Free As A Butterfly

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.”
-Hans Christian Anderson

The last few weeks I’ve had multiple conversations with different people asking me the same thing as it relates to the work I do and the question although in different forms has the same theme:What makes what you do’ in your work, and how you do it Brenda, different and unique?

It’s a great question for any woman in business, whether you are CEO of your own enterprise or work for someone else’s. What makes you different, unique, and one-of-a-kind?

And for me, and what I teach clients and students is, it’s not about what you do’, it’s about who you are and what you deeply believe in. What your deepest commitments are not only in your work but in your life where how you operate your business isn’t any different than how you operate and live your life. I always joke and say it’s like swirls of marble cake who you are in your business is the same as who you are in life – you can’t separate them out!

So in terms of being unique, different or one-of-a-kind, all of us have that with our work, it’s simply making the decision to not just say it, but to live it. Simple concept being the Real Deal – yet not always an easy one to live by.

And speaking of this concept, what really lights me up about my work is the liberation part. Allowing a woman to see the possibilities for herself not only on the inside, but on the outside too where she begins to realize that she has the right to live and work in any way she so desires whether it’s working at the beach on a Mexican blanket with her iPhone in hand, or sitting on the 60th floor of a skyscraper overlooking the city whatever floats her boat she can do and it’s all about her personal style and preferences.

And it never ceases to amaze any of us really when we see we’ve been playing by someone else’s rules for how we are supposed to work and live rather than asking the question:How do I want my life to look based on what I believe in, value, and love?

Take for example last weekend at the Creative Business Retreat, one of gals in attendance had a huge epiphany. She realized that her desire to expand her business and integrate more coaching into it doesn’t mean she has to operate like the standard coaching model where she works over the phone. She realized first that she hates the phone and rather than doing something she hates, she could formulate her programs and offerings in any way she desires where she can spend a day with a client, rather than multiple weeks, and then spend the rest of her time during the month doing other things she loves like writing at the beach and contemplating new ways to grow her business.

It always lights me up when I can work with a woman and help her see that her work needs to be worthy of her and that incorporates how’ she operates in life and business.

If you love to be outside, watching the birds fly by, staring at nature, then why would you work in an office with no windows? Or, if you love to travel, cook, and meet new people, how can you find a way to get paid for your passions and live that freedom-filled life-style?

We current or former corporate gals know what it’s like to play by the rules’ and we’ve done it for way too long. There is a whole world out there waiting to be explored and work that can be done in any fashion that you desire and in any way’ that you desire.

More and more of us unconventional, dynamic, smart, creative women are unfurling our beautiful, vibrant, colorful, sparkly wings and busting free from the old paradigms and rules we were taught about how we have to or should – work and live and are rather forming businesses to serve how we love to live and work, while also making a tremendous impact on the world.

This new way’ of being in life and business does require one important thing however that you BE true to yourself and that means living by your values, your integrity and how you best operate, doing things you love otherwise you’re living falsely, and we all know what that’s like it’s no fun.

So, the question of the week is: Will you choose to be FREE in all areas of your life, and if so, what does FREE look like for you specifically if you could live and work in ways’ that are true for you?

Have a great week!