Half Way Home

Here we are halfway through the year, heading into the bounty and brilliance of the longest day of the year. The Solstice is a time of Reflection, Renewal, and Growth; of coming back into a place of balance and equanimity. What will you do with these next few hours, days, and months?

The Solstice is a time where communities come together to celebrate the abundance, growth, love, light, and fire that is connected to coming into a place of balance. What better place to be than this?

Stop and smell the roses, I say. With everything coming into full bloom — our life mirrored in nature — so too, there’s a blossoming in our hearts and souls. With everything bustling about, I found myself getting caught up in the ‘busyness’ of it all but longing to be still and soak it all in, longing to appreciate the time for reflection and gratitude. These days are so precious. Time flies before our very eyes.

Naturally, I took some time to check-in and I am hoping you will too, even if it’s just a short chunk of time to pause, breathe, and reflect on a few things:

Reflect upon the growth taking place within yourself and within nature. Notice the bounty around you.

Take stock of what seeds you’ve planted.

Do you like the path you’re on? Do you enjoy the way things are surfacing, blossoming, and growing? Or do you need to course-correct?

What is deeply meaningful for you in your work, relationships, and life? What is fulfilling, nurturing, and renewing to you and what is not?

I was thrilled to share this beautiful quote from Angeles Arrien with my Yoga class on the eve of Summer Solstice:

“What is not tolerated at this time is any situation in our work or relationships that has become a ‘should’, where we feel duty bound. Whatever is not aligned or congruent with our integrity and heart is forced to be released at the midpoint of the year or reassessed in its meaning to us.”

For me, the themes that have been arising are about where I stand in business and what leading Uplift! means for me. The game has changed and the path became clear during a lovely moment, call it a revelation, while listening to Peter Katar’s extraordinary and powerful compilation of music, Compassion. The answers came, loud and strong (as always) when my soul speaks.

I needed to define what business meant for me — congruent and fluid with my values and unique to Uplift! — and I found a perfect fit with what needs to evolve in the ways in which we work today, cultivating people’s connection to leading more meaningful lives. It’s about creating businesses and leaders who create and innovate. Business is not so much a science (although the numbers are important and I get this when I wear my business MBA hat!) but in this moment, business for me is much like a piece of art.

By surrendering to what is and what it means, I can see a much a bigger picture of how I operate on a fundamental level. It was coming home in that moment, recognizing with compassion that this is where I need to be, this is how I work, and most ironically this is how it has always been. This is everything.

It is fluid, form, perspective, space, multi-dimensional, heart, meaning, vision, seeing, listening, connecting, beauty, brilliance, and bounty. Everything as it is.

I think today’s definition of business is quite contrived, and I know I don’t fit into this mold. My values have been challenged and compromised. I believe many of you feel the same and I would love to here from you.

I have to admit, I have been holding back, getting caught up in the ‘old definition of business’. This is how it is but I am changing the game. It’s time we do things differently. We need to be pioneers in rewriting how we do business!

What does it look like? How has it changed? What’s working? What’s not? How do you define what business means for you?

I hope you will join me to collectively answer these big questions as we make a shift into the new.

I don’t follow Regis, but happened to catch a glimpse of an interview on Strombo, and his words resonated deeply (yes, Regis, who knew?).

“Don’t be afraid to tell people what you want and what you expect to get, and then you gotta make it happen. But it doesn’t happen until you tell them, ‘Hey, this is it!'”

The trick is to communicate it and do it. Of course, fueling it with the kindness and compassion we need in order to feel supported enough to move forward in a mindful positive way.

I connect deeply with music and highly recommend this piece. Perhaps you can find some time to reflect and embrace your own revelations as we head into the longest day of the year and embrace the days to come.

Peter Katar’s Compassion, is an eloquent journey of extraordinary range and power that carries us through our human experience into the realm of One-Consciousness and the heart of true compassion for ourselves and others. Ancient gongs and bowls punctuate the lush musical pathways of Katar’s piano and synthesizers along with saxophone, cellos, voice, and flutes, gently touching our sorrows and our joys.

Before I end, I just want to mention that I’m grateful for all of the feedback on my last post, Two Roads Converge! The kind words of encouragement will help fuel my book to a place where my mind can’t even imagine.

Finding the space to lead with much gratitude and love,

Paula