Discovering Your Inner Samurai Blog

Duct Tape Marketing

Are you a podcast listener? 

Well, I certainly am. Each morning I load up my iPod with the latest episodes from my favorite podcasts, then head out for my morning walk. I love starting my day this way. Et tu?

I've been listening to John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing podcast for about six months now. I enjoy the variety of guests he has on his show, and how current and relevant his marketing tips are.

Two months ago, I visited his informative marketing blog site.

Last month, I purchased his book.

Duct Tape Marketing, the book, is all about marketing. Jam packed with practical help, inexpensive solutions, and years of marketing experience, this book is a great small business marketing guide. If there is one thing this book will show you, it is this:  that if you are a small business owner, you are in the marketing business. This concept alone is well worth the price of the book.

Has anyone else read this book?
What did you think?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

The Mind Works in Possibilities, The Intuition Works In Actualities

Today . . . I am thinking about the thought-provoking quote that the Original Samurai Teddy Bear left in response to my blog on May 1st. 

Cultivating Our Inner Samurai, Part 4 post was on developing intuitive judgment and understanding for everything.   

Here is what the Original Samurai Teddy Bear left for us to contemplate:

For whereas the mind works in possibilities, the intuition works in actualities, and what you intuitively desire, that is possible to you. Whereas what you mentally or "consciously" desire is nine times out of ten impossible; hitch your wagon to a star, or you will just stay where you are.
~D.H. Lawrence

So what does D.H. Lawrence mean when he says "the intuition works in actualities?"  What exactly is actuality?

According to the Collins Concise Dictionary, actuality means true existence, reality.  A fact or condition that is real. 

Holy Smokes!  Do you get this?  Intuition is a condition that is real!  Real!  Not just some back-room mumbo jumbo.

Page 5 in A Dictionary of Philosophy, interprets actuality to mean the actual existence of something in space and time.  Much more than a possibility of existence.  An actual existence! 

Intuition is real and it exists.

In A History of Philosophy, actuality is interpreted in Book II of Hengel's Science and Logic to mean the "unity of essence and existence:" 

The category of actuality [sic] is described as the 'unity of essence and existence'. That is to say, the actual is the inner essence [that] exists, the force which has found complete expression. ... Being as actuality is the unity of the inner and the outer; it is essence manifesting itself.

Essence manifesting itself!  How's that for the Law of Attraction at work?

What great news!  What all this means is that our intuition, our inner Samurai, is based in reality.  Not possibility.  Reality.  Our mind, doesn't know squat.  Though, our intuition does. 

This is a fascinating topic, with such profound implications.

Weigh in.  let me know what you think . . . what you intuitively know.

Thanks, the Original Samurai Teddy Bear for getting us started down this path of thinking.

Yours,

The original Accidental Pren-her™

The Yin and Yang of Inspiration and Motivation

Last week my client, Marlene Trevisan, inspired me to write my first post on the topic of inspiration and motivation.  Motivation or Inspiration:  What's the Difference? received a number of interesting comments, so I decided to explore the topic further.

One of those interesting comments was from Debbe Kennedy, Founder of Global Dialogue Center.  Inspired by my blog, she wrote a really terrific blog that I know you all will want to read.  Women:  How do Inspiration and Motivation Enrich Our Lives? is the inspiration for this second post. 

Interestingly enough, Debbe makes the connection that:  inspiration = yin and motivation = yang.

The duel concepts of yin and yang – or the single concept Yin-Yang has its origins in ancient Chinese philosophy.  Yin-yang (pronounced yahn, like the vowel in yawn) describes the two primal opposing yet complementary forces said to be found in all non-static objects and processes in the universe.

Yin is symbolized by water or earth.  It is the receptive, feminine, dark, passive force within each of us--the inner part of our inner Samurai. 

Yang is symbolized by fire and wind.  It is the creative, masculine, bright, active force within each of us--the Samurai part of our inner Samurai.

Together, they form complementary opposites rather than absolutes.  Their strength is in combination, rather than standing along.  To be effective, the two must learn how to move and dance together--just like motivation and inspiration.  As Debbe says, "they represent two fundamental forces that create and harmonize the Universe by their interaction."  This is the perpetual cycle of spark and movement that she talks about. 

So which comes first, motivation or inspiration? 

Maybe it doesn't matter.

Maybe what does matter is the dance.

Weigh in.  What do you think?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

The Four Stages of the Buying Cycle

I don’t like being sold to. Do you?

However, I do like to buy?  So does my client Dana Weekley.  She wrote about her fabulous shopping experience with her friend Pam Mingle, another client of mine, in her blog post:  The Law of Attraction and Fashion.  This is a perfect example of not being sold to!

So what do you do if you are a small business owner with products and services to sell if you hate to sell?

No worries, mate. Most clients and customers don’t want to be sold to, anyway!

Instead, understand the four stages of the buying cycle, get to know your clients and build a relationship with them.

Four Stages of the Buying Cycle

1. Stage one--Need.  Your potential client/customer has a need for something. They began casting around to see what product or service is out there, available to them. Note that at this stage, they are taking the initiative, looking for a solution. This is the best time to get to know your client/customer. Your job at this stage is to find some reason for your client/customer to want what you are offering.
2. Stage two--Learn. Your potential client/customer is interested and wants to know more about your product or service. This is the perfect time to begin building a relationship (it’s all about relationships, folks) with them. Ask your client/customer questions about what their problem, need, or challenge is. Find out what they have tried before and why it isn’t working now. Your job at this stage is to learn as much about them and their needs and why they may want to buy what you are offering.
3. Stage three--Buy.  Your client/customer is ready to buy. Your job at this stage is to feel them out and determine their readiness to buy.
4. Stage four--Value.  Now it’s up to you. Take the initiative and show them the added value they will receive when they purchase your product or service. Tell them about your money back guarantee, the special bonus attached to this product or service. Give them an example of how your other clients/customers used your product or service. Your job at this stage is to make sure that your client/customer feels good about their decision to purchase your product or service.

Build the relationship . . . and they will come.

What do you think about this approach?  Seem like something you could do?  Would do?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Duct Tape Marketing

Are you a podcast listener? 

Well, I certainly am. Each morning I load up my iPod with the latest episodes from my favorite podcasts, then head out for my morning walk. I love starting my day this way. Et tu?

I've been listening to John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing podcast for about six months now. I enjoy the variety of guests he has on his show, and how current and relevant his marketing tips are.

Two months ago, I visited his informative marketing blog site.

Last month, I purchased his book.

Duct Tape Marketing, the book, is all about marketing. Jam packed with practical help, inexpensive solutions, and years of marketing experience, this book is a great small business marketing guide. If there is one thing this book will show you, it is this:  that if you are a small business owner, you are in the marketing business. This concept alone is well worth the price of the book.

Has anyone else read this book?
What did you think?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Motivation or Inspiration: What's the Difference?

Today . . . I am thinking about the difference between motivation and inspiration. I'm thinking about this because I have a client who wants to lead her team to success her way (via inspiration) rather than the way of her supervisor (via motivation).

What's the difference, you may ask?

Often we use the two words interchangeably, though energetically they are quite different.

Motivation is when we are pushed forward something. Usually, by the ideas, ideals, and influences of someone other than ourselves. Guilt is often a big motivator, as are the dreaded shoulds. Motivation Memo Blog by Peter Sinclair is a good example of what motivation sounds and feels like.

Inspiration, on the other hand, is when we are magnetically drawn toward something we wish to be, do, or have. The desire for a better life inspirers us, as does inner peacefulness and beauty. Women in the Lead Inspiration Blog is a great example of this.

Drawn toward or pushed forward, which feels better?
Would you rather be motivated for success or inspired to success?

Energetically, there's a big difference between for success and to success, isn't there?

Here are some words that The Synonym Finder by J.I.Rodale associates with motivation and inspiration:

Motivation-incite, provoke, trigger, make, push, shove, goad, and bring on.
Inspiration-sparkling, stirring, awakening, passion, eagerness, brightness, and my favorite . . . muse.

Weigh-in. Which do you prefer?
Add your pros and cons either or both.

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Holding Hands with Your Inner Samurai

This is one of those times when a picture does say a thousand words.

I just love watching otters. They are some of the most entertaining, playful, and fun-loving creatures in the animal kingdom.

However, this video clip shows a more intimate, tender side of otters. One that symbolizes the unique bond entrepreneurial women have with their inner Samurai.

This video shows two otters floating in the water, holding paws. One of them is sleeping and the other is keeping watch. Watch what happens when they come together after being briefly separated. That's the kind of relationship we all have with our inner Samurai.

So what did you think of this clip?
What words did this picture paint for you regarding your relationship with your inner Samurai?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Show Me the Money

As a small business start-up coach, I get asked a lot of questions. The most frequent one: Where do I get start-up cash?

Just like Cuba Gooding Jr's character in the wildly successful Tom Cruise film, Jerry McGuire, my Accidental Pren-her clients frequently shout, "show me the money!"

Being the wise entrepreneurial women that they are, they want to know where they can get their hands on some start-up cash. They want to know what options are available to them for start-up funding.

And like Tom Cruise's character, I am happy to do so!

Show you the money? No prob!

Here are the 7 main stashes for start-up cash for small business owners:

1. You
2. Friends & Family
3. Angel Investors
4. Business Partners
5. Commercial Loans
6. Seed Funding Firms
7. Venture Capitalists

Do you have any other big money source tips for start-up business owners?
If so, show us the money!

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Letters to a Young Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet is one of the most inspirational books I can recommend to Accidental Pren-hers wanting to get in touch with their inner Samurai.

I fell in love with this book many years ago when I was just starting out as a young musician.

Given to me by my high school piano teacher, I spent many a day under my favorite spreading oak tree lingering over Rilke’s words. His delicious turns of phrases and his advice to a young poet artist seeking his guidance is still music to my ears.

Just the other day, with my favorite grandmother’s quilt wrapped around me, a fire burning cheerfully beside me, and a cup of hot chocolate resting within arms-reach from where I lay, I re-read this wonderful gem of a book. Here are some of my favorite inner Samurai words of wisdom:

• Work from necessity and your compulsion to do it.
• Work on what you know and what you are sure you love.
• Don't observe yourself too closely, just let it happen.
• Your inner self is worth your entire concentration.
• Allow your art to make extraordinary demands on you.
• You are not a prisoner of anything or anyone.

Anyone else out there a Rilke fan?

Which phrase is your favorite one?

Anyone else read Letters to a Young Poet?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences reading Rilke.

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Thich Nhat Hahn and Peace

Today . . . I am thinking of the Thich Nhat Hahn teaching I listened to this morning as I was out walking. Often, when I am walking I listen to some of my favorite podcasts, and this morning I was most eager to listen to Zencast. Each week, Zencast has an inspiring Buddhist Dharma talk and today I was listening to Thich Nhat Hahn talk about Being Peace.

Speaking from Plum Village, his meditation community in the south of France, on the fourth day of a week-long retreat, I felt as if I, too, was there, sitting on the floor in front of him taking in his words and experiencing his mindfulness.

At the heart of his talk was this four-line gata:

Breathing in I calm my body and mind
Breathing out I smile
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is the only moment

He had us practice this gata while gently reminding us that the present moment is the only moment, and that smiling “makes you a master of your life.” Then after explaining that smiling releases hundreds of muscles in our faces and relaxes our central nervous system, he added with a smile in his own voice “that is why the Buddha and Bodhisattvas are always smiling.” This brought an appreciative chuckle from his audience.

I finished my walk conscious of my breath calming my body and mind and bringing a smile to my face.

Anyone else walking around thinking that smiling makes you a master of your life?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Blogging Liberates the Inner Samurai

Blogging is one of the most liberating things I have done for my inner Samurai and ranks up there with one of the most powerfully expressive things I’ve ever done for myself. Besides being wildly easy and fun, blogging creates a wonderful sense of community.

I first became a blogger seven months ago when I signed-up for Andy Wibbel's (author of Blogwild!) Write Your Book in 45 Days teleseminar. It was one of those marathon writing seminars where a bunch of crazed writers all got together for a weekly call, then went off on their own to write in isolation. Some of us rented cabins in the mountains for weeks at a time, others of us took a month off from work, and still others of us hammered it out between 3-5a each morning before going off to our day job. The one thing, though, that all of us had in common was our sacred writer’s blog space, created specifically for our class.

Here, from an absolutely impoverished place of writer’s isolation, too many days spent staring glassy-eyed at the computer screen, and a week’s worth of half-eaten take out in my ‘fridge, I began my blogging career. Driven from the need to connect, and with absolutely no prior instruction and a great amount of intrepidation, I wrote “Alkamae” in the ‘post a comment’ name box. “So far so good,” I thought as I typed something scholarly in the body of the post like, “help, anyone out there?” Then, I warily clicked ‘post’ and . . . eureka, our community of book writers was born!

Energized and confident, I soon moved on to other blogs, commenting on other topics of interest to me. Next, I became a junior author on the Career Clarity Program member’s only blog site and encountered a new kind of blog--an information dissemination blog. Here, members of the career clarity community were invited to share “how-to” information in well-written and organized prose. Different from the free-for-all blogging I had previously done, this new blogging format helped me hone my ideas and order my thoughts.

Seven months later, I have my very own blog site and blog created for the Accidental Pren-her™ and other like-minded entreprenurial women who are ready to transform their lives and make a difference in the world by embracing their inner Samurai.

If you have a story to tell about how you became an pren-her, this is the place to share it. Write you name in the ‘post a comment’ name box and click ‘post,’ now to connect to a blogging community recognizing that even Samurai need teddy bears. Welcome!

The original Accidental Pren-her™

My Accidental Pren-her Beginnings

In June of 2004 I finally did it. I handed in my resignation as an associate professor, and began packing-up the formidable accumulation of books, music, and files from four degrees and 24 years of academic life. Distilled onto one little piece of paper that began with the words “kindly accept my resignation” and ended with “sincerely,” my life as an Accidental Pren-her™ began. Accidental because I didn’t anticipate it happening, and pren-her because I always knew I had it in me.

Becoming a pren-her seems, in retrospect, the most natural thing for me to have done. Though, the trek from resigning from a prestigious academic post to starting up my own successful small business had a lot more start up woes than start up goes. At first, I felt euphoric with the feeling of being liberated from corporate academia. Then, I was slammed by the twin emotions of panic and fear.

Jean Simon shares my perspective and feelings about leaving academia and has written a three-part article about her experience in the Chronicle for Higher Education entitled Goodbye Ivory Tower. Click here to check it out.

Since I had always been a full-time, traditionally employed woman, finding myself out of a job with no idea what I would do next was bloody overwhelming. From one day to the next, I couldn’t tell whether I was feeling exhilarated at being free to do, be, have whatever I wanted, or shocked by the aftermath of disbelief as the reality of what I had done began to sink in.

Most of the time I felt 98 % excitement and 2% scared, or was it 2% excitement and 98% scared?  I just didn’t know! This is what I think makes the whole becoming a pren-her experience so intense for us all.

One of the best things I did for myself soon after I got a grip on myself was do a life-review. For in doing so, one of the things I noticed was that at the inner core of my being there beat the Samurai heart of an entrepreneur. In so many big and small ways, from the lemonade stand outside my childhood home on Clemson Drive in Mt. Lebanon, PA., to organizing a university choir trip to Israel, I was, through-n-through, an entrepreneur.

Just recently, I wrote an article about the top 10 characteristics of highly successful entrepreneurs. Do You Have What It Takes To Become A Preneur? lists these characteristics. I have been flattered and amazed that this article bas been picked up by so many business sites like CEO Consultant and featured on the business advice area at Build Your Own Business.

Top 10 Characteristics of Preneurs

1. You have a strong desire to live life on your own terms
2. You are an independent self-starter
3. You have a powerful drive to make money
4. You are a calculated risk-taker
5. You like to be in control 
6. You are highly self-motivated
7. You had childhood experiences as a budding entrepreneur
8. You have a high level of sustainable energy
9. You are creative and innovative
10. You are a big-picture thinker

If you are an Accidental Pren-her™ and are in the midst of your own life review, click here to read more.  If you have your own becoming a pren-her story to share, click ‘post,’ now and let us read all about it.

The original Accidental Pren-her™ 

Shakti Gawain's Creating True Prosperity

Most people equate prosperity with money, and they think that if they have a lot of money than that means they are prosperous and that if they have very little, they are not. Creating True Prosperity by Shakti Gawain, bestselling author of Creative Visualization is a perfect book for the inner Samurai bookshelf. Like the Samurai who knows that strength is an inside job, so too does Gawain who says that “the key point to understand is that prosperity is an internal experience, not an external state, and it is an experience that is not tied to having a certain amount of money.”

Through prosperity stories and self-exploration exercises Gawain reveals the inner relationship between power and money. “The more comfortable we are with being powerful, the more money we are likely to create in our lives.” The power that she is talking about is the true, authentic power that resides within the inner Samurai of each one of us. 

When working with clients who are starting up a small business, the topic of money frequently comes up. Not just from the standpoint of money needed to start up a business, but also from the point of hidden beliefs about money that are getting in the way of their success. Often at the root is the belief that they really don’t have much power to affect the world, and this is the belief that is getting in the way of their success. When that is the case, I often recommend this book from the inner Samurai bookshelf.

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Artistry and Mastery

Today . . . I am thinking about artistry and mastery as an entrepreneurial woman.

This video is a perfect example of someone who has taken something he does very well and added artistry to mastery.

Many thanks to myy friend Muzetta Swann for sending me this video.

What did you think?
Wasn't that an awesome video?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Cultivating Our Inner Samurai, Part 5

This is the fourth blog in a five-part blog series on Cultivating Our Inner Samurai. Click here to read Part 1, here for Part 2, here for Part 3, and here for Part 4.

Using the Book of Five Rings as a starting poing, we will explore what it means to go inward and cultivate your inner Samurai.

Today, we will be exploring Miyamoto Musashi last two rules:  Pay attention even to trifles and do nothing that is of no use

Musashi's philosophy included nine rules. These nine rules are the quintessential distillation of everything that Musashi wanted to tell his readers about how to live life. Though written more then 350 years ago, his philosophy has influenced modern business people in Japan and China, as well as in Europe and North America. They are principals that apply to the outer world of business and the inner world of your still small voice. Musashi’s steps will help you get in touch with and strengthen your inner Samurai.

INNER SAMURAI PAY ATTENTION TO TRIFLES AND BE OF USE

Musashi’s last two rules go together, very nicely: Pay attention even to trifles and do nothing that is of no use. Pay attention, even to the smallest of matters means having an eye for detail. Though not so much detail that you get lost in it and end up making it a useless pursuit. Knitting is like this.

One of my favorite movies is Like Water for Chocolate. Have you seen it? Based on the 1989 novel by first-time Mexican novelist Laura Esquivel, it follows the story of a young girl named Tita who does everything she can to win over the heart of Pedro, the man destined to marry one of her older sisters. Because of a long standing tradition in her family that the youngest daughter must remain at home and take care of her parents, Tita is not allowed to marry anyone, yet alone Pedro.

Unable to openly express her love for Pedro, she pours all her feelings and emotions into the food she cooks causing the people who taste it to experience what she is feeling. Tita is a fabulous cook. Far better than her other sisters, this is the way that she woos young Pedro to ask for her hand in marriage. Though, her plan backfires. Enraged, Mama Elena sends Pedro away. Staggering under the weight of that loss, Tita turns her love and attention to raise and care for her sister’s son. When her nephew dies, Tita lashes out and blames her mother for his death. Mama Elena retaliates by beating her with a wooden spoon, and something snaps inside Tita.

Forbidden ever to see Pedro again and grieving the loss of her beloved nephew, Tita has no desire to cook anymore. She finds solace in feeding a baby pigeon and knitting. Now considered insane, Mama Elena has her institutionalized in a mental hospital, though the doctor in charge of her treatment falls in love with her and moves her to his home. From the time of her beating until nearly the end of the movie, when she is finally reunited with Pedro, Tita knits. Knits what? Nothing. Just knits. One long afghan that grows by feet by feet each day. She never stops knitting.

Pretty soon, she can wrap her knitting around her, several times. The knitting is tens of yards long. Pretty soon, it is a mile long. Then longer. She counts each stitch, checks to make sure it is right and if there is a dropped one, goes back to pick it up. Musashi would applaud her for paying attention to the details. Though, the knitting goes on and on and soon becomes of no use. It’s never fashioned into anything. Never used. Never displayed. It becomes nothing of use. It’s knitting gone a rye. It would have behooved Tita to have heeded Musashi’s last rule: do nothing that is of no use.

So what do you think of Musashi's last two rules?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Freelancer, Consultant, or Entrepreneur: What's the Difference?

Remember the poor little bird in P. D. Eastman’s much beloved children’s book Are You My Mother? The one who hatches from his egg while his mother is out scratching around for food and can’t figure out who he is? By the middle of the story, this confused hatchling is in the midst of a full-blown identity crisis, wandering around asking everyone, “Are you my mother?”

That’s how it is in the business world. We bandy around the words freelancer, consultant, and entrepreneur as if they are interchangeable, although they are not. Sometimes our clients are confused. Often we are, too. When we aren’t clear about how we offer our products and services, it makes it difficult for potential clients to know whether or not to hire us. That’s why it’s important for us to get clear about who we are and offer our products and services accordingly.

What’s the difference?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: a freelancer is “a person who acts independently without being affiliated with or organized by an organization; who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer.” A consultant, on the other hand, is “one who gives professional advice or services as an expert.” In a completely different category is the entrepreneur who “organizes, manages, and assumes the risk of a business or enterprise.”

Freelance vs. Consultant

Technically, there isn’t much of a difference between being a consultant and being a freelancer. Both are independent contractors working for multiple clients. They are their own bosses. The main difference between the two is that one gives professional or expert advice and the other offers a deliverable.

Freelancers

Freelancers offer a deliverable--something concrete and tangible. Deliverables can include writing an article for a newspaper or magazine, designing a web site for a client, or painting a commissioned artwork for a building opening. Freelancers get in, do the job, and get out. Often enjoying a variety of assignments while working from home, they earn their living by contracting for work on a project-by-project basis.  At the end of the year, they have plenty of 1099s to show for it.

Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism, writing, copywriting, computer programming, software development, graphic design, film production, landscaping, architecture, translation, fine art, music, and acting.

Consultants

Consultants give professional or expert advice, generally to management. They may come in and evaluate how a company can streamline their production efforts or render a professional opinion on an accounting audit.  They give their advice and opinion so that others can make informed decisions, select the best course of action, or accurately forecast an outcome.

Consultants, like freelancers, enjoy a wide variety of projects and earn their living by contracting for projects on a project-by-project basis. Unlike freelancers, most of their work is done outside of the home. At the end of the year, in addition to 1099s, they may also have some W2s to show for their work.

Fields where consultants are especially common include financial planning, strategic planning, marketing, research, training, business planning, business review, computing, integration of new technology, medicine, psychology, and law.

To read more click here.

Brought to you by . . . The original Accidental Pren-her™

Are You My Mother?

If you are one of my regular blog readers, I bet you are scratching your head over this book recommendation. Though, trust me. It's all right. I haven't completely lost it from doing re-writes for my publisher. This is going to make great pren-her reading room sense. So read on!

Do you know P. D. Eastman’s much beloved children’s book Are You My Mother? Whether you do or not, this would be a great time to head to your local library and take a read.

It’s a wonderful story about a greatly confused baby bird who hatches from his egg while his mother is out scratching around for food. Because he hatches alone, with no siblings in site, the poor little guy can’t figure out who he is. He doesn’t know his identity because his mother was away when he appeared on the scene, and as a consequence, he had missed the whole experience of imprinting.

Throughout the story, he (could be she, we aren’t really sure) walks around meeting various insects, animals, and moving objects while searching for his mother. Though, no matter who he meets or what he asks, the answer is always the same, “No, dear, I am not your mother.” Soon, the baby bird starts feeling anxious and begins to panic. “Are you my mother? Are you my mother?” he urgently asks. “No, I am not your mother.” Finally, the baby bird does find his mother and the story ends happily. Although for a time, it was uncertain as to whether he would.

If you have just recently become an accidental pren-her, or are just beginning to think about becoming a small business owner, then I know you can relate to that lost, alone, confused baby bird. I know I could when I first started out. (See how the book relates now?)

Besides trying to decide what kind of small business I wanted to start, I also didn't know other things! Did I want to become a freelancer? Maybe a consultant. How about an entrepreneur? And while we're at it, what's the difference? These are all very big "who am I questions," and often the way we deal with them is by looking outside ourselves for the answers.

That's a good place to start. Just like the baby bird in the story, look around. Go for a walk about, as my Australian friends so easily advise. Begin by seeing what you most easily resonate and relate to. Before long, you will know who your mother is.

So, Are You My Mother?

The original Accidental Pren-her™

   

Cultivating Our Inner Samurai, Part 4

This is the fourth blog in a five-part blog series on Cultivating Our Inner Samurai. Click here to read Part 1, here for Part 2, and here for Part 3.

Using the Book of Five Rings as a starting poing, we will explore what it means to go inward and cultivate your inner Samurai.

Today, we will be exploring Miyamoto Musashi sixth rule:  Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything

Musashi's philosophy included nine rules. These nine rules are the quintessential distillation of everything that Musashi wanted to tell his readers about how to live life. Though written more then 350 years ago, his philosophy has influenced modern business people in Japan and China, as well as in Europe and North America. They are principals that apply to the outer world of business and the inner world of your still small voice. Musashi’s steps will help you get in touch with and strengthen your inner Samurai.

INNER SAMURAI INTUITIVE JUDGMENT

Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything is Musashi’s sixth rule.  It means to develop your intuitive intelligence.  Developing our intuitive intelligence means strengthening the innate astuteness of our inner Samurai.  Though, still the question begs:  what exactly is intuition?  See Dr. James Wanless' post on Intuition is Energy! 

If you’re not sure, you’re in good company.  Many people are confused about what intuition is or isn’t.  Are you?  I know I was.  Since it’s gotten such a bum wrap over the years it’s probably a good idea to get clear on what it is, and the best way to do that is by being clear about what it is not.  First off, it is not ESP or anything else hooley-gooley or paranormal.  It is not emotions.  It is not instinct.  Although, the word intuition has haphazardly been thought of and labeled in these ways. 

What intuition is, is an extremely important and powerful form of non-linear intelligence that is useful for discerning complex patterns and relationships.  It is what Albert Einstein talks about in his frequently used quotation: 

I did not arrive at my understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe through my rational mind.  The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery.  There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you.

Intuition is a form of subconscious intelligence that is both misunderstood and highly underrated.  It is the way we all learn as small children.  It is an extremely fast way of learning.  Music is learned intuitively, which explains why young children given instruction in playing the piano have marked increases in their mathematical abilities.  The acquisition of new languages is learned primarily through intuition.  This is how Rosetta Stone, Berlitz, and other adult language courses achieve such a high rate of success.  It’s not from teaching grammar; it is through subconscious word associations.

The word intuition comes from the Latin word intueri, meaning “to look within.”  This is exactly what Musashi’s sixth rule instructs us to do.  Look within to discern right course of action.  Look within to make judgments based on intuitive knowing.  Look within for the understanding of all things.  Though how do we do that? 

In Japan, intuition is known as stomach art.  As such, it is considered an art form.  The only thing we have similar to stomach art in the West is what many would call a “gut reaction” or a “gut feeling.”  I’m sure you have heard people say--perhaps even yourself--“I’m just going with my gut on this one.”  Or, “you know, I’m just having a gut feeling about this.”  Usually when people say this, they are letting you know that their internal meter is indicating movement in one direction or another.  How many times have we heard stories about people who decided not to get on a plane flight at the last minute because they just had a gut feeling that something terrible was going to happen, and it did. 

This is exactly what Musashi is saying to do--rely on your intuitional intelligence when making decisions and judgments.  In fact, he would advice, go one step further and make it an art form.  Study it.  Appreciate it.  Value it.  Practice it.  Your intuition is strengthened when you pay attention to your gut feelings.  Then take action.  Act on your intuition.  You can trust your gut, and here’s why:  Intuition is a unique whole-brain activity.  Unlike logical thinking that relies on the left hemisphere of your brain, or creativity that draws from your right, your intuition draws upon both the right and left hemispheres of our brain.  It also connects the conscious mind with the subconscious mind, where our entire lifetime of experiences is stored. 

Since intuition powerfully integrates your conscious and subconscious thought processes, it behooves you to focus on your gut and develop your stomach art.  For by doing so, you will have at your fingertips, so to speak, an extraordinarily profound way of making decisions.  You will walk more confidently and feel stronger when you rely on your gut.  In this way, intuitive intelligence will assist you in making both educated and wise decisions about how you want to live your life and show up in the world.

For more information about stomach art, Penny Piece wrote thoughtful blog entitled, Advice From My Inner Voice. 

So what do you think of rule number six? 

Let me know what you have developed intuitive judgment and understanding for.

The original Accidental Pren-her™

Five Forces That Changed Business Forever

Today . . . I am reading Entrepreneur Magazine's article: Change Agents by Carol Tice.

The article begins, "30 years ago, corporate was king--but the business landscape has changed."

Here are Carol's five most transformational trends over the past 30 years.

1. Technology
2. The Internet
3. Globalization
4. Baby Boomers
5. Individualism

I agree that these five have been transformational; however, I would argue that these are not five separate trends. Technology and the internet have been the driving force for globalization--that's one. Individualism and the Baby Boomer generation are part-n-parcel of one another--that's two.

Those of you who subscribe to my e-Zine will recognize immediately what I am talking about, since I wrote an article about it just last month. Entitled, This Is Not Your Parent's Workplace; I discuss several trends I have observed over the last 30 years that I think have been transformational to our workplace.

Here are my top five:

• Technology
• Communications
• Retirement of traditional workforce
• Baby Boomer generation
• The collapse of big corporations

What are yours?  Make comments; add your own.

The original Accidental Pren-her™