"Be around people who can keep your energy and inspiration high. While you can make progress alone, it's so much easier when you have support." ~ Dr. Joe Vitale
“Who is the most nutritious person in your life? Think about how that person makes you feel about yourself. Does he or she constantly challenge you; constantly encourage you; cause you to come up just a little higher than you would normally? If the answers are yes, then that person is totally nutritious and you should have them at least once a month for nourishment!” ~ Carolyn
I have heard them called by many names: Action Partner, Mastermind Partner, Accountability Partner and Mentor. By whatever name you call one, the point is to use one. I like the term “ Passion Partner” because this denotes fun and joy to me. Many other terms sound like work, and I need all the help I can get!
I know for myself and many of my workshop participants that it can be difficult to receive the appropriate positive energy and feedback that is needed when trying to live our dreams. Negative energy and feedback always seem to be in abundance . There are more naysayers on the journey than there are nutritious people. I just encountered someone I would call a friend say to me that my meager coaching fee was illegal! Amazing when I just participated in a teleseminar with masterminds and one saying he charges $5400 for a ninety-minute session! Who am I really listening to?
One Universal Law states that like attracts like. This friend of mine is constantly complaining about being broke and having nothing to fall back on. The economy is bad, her health is deteriorating and life sucks. I have had the opportunity to listen to this 24/7. Yet, I choose to listen to the coach who charges $5400 not only because is he successful, but his conversation is more stimulating, spiritually and emotionally. There are plenty of opportunities for negativity in this world. Sometimes it seems that the people who are closest to us are our biggest critics and cynics. When I want to whine and complain about the economy, I have many, many people to commiserate with. Yet, when I speak of life being full of surprises, miracles and wonders, I am left alone in the room. What’s up with that?
Having a Passion Partner keeps you looking up instead of looking down in worry and anxiety. Your Passion Partner continues to encourage and empower you to do the things that excite you and create that spark the world is looking for. With a Passion Partner there is no recession, only opportunity; there are no obstacles, but challenges for growth; there is no struggle and suffering, only new lessons to be learned and new ways to be blessed by those lessons.
When I speak of a Passion Partner, I do not mean someone you are intimately involved with, a significant other, spouse, or lover. They may be on your side, but they are not objective enough to propel you to greatness.
I speak of someone who is totally objective and who does not have a vested interest in you personally. This could be male or female. A Passion Partner is someone who shares the same passion in business or spirituality, who is on the same journey of wholeness and greatness and who can encourage you to get to where you say you want to go. And likewise, you will do the same for them.
I encourage having a Passion Partner because we are never to walk this path alone. Find someone you admire, who is on a similar journey (another widow, another entrepreneur , another single mother) who can be your companion on the road. They know your struggles and concerns; they are familiar with some of the feelings and concerns that may arise.
My Passion Partner and I pray together, laugh together, and share our struggles and joys together. We are on the same journey of spirit and peace . We both come from abusive backgrounds so we speak the same lingo.
You must be able to trust your Passion Partner, knowing that you will share some very personal details of your journey. In this partnership, there is no criticism, no judgment, and no fear. It is a total mutual love and support relationship.
So, who are you listening to?
Who are you spending time with?
What are your conversations about: the bad economy or the new opportunities that can come from it?
Remember, you are the average of your five closest friends. Are those friends negative or are they nutritious, supportive passion partners?
Carolyn is Chief Spiritual Officer of Spirit Women Institute, where for the past 15 years she has been dedicated to empowering, encouraging and journeying with women going through difficult life transitions. Trained and certified in grief counseling, death education, hospice care, and bereavement services, she leads workshops, one-on-one counseling sessions, group coaching, and courses in grief, healing and life transition, such as dealing with anger, change, and forgiveness issues.
As an animator, author, and advocate for women’s wellness, Carolyn delivers inspiring and power-packed seminars, workshops, and classes propelling audiences and clients to lead a more passionate and purposeful life. As a keeper and teller of stories and parables, Carolyn is known for injecting passionate and humorous stories and tangible processes into her coaching, classes and facilitation, she gives people the tools they need to jumpstart their lives!