I've been passionately working on some new programs for wellness practitioners (and those who want to be) such as Reiki practitioners, massage therapists, bodyworkers and yoga teachers to help them really hone in on their gifts and specialties as a practitioner and then design (or redesign) the business aspects of their practice to be in alignment with their authentic selves, values and goals.
The ladies in the Clearing your Path: Finding your Inner Roadmap to Success mastermind that we've been holding at the Hawthorne Hotel this summer has allowed me to hone these new offerings to really meet the needs of current (and aspiring) practitioners who want to be of service from their hearts and souls in an authentic, yet financially abundant way.
We've uncovered some very deep insights into how to make decisions from your Core authentic self and be in business from a heart and soul centered place. In addition, we've experienced the incredible power of shared creativity to break through limiting beliefs and habits via the collaborative model of the mastermind.
One of the most powerful aspects we're exploring and shifting is the prevalent limiting belief about wellness practitioners from all modalities - that being of service to others in a beautiful, spirit centered way is only possible if you sacrifice your financial wellbeing or rely on someone else or a "real job" to take care of your financial responsibilities. I don't think this belief actually serves anyone, so I'm working with my clients and my mentor to create a new model of working from your authentic self that allows you to be of service to others AND to yourself.
According to Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of our Inner Resources, this perspective of scarcity and that only certain types of work are worthy of creating wealth is part of the mythology of money that we uphold in our modern culture. Ms. Twist shares her years of experience as a fundraiser with The Hunger Project and her work with some of the worlds most resource poor and resource rich people in the world. She discovered that spiritual wealth is totally unrelated to how much money someone has, and that reclaiming the spiritual connection to money as a resource to invest in our dreams and values is the path to true abundance. If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend that you do.
This is amazing and exciting stuff, and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in the near future!
Would you like to register for a Reiki certification class or find out how my new services and programs can help you create a heart-centered, authentic, abundant practice? Email me at joannascaparotti@gmail.com.
about Joanna
- Joanna Scaparotti
- Beverly, MA, United States
- Joanna's passion is creating mindful entrepreneurship and soul-centered authentic businesses in the wellness industry that seamlessly integrate values such as abundance, service and wellness with the freedom of flexible lifestyles and the benefits of creative community collaboration.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The power of procrastination
For several weeks, I had been struggling with procrastination, especially when it came to getting myself out the door and to an appointment on time. Usually I'd get to client appointments in the nick of time, but when it came to appointments I had made with other professionals to receive services I could be as much as 20 minutes late. And this kept happening week after week until it reached a point where I was incredibly embarassed by my repeated behavior and frustrated at myself for pushing the envelope with my beloved service providers. So, I asked my coach to help me confront the situation and figure out what was going on below the surface because inevitably when things like procrastination and perfectionism pop up - there is something deeper going on.
So we unraveled it layer by layer.
Procrastinating and leaving late for appointments because I just wanted to do one more thing online or on the phone before I went to bed or left the house in the morning filled me with stress about rushing and being late. And yet, I was doing it over and over again, so clearly the negative experience belied some other satisfaction from the experience or I would have cut it out long ago. I would spend the whole trip feeling bad about being late, rushing as much as I could while my body was vibrating with tension from the race not to be too late. Yuck! This is not a state of being that I prefer to be in, and it's really not conducive to relaxation! And you may be wondering, like I did, what on earth was this self-induced punishment doing for me?
So, we broke it down even further. By making myself late, and by beating myself up mentally for being late - I was totally unable to enjoy, relax into, or really benefit from the service I was receiving. I was sabotaging the self-care I scheduled for myself. Ironic that even me, someone who swears by and teaches self-care, could catch myself sabotaging my own efforts! When I thought more about it, I noticed that I was doing the same thing when it came to going to the gym or fitting in yoga workouts - I was too tired in the morning from staying up late to do just one more thing, or too busy with this or that work thing during the day to carve out relaxing, plentiful self-care sessions like I had over much of the last year.
And why was I sabotaging my self-care sessions? Because I was prioritizing doing one (or 10) more thing(s) on my business late at night, first thing in the morning, and anytime I could sneak it in during the day! And it turns out this is a very old self-sabotaging pattern of mind where I become a work-a-holic. Someone even noticed and commented anonymously about me working more than living on Facebook! Here I was with a preoccupation about spreading the word about self-care, relaxation and wellness while totally not practicing what I was preaching. Truly this revelation made me giggle at the irony, and also wonder what was truly motivating me.
Where was all this procrastination, work-a-holic self-care sabotage coming from?
It turned out that since my pelvis/hip thing has become much less of an issue, some old inner limiting beliefs about needing to work hard all the time to be a "good girl" and not deserving R&R, self-care, and recreation until I'd achieved X, Y, or Z was popping up for me. Here I thought I was beyond all this conditioning, and it turns out this old baggage needed another spin through the cycle for it to be released! I learned the hard way through a debilitating repetitive strain injury that working long, hard hours without enough self-care is not actually "good" for me, or anyone, so it's back to self-care for me! And by the way, as soon as this shift in awareness happened, the overworking, procrastination, and rushing all went away.
What does your procrastination do for you?
So we unraveled it layer by layer.
Procrastinating and leaving late for appointments because I just wanted to do one more thing online or on the phone before I went to bed or left the house in the morning filled me with stress about rushing and being late. And yet, I was doing it over and over again, so clearly the negative experience belied some other satisfaction from the experience or I would have cut it out long ago. I would spend the whole trip feeling bad about being late, rushing as much as I could while my body was vibrating with tension from the race not to be too late. Yuck! This is not a state of being that I prefer to be in, and it's really not conducive to relaxation! And you may be wondering, like I did, what on earth was this self-induced punishment doing for me?
So, we broke it down even further. By making myself late, and by beating myself up mentally for being late - I was totally unable to enjoy, relax into, or really benefit from the service I was receiving. I was sabotaging the self-care I scheduled for myself. Ironic that even me, someone who swears by and teaches self-care, could catch myself sabotaging my own efforts! When I thought more about it, I noticed that I was doing the same thing when it came to going to the gym or fitting in yoga workouts - I was too tired in the morning from staying up late to do just one more thing, or too busy with this or that work thing during the day to carve out relaxing, plentiful self-care sessions like I had over much of the last year.
And why was I sabotaging my self-care sessions? Because I was prioritizing doing one (or 10) more thing(s) on my business late at night, first thing in the morning, and anytime I could sneak it in during the day! And it turns out this is a very old self-sabotaging pattern of mind where I become a work-a-holic. Someone even noticed and commented anonymously about me working more than living on Facebook! Here I was with a preoccupation about spreading the word about self-care, relaxation and wellness while totally not practicing what I was preaching. Truly this revelation made me giggle at the irony, and also wonder what was truly motivating me.
Where was all this procrastination, work-a-holic self-care sabotage coming from?
It turned out that since my pelvis/hip thing has become much less of an issue, some old inner limiting beliefs about needing to work hard all the time to be a "good girl" and not deserving R&R, self-care, and recreation until I'd achieved X, Y, or Z was popping up for me. Here I thought I was beyond all this conditioning, and it turns out this old baggage needed another spin through the cycle for it to be released! I learned the hard way through a debilitating repetitive strain injury that working long, hard hours without enough self-care is not actually "good" for me, or anyone, so it's back to self-care for me! And by the way, as soon as this shift in awareness happened, the overworking, procrastination, and rushing all went away.
What does your procrastination do for you?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Women don't ask
A couple of years ago I found the book Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation - and Positive Strategies for Change by Linda Babcock and Sarah Laschever in the small business section of a bookstore.
This book changed my life.
It opened my eyes to how men and women are raised differently in this culture. Men are taught by their elders how to negotiate because in their worldview everything is negotiable; whereas women are taught to be good girls and follow the rules - still! The authors pointed out how this discrepancy in cultural conditioning from an early age continues to fuel the income and career success discrepancy between men and women. Especially since the idea that women should be "good" and follow the rules is often perpetuated by men as well as other women.
Can you just imagine how many opportunities are lost each day by women playing by the rules and waiting to be recognized and rewarded for their creativity and hard work? Meanwhile their male counterparts are asking for opportunities and recognition without any of the heart-wrenching agony that most women go through as they try find the courage to break the rules and mention that they want or need something.
As soon as I put this book down, I was determined to start asking for opportunities and situations that benefitted me. And even with the strategies outlined in the book - boy was it hard to do! I had to grapple with my conditioning, all those fears and doubts about how my requests would be received and how that would affect people's opinions of me. Especially when sometimes my fears did come true from men and women who still followed the old rules. All that good girl conditioning really rose to the surface, but instead of giving in to my fears or giving up when my requests weren't received well I just kept asking. And to my surprise and delight, the easier it got for me to ask, the more I found that people responded positively. In the overall picture, very few people responded negatively to my requests for something I wanted or needed - instead most people were pleased to help!
I discovered that rules, policies and pricetags are negotiable in almost every situation.
It was a powerful revelation for me to see how much more flexibility and how many more opportunities there actually are in the world. I was able to release the yoke of cultural conditioning. It was liberating and exhilirating - I started asking for everything that came to mind because - well why not? I had wasted so many years being a good girl and settling for what I was given.
While this newfound skill was helpful in my personal life, I found it particularly effective in leveraging my practice because it helped me negotiate professional development opportunities, business collaborations, and especially with rebooking clients. If you have not read this book, I suggest you pick it up immediately! With the current economy the way it is, as has been true in other recessions, there are more opportunities than ever for negotiation as people strive to keep their businesses thriving. Creative and flexible solutions are being sought after, and maybe your idea is the answer to someone's problem!
Knowing how to ask for something you want or need is a powerful skill, and I want you to start practicing if you don't flex this muscle often. I see so many of you going through transitions in your personal life and careers right now, and I don't want you to sell yourself short or settle while you wait for someone else to offer you what you want or need. It turns out that most people are delighted to hear what you want or need because they wouldn't know what to offer you or think that you're already content because you didn't say anything. Just ask and see what kind of doors open for you!
And while I'm on this subject here's a door you might want to open! There are just a few seats left in the mastermind group for getting clear on your dream practice, identifying strategies to get around or through your roadblocks and creating your Inner Roadmap for Success that I put together for wellness practitioners (or those aspiring to be). So many of you shared fantastic feedback that the program sounds fabulous, but it just wasn't the right timing or investment for you at this time.
So, I invite you - those of you who really wish you could be there with us making breakthroughs and taking steps to bring your dreams to life - to identify what you need to make this program just right for you and ask me about it. I really want you to have this powerful opportunity for support, inspiration and forward motion with your vision, but I can't help you experience this groundbreaking mastermind unless you open the door and start a conversation about what's going to get you there. The program starts Sunday, July 12th, so pick up the book, pick up the phone or send me and email and flex your asking muscles!
This book changed my life.
It opened my eyes to how men and women are raised differently in this culture. Men are taught by their elders how to negotiate because in their worldview everything is negotiable; whereas women are taught to be good girls and follow the rules - still! The authors pointed out how this discrepancy in cultural conditioning from an early age continues to fuel the income and career success discrepancy between men and women. Especially since the idea that women should be "good" and follow the rules is often perpetuated by men as well as other women.
Can you just imagine how many opportunities are lost each day by women playing by the rules and waiting to be recognized and rewarded for their creativity and hard work? Meanwhile their male counterparts are asking for opportunities and recognition without any of the heart-wrenching agony that most women go through as they try find the courage to break the rules and mention that they want or need something.
As soon as I put this book down, I was determined to start asking for opportunities and situations that benefitted me. And even with the strategies outlined in the book - boy was it hard to do! I had to grapple with my conditioning, all those fears and doubts about how my requests would be received and how that would affect people's opinions of me. Especially when sometimes my fears did come true from men and women who still followed the old rules. All that good girl conditioning really rose to the surface, but instead of giving in to my fears or giving up when my requests weren't received well I just kept asking. And to my surprise and delight, the easier it got for me to ask, the more I found that people responded positively. In the overall picture, very few people responded negatively to my requests for something I wanted or needed - instead most people were pleased to help!
I discovered that rules, policies and pricetags are negotiable in almost every situation.
It was a powerful revelation for me to see how much more flexibility and how many more opportunities there actually are in the world. I was able to release the yoke of cultural conditioning. It was liberating and exhilirating - I started asking for everything that came to mind because - well why not? I had wasted so many years being a good girl and settling for what I was given.
While this newfound skill was helpful in my personal life, I found it particularly effective in leveraging my practice because it helped me negotiate professional development opportunities, business collaborations, and especially with rebooking clients. If you have not read this book, I suggest you pick it up immediately! With the current economy the way it is, as has been true in other recessions, there are more opportunities than ever for negotiation as people strive to keep their businesses thriving. Creative and flexible solutions are being sought after, and maybe your idea is the answer to someone's problem!
Knowing how to ask for something you want or need is a powerful skill, and I want you to start practicing if you don't flex this muscle often. I see so many of you going through transitions in your personal life and careers right now, and I don't want you to sell yourself short or settle while you wait for someone else to offer you what you want or need. It turns out that most people are delighted to hear what you want or need because they wouldn't know what to offer you or think that you're already content because you didn't say anything. Just ask and see what kind of doors open for you!
And while I'm on this subject here's a door you might want to open! There are just a few seats left in the mastermind group for getting clear on your dream practice, identifying strategies to get around or through your roadblocks and creating your Inner Roadmap for Success that I put together for wellness practitioners (or those aspiring to be). So many of you shared fantastic feedback that the program sounds fabulous, but it just wasn't the right timing or investment for you at this time.
So, I invite you - those of you who really wish you could be there with us making breakthroughs and taking steps to bring your dreams to life - to identify what you need to make this program just right for you and ask me about it. I really want you to have this powerful opportunity for support, inspiration and forward motion with your vision, but I can't help you experience this groundbreaking mastermind unless you open the door and start a conversation about what's going to get you there. The program starts Sunday, July 12th, so pick up the book, pick up the phone or send me and email and flex your asking muscles!
Friday, July 3, 2009
What's your masterpiece?
The idea of masterpiece has been on my mind today as I've worked on the innovative mastermind program I'm offering this summer. Often the word masterpiece is associated with famous artists, architects or writers through history, but as I suspected dictionary.com gives this as the first definition of the word masterpiece: "a person's greatest piece of work".
Anyone working could produce masterpiece after masterpiece.
Those of us who practice creating or teaching wellness, health and well-being can create masterpieces just like any artist. There is certainly an art to this kind of practice. The more mindfully we practice, the more our skills, techniques and innate understanding of our craft grows - providing opportunity for a masterpiece session each time we provide our service for a client. I certainly strive to make each service and session I provide my best yet, what about you?
The groundbreaking mastermind program I'm introducing this month is my greatest program yet. It may just be a masterpiece!
In this three part program, I will be guiding aspiring and established practitioners on how to create a thriving practice that supports their ideal lifestyle with ease from the inside out. I'll be sharing all the lessons I've learned about launching and running a practice and teaching the real secrets to success. In particular, I'll be sharing specific masterpiece techniques that I've developed and use. And what's so amazing about this program is that the whole group will be supporting and encouraging each of the practitioners present to create their own masterpieces.
There is going to be some amazing synergy and breakthroughs going on!
Are you a wellness professional (or aspiring to be) who is passionate about being of service and helping people change their lives so they feel better? And who wants to grow a successful, thriving practice that helps as many people as possible? And is determined to work for yourself and make a comfortable living doing so? If you’re committed to growing your practice and experiencing what it’s like to have a successful practice, this mastermind program could be perfect for you.
If you'd like to know more, send me an email at joannascaparotti@gmail.com.
Anyone working could produce masterpiece after masterpiece.
Those of us who practice creating or teaching wellness, health and well-being can create masterpieces just like any artist. There is certainly an art to this kind of practice. The more mindfully we practice, the more our skills, techniques and innate understanding of our craft grows - providing opportunity for a masterpiece session each time we provide our service for a client. I certainly strive to make each service and session I provide my best yet, what about you?
The groundbreaking mastermind program I'm introducing this month is my greatest program yet. It may just be a masterpiece!
In this three part program, I will be guiding aspiring and established practitioners on how to create a thriving practice that supports their ideal lifestyle with ease from the inside out. I'll be sharing all the lessons I've learned about launching and running a practice and teaching the real secrets to success. In particular, I'll be sharing specific masterpiece techniques that I've developed and use. And what's so amazing about this program is that the whole group will be supporting and encouraging each of the practitioners present to create their own masterpieces.
There is going to be some amazing synergy and breakthroughs going on!
Are you a wellness professional (or aspiring to be) who is passionate about being of service and helping people change their lives so they feel better? And who wants to grow a successful, thriving practice that helps as many people as possible? And is determined to work for yourself and make a comfortable living doing so? If you’re committed to growing your practice and experiencing what it’s like to have a successful practice, this mastermind program could be perfect for you.
If you'd like to know more, send me an email at joannascaparotti@gmail.com.
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