Category:Consciousness
Leap of Faith Upward
“A leap of faith, in its most commonly used meaning, is the act of believing in or accepting something intangible or unprovable,or without empirical evidence. “Wikipedia Many people must take leaps of faith or there wouldn’t be a definition found with aught but a click of the mouse on google. For me, leaps of faith are much in part how I’ve lived my life, grown myself and how I’m growing my business. Some of them I’ve chosen. Some have chosen me. Most have brought me initially seemingly backwards. Over time even if through the fire, always forwards. Some have reached their new ground quickly. Others, not necessarily through any fault of their own have taken a REALLY long time. Over the years of my life, I’ve taken blind ones, naïve ones, calculated ones, strategically planned ones, some “I didn’t even know I was taking” ones and some “completely surrender into the fire” ones. Knowing we are all “wired differently” have different personalities, beliefs, values, cultures and ways of being in our lives (& businesses), they may not be for everyone. And, I offer the option that they are. Regardless of which version you choose (or which chooses you), from my experience, leaps of faith inherently hold the seeds for healing, transformation and growth upward. Whether leaving something without something else in place – the job, the place, the spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, following your heart (for the first time or…even more), launching something new, investing your retirement dollars (before retirement) to pursue your dreams or go back to school, taking the next step of business growth or to learn a...Pushing or Being Pulled By Our Dreams
“If we are too busy pushing, we miss being pulled into something greater” Anita Moorjani, Near Death Survivor Now that we are entering an age of conscious creating with the Universe or whatever greater force we believe in,what role does goal setting play? How does it remain the same as it has always been; S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Achievable, R-Realistic, T-Timely? And, how has it evolved with the awakening of this time? A goal setter of sorts myself for many years, this is a question that I’m currently living. It is also a question that I offer to others who are moving towards their own next stages of growth, dream building or specific project completion. On the one hand, it is important to be awake to what our dreams are and what we would like to create in our lives and businesses and for those we may serve. And, I find it helpful to draft this into a plan. On the other hand, I’m experiencing that the more I let go of the lid of what my own mind can imagine, it seems a higher intelligence swoops in and presents a doorway beyond what my mind can conceive. So, I’m beginning to think this is a dance. A dance of sorts between visioning, imagining, planning and setting dates to these plans and letting go. Letting go, surrendering, allowing, praying for a higher Divine order to create something even greater for us and through us, and to keep moving in the moment to moment direction that is pulling us forward by how it feels in our heart to take action towards it....
Every Day is Holy
Being on Day 19 of a 19 day fast between sunrise and sunset is one way to discover holy. There are so many. Whether intentional holy moments of peacefulness, prayer or contemplation, a knowable expression of love to oneself or another, or the countless every day moments, trials and difficulties that could easily escape notice, I’m starting to think that every breath of life, lesson and love is holy. I agree that some moments, days, weeks and some times longer periods of time do not feel holy at all, and for whatever reason I’ve had my fair share of these times. This repetition has however helped develop a spiritual muscle for me to know that by finding a way to redirect my attention from whatever difficulty I’m facing, that it seems holiness prevails. Sometimes this is known at the time, at times discovered sometime thereafter. Before arriving to this 19th day of the fast, an actual Holy Day in the Baha’I Faith called Naw Ruz, meaning “new day” and also considered the New Year, I’d like to rewind to a few recent memorable moments. 1) For the past several months I have been taking two now 25-year old twin girls Aliyah and Shahar swimming at the Courage Center. I have been a part-time caregiver for them for the past 5 years. We have never once had a conversation, in words that is, as they are unable to verbally communicate. They are also 100 % dependent on others for their care. (Another much longer story for another time.) The holy moments have been many and life changing. The moment that...
Love and Business
Yes, it is Valentine’s Day and many people are writing about love or incorporating love into their communications somehow, and I too feel inspired to focus on love. My own exploration of love is less about romance however and more about it’s useful role in business. As a business owner with spiritual lens through which I live my life and operate my business, I have experienced a direct correlation between love and “business momentum.” As I’ve deepened my love for 1) myself and become more courageous to express who I authentically am in my life and business, I am finding that “the world (and their pocketbooks) are rising up to love me in return.” I am also finding that I am more confident in picking up the phone to make that call to follow an inner or outer sign towards those possibilities that “feel” really resonant for me. I’m also finding that the closer they are in tune with this “true me” that I’m loving and expressing versus concealing in fear, hesitation or otherwise, that they are leading me to “right people,” right place,” “ right time” and “just right amount of money” to have “exactly” what I need. 2) my friends, both “sisters” and “brothers” from a different mother, those with shared history and new ones that are deeply resonant in ways without words, I am finding a new level of affirmation and support for who I am, what I am becoming and how I am expressing this is in my life and business. This in turn is deepening my knowing and faith to trust the new business...Embracing the Unknown as a Business Strategy
“Greatness is a road leading towards the unknown.” Charles DeGaulle “With a kiss, let us set out for an unknown world.” Alfred de Musset For many, including myself, the unknown can sometimes be uncomfortable, scary terrain, especially at the beginning of a new year when we’re mapping out goals and action steps for where we’d like to go. Paradoxically however, I’m experiencing that by allowing space for the unknown, and allowing it to pull me forward into the action steps that “It” asks for, I believe I/we will find our greatest alignment with the next stage of growth of the greatest version of ourselves and our business. It is not to say that goals are not important, they are, and I am creating them as we speak. But, I am also finding that the goals I am creating are towards what I hold deepest in my heart. And, because I have not been “exactly” to the higher place where I am going, until I take the initial steps, I do not even know how to plan out the later steps. And, I know that if I remain open to the unknown, when I get to the later steps, it will remain both a mystery and be evolving into something greater than I could have imagined myself. For example as an artist, I know that from my deepest yearning that I am drawn towards creating inspirational photos, videos and films that are beautiful, and share “aha’s” that I’ve had and may lead to aha’s for others. I have many ideas about how to do that, and am already working on...About Dawn Vogel
Dawn Vogel is founder of Luminous Concepts Productions. She is passionate about elevating health and human potential, advancing consciousness in practical ways and bettering our world. Working with people in practices, businesses or causes who are elevating people, her vision is to strengthen individuals and groups of individuals to strengthen those they serve through Luminous Concepts Productions. She creates photography & video stories that inspire, promote, educate and help people better reach their people.