The Meaning of the Lotus

 

July 18, 2022 Regenerate Your World  Build the future you want to live in. I know these times aren't the easiest for all of us, but I am an optimist - I see the glass as half-full, instead of half-empty. To brighten up your days, I publish the Regenerate Your World newsletter coming to your inbox on a bi-weekly basis. Let's Get Empowered! The Meaning of the Lotus The fourth of July has come and gone. This month in the United States, we recognize our Independence day. It marks the day the Colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. This was the beginning of a new era. During this time I reflect on the new beginnings in my own life. EMPOWER Possible is part of the new beginning for me and the logo represents a new beginning. The EMPOWER Possible logo includes an image of a lotus. You may wonder why a lotus? I remember the first time a saw a lotus. I was taken by the beauty and still am in awe of the lotus. I wanted to include a symbol that represents growth, creation, and strength.  The lotus represents all of these things and more. Throughout the Eastern religions, the lotus flower has many meanings.  According to Dheepa Sundaram, Ph.D., assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Denver, lotus flowers in Hinduism represent the womb of the universe from which all things are born, as well as overcoming adversity. When studying the lotus I learned they need mud in order to grow, so that leads to the idea that out of darkness, destruction, and unrest, we can push through and bloom into something beautiful. Below is a poem that captures the meaning of the lotus. Pond Of Lotus by Kumarmani Mahakul Naturally still water has formed a meaning, Beauty of mud is transformed into light, Early dawn on arrival has invited flowers, Lotus flowers smile in lap of green leaves. Holding up still waves from side to side, Each flower is doing meditation in pond, While sun will rise soon, rays will touch, They are waiting for enlightenment again. They are waiting for golden appearance, God’s grace will fall on them suddenly, Arrival of new day is signified with love, Beauty is veiled with joy of brilliant scenery. Each lotus has come up from dirt and mud, But through perseverance and practice, Lotus has become pure, soft and shiny, Every human soul in this Earth is like lotus. Overcoming obstacles in this earthly pond, Like lotus, soul does meditation to get God. Face of body becomes golden in green hope, Soul empowers by great wisdom of lotus. In what area of your life are you stuck in the mud and waiting to bloom? In what areas of your life are you ready for a new beginning? Together we can regenerate our world. Julie Read more about EMPOWER Possible

Purpose in a time of crisis

 

July 5, 2022 Regenerate Your World  Build the future you want to live in. I know these times aren't the easiest for all of us, but I am an optimist - I see the glass as half-full, instead of half-empty. To brighten up your days, I publish the Regenerate Your World newsletter coming to your inbox on a bi-weekly basis. Let's Get Empowered! Purpose in a time of Crisis Over the past two years, entrepreneurs have experienced tremendous hurdles. Constantly struggling with these hurdles can lead to burnout. One widely discussed strategy to overcome burnout is having a sense of purpose. However, just having a purpose isn't enough, as an individual, small business, or large organization, being purposeful is what matters. That is why I developed the presentation, Purpose in a time of crisis. This presentation engages audience members in the revelation of how to be intentional in living out their purpose in their daily life in order to address, stress, burnout, and build resilience. I am honored to be delivering the presentation at West Slope Startup Week  https://westslopestartupweek.com/ There is still time to register. I will give you a sneak peek of the presentation! The definition of purpose during the presentation is related to our personal mission- You can say My life has a mission - it implies that our lives have direction, we set big goals and then use smaller goals and actions to move in the direction that fulfills our mission During times of crisis, individual purpose can be a guidepost that helps people face up to uncertainties and navigate them better, and thus mitigate the damaging effects of long-term stress. People who have a strong sense of purpose tend to be more resilient and exhibit better recovery from negative events. Research conducted during the pandemic finds that when comparing people who say they are “living their purpose” at work with those who say they aren’t, the former report levels of well-being that are five times higher than the latter. Those in the former group are four times more likely to report higher engagement levels.  Purposeful people also live longer and healthier lives. One longitudinal study found that a single standard deviation increase in purpose decreased the risk of dying over the next decade by 15 percent—a finding that held regardless of the age at which people identified their purpose.  All this to say purpose matters! Purpose is a thing you build, not a thing you find. Put differently in achieving professional purpose, most of us have to focus as much on making our work meaningful as in taking meaning from it. Almost any work can possess remarkable purpose.  How do you contribute to this world?  What is the one thing you have to do? What is your why? When you get clear about the why - why are you doing what you are doing, then what are you doing - your goals and actions you start to build your purpose. This may change over time so be flexible in the approach. Together we can regenerate our world. Julie Read more about EMPOWER Possible