Author Archives: Baeth

“5 Tips To Be A Powerful Mentor and Healer in the Spotlight”

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by Baeth Davis, “The Palm Pilot for the Soul of Your BusinessTM“

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Baeth Davis and Karen Schachter at Baeth’s 2009 Life Purpose Spiritual Summit

Karen Schachter’s Life Purpose is “Powerful Mentor and Healer in the Spotlight.” We can also call her Life Purpose the “Visionary Mentor Making a Public Impact in the Healing Arts.”

Karen is a licensed clinical social worker, certified health counselor, and founder of “Dishing With Your Daughter,” which offers a variety of programs for girls and women.   As a psychology of eating expert, Karen is especially passionate about helping the next generation of girls experience nourishment, peace and deliciousness in food, eating and their bodies so they can live a healthy, authentic life.

Karen says, “Enough of the angst and struggle!” Karen believes in the value of the mom-daughter relationship as a powerful vehicle for creating change. Combining her years of psychotherapy experience and her knowledge of nutrition, Karen’s programs and services inspire and support girls and women to value themselves, tune into their intuition, and nourish their bodies, their minds and their spirits.

Karen found her way to this work spoonful by spoonful, after struggling with her own ‘disordered’ eating. She wanted to make sure that her own daughter didn’t inherit the challenges that she spent so many years working through. However, Karen’s challenges are the precise challenges any mentor and healer is likely to face in claiming their power and stepping in front of their unique and appreciative audience.

Using Karen’s story as our guide, I want to share with you the 5 TOP Tips I’ve observed about being a powerful mentor and healer in the spotlight after working with thousands of clients over the past 11 years in business.

Tip #1: Healer Heal Thyself

In order to be a model of inspiration for others, YOU need to feel inspired. This isn’t likely to happen if you’re overworked, overweight or overwhelmed. Are you willing to dig really, really deep and find out what is REALLY ailing you? It could be a bad tooth, a bad back or depression. It could be sleeplessness, anxiety or fear. It could even be boredom, apathy or arrogance. What has got you caught? If you are willing to be honest with yourself, the healing can begin. One of the best ways to do this is to ASK FOR HELP. Find a practitioner, coach, doctor or advisor who can truly help you facilitate your own healing and begin the road to authentic recovery and genuine vitality.

Karen writes, “What a year it’s been! As a member of Baeth’s Phenomenal Entrepreneur Coaching Circle, which began in January 2009, I’ve experienced an incredible sense of personal and professional growth. Coming into the program at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t sure what to expect, although I knew I needed a coach like Baeth to give me a gentle, loving push toward my future and toward the vision I had for myself, yet somehow couldn’t figure out how to reach.

As it turned out, I got more than I bargained for!  I knew that things felt “murky” for me in my business, but didn’t realize just how much. As a psychotherapist and health counselor in private practice, I loved my work, yet knew I wasn’t expressing the full nature of my passion. I was restless and knew there was something more I wanted to be doing.

Although it felt a little like giving birth at times, Baeth and the group urged me to claim my passion and my purpose, and nudged me (ok, gave me a swift kick) toward stepping into it in a bigger, bolder way.”

Tip #2:  Engage With Your REAL PASSION

Karen continues:  “As a result [of this commitment to my own growth], I still have my private practice (although I’m charging significantly more than I was a year ago!), yet I’ve also stepped into my real passion:  helping to change the consciousness around food, eating and body image for the next generation of girls, and using the incredible power of the mom-daughter relationship to help create this change.”

Your ‘real passion’ is the thing you would do for free but still appreciate the money you receive for giving to your clients. Your ‘real passion’ is clearly obvious in your everyday life. Perhaps you envy a famous author. Hint: you’re an author in hiding. Perhaps you dream of winning an Oscar. Hint: you’re a performing artist in hiding. Perhaps Wayne Dyer and Marianne Williamson make your soul tingle with delight. Hint: Probably NOT hiding. You’re officially a Visionary Mentor Making A Public Impact in the Healing Arts.

I recommend that you don’t demand that your real passion make money instantly. This can cripple your creativity. Find other sources of revenue until your creativity has grown legs strong enough to walk on its own. Karen still has a private practice as she grows the other revenue streams in her business. We don’t demand that babies run marathons; we shouldn’t demand that our fledgling or growing businesses rival Richard Branson or Martha Stewart. One day, if that kind of business is what your soul desires, you will live your way into that achievement.

Tip #3: The Thing That Challenges YOU Is Usually Your Greatest Gift To Others

You’ve probably heard the expression, “We teach others what we are here to learn.” In other words, “Your Life LESSON is the KEY to your Life Purpose.”

Karen’s Life Lesson is to learn how to curb her tendency to sacrifice her goals for her family’s goals. Instead, she discovers how to be a great mom by living a life of purpose and passion. Her commitment to her work makes her a role model to her children rather than a role martyr. As her mentoring and healing business grows, she finds ways to both support herself and her family without feeling she is sacrificing one for the other.

Karen says, “As a mom myself (and as a daughter of a mom), I know firsthand how important we moms are to our daughters. I also know, from my work and my own personal experiences, how challenging this task can sometimes be. My work now includes creating programs for girls, programs for moms, and programs for moms AND daughters together.”

Tip #4: DECIDE To Step Into Your Life Purpose

Those of you have been reading this newsletter for a while know that one of my simple answers for success is to DECIDE and not back down from that decision. While everyone certainly has the right to change their mind, it’s important to know the ramifications of making decisions and either keeping them or not keeping them. Honoring our decisions increases not only our self-worth but our spiritual power to create an authentic life on our own terms. Spiritual power is not about money, status or approval. Spiritual power comes from knowing who you are and living a life of decisive determination and commitment.

Karen continues, “[My work with moms AND daughters] is exactly where my heart is, and Baeth has given me the courage to step into that.“

Tip #5: Find Your Audience and Communicate With Them

In order to reach your ideal audience, you must communicate with them regularly. Today, there is no excuse for not reaching more and more ideal clients as technology has made it possible to communicate our message all over the world – from the comfort of our own home!

Is it time to put up that new web site, write that blog or book or get that internet radio or TV show in production?

Karen shares her recent success, “In addition to creating powerful programs, I am also working on a book for moms on this very topic.  I’ve always wanted to write a book and now I finally have something that I really want to say (and know a lot about)! I’m thrilled to be taking on this challenge; and knowing that it’s my Life Purpose has given me the drive and motivation to stay the course (despite occasional bouts of fear).

Baeth brings powerful groups of people together. With her insights and the synergy of the group, it feels like anything is possible!”

Coach’s Challenge: Put your hand on your heart right now and ask your heart what it wants. Then allow that guidance to help you select you next activity. Ultimately, your INNER GUIDANCE will show you the way. When will you decide to listen to your higher self rather than everything outside of you? (I’m going out for a bike ride right after I send out this issue!)

To learn more about Karen Schacter’s upcoming FREE teleclass “The 7-Step Recipe To Connect With Your Daughter and Guide Her Toward Healthy Eating, a Strong Self-Esteem, and a Positive Body Image…so she can live a big, full, meaningful life,” please click here. If you’re a mom of a daughter, I’d love for you to join Karen on October 29th for this exciting call!

“3 Secrets To Being A Well-Paid Artist (rather than starving)”

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July in Paris

“July In Paris” 37”x12”x8”  Lit Plexiglass Collages by Susanna Helman
Photo by Bruce Andrews

Susanna Richter-Helman is an artist. Her Life Purpose (from her fingerprints) is “Artist in the Spotlight with Heart.” Her purpose is to move an audience emotionally through the experience of her creative expression.

As you can see from the above image, Susanna is not only an artist, she is a well-trained, experienced, professional and gifted artist. Her work, “July In Paris,” captures perfectly how I felt on my July trip to Paris in 2008. I’m not sure how she did that, but that’s what artists do – spill their emotions on the canvas so we can FEEL ours. This a valuable and necessary part of the human experience that we often place little value on if it can’t be immediately commercialized like an action movie or high fashion. The work of the artist, whether he or she be a painter, flower designer, interior designer, jewelry maker, photographer, actor, dancer, singer, mime, etcetera, is a food that our soul hungers for. Without art, we don’t have a ‘culture,’ we just have existence without color.

The challenge for so many artists is to find a way to give us their soul food without going hungry!

The “starving artist” stereotype, in my experience, is hardly a stereotype. Most artists I know are broke or very close to the edge financially. There are social and psychological reasons for this…… but it doesn’t have to be this way for the majority of artists I’ve met.

They don’t want to be broke but they also don’t want to kill the inspiration that drove them to create in the first place by trying to ‘commercialize’ their creativity. There is a deep fear in artists of ‘losing the muse’ if they pursue a career that feeds their soul AND their bank account.

I’ve identified 3 ‘secrets’ that can help an artist find their way from broke to bountiful.

But first, here is Susanna’s experience in her own words:

“It was your first reading of my hands over seven years ago that lead me to the ocean.  I have a lot of water energy (‘water energy’ represents emotional sensitivity) in my hands and you suggested being near the water.  We left Colorado to live in Florida by the ocean.  I visit it daily; I love the way the water makes me feel and the inspiration it brings me.

Susanna Richter-Helman

When we moved, I decided to leave behind the art career that required me to produce over 30 paintings a month to be shown by galleries and reps all over the country, but was unfulfilled because I wasn’t making the kind of work I really wanted to make. The conflict was that I would be taking a loss of income if I stopped, but I did it anyway to be true to myself.
Your last reading of my hands, which stated that I have “the professional artist’s line in both hands and that I must make a lot of money selling my art,” left me initially conflicted and stressed.  I always hoped that that was true, but to hear that it actually was true left me momentarily paralyzed. I struggled with it for many months, feeling like I hit a brick wall, kind of the end where you say, “do or die.”  Knowing that I had to make it happen, because it was a fact, kept me going.  It’s amazing how when you are at the edge, every part of your mind and body tries to stop you from moving forward.

When we were at your Life Purpose Spiritual Summit in Vegas, I was busy rushing around working, and all the sudden, I just started crying and couldn’t stop. Mark [Susanna's brother and Baeth's husband] patted my back and said I was having a breakthrough.  I didn’t really understand what that was or meant until I experienced it.  You explained it to me, but until you have one, you can’t understand how it feels to finally grasp what is right in front of you and allow yourself to accept it.

This experience was truly life changing.  As you said, “Your life is a hologram and you are on the stage acting out your destiny.  Bring in your actors through manifestation and create your own destiny.”  There it was in black and white.  All the pieces finally fit together and the bricks fell away from the wall and reformed into a path which was laid out in front of me.  I was not afraid to ask for what I want, to feel I deserved it, to just say “yes” to my destiny.  To be open to opportunities for giving and sharing what I know.

I woke up at 3 a.m. last week, full of ideas and I went to my studio to work.  I felt anxious and started pacing the floor but I knew exactly what it was: another breakthrough. Truly amazing. Knowing this, I went with it. I was excited at the prospect of having this breakthrough because it meant I was changing and moving forward into something much better than where I was.

I now find myself almost instantly manifesting what I want. Really profound, how it works. At this time I have two major contemporary art museum curators following my career for a future show. This has been a dream and goal of mine since I started making art, to have my work shown at the museum level.

I’m thrilled to have this knowledge and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me figure this out, this wonderful, magical gift. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your kind heart. I love you.”

Susanna’s testimony reveals the 3 secrets to being a well-paid artist. Can you spot them?

#1 DECIDE. You must make the decision, “do or die.” Many people never achieve their full potential because they live in fantasy land without deciding to do whatever is necessary to make their dream a reality. Once an artist DECIDES to stop going hungry, food is on the way!

#2 TRUST THE PROCESS. Once you’ve made the decision, all the emotions, fears and insecurities that you’ve kept at bay will rise to the surface to be felt and released. Being called to the spotlight to express your creativity brings up enormous fears of rejection and ridicule. This is part of the process. Every artist dislikes a mean critic. But being criticized actually means you are out there, DOING IT, rather than fantasizing about it. You may feel anxious, stuck, frustrated. Keep going anyway.

#3 DO THE WORK and PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE. A real painter paints. A real writer writes. Then, the artist SHARES their work with others. Susanna put together a beautiful portfolio with well-crafted cover letters which she then sent to museum curators around the country that she admired. They took notice – not only of her incredible body of work, but her professional presentation style. She is now on their radar.

Susanna’s next gallery show is November 6 through December 2, 2009 at the Butterfield Garage Gallery in St. Augustine, Florida.

“Glow” Exhibition
Inspired by origami paper, minimal modern sculpture and optical painting (Op Art), nationally exhibited artist, Susanna Richter-Helman, departs from her trademark medium of 15 years, acrylic on metal, to explore a new dimension using light, color and depth.

Displayed in a dimly lit room, these glossy, transparent light boxes illuminate the abstracted arrangement of color.  Each piece has a sense depth created by suspending paper and objects between layers of plexiglass.  Many of these items are meaningful memoirs acquired during Susanna’s travels in Europe and the United States.  Even the seemingly insignificant slivers of paper, such as a subway map from New York City, have meaning and purpose in their placement and content. Originally a Colorado native, Susanna currently lives in St. Augustine, FL.

To view more show images, please visit www.susannarichterhelman.com

Please join us for the opening reception
Friday, November 6, 2009 5 p.m.-9 p.m.
Butterfield Garage Art Gallery
www.butterfieldgarage.com
137 King St # C
St Augustine, FL 32084-4325
(904) 825-4577
Susanna Richter-Helman
www.susannarichterhelman.com
(904)-347-8211

And if YOU want to unleash the Life Purpose in YOUR hands, be sure to claim your own hand analysis session with Baeth before the price goes up this fall! http://www.HandAnalyst.com.

Spirituality and Business: 3 Powerful Tips for Unleashing Your Intuition

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If you really want to know “the secret,” access your business creativity and live your Life Purpose, there’s one jewel in your treasure chest you must dig out, polish up and wear proudly – the gem is your intuition. Without it, you are likely to be confused and looking to others for your own answers.

Now, that being said, it’s perfectly good and necessary to seek out spirituality and business knowledge from others. However, there is a difference between being a workshop junkie and being a truth seeker. The workshop junkie looks for the next quick fix of temporary, adrenaline-induced inspiration (quick to wear off), while the truth seeker looks within and asks, “Hey you, what do you really want to study and learn about next?” She then finds her next step – whether it be a new relationship, an enlightening book, a tele-class or a workshop (wisdom lasts a lifetime).

What makes the difference between these two kinds of women entrepreneurs? One trusts their intuition and the other doesn’t. So, you may be asking, how do I TRUST my intuition more?

Here are three powerful tips for unleashing your intuition that I’ve discovered in my almost ten years experience as a hand analyst/palmist, and spirituality and business coach.

Tip #1: Trust the FIRST impression that comes.
Your impression could be a vision (psychic/clairvoyant), a disembodied voice (clairaudient), a gut feeling (intuition/kinesthetic response), or a simple ‘knowing’ that without explanation, forethought or planning, ‘flashes’ into your mind.

With my visual psychic/clairvoyant ability, I see imagery either “inside” my mind or “outside” my mind as if on an invisible movie screen. For example, many years ago, I was at a friend’s party giving short palm readings to the guests. As one woman sat down in front of me, I saw twelve angels around her. The angels weren’t visible in the way that she was – I saw them energetically and could feel their energy in the physical space with us. Curious and a wee bit nervous, I said, “Are you aware that you have twelve angels walking around with you?” She said, cool as a cucumber, “Oh, yes,” and then proceeded to tell me some of their names!

Tip #2: Ask your heart for spirituality and business intuition.
Close your eyes and put your right hand over your heart. Breathe in and out slowly, feeling the rhythm of your heart beat. Then quietly ask your heart, “Heart, what do you want right now?” Since your heart processes emotion, NOT thoughts, it will usually respond with a simple, one- or two-word “feeling” answer such as “love,” “forgiveness,” “patience,” “action,” etc. You will probably hear these answers in your head, in your own voice.

Usually my heart answers, “I want peace and joy.” However tonight, while writing this article, my heart gave me the longest answer ever. My heart said, “Baeth, stop pushing yourself. I want you to be kind and gentle to yourself. Take care of yourself and do those things that make you feel pretty and happy.” Pretty and happy? Never got that one before. Wow, I guess I have my homework!

Tip #3: Build your self-esteem.
In her book, Anatomy Of The Spirit, the great energy medicine expert, Caroline Myss wrote, “How we feel about ourselves, whether we respect ourselves, determines the quality of our life, our capacity to succeed in business, relationships, healing, and intuitive skills [emphasis mine]. Self-understanding and acceptance, the bond we form with ourselves, is in many ways the most crucial spiritual challenge we face. In truth, if we do not like ourselves, we will be incapable of making healthy decisions. Instead, we will direct our personal power for decision-making into the hands of someone else. Someone whom we want to impress or someone before whom we think we must weaken ourselves to gain physical security. People who have a low sense of self-esteem attract relationships and occupational situations that reflect and reinforce this weakness.” (This lack of self-esteem is the #1 reason why women entrepreneurs don’t use their intuition.)

After reading thousands of hands, I believe that the “Life Lesson” of humanity involves self-esteem issues. If you doubt yourself, how are you going to trust something as subtle, fast and laser sharp as your intuition? Having good self-esteem is vital to harnessing the power of your intuition. And here’s the catch: If you ask and don’t listen, your intuitive awareness may go into hibernation. If you ask and listen, but don’t ACT, you create stagnation, procrastination and all sorts of spirituality and business ills.

If you’d like to learn more about how to harness your intuition as well as how I help female entrepreneurs and small business owners discover the calling of their souls and create business plans that turn their unique life purposes into businesses that are both meaningful AND profitable, download my free special report “5 Massive Mistakes Spiritually Oriented Women Make in Business…And How to Avoid Them” go to http://www.handanalyst.com

“Why You HAVE To Pay” (… or you’ll keep paying and paying and paying!)

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First and foremost, when it comes to your relationship with money in the world, it needs to reflect your integrity, your value system and your code of ethics. For example, if you feel your clients should honor their agreements with you and show up on time and pay on time, you MUST do the same in your agreements or else you are ‘out’ of integrity energetically. You may have the occasional client who flakes out and doesn’t pay but generally speaking, you’ll probably find that your clients gladly pay – when YOU gladly pay. This exchange of payment keeps the energy (and the money) flowing.

If you find yourself as the coach who isn’t being paid, what is the message for you? When this situation has happened to me, I’ve found that it usually means I have to overcome my Life Lesson of wanting people to like me and instead, hold the client to the contract. It is uncomfortable but necessary so I can live with myself and not feel like a chump. At other times, it simply alerts me that I’m not doing work that is totally aligned with my Life Purpose and a course correction is needed.

Maybe for you, clients aren’t paying because you have not paid someone. Or perhaps, you never had a written contract in the first place? Where in your money agreements have you become lax, inattentive or simply fearful?

If you are the person unwilling to honor an agreement you made, how do you rationalize this to yourself? Money is tight? You can’t afford it? You can get out of things easily? I find that folks who get in this situation over and over are unrealistic about their current financial situation and somehow think taking on another commitment will reduce, rather than increase, the pressure they are feeling to pay up. They may even feel that paying money to someone will bring them riches as if by osmosis. It is a subtle but common form of sabotage that hurts both parties.

If you have made a commitment and feel a pressure to make the payments, it is probably unwise to take on MORE commitments until that commitment is fulfilled. Your interactions with money reveal your true intentions and how seriously you take your commitments. Honestly, it’s best to make them as if your life depended upon it – because your reputation certainly does. With every broken financial agreement, you damage your reputation, burn a bridge and reveal your true motivations. With every honored agreement, you increase your stature, deepen the connection and reveal your integrity.

If you do hit a financial snag and are HONEST about it, your integrity stays intact and the contract can be renegotiated.

The next important piece about why you must pay (so you don’t “pay and pay” in suffering) is that it actually puts money in your bank account. When you pay for a service and fully enjoy that service, you put out a positive vibration into the world. Maybe a friend commented on your great new haircut. You told them the name of your stylist and they made an appointment for themselves. It turns out that they, too, had a great experience with this stylist and tell all their friends about it.

Now here is where it gets interesting. Your stylist may start referring people to you! And your friends know they can trust your word so they take in interest in supporting you as well. I’ve found that abundance is very much about giving from a place of knowing that there is enough to go around.

Putting money in the bank is also increased by your determination to succeed, your persistence in the face of setbacks and your ability to deliver on what you promise. This is another form of commitment. If you can give someone a great result, they will gladly invest and tell their friends about your work.

However, please don’t give it away for ‘free.’ If you are new in your field, bartering can be a wonderful way to get your work out there (initially) and give you additional experience. If you are seasoned, be sure that your prices reflect the results your clients receive – which is NOT the same as what you think they will pay or what you think they think it’s worth. How do people lose out if you DON’T deliver your service? Think about that when setting your fees.

The best way to PAY is to PAY attention. Mind your store, balance the books and protect your intellectual property. A good intellectual property (IP) attorney can trademark your important branding language and help you patent new inventions. If you know where your money is coming from and where it is going on a DAILY basis with a profit and loss statement, you are in a powerful position to see what projects are winners and which are losers on the balance sheet. This will help you leverage your time toward those projects that bring you the most revenue and satisfaction.

As a side note, I notice some folks start living champagne lifestyles on beer budgets. Sorry, but the math simply does not work. If you cannot pay for your lifestyle with ease, it is an illusion that will catch up with you eventually. There is no one to impress but yourself. Honoring your commitments and living within your means is a sure route to prosperity. Spending money doesn’t make you rich – generating money through your efforts does. There is a BIG difference. Remember this. Touching the hem of the guru’s skirt won’t make you the guru. Doing the inner work makes you the guru. Being around successful people won’t make you successful but acting as successful people act WILL bring you riches. Successful people don’t spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need. Successful people invest: in real estate, stocks, bonds, precious gems and metals, art AND education. Are you a spender or an investor?

Most importantly, PAY yourself first (so you don’t pay in terms of financial struggle) then pay Uncle Sam, then pay everyone else, in that order. But pay you must, no matter what. I believe that even if a person chooses to ‘go for broke,’ every creditor needs to be paid back in full – even if it takes years – because this is about integrity. Without integrity, you end up selling your soul – and THAT is too high a price to pay. As I tell my clients, “You don’t have to show up, but you still have to pay energetically.” So you may as well show up because there is no ‘out’ even if you walk away. The contract lingers in the air until it is mutually negotiated to the satisfaction of both parties.

When you pay others, you get paid. Simple as that. When you pay the piper, you get to hear the sweet music. When you pay yourself, you feel the power of your own value. And when you pay attention to your true motivations, you discover the wealth of your own soul.

 

Do You Have Trust Issues – In Love?

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Alas, since my scanner died an unexpected death during our last season of Mercury Retrograde (which lasted July 5th through the 29th!) and I am still awaiting the arrival of the new machine, I am going to use words to paint the pictures of your palms and what you’ll need to observe today in order to determine whether or not you have trust issues in your love relationships. If you do, we’ll explore what you can DO to create more intimacy in your life.

Okay. Go ahead and put your palms out in front of you. Now look at your pinky fingers. I invite you to answer the following questions on a piece of paper so you can easily refer to them as we go along. You might want to divide the paper in half with a one column for your right-hand pinky and one column for your left-hand pinky. (Your dominant hand reveals how you relate to others, your non-dominant hand reveals your relationship with yourself.)

  • Are your pinkies straight or curved? (One might be curved, the other straight.)
  • If a pinky is curved, where is it curved? For example, is the whole finger bowed like a half-moon or is it only the tip? If it’s only the tip, does it curve toward your thumb or away from your thumb?
  • Is the finger more crooked than curved?
  • Now, look at all of your fingers. Imagine that the top of your palm is a mountain top and the fingers emerging are the trees. Where does your pinky finger sit in relationship to the other fingers – is it about equal with your ring finger on the mountain top or does it sit lower?

Before I answer the above questions, I want to give you a little back-story on your pinky finger. It’s palmistry name is the “Mercury” finger, named after Mercury, the Messenger God. Therefore, your Mercury finger and the whole area directly beneath it on your palm, have to do with communication -the primary energy that Mercury represents.

The tip of your Mercury (pinky) finger represents abstract communication such as storytelling and brainstorming, the middle zone represents negotiating (using your words to effect change in your material affairs) and the bottom zone represents physical communication or sex. Moving into your palm, the area directly below Mercury has to do with healing and intimate communication, the area below that relates to communicating in your mind – the realm of Eureka moments and hot ideas, and the lowest area, near your wrist, has to do with communicating with nature and your instinct – the “shaman” zone.

The Mercury finger itself gives us a quick “read” on what’s happening in your intimate life. Let’s go back to the questions above and take a look at what your answers reveal.

  • Are your pinkies straight or curved? (One might be curved, the other straight.)

A straight Mercury usually indicates that you are a “straight shooter” in your communication. You say it like you see it. If the finger is curved, it usually indicates some breakdown in your ability to communicate effectively and trust yourself and others. It is often the result of an emotionally distant or unstable relationship with your mother and/or father in childhood.

  • If a pinky is curved, where is it curved? For example, is the whole finger bowed like a half-moon or is it only the tip? If it’s only the tip, does it curve toward your thumb or away from your thumb?

If the whole finger is bowed like a half-moon, this can represent suspicion toward men or women, depending on your sexual preference. For example, I met a man with a bowed Mercury finger and it turned out that his ex-wife had put him through the mill emotionally and financially and thus, he was very hesitant to trust a woman again. He was “suspicious” of a woman’s intentions – any woman’s intentions. This generalized suspicion towards all women impaired his ability to TRUST his own instincts about a specific woman he might meet. Impairments with the Mercury finger invariably reveal some degree of TRUST issues in intimate relationships. With suspicion, it’s important to ask lots of questions of the other person, find out their agenda and even do some background research to reinforce what your instincts are telling you about the person.

  • If only the tip of the Mercury finger leans toward the thumb, this can indicate intense trust issues that show up as “control issues.” My mother and I shared this marker, but since learning what it means and working on my control issues – my finger has straightened. (YES! Fingers can change!) What usually causes this marker is a severe loss in childhood. My mother lost her sister (and best friend) when she was hit and killed by a car at age seven. I ‘lost’ my father, from an emotional standpoint, at age 14 when my parents got divorced. This kind of loss can cause you to feel as if the rug has been yanked out from under you and nothing will ever be safe again. The need to control outer events and circumstances is a reaction to this loss.

When I say “control issues,” I mean trying to control your self, your environment, other people and certain outcomes. It is fruitless and exhausting. What I learned, and what allowed my finger to straighten, was to speak my truth, name my desires, focus mentally, emotionally and visually on my goals and then to GET OUT OF THE WAY! In other words, to surrender to the process and let it unfold in its own way. The “process” of life revealed what I needed, every time, in order to learn to trust, rather than control. (An individual with a curved tip on the Mercury finger can also be especially tenacious in trying to get what they want. Since they feel their own efforts may go unnoticed, they may need to rally others to their cause or goal in order to move forward. If the other people involved don’t want to go along, it can create a power struggle for control of epic proportions.) If the tip of Mercury bends AWAY from the thumb, this can indicate that you are prone to hyperbole and exaggeration. You might get so carried away with a story that you leave out the facts in favor of effect. In some instances, this is appropriate, in others, it might be construed as lying. Your challenge is to ask yourself, “Is exaggeration appropriate here (such as doing stand-up comedy or attending a roast) or am I better off sticking to the facts?” In extreme cases, this configuration could indicate pathological dishonesty or a propensity for gossip. (And gossip is one of the most toxic interpersonal behaviors I know of. Its opposite is confidentiality.)

  • Is the finger more crooked than curved?

A crooked Mercury finger, rather than one than gently curves, can indicate shrewdness in business as well as the other challenge indicators mentioned above: control issues, exaggeration, or outright chicanery.

  • Now, look at all of your fingers. Imagine that the top of your palm is a mountain top and the fingers emerging are the trees. Where does your pinky finger sit in relationship to the other fingers – is it about equal with your ring finger on the mountain top or does it sit lower?

If the Mercury finger sits a quarter inch or more below your ring finger from the upper edge of your palm, this can indicate that you are not getting enough closeness and affection and that you probably want MORE. Your knee-jerk reflex with this indicator will likely be to retreat into solitude and loneliness. The antidote, of course, is to get out there and be social! Let your friends know you’re looking to date. You may even need some non-sexual touch if you’re not in a romantic relationship so your body gets its “touch quotient” met.

As you can see, just one finger can reveal so much about your ability to trust and communicate. The key thing to remember is this: You will only mistrust others to the degree that you mistrust yourself. When you trust yourself, you’ll walk the other way if danger is approaching and move forward if it feels right. If someone betrays us, it’s because we misplaced our trust and betrayed our instincts. It’s very difficult to be swindled, cheated or betrayed if you listen to and communicate your inner wisdom. That where all trust begins – inside of YOU.

3 Tips to Put the Profit Back in Your Purpose

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Yesterday, a client called me in a panic about the state of her finances. ‘What is causingsuch a talented, experienced, bright woman such money misery?’ I wondered.

As I contemplated her situation, my own history with money, and that of the hundreds ofbusiness women I’ve coached over the years, I realized that there is an inner process that must be happening simultaneously with specific, time-tested outward actions if you are going to have BOTH purpose AND profit in your business.

Here are my TOP 3 TIPS for creating more purpose AND profit in your business:

#1 Stop making ‘work’ a four-letter word.

Work gives our lives meaning. For many of us, work is one of the primary ways we expressour life purpose. However, I’ve noticed something very interesting. Here’s the hypothetical scenario: “Julie” is 36 and married, with two young children. She has just started a home-based business selling nutritional products. She is having trouble juggling the schedule of her kids with her own business responsibilities.

As Julie’s coach, I suggest she hire an administrative assistant (easily done by posting an ad on www.CraigsList.com. Hourly rates range from $8 hr – $20 hr). She balks. “How can I afford that? I’m not making much money in my business yet.” I ask her, “How exactly do you make money in your business?” She says, “Well, staying in touch with my current customers and finding new ones.” “Right,” I say, “so where is your time best spent?” Julie responds, “Marketing to my current customers and ideal prospects.” Uh-huh. “So, how about doing that?” I say. ”But it’s so much work,” she says. Uh huh.

When we do the REAL work in our businesses, which consists primarily of delegating tasksthat are not our area of expertise and spending our precious time letting our prospects and customers know about what we’ve created to make their lives easier (that is the goal of EVERY authentic business – making the life of your customer EASIER with a better hand soap, a better vitamin, a better home study course, a better workshop, etc.), we begin to not only PROFIT, we feel more connected to what we are doing and why we are doing it – our PURPOSE.

Are you avoiding the real work of your business with lots of nitpicky tasks? What is thiscosting you? At a deeper level, what does this distraction allow you to do? That’s right, HIDE OUT. When you spend your time creating a new product, publishing a new book or improving your marketing campaign, you are definitely not hiding out. You are showing the world who you really are. And that’s what Julie is afraid of – succeeding and being seen. Which leads me to Tip #2.

#2 Determine your ‘Visibility Edge’ and stretch it

How much spotlight can you handle before you start to retreat? Is your blushing brought on by a simple compliment about your lovely blouse or is it a full-out panic attack about stepping on stage or calling the local TV station for an opportunity to appear on their morning news program? Each of us has a ‘visibility edge’ – the limit to which we will allow others to see, hear and applaud us before we stop doing the necessary ‘work’ to be seen, heard and valued by our target market. (See Tip #1.)

What is one thing you can do today to move your ‘visibility edge’ out a little bit further? (I asked my personal assistant to contact the local radio station about my appearing on Valentine’s Day to do ‘romantic compatibility’ hand analysis readings for the listeners. We’re waiting to hear back and I’m excited. If this one doesn’t pan out, there are always more. BTW – I make up these ideas and pursue them – which takes me to Tip #3.)

#3 ”Ask For Forgiveness, Not Permission”

Grace Murray Hopper, a computer programmer and the inventor of the COBOL program, was quoted as saying, ”It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.” I interpret this to mean that, in your business, it is often easier to move forward with your visions and goals when the inspiration hits you than it is to wait around for someone to tell you, “Yes, darling, you can have what you want.”

In Julie’s situation, the nutritional company she represents won’t let her put up her own web site. So instead of asking their permission to create an informational web site on nutrition fundamentals, Julie just did it, with a link that connects people back to the nutritional company. Julie honored the policy of the company but created a solution that not only increases the company’s sales, but creates an additional profit stream for Julie in an area where her purpose as the “Family Healer in the Spotlight” can come alive.

If you are in a financial rut, these are my three challenges to you:

  1. Work on the PROFIT tasks and delegate the rest. Do what makes money FIRST each day, not last.
  2. Determine your ‘visibility edge’ by writing down the last time you really showed up publicly – whether on a teleclass, a radio or TV program or in print. What is ONE thing you can do before the week is out to bring you and your business some purpose-full publicity?
  3. What is the BIG thing you need to give yourself permission to do? What will it take to give yourself permission NOW? What kind of person will you have to become to not wait for someone else’s approval? Set a deadline and go for it!

A Career in Palmistry? An Ivy League Grad Shatters Success Myths

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I’m going to keep today’s article brief. If you’re like me, your time is precious and you want your information to be both useful and easily digestible. I’ll aim for both.

Yes, you probably guessed it. I’m the Ivy League grad who reads palms. (I decided to write this article in response to the various and curious reactions I’ve received based upon that single bit of info.)

Sure, I got a great education, no doubt. But that education was not required or necessary for doing what I love to do.

Why even mention “Ivy League” grad? Who cares? Well, some people think it “means” something. Others could give a hoot. I’d like to share with you what I’ve come to think it means.

So here are some success myths I’d like to shatter (and some success strategies learned):

1. GO TO COLLEGE, GET A GREAT JOB.

This is a common myth. If you get an advanced degree, it is statistically proven to up your earning potential. However, it is not an indicator whatsoever of your ability to choose a profession that you enjoy.

At my 10-year college reunion, many people said to me, “Wow. You have the most interesting profession. And you seem so happy.” A lot of my college classmates – now doctors, lawyers, investment bankers – admitted to having more money but little time to enjoy life. Many of them had also put on a lot of weight and had big circles under their eyes. Sounds like fun to me – NOT!!!

Success Strategy: Spend time searching for what you love.

It WILL come if you’re patient.

I could have left college and stepped immediately into a high-paying, high-stress job. Instead, I worked odd jobs until I found hand analysis. When I encountered palmistry, I said this is it! It took me 12 years. And boy! Did people give me crap along the way. They’d say, “When are you going to DO something with your life? Especially with your education!!!” I said, “When I find it.” I was busy finding out who I wanted to BE.

2. IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS ENSURE SUCCESS

Only among those people who recognize the credential. My college degree seems to impress two groups of people: other Ivy League grads and people who are insecure about their own level of intelligence! Everyone else could give a hoot. As a hand analyst, no one has ever asked me where I went to college! (Of course, my palmistry degree is only meaningful to other palmists! I studied palmistry because I WANTED to.)

Success Strategy: Get the credentials YOU NEED to do what you love. If you don’t need the credentials, why waste time and money on school? Go for it!

3. YOU NEED TO FINISH WHAT YOU START

Steve Jobs, creator of the Apple computer, dropped out of college officially and then unofficially audited all the classes he wanted to take, absorbing the info as his own rate, then moving onto to the next class.

Success Strategy: Follow your bliss. Consistency is highly over-rated. Finishing is only important if you’re finishing what you value.

4. IMPRESSING PEOPLE IS IMPORTANT

It’s a human need to be acknowledged for our accomplishments. Your neighbor has a green lawn and you hear all the compliments he gets. Maybe you’ve even complimented him yourself – so you strive to make your lawn greener. Your best friend is thinner than you are, so you start starving yourself. If you look at your life, I bet there is one area where you want to impress people.

I’m more interested in impressing myself. I do this by attempting to live each day according to my own values. If a green lawn gave me happiness, I’d have one. But my yard is gravel, front and back, with plants indigenous to where I live. Why? I’d rather be writing this ezine to you than weeding or paying for a gardener.

Another example. My car is paid for. This gives me much more happiness than impressing someone with my new BMW. However, I’d really love to drive a BMW. I think BMW’s are snappy looking and fun to drive. And when I can pay cash for one, you’ll see my driving it. (But I’m erring towards a hybrid car to honor my value of nature. Decisions, decisions.) In the meantime, my extra cash is going straight into my property investments. This is a personal choice. By choosing investing over monthly car payments, I’ll soon have a lump sum of cash to buy my dream car.

Success Strategy: Determine what you value in life. Is it passion, beauty, elegance, freedom? Make a list of 10 values. Then impress yourself by living those values. Go ahead! I dare you. Dare to take the path less traveled.

My grandfather was successful. He had an eighth grade education, English was his second language and he died a millionaire. He was a joyful, exuberant man who played the spoons on his knee, wore a distinctive cap, and earned his keep as a carpenter – with a knack for property speculation. His guiding principles: Laugh often. Take nothing for granted. Remember to love.

Success is defined by one thing: YOU. Your credentials or lack thereof do NOT define your success: YOU DO! What your mom or dad told you, what your teachers told you, what your church told you, etc. – none of these sources can determine your success.

Here’s to your success!
Go for it!
What are you waiting for?