Got a career move you want to make, but something’s holding you back?  Want to change paths, start a new business or vie for that promotion, but you can’t shake that voice inside saying “who, me?”
 
Who IS that voice, anyway?
 
It’s the voice of the Imposter Complex.  But you don’t have to let her run the show any more, because lucky for you, Tanya Geisler’s Step Into Your Starring Role program is open for registration until March 30th, and as a graduate of the program I’m proud to be an affiliate and be able to share it with you.
 
Here’s why:
 
I’d had inner urgings to run my own business and be my own boss for a long time, and in the Fall of 2009, the timing finally seemed right.  My business degree and personal determination had already helped me build up two small businesses (owned by other folks; one from the low six-figures to multiple seven-figures, and other from five figures to six), so I knew I could do it…but what kind of business did I want to create?  What would I offer that would be of service & value to others?
 
I started out that Fall doing event planning and entrepreneurial business consulting, but felt pulled in another direction. Just over a year earlier, as those of you who’ve been with me since the beginning know, I had lost my sweet, kindhearted mother to suicide, and losing her compelled me to try and figure out how I could somehow help others live happy, healthy, fulfilling and joyful lives.
 
So, brushing the dust off my minor degree in psychology, I read dozens and dozens (and dozens) of books and articles, studied and participated in loads of live and online programs, and soaked up everything I could about how to live a vital, healthy and satisfying life…and about how to create an online business presence, so that I could share with a wider audience all the things I was learning and the services I was going to be offering.
 
Then I produced & hosted a local TV series called Optimal Living, an online telesymposium called Do What You Love, and I joined Toastmasters (an organization devoted to helping people hone their public speaking skills) where I was honoured to receive the club’s ‘Speaker of the Year‘ award for my talks on how to your life to the fullest.
 
I seemed to be gaining some momentum.
 
Then in February of last year, I joined Tanya Geisler and her colleague, Michelle Ward, in New York City for the culminating live event in a multi-week program of theirs that I was participating in.  There, I was thrilled and humbled to be described by communication maven Alexandra Franzen as ‘the love child of Carl Sagan and Martha Beck‘ after delivering a talk that explained why enjoying your life – whatever that really means to you – is what you must do…and how you can.  (The talk was based on A Quantum Leap: The Dreamsmith Guide to Creating a Life You Love, which I wrote in 2012…get your free copy here).

 
By some accounts, it may have appeared that I was finally stepping into my starring role…yet oddly, through all those apparent ‘successes’, I was enormously anxious and tense.  I had developed coaching programs and packages to help people create a life they loved, but I was lackadaisical in my marketing efforts and there was an ever-present undercurrent of uncertainty and insecurity in what I was doing that wouldn’t go away.
 
Then along came Tanya’s newest program, Step Into Your Starring Role…and doing the work, with the benefit of Tanya’s guidance and the support of the incredible group of participants she had gathered, changed everything.
 
Here’s the thing: Tanya’s not one to tell you what you should do, or guide you down a path that’s not your own.  One of her many specialities is listening, intuiting and asking ever-so-insightful-and-poignant questions that have the uncanny knack of leaving you answering your own questions….questions that you were certain you did not know the answer to.
 
Tanya, a masterful CTI-certified life coach, captivating TEDx speaker and authority on the Imposter Complex, developed this twelve-week program to move you from self-doubt to self-actualization, and now – as a graduate of her program – I’m both honoured and proud to be an affiliate for her, and share about my experience of her six-step process for shushing those inner naysayers and stepping into your starring role.
 
Stepping Into Your Starring Role *might* involve actually being in the spotlight…but if it doesn’t, that’s ok too.
 
For years I had the sense (belief?) that truly ‘finding my passion’ or ‘following my bliss’ implicitly involved some form of ‘stepping into the spotlight’, ‘taking centre stage’, or otherwise being someone who was on the front lines, directing the production, teaching, coaching, leading and/or guiding, and absolutely NOT someone who provided behind-the-scenes support to others.
 
After going through Tanya’s program (and through extra reflection on her ever-so-insightful-and-poignant questions), I finally allowed myself to recognize that for me, I feel most rewarded, competent, and at ease when I’m ‘starring’ in a SUPPORTING role, collaboratively helping others bring their business dreams to life…which sometimes does involve doing some of the behind-the-scenes work.  The things I really like to do are ‘making something out of nothing’, organizing thoughts, ideas, numbers and paperwork, restoring order, and laying out plans for making things happen.  And when it comes to helping people bring life into their life, I love to CONNECT them to the resources, tools, wisdom and guidance they need to help their life be better.
 
THOSE are my ‘starring roles’; they’re the ones where not only do I shine, but they’re also the ones where I feel like I’m shining, inside.
 
It’s really been a huge realization for me, which has prompted me to make some career adjustments as I further restructure the services I offer, so that my work and my life lines up with all that I’ve discovered about myself (stay tuned for more on the new products & services in the coming weeks and months.)
 
When I’m in my Starring Role, life feels right. I feel good; on my game; in my element; at the same time, I feel competent, at ease, and on purpose.
 
Are YOU ready to feel that way too?
 
The Step Into Your Starring Role program – regardless of what kind of roles you shine in – is designed to legitimately quiet that nagging little voice that tells you you’re not worthy, not experienced enough, not skilled enough.
 
Tanya and I both want you to know how important it is to listen to, honour and respect the things that bring you ease, peace, invigoration and fulfillment; to understand exactly why and how you are equipped to do what you want to do; and to truly GET that you deserve to be happy and fulfilled in whatever ways make sense for you.
 
If your dreams have been hampered by indecision, uncertainty, or the insidious Imposter Complex, Tanya Geisler is the expert on the subject, and if you’re anything at all like me, this program will deliver the clarity and confidence you need in order to Step Into Your Starring Role.
 
Tanya is also practicing what she preaches (in line with Module 4’s ‘Assembling Your Cast‘) by reaching out to select colleagues and graduates of her program to help her share the word about this action-oriented program, and she’s done it in a win-win way: it’s a word-of-mouth referral by which you get to hear about & participate in a program you might not have otherwise found out about, and if you decide to register through my affiliate links, I get a commission for my time and efforts in helping to fill her program with supportive, brilliant, motivated women who are ready to step into their starring role.
 
Are you ready to Step Into YOUR Starring Role?  If so, Tanya’s the one to help usher you in.  If you’re ready to shine, sign up today because registration closes on March 30th.
 

Want to feel on purpose and passionate about who you are and what you do?

Last Fall, I shared info with my readers about a program I took called “Find Your Calling“, created and delivered by Oprah columnist Martha Beck, physician Lissa Rankin, and Wake Up Call Coach Amy Ahlers (all three of whom also happen to be bestselling authors, on top of their other incredible accomplishments).

Each of these wildly successful women have gone through some heart wrenching experiences on their way to their life’s purpose and calling, and because the response to last year’s Find Your Calling program was so positive, they’ve decided to offer it again this Fall.  I felt the program had so much value for me personally that I became an affiliate*, and I’m excited to share news of this next edition of their program with you:

Join Martha, Lissa and Amy for their

FREE ‘Find Your Calling’ Tele-Jam

on Sept. 10th at Noon PT/3pm ET

Listen via webcast or phone to this powerhouse 90 minute jam!

Can’t make the live call? No worries!

Register & they’ll send you the recording.

In this powerful, FREE tele-jam and webcast you’ll discover:

• The magic hot tracks formula for tapping into your life’s purpose (go on a safari with them!)
• How their biggest breakdowns changed everything (and led to hope, magic, miracles and life purpose)
• The road map for finding your calling and how to identify where you are right now (so you can feel peace about your process)
• The single most important, and almost always overlooked, tool for figuring out why you’re on the planet (sometimes the most powerful things are the simplest)

…And so much MORE!

Does your ‘life purpose’ have to include becoming an Oprah columnist or a bestselling author in order for the material in this free call to apply to you?

No way!

Finding your ‘purpose’ or ‘calling’ may have nothing at all to do with what you do for a living.  It can, of course, but it also doesn’t necessarily mean your purpose will be something grandiose or that you’ll become famous or otherwise widely-known, even in your own circles.

What it does have to do with is feeling ‘right’ in your life; feeling a sense of ease, intention and absorption in what you’re doing, and a contentment with who you are and the people you spend your time with.  It’s a knowing that you’re contributing something helpful and good to others (including to people, animals, plants, the earth)…and that ‘something helpful and good’ can appear in many different forms, both paid and unpaid.

Your ‘zone of genius’ or ‘zone of contentment’ is where you’re designed to be.  Find Your Calling can help you figure out where those zones are for you, and how to manage the process of getting there when you don’t yet know.

BONUS OFFER: The call on Sept. 10th is free of charge, but if you do choose to register for the full paid program that Martha, Lissa & Amy are offering following the call AND you purchase it through my affiliate links above, I’ll also give you a FREE 45-minute coaching call at any point during the program period.  Check out the free tele-jam and see if this program (and my bonus offer) feel right for you in this season of your life.

Register for Find Your Calling, and find out how to awaken your purpose, clarify your vision and do your soul’s work.  Free call is on September 10th at Noon PT/3pm ET: register today.

*note: being an affiliate means I share in a commission if you purchase from a provider through the links I provide. However, rest assured that any product or service I promote is something I know, like and that I trust will help you create a life you love.

This post is the ninth in my ten-week, 2013 ‘Summer Music Series‘: a collection of articles inspired by some of the songs and music lyrics that inspire me and make me think… Sign up here to make sure you don’t miss any instalments: not only is the series free, but when you sign up you’ll also get a complimentary copy of my Dreamsmith Guide to Creating a Life You Love.  

*********

Where in your life do you shine the brightest?

When I think of someone ‘shining’, my first thought used to be of someone on stage or at the front of a room somewhere, their presence lighting up the the people around them; or perhaps they were winning something: a race, an award or a contest.  ‘Shining’ definitely was aligned in my mind with performance, mastery and visibility – some kind of demonstrated excellence in speaking, acting, playing music, athletic prowess, or being the recognized champion of some other difficult-to-master and/or generally coveted skill.

This idea of ‘shining’ is indeed one of the dictionary definitions of the term.  The Merriam-Webster online dictionary includes the definition “to be eminent, conspicuous, or distinguished“, all of which mean to be famous, noticed and ‘commanding great respect’.

But of course there are other definitions of the word too, including the less-flashy but equally impressive “to perform extremely well“.

Ottawa-based music artist Jeremy Fisher sings about a lot of things in his song, Let It Shine, but by virtue of the title itself, the song is about recognizing your light and then letting it shine full force – ‘performing extremely well‘, perhaps – whether or not anyone pays attention or you’re otherwise rewarded for it.

As I’ve gotten older, my interpretation of what it means to ‘shine’ has shifted more toward this second definition of shining.  Every one of us has certain areas or tasks in our lives where we ‘perform extremely well‘.  Sometimes those areas aren’t particularly noticed by others, or certainly not recognized with awards onstage.  Often, the areas in which we perform extremely well – where we ‘shine’ – are not anything ‘visible’ or famous at all.  

We may never perform onstage, win an award, secure the title or be publicly recognized for our performance, but when we shine in our day-to-day lives, we do light up the people around us…because we’re lit up from inside ourselves.  

When we pay attention to the tasks that we do, recognize the ones which we perform extremely well and then do more of those things, it leaves us with a great feeling of accomplishment, personal satisfaction and worth.  

Sometimes people feel like if their work isn’t ‘sexy’ – I dunno, like giving an Oscar-worthy performance in a mega-hit on the silver screen, or being named CEO of a Fortune 500 company – that it’s somehow less worthy, or that if they were reaaaaaally ‘living their passion’, they’d surely be doing something more noticeable.  But when we show up in our lives and get to act in our zone of what consultant Kristen Wheeler refers to as our ‘native genius‘, it leaves us feeling fueled, energized and completely on purpose.  

I heard Kristen speak recently, and I loved listening to her differentiation between knowing what we love vs. knowing what we love doing (especially as it relates to ‘doing something for a living’).  They can be two very different things.  For instance, I might love to go dancing and if that’s the case I should certainly seek as many opportunities as I can to do that, but that doesn’t mean I want to dance for a living.  Nor ought it to, necessarily.  (If you saw me dancing, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about ;)).  The things that we love to do that are more apt to translate into work that we love, are the things that align most closely with what we naturally do and who we naturally are anyway.

You might be perfectly capable, for example, with a lot of practice and determination, of going out and earning a public speaking award, but if you are naturally someone who only speaks up in small groups of people you know well, and tend to be in a total zone of performance excellence when you’re doing more introverted, creative and/or detailed work, you’re apt to feel more energized, successful and fueled by doing those things that you’re naturally inclined to do.

By all means, go out and stretch yourself, learn new skills, grow and expand your range of abilities, but at the same time, allow yourself to recognize, honour and respect the tasks and roles that allow you to operate in your personal zone of native genius.

When you do, you’ll be letting it shine in the easiest and brightest of ways.