Next time you wonder what your role in life might be, take a hint from this guy.
And feel free to pass this on to anyone who might need it.
Note: I "lost" this video for a while when Brightcove.tv stopped publishing. Luckily I recently found it again, so I'm happy to be able to post the link here.
Some years ago, a friend saw an item for sale and immediately thought, “Yashoda will love this”.
I did. Her gift was a bubble wand – the kind that made huge bubbles! With practice you could even encircle your body with these bubbles! And, if you added glycerin to the soapy water, glorious rainbows filled bubbles as they drifted towards the sky.
The more bubbles I made the more fun I had. I loved the way I could use the wind, gently turning my arms and body in a graceful way which made the bubbles. I knew I wanted to sell bubbles as extra income.
Some time before, another friend and teacher, Leonard Orr, told a group of us “If you are really intelligent, you will create many sources of income – 50 sources of income!” I thought he was daft, that it was easy for him to say because he is fairly well-known and is in many money making adventures. But I remember what else he said: that when we have one main source of income a sort of dependency gets created; along with that comes an unconscious fear of losing that source of income. I also knew of people who were in stifling uncreative jobs for that very reason. So, since I already was selling other things, I decided to broaden to three sources of income.
I called the manufacturer and purchased 200 bubble wands, at about $2.15 each. That was a sizable amount for me at the time, but I had this feeling that I could have fun and make money.
My bubble wands arrived, I put on my best working boots and hat, something colorful and crazy in between, and set off for the Canby County Fair in Canby, Oregon, I rented a space and set up my table, bucket and a simple sign that said: “Mystical, Magical Bubbles…Bubble Your Pleasure, Bubble Your Fun!”
And I did. I had fun. I got so INTO making the bubbles, watching each as a surprising, magical occurrence, that I completely forgot that I was selling! Why, people were asking ME if they could GIVE ME money so they could have their bubble wand.
In three days, I was delightfully wiped out! And substantially filled out in my wallet! I sold the wands for $10 (I knew they retailed for $12) or two for $15. I ordered more and sold them whenever I saw the opportunity, gave some as gifts, traded some, even took some as I traveled to
Leonard also says it is smart to always have something to sell, I learned a valuable secret that has remained with me still:
Apart from my setting up and showing up, this experiment was not only easy, it was effortless because of the fun that I had.
It is intelligent these days for all of us to create many sources of income. There are wonderful products that can be sold person-to-person, services and ideas (giving a workshop or class). That is how money is made: ideas, goods and services. Think about something that “turns you on”, “gives you a hit” or “fires you up”. Get a few and sell them and make a profit. Do you remember how good you feel when you find something that’s fun as well as a bargain? Well you can do the same for people you know or strangers by offering them something that can enhance their pleasure or practicality of life.
Note: No one will do without because you “turn a buck”. It is not true that there is only a limited amount of money in
Susan Deschenes leads classes in clientele building, energy breathing and spiritual purification practice in
(c) 2002 Susan Yoshoda Deschenes
Andy Jenkins wrote a very interesting blog post about Shaun White and lessons from Shaun's gold medal run that can be applied to list building (of all things!). I found it not only an interesting read, but it also inspired me to remember the individual stories I saw unfold during the Olympics and how they affected me. I left the following response on his blog, and decided I wanted to share it with you, challenge you to think about what inspired you, and invite you to share your own inspirations with me.
The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver provided so many amazing athletes and so many lessons! Among my favorites:
My heart goes out to figure skater Joanne Rochette whose mother passed away just 2 days before her event started. Her strength and commitment were obvious in the short program, ultimately resulting in a bronze medal. The closest thing I can think of is how my lamaze lessons kicked in when my daughter was born – even though I was exhausted, I didn’t have to think – my body had been so well trained that it knew what to do and did it. Keep practicing and reinforcing – you will automatically do what’s needed when the time comes.
There’s Shaun White, of course, having obvious fun while doing things most people gasp at. (You can read Andy's take on Shaun – which inspired this post – at his blog.)
There’s Evan Lysacek – the hardest working man in figure skating – whose gold medal shows exactly what happens when you are unstoppable and you put in your time perfecting your gifts. He’s a gentleman who at only 24 showed incredible grace when quizzed about Plushenko’s antics. And he’s gorgeous, too.
Apolo Ohno with 8 medals making him the most decorated winter Olympian from the U.S. Every incremental advance adds up over time.
The U.S. Women’s short track relay team who continued skating despite being so far behind. They ended up with a bronze due to a disqualification of the Korean team – don’t give up, regardless of how dismal it may look, do your best and finish the race.
The U.S. Men’s nordic combined relay team – bringing home the first ever medal in the sport (a silver), a grueling sport that requires stamina, pacing and solid performance.
Team Canada for winning an amazing overtime hockey game against the U.S. – when we had already beaten them once – and giving our good neighbors to the north a stellar finish to their hosted games.
And of course, Steve Holcomb, with record setting runs and a gold medal! A man who nearly lost his eyesight and who looks more like my dear husband than a star athlete. A man who said they were treating the second day like it was a separate race and they just wanted to do it like they had the day before. The lesson – do your best. Then keep repeating the strategies you know are successful.
Every athlete who performed at the Olympics is a hero and an inspiration. No one gets there without commitment, hard work and vision.
Welcome to a new decade. Regardless of what has happened thus far in your life, today is a new day ready for you to create your new future.
In fact, today is 01022010 – a great day to consider looking at everything backwards and forwards!! Today I'll be sharing thoughts about my own past year, offering a free report to help you tie up the pieces from last year and move into this new one, and finally, asking you to make a decision about remaining on my mailing list.
Conscious vs Habitual Thinking
As a result of various experiences this past year, I've recently been spending considerable thought on being fully conscious. Of living fully in the moment – in terms of consciously choosing everything I do instead of just giving in to habitual thinking and/or habitual activities.
Now don't get me wrong – habits are very useful. They make our personal world understandable and consistent. Habits tend to keep us safe and reduce the sense of chaos that frequent change can bring.
On the other hand, unexplored or unquestioned habitual thinking or habitual actions can keep us stuck. When we apply conscious thought to the things we do, even the little things, we get to be in control of the choices we have made. That gives us the opportunity to improve, remove or continue – whichever serves us best.
Discovering My Next steps
At this time last year I "retired" from working in corporate America. Over the past year I have made some wonderful new friends who have opened up many new ideas and opportunities for me. Along the way I explored new ideas and directions, looking for the bridge from my prior endeavors into the platform of my current life.
In January my husband and I visited friends and family in Florida and took a cruise to the Caribbean. After we returned, I met up with friends in Boise, Idaho. Then in April my daughter and I returned to Boise for training and more friends and family. In June and July, hubby and I went back to Idaho – this time on vacation to Priest Lake – and drove the Selkirk Loop into British Columbia and Spokane before flying home. Interesting that I had 3 unrelated visits to Idaho last year!
In July I drove my daughter to Los Angeles for more training and reconnecting with friends. During the Los Angeles trip I made a business decision to begin an apprenticeship with someone I thought would help take me to the next level in the direction I had chosen. Unfortunately due to lack of follow-through, it was necessary for me to withdraw from the program and I spent the rest of the year negotiating for the promised refund of funds I had paid upfront as a condition of apprenticeship.
By October, as a result of my experiences in attempting to get back on my own track, I came to the realization that although I'd been exploring options to discover whatever was next for me, I was still using the same filters as before. In other words, I had let my own habitual thinking and processing get in the way of my exploration, and this was actually limiting my options.
Consciously Questioning
So I decided it was time to reconsider *everything*. It was time to question each habitual action, belief, thinking process, decision, and to reaffirm it, modify it or replace it. I decided to take each moment and simply do what needed to be done based on what was in front of me at that time, and to observe what arose.
To say it's been interesting and educational would be an understatement! Perhaps the most profound result for me has been an increasing clarity surrounding my own life purpose. This in turn has led me to new processes and insights in developing career and life strategies. If you decide to stay with me, you will hear more about these as the year progresses, and you will be invited to participate as I develop some of them further.
De-cluttering My Life and Mind
During this time I've recognized the need to de-clutter all the areas of my life which no longer serve me – a reflection of my desire to get back to the essence of what is important and empowering and to eliminate the distractions. I've written about this in the past, of course, and you're sure to hear more about this soon.
As a result, I will be utilizing ebay, craigslist, freecycle and the local thrift stores to help me move out the physical items I no longer need or want.
I've also begun removing myself from several of the email newslists currently cluttering my mailbox.
Completing Your Past and Moving into Your Future
This time of year most people go through the process of creating lists of resolutions for things they want to change. I don't often write resolutions, but I do like to do my own strategic planning around the time of my birthday – which in essence is the beginning of my own personal New Year.
There's power in completing tasks and projects. When we have incomplete items in our lives they require time and attention that could be better spent on activities that move us towards our current goals. That is especially true for activities and projects that have become irrelevant and outdated, but which we haven't yet released.
Each year around this time I send my coaching clients a list of questions designed to help them assess how far they've come in the prior year and consider where they want to go in the next year. Most clients find the questions a useful start for creating their new plans.
If you would like a copy of the questions, simply click on this link and you will be able to download it. No obligations, no opt-in, my gift to you for the new year.
Here's to a prosperous decade, beginning with the coming year.