I Decided to Attract a Few Smart, Switched-On, Uplifting Women Into My Life
By serving them, I served myself even more. Here’s what happened.
It all started with a Toastmasters speech project
I am an introvert, like my own company, can entertain myself, and haven’t really been missing the reduced social interactions resulting from the disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
However, an idea has been percolating on the back burner of my mind for a few weeks that…
I would really love to attract some smart, switched-on, energizing, uplifting women into my life.
I got a sign from the Universe that it was time to take action on this idea when I looked at the next speech project in my Toastmasters Pathway.
My Toastmasters club has continued to meet weekly via Zoom during the pandemic. I love the small group and love practicing my public speaking with them. I am always actively working on the next speech in my Pathway.
I was looking through the elective options of the particular speech project I’m on. I kept thinking No. No. No. No. Oh! I saw one titled “Lessons Learned”.
Lessons. Learned.
I love lessons. I love learning. I felt a buzz of energy. I knew I was going to learn some lessons!
The Speech Project
The Project required me to work with others for a period of time and then facilitate a discussion around lessons learned by each member of the group. The speech was to be about the process of facilitating a lessons learned discussion, not about what we learned.
The power in this project, as is the case in all my Toastmasters projects, is that I come out of every project with personal growth, self improvement, ah-ha’s, and lessons learned.
I read about the Lessons Learned project and had my first Ah-ha!
Oh!
Oh! I could do this project with a Mastermind group.
A Mastermind group of smart, switched-on, inspiring women. Small business owners. Hmm. Coaches, like me.
Yes!
Oh, I was loving this already!
I had a few acquaintances in mind and reached out to them. I am a life coach. One was a wellness coach. One was a career coach.
Would they be interested in experiencing a 3-month Mastermind? Since we are in a pandemic, times are turbulent and in flux, the objective of the Mastermind would be to step back and evaluate our own small business. What was working well? What needed to change? If we had a clean slate, how would we move forward? What did we really want our life and business to look like in a year or so?
My invitations were accepted. They felt grateful to be invited. I felt grateful they accepted.
We met every other week for 3 months. I was the Facilitator, organized the agenda, kept us on time. But I was also a participant. We were all equal participants.
I. Got. Back. So. Much. More. Than. I. Gave.
Here’s what happened.
My personal lessons learned
Lesson 1
When I serve others that I love, feel connected with, admire, respect …I myself am served back tenfold.
When I give to others, the giving Comes. Back. To. Me. In. A. Huge. Way!
We had our first meeting and Wow! Just wow!
The energy, the buzz, the delight, the gratitude. I was uplifted. We were like minded, positive thinking women. But different. Different perspectives. Different life experiences. Different strengths. We admired and respected each other. It was so good.
In our meetings we simply shared what was going well, the 3–5 things we wanted to work on and be in action on between meetings, what we needed help and support with.
In between meetings, I was still amazingly uplifted, energized, focused, in sync with the world.
Because I felt my Mastermind was with me every day, every week.
This sounds a little woo-woo…and it was!
I felt their presence and their energy every day. I thought about them every day as I worked on my action items. I thought about them as I focused on my goal of this project. My thoughts and connection to them was constant and left me feeling energized, eager, enthused, joyful, in sync….even when I was working hard, analyzing, researching, writing, clarifying.
Everything felt easier because I felt surrounded by, supported by, the energy of this group.
I was filled with awe and wonder at how much more I got back from this group than what I felt I put in.
Action items:
Any of us can create a Mastermind. Any of us can consciously choose to surround ourselves with people that uplift us.
This uplifting group can also be less formal. We can choose to work with a buddy, a mentor, or a coach. We can join a club that would support our goal, a class that would support our objective.
Any of us can choose to serve people that we feel connected with, that we admire and respect, that are interested in personal growth, that are interested in lifting themselves up.
How can you surround yourself with people that will energize and uplift you? Who do you want to attract into your life? How can you serve them?
You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. — Jim Rohn
Lesson 2
The preparation for meeting up with my group created powerful clarity, organization, focus, action for me.
Before each meeting I would prepare my one-page analysis for my 10 minutes in the Hot Seat. We each took a spot in the Hot Seat to communicate
- our successes, wins
- all the things on our to do list that we were thinking about doing,
- the top 3 to do’s we wanted to work on next
- what we needed the Mastermind’s help with.
This one-page analysis required me to be clear and succinct. There was no time to ramble on like I might if I was just chatting with a friend. This exercise was so challenging! I had to work harder to be short, sweet, clear, organized, focused. But, this is exactly what I needed to roll into the next 2 weeks of being in action, energized, focused.
The successes, the wins.
We all have so many wins and successes we never stop to acknowledge and celebrate because we spend so much time looking at the problems ahead of us, things we need to do next. This was so powerful to look at all that I had accomplished! Go Laura! And my Mastermind celebrated with me. We clapped and happy danced for each other and together.
The To Dos.
I created detailed lists of action items. Broke them down into small steps. This made the tasks feel so much more accessible, doable. But, then, I had to really look at the next right ones to work on. I always felt focused, committed, clear on what I would do next.
Asking for help.
Many of us don’t like to ask for help. Or, we don’t know how to ask for help. Or, we feel frowned upon if we ask for help.
Asking for and getting help is a key ingredient of a Mastermind. This is so powerful. The most powerful part was getting clear and succinct on the kind of help I needed. I couldn’t just say I need help. I had to say how. I had to say with what. Hmm. What specifically do I need help with? What do I want that to look like for me?
The preparation for each meeting, the short analysis of where I was with the project helped me practice, again and again, being clear, focused, and succinct. Wow. So good for me.
Action items:
A periodic check-in and review of working toward a goal, your life, your work is so incredibly helpful. I will be doing this every two weeks as part of my Masterminds going forward.
Where and how can you create a periodic check in of 1) successes, wins 2) what are the top 3–5 things to work on next 3) what do I need help with.
We can get help from a buddy, coach, mentor, club, group, class, reading, research.
The best way to succeed is to have a specific Intent, a clear Vision, a plan of Action, and the ability to maintain Clarity. Those are the Four Pillars of Success. It never fails! -Steve Maraboli
Lesson 3
Trust the process.
Trust the Toastmasters Pathway process. The next speech project in my path is exactly the project I need to work on. I will learn. I will grow.
Trust the Mastermind process. I will feel the energy, the uplift. It will keep me focused, in action, accountable to my goals. It will support me.
Trust my Intuition and Inner Wisdom. When I listen to my intuition, it serves me every time. Trust it. Listen to it. Act on it.
Action items:
Where else in my life can I trust the process? What processes can we embrace that support us, teach us, help us learn and grow?
What we are waiting for is not as important as what happens to us while we are waiting. Trust the process. ― Mandy Hale
Final Thoughts
I love Ah-ha’s, don’t you? And that term is so fitting. We learn lessons from our Ah-ha’s. But, by using that term, our lessons feel so positive.
Like we are finally tuning in to our inner wisdom.
This knowledge, this Ah-ha, this beautiful information was there all along waiting to be discovered.
In the midst of our struggle to find out who we are, there are infinite possibilities for beauty, and hope, and wonder, and love. -Mandy Hale
She remembered who she was and the game changed. -Lalah Delia
I am a life coach. I help others get really clear on the life and work they would love to have, know that they can have it, and help them manifest it. Visit me at https://www.lauraraduenz.com
