definition work
this week, as i was getting ready to promote the new year’s offers for the elevate mastermind, i had a member of the lighthouse revolution… someone i respect and admire very much… comment that the word mastermind does not resonate with her. she mentioned that it makes her feel like she is not “enough” to be in a mastermind, and wonders if she is too introverted.
i really appreciated her comments as they reminded me to check in with that word myself! it’s amazing how we find ourselves using words just because other people do… without checking in to see if they even align. or we start out with words and then find ourselves out growing them. or we find ourselves being immediately turned off of words because of our own associations and stories.
webinar is one of those words for me. so is coach. so is hustle. they all do not feel right at all for me to use.
but then there are some words i love that i know that others don’t! journey, uplevel, and resonate are words i have heard other people be turned off of recently.
we really need to be intentional with the words we use... they do not have to appeal to everyone (in fact they shouldn't!) but they should absolutely align for you and you should know exactly what your words mean to you... why you are using them!
your words have power. choose wisely!
so thanks to my friend, i did check in with the word mastermind. i realized that it felt a bit more strategic, masculine, and ‘hard core’ than the group, elevate, itself feels. maybe it’s not a good match afterall?
i started elevate 6 months ago, and set an understanding with myself and the founding members that it would be a period of exploration – learning what we needed most, learning what would help us most.
i love the word elevate, because i feel like it can represent a variety of things we might need to do.
to get unstuck, rise above your blocks, don’t let anything stand in your way. to build up your mindset, be seen, be bold, stand tall, stand out, rise up. to raise your vibration, ignite your mojo, take courageous action. to play big, uplevel, expand out of your comfort zone, take your efforts to the next level.
and “mindset mastermind” is what it felt like in the initial planning stages. but what was it now?
i asked the elevate members. and immediately had the same feedback. mastermind wasn’t quite right. and the word that rose up, from the members themselves, is circle.
circle feels more feminine, more intuitive, more connected, more supported, and more safe. while we absolutely work on actionable, practical strategies and tools, we also have a very safe space to just be exactly where we are at, to spiral with our stuff, to explore and share… not just the strategic but the personal and the spiritual as well.
a circle feels like the perfect place to do just that.
my other word struggle has been how to describe what we do – do we work on building mindset? getting unstuck? feeling more ignited and on purpose? taking action? believing in ourselves? rising up and playing bigger and expanding out of our comfort zone? we do all of that! so what exactly do we call this circle?
mindset circle? unstucking circle? courageous action circle? support circle?
no no no. none of the words feel right.
and then, in the shower as so often happens, the word came to me.
self-leadership.
this word has been niggling at my mind for weeks. all through november and december and january, as i focused on completion of the old year and ignition of the new, this word has been tapping me on the shoulder. i liked it, but i had not taken any time to explore it.
so i sat down and did some research and then defined what self-leadership means to me.
awareness of who you are being and where you are going and why. speaking up and saying what you want. forging the path and building a life that you love. building yourself up and fighting for what it is you say you want. honouring your journey and a willingness to explore your stuff. acknowledging the darkness and working on your come back rate. a belief that this path is indeed worth taking, you are exactly where you are meant to be.
basically what the lighthouse revolution is all about! every component that we build up in our lighthouse is in fact an act of self-leadership.
it encompasses all of what we do in elevate – mindset, unstucking, action taking, exploring, connecting, and more.
and so it is. elevate: a self-leadership circle for women in biz.
and that feels so good! so right. it is exactly what we want in 2017.
definition work
in our spotlight session last month with amanda foy we talked about doing definition work... and i think january is the perfect time to do just that.
you have chosen a word for the year. you are setting goals and making plans. now what does that all actually MEAN to you? for you? be intentional about it! write your definitions.
there are so many words common in the biz and personal development space (i've listed some, but add to this list!) decide: what do these things mean to YOU? you can't stand in your truth and focus on your intention when it is not clear what that even looks like for you... that's how we get overwhelmed by the "should dos" and the comparison and the uncertainty and everything else that can get us feeling stuck.
success. balance. freedom. space. community. communication. connection. service. abundance. permission. spirituality. belonging. purpose. worthiness. safety. courage. uplevel.
you might also try defining your roles - you decide what to call yourself, and you decide what the definition is, or you make up your own words!
coach. teacher. leader. artist. speaker. author. mentor. guide. trailblazer. revolutionary. visionary. strategist. mother. daughter. sibling. partner. friend. volunteer. boss. colleague.
choose some key things to define for yourself for 2017. get out the dictionary and thesaurus if you have to. focus on the FEELING of the words for you. make up your own words if you need to.
your words have power. choose wisely!
ps i have some fantastic new year's offers on now to join us in elevate. click through for all the details... offers on only until feb 1st!