interpretation of a circumstance. That makes them extremely easy to move – you simply have to change your own thinking.

I wrote these poems 18 years ago.

On Prospective

I came to a hard place.
It was more than a bump.
It was more than a boulder.
It was like a river—
A wide gulf I could not cross.

Until I made it less significant.
Until I saw it as a creek.
As a trickle.
As a dew drop.

Then I could cross over.

© 1996 Cara Lumen

Along my path

Along my path there are many objects.
There are steep places.
There are low places.
There are boulders and ledges.
There are rockslides and canyons.
Along my path.

Sometimes I struggle on my path.
To get over or around.
To by-pass or leap over.
But always I move on.
Always I move forward.
Along my path.

When I know myself as simple energy
I can be like the fog.
Moving forward.
Filling every crevice.
Expanding into every hole, every space.
When I am energy.

When I know myself as simple energy
There is nothing to climb over
or go around.
There is simple flowing –

Flowing my energy out.
Reaching the boulders and the bumps.
Filling the ditches and the canyons.
When I know myself as energy

When I know myself as simple energy
There is no stopping.
There is only
a soft,
gentle
movement
forward.

© 1996 Cara Lumen

Get off the “safe” path

It is safer to follow the beaten path of your profession, but it certainly can be dull. What if you went exploring? What would you find? There are so many opportunities today to deeply pursue an interest, to find like-minded people and to participate with people all over the world. Look at the detours that show up and take a few of them. Explore your own potential to see what uniqueness you have to offer. Great adventure awaits you off the beaten path.

Let go of perceived limitations

It’s very easy to wallow comfortably in your present circumstances. I am surrounded by people who are simply watching where they take their next step. They never look up, they never look ahead.  I nearly fell into that trap of low expectations for my life. The idea of a 30-year plan has turned me into an aging but rejuvenated energizer bunny. I have let go of all concepts of that limitations that might come with age and continually make plans to move forward as if I had all the time in the world and all the tools and insight and stamina I need to make a difference. What limitations do you perceive for yourself?

Know Yourself

If you don’t know what you want, you’ll never get it. If you don’t know what nourishes you, you’ll never attract more of it. Strengthen your practice of self-cultivation., Create your own spiritual journey.. Learn to interpret and trust your intuition. Notice how others response/react to you. Notice what they seek from you.   How do you want to be in service? How do you want to shape your life in this next cycle?

Uncover your options

The best place from which to choose an option is where you are right at this moment. Explore your emotions. Examine your successes and your failures and absorb their lessons. Look into your heart and see where you want to go next. Then examine the options laid out before you and measure them with the criteria you identified. Examine how you feel right now. What do you want more of in your life? What could you do without? When you practice moving your gaze, you will begin to see all manner of new opportunities. Then you have only to choose.

Raise your expectations

My goals are simple. I want to educate, motivate and inspire people until I’m no longer in physical form. And I would love it if my words kept touching lives after that. My major purpose is to meaningfully affect lives so I’m now giving all my writing away free. I wouldn’t mind knowing of some results, like emails from readers letting me know what changed for them. That would help me better meet their needs. I expect to soar. I expect to discover new concepts, I expect to change, I expect to be a better friend, I expect a deeper spiritual life. What do you expect?

Notice how you feel

The most important part of moving your gaze is to see how you feel about the new position. When you work within your passion, when you have an impact on the people you really want to serve, it is unbelievably rewarding. If what you are doing does not feel richly satisfying, go do something else. Move your gaze. How can you better honor your talent? What new skills do you possess that could take you in a new direction. Who needs what you have to offer?   Create your area of service around your strengths. Spend the majority of your time doing things that make you feel enriched.The freedom to choose and to change belongs to us.  Practice moving your gaze and see where it leads you.

The Remarkable Relief of Unsubscribing

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take-it-easyIt took less than four minutes to unsubscribe from 17 mailing lists.  What followed was an immediate sense of relief from the overwhelming demand of reading emails many times during the day. Was it a matter of working up the nerve, or the final one-too-many emails that sent me over the edge?  Whatever the cause, the relief was immediate and the freedom it provides continues to open up new opportunities. 

I kept thinking I would read them

 
I had subscribed to these blogs and newsletters over the years because I thought I wanted or needed the information they provided.  However, because I had no filter system, the number grew and grew. There came a time when I found myself overwhelmed.  I couldn’t possibly read that many emails every day. What did I really want to read?  Who brought the most value through their posts?  Which ones were the most relevant to my current needs and plans?
 
When I realized I was deliberately deleting around 50 emails a day that I had no intention of reading I decided to act. Rather than beat myself up for not reading all those emails I could simply unsubscribe to those that no longer met my needs.  If I’m not reading them, I don’t need them.  If I find I need more information in the future, I can Google what I’m looking for and fresh, current information will show up. 
 
One other important realization appeared.  I had simply outgrown the content.  Either I already knew how to do what they were describing or I had eliminated it from my consideration.
 

What will you read?

The question was, what do I need in my life now and what have I outgrown or no longer holds my interest? I examined my reading habits. At the core were six sources that meet my core needs that I take time to read or at least open and browse daily. 
 
That allows me room to add some special interest blogs that add to my areas of interest.
 

My interests have changed

 
The next level of unsubscribing took some careful thought.  There are some people I will continue to follow because they have developed in new directions that interest me.  However, the basic how-to-blog providers are targeting beginning bloggers.  That’s no longer where I fit in.  I can consider unsubscribing to them. It’s inevitable that you will have outgrown some of the bloggers you follow or you have mastered what they teach.  Even though they are doing good work, you don’t have to keep subscribing to their emails.  Be selective in what you keep and what you add.
 
The bottom line is that interests change. For the most part, I have learned what I need to know from a majority of the blogs I was following.  I did keep one or two blogs that are aligned with my business interest in helping people develop information products. I kept the blogs I had recently added that reflect my current interests and satisfy my insatiable passion for learning.  I kept blogs on vegetarianism (Summer Tomato  and Vegan Coach  ), natural living  , aromatherapy and Zen living . I’m aware that some of these are current interests and they, too, will need to be unsubscribed to at some point.  However, for now I have whittled down my list to emails that interest me and that I have time to read every day.
 
What are your criteria for keeping a blog?  Which ones are you actually reading?  Which authors make you think?  Or get you excited?  Follow those and unsubscribe to the rest.  If you don’t read a newsletter, you don’t need it. 
 

Unsubscribing opens up new learning time

 
I turned my freed-up on-line time into Discovery Time.  I used the extra time I used to spend deleting those unread emails every day to explore more about a specific topic or learn some new skills. Get on Google and start typing in keywords. You may choose to explore what others are doing in your field, you may find yourself moved by a personal development concept you want to add to your life, or you may seek to develop a new skill set.  It’s all there waiting for you. Use your freed up e-mail reading time to go exploring wherever your curiosity leads you.
 

You may feel lonely

 
When the results of unsubscribing to so many RSS feeds first kicked in, I felt a little lonely.  Checking my emails three or four times a day felt like I was connecting with people.  But the truth is, if I didn’t read them there was really no connection. 
 
I realized how often I had been checking my email every day. With the lessened number of in-coming emails I found that when I did check I was no longer overwhelmed by the sheer volume.  I am relieved that I am no longer deluged with sales pitches.  I do not feel guilty when I don’t take time to read a post. What I do subscribe to I enjoy reading. Be patient with yourself. Lowering your email intake is freeing.  See what new connections you have made room for in your life.
 

Give yourself a week

 
Start unsubscribing today.  Watch your emails every day for a week.  Unsubscribe to everything you don’t read.  In two days I had whittled my emails down to a more manageable and comfortable size. I was amazed how much lighter I felt.  There were no more feelings of being overwhelmed, or wasting time reading emails. I am now subscribed only to people who inspire and motive me and give me the specific information I need for my business today.
 

Review your subscriptions quarterly.

 
I know I’m going to build my list again as I go exploring and find new people to follow.  However, I have resolved to review my emails every quarter.  What do I need now?  What have a learned that I no longer need to learn about?  What new interests do I have?  I will go through this same process of unsubscribing every three months.  Emails are meant to inform and entertain and make you think.  Get rid of those that don’t. The process of unsubscribing is incredibly freeing.

 

Nutrients You Need For Your Business Garden

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check-listAlthough I’ve gardened for years, this is my first year working a raised bed in our Community Garden and as I prepared the soil I noticed the parallel in preparing a garden and nurturing your business. The time spent building a good foundation will make all the difference in the quality of the crops you harvest.  That’s why it’s important to be really clear about your niche and the results you help others achieve and lay your foundation as consciously and carefully as you can.

Choose your location

When you garden you consider the position of the bed – the amount of sun it gets, the plants that you like to grow, the length of the growing season. You look at the purpose it will serve in your yard, the background it will enhance, the activities it will shelter, the products it will grow. You decide what is needed, how much care it will take and what you want to plant there.

The same is true for your business. In the beginning you make a lot of important decisions – who you want to serve, what they need from you, the competition that’s already out there and what you want as the final result. You choose the niche that suits you and your services best.

What is needed?

If the Farmer’s Market is full of tomato growers you probably want to raise a different crop. You do your research; you test the soil to see what is needed and what it already has. You make your decision on the best results you can achieve.

You make the same type of exploration for for your business and create the perfect mix of the type service and products to fill a specific gap in the market

Start with a good foundation

Every new project begins with fresh high quality ingredients. The location of my new raised bed is wonderful. It’s partially shaded in the afternoon by a tree and easily viewed by anyone entering the garden. I went to the local nursery, got advice from an expert and added the recommended nutrients to the soil. I laid a good foundation for what I plan to grow.

In business you have to spend some quality time making the initial decisions – who you serve, what you want to offer and what results you want to create. Then you lay the foundation of your web presence, your delivery structure, and your support staff.

What crops do you want to raise?

As with any business you get to choose your crops – your outcome – exactly what you want to offer your clients and customers. Since my bed was in the first row entering the garden I decided to put the vegetables at the back and flowers at the front. It was going to be both beautiful and practical.

Decide on the purpose of your business in the beginning. It will guide you in selecting the best products and services to offer.

Provide strong support systems from the beginning

Too often we don’t have a clear picture of the final result we want and we fail to put in the proper support systems. I love clematis so I put in two trellises, one at each end to hold them. Then I placed the tomato cages between them. The back row sets the tone of both beauty and nutrition.

What supports do you need in your business? The first two are going to be a VA and a financial person. (See “Are you still trying to do it all yourself?” ) You might also need to invest in software that helps you produce certain elements of your business. Decide what you need and in what order you will need them. Be prepared and willing to put support systems in place as they are needed.

What tools do you need?

Don’t skimp on the tools you buy. I bought an inexpensive trowel and it broke in a week. At this stage of your business you are investing in something you are going to use for a long time. Set yourself up right. Get yourself a coach who can help you choose your most lucrative and satisfying direction. Spend time choosing the most expressive design for your blog or web site. What new skills do you need to learn in order to make this work? This initial investment will help you make certain you are building on a strong foundation.

Choose the best seeds and plants

 A perennial plant lasts for years. Buy the version of it you like the most, the one that will give you the greatest pleasure over the years. Choose the best tomato plants for your climate and your taste buds. 

 As you set up your business develop the most compelling landing page you can, craft an opt in offer that attracts like butterflies to a butterfly garden, create a mini-ecourse that gradually nurtures the occupants of your garden and create Cornerstone Content that shows them the possibilities. Those four foundational information products will serve your business for years to come. (See "How to Craft" Series)

What care do you need to provide?

The quality of your harvest will depend on the natural growth process of each plant, the growing conditions of the season, the quality of the plant itself and the care you provide. And that is exactly how it is in business. Some people are ready to interact right away, others need gradual cultivation. What you can do from the beginning is provide the right environment for each of them. Give them information products that encourage and guide and produce results. Write a blog that keeps them motivated and inspires them with new ideas. Offer a bi-monthly newsletter that offers resources and news of what you have created of value for them. Make some training videos that help them get results.

Watch for weeds

Weeds are simply good plants we decide are growing in the wrong place. If you are a coach and find someone who is not compatible, help them find another coach. If you create a teleclass that is not as successful as you would like, consider turning those ideas into a different format, or prune some of the material, or add new ingredients. 

Growing a business is like growing a garden, you have to monitor its growth and meet each need as it arises.

The success formula for your business garden is quality ingredients, a strong support system, consistent care, steady nutrients and patience. That’s easy enough to provide with a little awareness, persistence and conscious care.

© 2011 Cara Lume