From Purpose to Prosperity for Women – Santa Cruz, CA

“Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in your heart.” – Rumi

Did you know that your fear is giving you clues toward your True Life Purpose?  What do I mean by Fear giving you Clues?  (By the way, come to one of my upcoming workshops to find out how fear affects your Purpose and how to override it… See the end of this article for more information!)

Our Life Purpose exists inside of us exactly as our life is right now, in an embryonic state.  To travel a path of Purpose is a bold and courageous undertaking.  Following your Passions will be like breadcrumbs on your Purposeful Path.  Your passions may not be your destiny.  However, following them will take you where you need to go, even when you don’t know where you’re going.

Living on Purpose means saying YES to a larger, more trusting and expanded part of you.  Your Path of Purpose will call on you to take steps even when you don’t know where you’re going, to be willing to trust and change and grow and take action… even when others don’t agree that what you are doing is practical or rational.

When you hear the call and begin to truly follow the calm and quiet voice within you urging you in a certain direction, you will find yourself taking actions that are considerably braver than you knew yourself to be. That which you are most afraid of is your Purposeful Path. You will know you are on the right track because the Universe will send you clues.  Serendipity will become commonplace in your life, you will come to depend on it.  Doors will open for you.  People, places and things will show up when you least expect them to.

Are you ready?

It won’t always be easy.  Your purpose will call you out into the world.  Not everyone will support you in your purpose.  Not everyone will adore you.  Some will disagree with you- some will be triggered by you. Accept this now as part of your Purposeful Journey.

You bring a Unique Gift to this Life, Knowing & Expressing it will Set you Free

This freedom will keep you going.  It will keep you going when someone implies that your dreams are unrealistic, or that you can’t, or that you won’t, or that what you envision is impossible.

You will find yourself up in the middle of the night researching on the internet, beginning a book, pulling out your art supplies, picking away a new song on your guitar … fingers flying across the keyboard wondering to yourself- is this going to make any bit of difference to anyone?

The answer is Yes.  However, I can assure you the person who will most benefit from your Purposeful Path is you; true fulfillment comes from serving those that need what you offer.  Begin following the clues, Begin now.  What small step can you do today to prove to yourself that your Purpose is more important than self doubt?

To get more information, a Free Life Purpose Assessment and come to our Upcoming Workshops “Curb your Career Confusion” in Santa Cruz at the Well Being Center Thursday April 8th (FREE) and Los Gatos, Pavia Day Spa on March 28th ($35), Visit our website for details and to Register: www.Purpose2Prosperity.com/workshops

Do you ever find yourself caught in the chaos of your own mind, trying to figure it all out, thinking about all the things you have to do and find yourself exhausted before you’ve even accomplished anything?  Have you ever considered that rather than trying to change your thoughts, you could change the questions you’re asking of yourself?

Like my friend Sharla Jacobs always says: The most successful people aren’t effective because of the thoughts they think, but because of the questions they ask themselves.

Okay, be honest… Do you ever catch yourself asking a question like…

Why can’t I ever get it right? Why do I feel so tired?  Why am I not having the success I’ve always wanted?
What’s wrong with me?

Think about this, the mind is designed to answer questions.

What kind of answers are you going to get when you ask yourself:

Why can’t I?

Your mind will LIST you in detail all the reasons why you can’t.

And how helpful is that?
Not very.

How about asking yourself a different question?
Wanna hear a few of my favorites?

How can this be easy?  How can this be fun?  What do I love about myself?

Now, you’re using the power of your mind in support of your dreams, rather than pitting it against you.  You see, Feminine energy doesn’t push, it’s more receptive and curious.  Can you also feel how using questions opens up the space in a feminine way to let the Universe come in and help you?

This simple but profound shift has increased my confidence, productivity and success so much, I wanted to share a resource where you can learn EIGHT more Secrets for Success as a Woman.

Now, because I’m co-leading this incredible 1-day event, Secrets of the Elemental Leader, (a $125 Event), I’m able to offer a limited number of tickets for just $39.

These discounted tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis, until we run out.

Register now at: http://tinyurl.com/1dayWomen

Enter Coupon Code: Secret39 to get your outrageous price of only $39.99

I hope to see you there!!!

And, if you’re out of state and want to know more about this life-changing information, email me and I’ll get you the information for an upcoming teleclass you can attend. Laura@Purpose2Prosperity.com

Playing tour guide to my new friend Julia last weekend, we had a near death by Pelican experience at the Santa Cruz Wharf.  Although, I’m not sure who almost died, myself, Julia, or the Pelican.  Swooping in to get a better look at us this poor but brilliantly huge bird must have miscalculated the height of the beams around the wharf as he ran right into one and hung there for a few moments, his long neck acting as a hook upon which to hang his beautifully feathered body.  I expected as in other Pelican near-misses I’ve experienced, for him to gracefully dive toward us before ascending back up to more common Pelican-heights.  As Julia cried out in horror behind me, I remained quite calm as I realized I’ve probably adapted to my bizarre coastal surroundings more than I realize.  Julia’s been living on the road for the last six months and though the Pelican caught her off guard she later described the incident as not entirely unlike any other day living in a perpetual state of novelty.

When I first got a call from a dear friend explaining Julia’s “Purposeful Project” I knew I simply had to meet this woman.  Starting in June 2009, Julia Orpheus decided to leave her life in sunny San Diego behind and travel around the country visiting her 314 friends on Facebook.  She hasn’t seen many of them in 15- 20 years, some of them she’s never met in person and she longed to connect with them in 3-D.

Julia’s successful real estate business had taken a turn for the worse with the economy shifts, and her marriage had recently come to an end.  Rather than doing what most normal women would do under such circumstances, she took a long, hard look at her life.

Not knowing what was next for her, she vowed not to recreate a career she hated and a dull, lifeless existence she resented.  She was hungry to do something spontaneous, bold and adventurous.  Julia had been reflecting on the facebook phenomenon and internet culture of computer chat replacing multi-sensory, face to face human encounters.  Whether it was a moment of inspiration or a decision resulting from days or months of deliberation I’m not sure, but Julia packed what she would need for the trip, including her laptop of course, and hit the road.

Starting off her trip in New York at her 20^th year class reunion, she’s visited 30 states at this point, from Maine to Tennessee, from Iowa to New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Washington and California – her rule is that she contacts everyone on her friend list at least three times before she gives up.  Many are thrilled to get back in touch in person, she reports, but some are surprisingly busy and perhaps not as responsive or inspired by her project as I am.  Making it convenient to see people, Julia clears her schedule for several days at a time sometimes meeting people for lunch where they work.

In contrast, I had never met Julia and when one of my best friends told me about her, I texted her immediately inviting her to stay at my house with my husband and I in Santa Cruz.  Eric and I traveled around the country in an RV two years prior, and a girlfriend and I backpacked around the world in 1998; I know what a gift it is when someone opens their home to you after several nights of cramped quarters and hotel Styrofoam cups.

Julia explodes into my home with her tall chunky heeled black boots and skinny jeans, and much to my surprise; carrying her cat, George, his carpet scratcher, his litter box “palace” (I’ve never seen a litter box this big), and her duffel bag.  She’s not traveling light, but the light sparkling in her eyes and her unapologetic nature strike me.  I like her immediately.  Her cat George has a facebook profile, she explains, I wonder if other pets do too, or if, perhaps we should create a page for our friend the Pelican?  Julia tells us that George has friends that even she doesn’t know but that it’s okay with her.  I guess she’s not the jealous type.

The traveling gets tiring too, she reports, but she’s learned more about herself in the last six months than the entire previous six years.  In a world that values specific goals and boxed-in career paths, Julia’s purpose right now is to connect with others and get to know herself.  And when her trip is complete, she will likely be able to make a much more purposeful decision about what to do next.  She’s committed to creating a life which will allow her to continue to fly her freedom flag, be spontaneous and develop real, lasting relationships with others who value thinking for themselves and living life on their terms.  I can tell as we leave our plates of food behind to dance spur-the-moment to an eighties cover band playing in the room next door to our ocean perched pub, that this is a woman who is truly creating her life “On-Purpose”.

Your Purpose can be a DAILY Decision

There’s a saying “When you’re going through Hell, don’t stop and build a condominium”- (or even a yurt! my teacher would add).  As humans experience fear and hope are part of the game.  But, we’re so used to the fearful feelings, that sometimes we get caught in them, building our condominiums, rather than forging on to the next experience and refraining from making mountains out of molehills.

We get out of bed one day ready to seize our opportunities, then perhaps waking the next day to an impending sense of dread about retirement funds or lack thereof, or about a nagging sense that everything’s going to fall apart even though the roof is still perfectly intact over our heads – the fear keeping us glued to the pillow far longer than maybe is productive.  This never happens to me of course – HA!  Remember that sometimes those extra minutes or even hours spent in bed on days we can afford it are nectar for the soul.

What really defines productive anyway?  What does it mean to be “On Purpose” on a daily basis?  Sometimes my Life Purpose is to get an extra hour of sleep on a stormy morning, or spend the afternoon with a friend and her baby scouring for sea glass in the surf, or skip out on my day early to participate in a group prayer session for Haiti.  None of these things earn me extra dollars per say – but they provide a currency of the soul, so to speak.  And as an entrepreneur especially, to deprive myself of endless days of wandering every once in awhile is a serious threat to the longevity of my business.

My teacher used to say “Suffering is resisting what IS”.  And, sometimes my inner-workaholic needs a rest, my computer isn’t behaving properly and my heart is longing for friends in 3-D rather than a facebook post.  It is during these times that I’ve decided the best and most Purposeful thing for me to do- is NOT to agonize over my computer glitches, wasting hours on the phone with some techie in Asia, only to have the internet work perfectly tomorrow… but instead, cut myself loose from some preconceived expectation I had set up for myself, seize the day and self-nurture, taking a true break, spontaneously or pulling out an art mosaic project I set aside months ago.  I then pretend there’s nothing else to do in my life but cut up little pieces of colored glass, eat chocolate and listen to Michael Franti sing about world peace and the freaky people of this world.

I do work for myself, so I get to work this down time into my schedule from time to time and though I recommend it, I don’t recommend you negate your responsibilities or lose your job because you need to do crafts instead of work.  Just… do crafts when you get home, okay?  Interestingly enough, after a day or two like this, I’m ready to be back at work, booking the next speaking engagement or posting the next blog post or sending out the next Life Purpose Ezine, in fact… maybe I’ll write about the last couple days I spent doing crafts…

Do you know what you want?

Are you making life choices based on your preferences on a daily basis?

Women tend to give and give and give to those around us… often times at our own expense.  Many of us have learned from an early age that this behavior, which I lovingly refer to as “auto-give” is normal and even expected.  Many of you have given over your time and energy to those around you for so long it’s like learning a totally new skill to be able to choose for yourself …

Learning to make authentic choices is a bit part of getting clear on what your Life Purpose is.  I worked with a client who had become so out of touch with her preferences that she couldn’t tell me what she wanted for lunch!  We worked together to remember what she enjoyed and what she liked.  We started small.  A memory that came back to her strongly was one of enjoying caramel apples as a kid.  Now, once a week instead of her usual cup of coffee on her way to work, she gets a caramel latte.  She’s thrilled, it’s her special treat … drinking her caramel latte has become a decedent act of self-love.  As she drinks she thinks about all the things she appreciates about herself, and her life.

And, what’s even more important… she’s training her subconscious to believe that she gets to have her life the way she wants it – (and this isn’t about eating caramel and pizza every day!).  However, this small act of sweet self-adoration has helped my client to rediscover her love for watercolor painting, music and other small declarations of preference.  It’s no surprise to me that it was on a caramel-latte day when she was feeling her own inner glow that her boss offered her a job that was less hours for more money.  And though this job still isn’t perfect, she has more hours now in her week to contemplate her strategy for building a bridge into an even better career path.

Do you think it’s going to be easier for her to transition into work that feels passionate and purposeful to her now that she’s in touch with her preferences?  Absolutely.

Take a moment and ask yourself…

What do you enjoy?

What flavors, colors or scents do you enjoy?

What’s your favorite kind of food?

What part of your day do you like the most?

What would your ideal daily schedule look like?  Monthly schedule?

What do you like to do for meals?  Cook?  Eat out?

So the next time someone asks you what you want to do

or what you want to eat…You NEVER say “I don’t know, what do YOU want…”

Instead- you know your preferences and state them boldly!!!

Take some time to contemplate what YOU like, and choose a small act of CHIOCE today… like pulling out some of your old favorite music to buggy to… or stopping at the bakery on your way home to get that favorite pastry … Why should you clarify your preferences?  You will learn to trust yourself as you tune into your Intuition guiding you towards your Life Purpose Path.

To get more information and a free Assessment to help you discover more about YOUR Purpose check out Laura Rice, Life Purpose Coach and Teacher at www.Purpose2Prosperity.com.

Attention Women: Are you sick and tired of hard work and struggle?  It’s time for you to tap into your Authentic Life Purpose & learn to take inspired actions, that pull you rather than push you!  Action is a natural part of life, but action without inspiration is struggle!

Join us to learn keys to unlocking your true life purpose, and techniques to joyfully turn that into consistent income in your life!  Whether you are feeling stuck in a job or career path or considering starting your own business… this class is for you.

I apologize if you’ve already signed up for the Free Teleclass, I dislike spam as much as you do… but just in case you haven’t… I didn’t want you to miss this ONE TIME opportunity!

Skip the fluff and sign up now: www.purpose2prosperity.com/teleclass

Are you spinning your wheels, changing your mind, wasting time and struggling to stay motivated?

When you lack confidence and focus about your life purpose, it makes everything you do overwhelming – we know how hard it can be!

The problem is, when you don’t trust your intuition because of past failures, it’s almost impossible to have true success.

When you’re aligned with your true Purpose, magic happens, manifestation follows and abundance flows.  Even the most challenging goals become easy and exciting!

Join Laura Rice, Life Purpose Coach and Teacher, to Learn this Powerful 5 Step Method to Uncover your Gift… so YOU can have the Clarity, Confidence & Fulfillment that comes from fulfilling your Authentic Life Purpose, and Make Money doing what YOU LOVE!!!

Laura’s teleseminar, ♥ Women: 5 Simple Steps to Unlock your Life Purpose & Make Money Living It! ♥, is free with limited availability.  You’ll need to sign up fast!  When you do, you’ll gain clarity regarding your unique Life Purpose & learn valuable tools to begin creating prosperity doing something you love to do. Sign up now: www.purpose2prosperity.com

Laura Rice, MA, CLC is an ‘in-demand’ Speaker, Trainer and Coach.  Laura is the founder of Purpose2Prosperity for Women and the creator of the ‘Claim your Life Purpose & Create Prosperity Process’.  Laura has inspired hundreds of women to discover their True Life Purpose while having more fun, feeling more fulfilled & making more money than they ever thought possible.  Laura trained at the Life Purpose Institute of San Diego and leads annual Purpose Retreats.  Check her out at: http://www.purpose2prosperity.com

“Using the skills Laura taught me to claim what I love and make money doing it, I made $2700 in 1 Day with my Weightloss Workshop!  I’m Happier than I’ve ever been and I’m serving more clients in less time!  Thank you Laura for helping me create true success!  -R. Cowan, Certified Weight Loss Hypnotherapist

Are you in the middle of figuring it all out?

Have you planted a seed of your life purpose that perhaps hasn’t yet begun to grow, least of all, to produce flowers?

We live in a culture that celebrates big successes, and really… Yay for Big Successes.  However, I want to take a moment and CELEBRATE being in the Middle of Things.

Nothing great was ever accomplished without a “Middle of the Journey”.  The middle of things can bring struggle, self doubt, fear, over-analyzing and exhaustion.  The middle of things can also bring patience, faith and hope.  I would argue, however, that being in the middle of things can and does deserve applause, a pat on the back and a Loving Reminder NOT to Give Up, for it is the middle of things that brings us closer to the dreams and visions that touch our hearts and remind us that we can keep going.

I think of the women and men who walk on through fear, rejection, betrayal and loss;  Day after Day so many of us quietly go about our businesses and lives, holding our heads high amidst a world that doesn’t always support our Vulnerable Places and Innermost Desires.

So many of the small pleasures in life take place in those Middle-of-the-Road-Passing Moments.  Here’s an example…My favorite part of baking chocolate chip cookies is when I can smell them and begin to anticipate the taste of Melty Chocolate and Buttery Yumminess in my mouth.  There is juice and aliveness in the preparation & the expectation of that which lies ahead.

Most of our lives are spent being in the middle of things.  We arrive at a place only to wake up the next day with New Desires or Higher Peaks in our vision, only to find ourselves in the middle again.

I think of the people in our lives who know and Celebrate ALL OF US, the successful parts as well as the doubtful and not-so-sure parts.  I also think about the daily gifts we receive of a friendly smile or a helpful friend… those words and gestures of love are certainly more meaningful to my heart than any person standing on a stage or great author who has published a book.  And so, let us Bless This Day, this middle of the road, this seed that has been planted inside us that will continue to Grow Toward the Light no matter what.  Blessings to you who are reading this, blessings to each and every moment of your journey.

To get more information about how to live a Prosperous, Purposeful and Passionate Life, check out Laura Rice, Life Purpose Coach and Teacher at www.Purpose2Prosperity.com or email us at: Laura@Purpose2Prosperity.com

And in doing what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life!

But how do I find out what I love, you ask?  Ask yourself this, if I won 10 million dollars in the lottery, spent a year traveling, enjoying my friends and having a general all around good time, what would I do when I was through?  What would I want to spend my valuable Life Force Energy doing?

Or, ask yourself this, what do I want people to say about me when I die?  Okay, for some of you this sounds a bit morbid, but really- what do you want to be remembered for?

Many of you are teachers, Healers & Artists asking, how do I get paid to give my gifts?  I know healers that make less than 10K a year, you say.  Okay, and you probably are aware of great teachers and healers that are making millions and still showing up to get their message out to the world.
You see, when you choose to work doing something you are passionate about, you are willing to put in the extra time and energy to write a book, create an audio product, reach more and more people with your message, and ultimately, create many ways and ideas you can double your income!

The thing is, you’re going to work either way.  And, it’s hard work to be poor!  The question is, do you want to work doing something that pulls you out of bed in the morning, something you LOVE to do, or do you want to stay in a stuck, unfulfilled career path that drains you?

And the real gem is, when you get paid to do something you love, the money is just the icing on the cake compared to the fulfillment you feel when people’s lives improve because of you.

And Remember, change can come as quickly or slowly as you’re comfortable with- you can start a business on the side and never go without a steady income or… you can step into the unknown today.  No decision you will make is ever wrong, but you must stay in action and say YES to this Game called Life!

To get more information about how to live a Prosperous, Purposeful and Passionate Life, check out Laura Rice, Life Purpose Coach and Teacher at www.Purpose2Prosperity.com or email us at: Laura@Purpose@Prosperity.com

You bring a Unique gift to this life, Knowing and Expressing it will set you Free!

Stay tuned for some blog posts!

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