A little help here?

08 Apr A little help here?

Remember Kumbaya? I can still summon the tune in my head, and suddenly I’m at camp in a circle with a bunch of other girls, some guy with a guitar, and the smell of a campfire and marshmallows roasting….

Yes, I’m a child of the 1970s, and yes, I’m a sucker for nostalgia.

Looking back on those memories now, I see that it was a time of growing self awareness as well as learning social skills and community power.

A basic tenet of life is that living things cannot exist in isolation. By extension, growth doesn’t happen in isolation, and artists really don’t create in isolation.

I’m not just talking about community or diversity or coexisting. I’m talking about interconnectedness. We do not live our lives unaffected by those around us, and we in turn are impacting the world around us as well with every thought, action and decision.

So why not be intentional about this interconnectedness?

I am admittedly fiercely independent. Whether you call me an “independent cuss” in southernspeak, or an “autodidact” in headspeak, either would be correct. As such my natural tendency is to just figure things out on my own. When we hike together or even when I’m sprawled out on the floor and it’s time to stand up, my husband Jimmy will often offer me his hand to guide my steps or provide some balance. For years I would say, “no thanks, I got it” and just do it myself. Sure, I could do it myself, but what’s wrong with accepting a little help from a man who wants to help me? Will accepting his help make me weak? Do I really have to prove that I’m able to do something by myself? Or am I actually just addicted to struggle?

I am happy to say that I’m learning the value of asking for and accepting help. And, I’ve discovered something else really cool: when I inhale to ask for and receive help, I also find opportunities to help others in the exhale.

About a year ago, I realized that I was at the end of what I knew when it came to business.  I had been at it for a long time. I had begun to see the potential for my work as a narrative tool to allow my clients to honor their relationships and capture their legacies, but I wasn’t sure how to expand to send even more of my jewelry out into the world and into the lives of more people.

Me with my head coach, Christine Kane.

I signed up for a training program for heart-centered entrepreneurs called Uplevel Your Business, and proceeded from there to join a mastermind group. That’s where the real magic happened.

My head coach is Christine Kane. She’s a genius in business, and she’s created a program with multiple facets to reflect and enrich my own genius. I am part of her Platinum Mastermind with Uplevel Academy along with a couple dozen other entrepreneurs from all over the world with all kinds of businesses. We are in contact with each other regularly, and we converge in Asheville quarterly to focus and support each other. I have a business strategy coach, a mindset coach, an accountability partner, and even a regular roommate. I may have reached the end of what I know, but then I began working with all that they know. How can it get any better?

My dad says to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are. Good advice, Dad. Thanks.