THIS ISSUE'S SUCCESS LINKS Bringing Your Genius To Life: I'm Michael Neill's guest on his internet radio show for Monday, June 27, 2005. Tune in at healthylife.net at 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern/7pm UK. Envision it Easy: In this MP3 visualization, I'll guide you as you picture many aspects of your business and life…and envision yourself letting it be easy. Maui with Marcia Wieder for FREE! Marcia is so gracious; she not only forgave me for misspelling her name in my last issue, she's offered readers of Success&Spirit the chance to win a dream trip to Maui. Enter here.

LET IT BE EASY
by success and spirit coach Michele Lisenbury Christensen

"Would it be okay with you if life got a whole lot easier?"
     - Maria Nemeth, author of "The Energy of Money"

When I interviewed Maria Nemeth about "The Energy of Money" she shared with me that this is one of her favorite questions to ask people, because no matter where we're at in life or with our finances, we often resist the notion that life could be significantly easier than it is right now.

I certainly know this "struggle addiction" myself. I have been so blessed and experienced so much abundance in life, self-employment, wellness, and love that.... well, sometimes I feel a bit guilty! And one of the best ways I've assuaged my guilt in the past is by struggling. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But fess up: you've done it, too!

When someone remarked, "Wow! Your business is growing by leaps and bounds!" have you ever answered, "Yeah, but I'm workin' my tail off!" Or when they say, "You two seem so happy together!" Do you say, "Well, our relationship definitely has its rough spots."? We often argue for our suffering. We use weakness, stress, or busy-ness to maintain connection with others despite our accomplishments and happiness. And sometimes we beg lenience for our residual sloppiness or shortcomings, claiming, "Look, I'm struggling here!" If we admitted things were easy, would we have to raise our standards?

I struggle – and claim to struggle – as a way of explaining and justifying my success to myself and others. And I'm guessing you do, too. My mission today is to take struggle off the list of business owners' merit badges. When you and I can stop honoring struggle as a good thing, we can claim the superior virtue of ease. In America, a country where personal achievement and hard work have been among our highest national values since Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock, it's brash and audacious to say, "I'm tremendously successful...and it's easy." I feel that way about my business, but until lately, I haven't been fully willing to admit it. I wanted to point to my setbacks and struggles as proof of my humanity, my likeability, and my solidarity with other business owners.

See, there aren't many business owners out there who'll proudly declare, "I did it the easy way!" More often, you'll find people speaking with pride about how hard they've worked for their success. Or lauding the struggle itself as one of the most valuable parts of their journey. Or putting down those who've failed as "lazy" or "unwilling to pay their dues." But what if – just WHAT IF – our failures and mistakes had at least as much to do with working TOO hard as they did with failing to work hard enough? What if ease is a central success skill? What if finding the path of least resistance – personally and as an organization – became part of MBA programs' curriculum? What if it were part of lenders' and investors' criteria for investing in a business: "One last question: How will you ensure your business plan's projections unfold...with EASE?"

And what if the most pressing problems in your business today are – at least in part – due to your own addiction to struggle? See, I think that's the case. When I look at the rest of creation – from the cycles of weather to animals' patterns of hibernation and reproduction to the abundance of fruit and flowers dripping from trees and vines – I can only believe that we live in a world of abundance and ease. We weren't built to struggle. Our world wasn't designed this way. Like shaving and alarm clocks, struggle
is something we've invented. And like any invention that's served its purpose (think of the typewriter), we can let struggle pass into obscurity. Let's replace struggle with ease!

I'd love to create an ease revolution, starting NOW. All you have to do to participate is to pick one area where you're struggling and ask, "How could I let this be a whole lot easier?" See below for some ways you can do that....and forward this message to other struggle addicts you know who might be ready to join our ease revolution.

PRACTICES FOR LETTING IT BE EASY

The following practices have helped me and my clients allow more ease into our businesses. E-mail me and let me know your experiences with them.

1. Stop making it hard. Learn to notice how you give yourself strokes for struggling and how you justify suffering. Do any of the following sound like you?
   "It's almost over, I can suffer through."
   "I don't have the money to get help with this."
   "This is my weak point; I need to get better at this."
   "No one else can do this as well as I can."
   "I should be good at this."
   "I'll be proud of myself when I've accomplished this difficult task."
   "This is so easy, I don't feel like I should accept money for it!"
   
   
2. Speak easy. Begin to keep track of how you laud struggle and begin to change your thinking and language. Tell yourself,
   "If it's not easy, that's probably a hint that there's a better way to do it."
   "If it's worth doing, it's worth relaxing into."
   "I'm under no obligation to improve myself or prove anything... I'm about getting this done the easy way!"
   "Wow! Look! I'm NOT irreplaceable! I'm just happy!"
   "For my income, I do only things that are easy and fun for me."
   "I take pride in ease, not in struggle."
   
   
3. Spread ease. Celebrate others for their ease, and stop applauding martyrdom. Let others in on the Ease Revolution. Tell them you're learning to cop to your ease and celebrate it, and invite them to join you.
   
   
4. Envision it easy. Use my audio visualization to practice ease in all areas, and to see yourself experiencing ease with your stickiest stress points. Click here to listen now.
   
   
5. Perhaps most important: Declare it easy! Conspire with the universe to create ease for yourself and others. Whisper quick prayers of ease. "Thank you, God, for helping this to be easy." "May I have an easy ____ (day, meeting, negotiation, etc.)." Tell others: "May this be easy for you." Say out loud, "I'm just going to let this be easy." And watch it happen!

Enjoy your growing sense of ease and notice that you still like you, others still like you, and you accomplish more than ever when you let it be easy!

Until next time,
may the light within you illuminate the world around you.

          Blessings,

Michele Lisenbury Christensen
Success and Spirit Coach

© 2005 Michele Lisenbury Christensen. All rights reserved. Feel free to or re-publish, with the following copyright and contact information attached:
"By Michele Lisenbury Christensen, MA, PCC, Success and Spirit Coach. Please visit http://www.successandspirit.com for additional articles, interviews, and resources for creating sustainable success and spiritual connection." (Please make sure the link is live if placed in an e-mail or web page)

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