storytelling

A Little Nourishment for Your Soul…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Nourishing Our Souls…

How do we nourish our souls? In today’s world well at least in my opinion more people are open and honest about how they feed their souls or maybe it is just the people I choose to surround myself with today. I am passionate about feeding my body in a healthy way and helping others to do the same. I am also passionate about feeding my soul and love the journey it has given me.

In business I need to look at what I do and how it serves me in mind, body, and spirit. When I do this money will follow. In the past I only considered my job, what position I held, and how much my salary was. This thought process shifted for me when my circumstances changed. My entire outlook on the business world changed. Honestly for a long time I did not know how I felt. I thought without the status of having a job my outlook would be of shame and embarrassment. But it wasn’t. It was freeing. This was the first time I truly felt I was feeding my soul. It has taken time but today I can look at fellow entrepreneurs and truly understand where their passion comes from.

I share this with you because it is important to acknowledge one’s self worth away from what we do for a living to pay the bills. Once I acknowledged this I saw myself in a new light as a human being not a human doing. Today I have the ability to change my thoughts and beliefs to who I truly am not who the corporation I worked for expected me to be. This is feeding my soul. Opening up to new possibilities, learning new things, and making decisions for the health of my being is life changing. How have you been able to feed your soul? Looking at my visions boards this week the words, “From lost to found,” stand out to me. For years I was lost in the mire of hanging onto a job that did not fit me. Have you ever felt this way? How have your vision boards inspired you?

When I look at the benefits of nourishing my soul has given me it is astounding. I have found in my entrepreneurial journey that decisions are not permanent and it is okay to make mistakes because I can only develop more into the person I am meant to be. I have found surrounding myself with other entrepreneurs I boost myself up and am able to boost others up. One of the most amazing pieces is the people I have met and continue to meet. I would have never had this opportunity to expand my network in my past life. I have met some pretty amazing people who inspire me to keep moving forward in my journey.

Now I encourage you to continue in your journey and share your awesomeness with the world.

 

Until next time…

~Lisa

 

Focus…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever been so busy your brain just cannot focus? That is how I feel right now in regards to my blog. My schedule just changed as it normally does in September but it takes me time to adjust even though I know it is going to happen. Then add in Jack adjusting and we are in for a good time! For over a week I have been trying to get ideas of what to write and its just not coming to me. So I have decided to write just about that. I may have told you in past blogs that I am going to college. Well, I have seven more classes and I will have my bachelor’s degree. It is so close yet so far away. It is in my sights for Spring 2017. This is my focus yet the rest of my life needs to move on too. So, I ask you how do you handle things when life is going in ten different directions?

I can tell you that Jack is not pleased with these schedule changes. Dogs are creatures of habit just like us humans. There are a few days of the week that have not changed and yet he is still off kilter those days too. Progress not perfection as they say. I am working on getting in my groove and in the meantime am plodding through. I guess you could say Jack is doing the same thing. Part of me feels as if we have regressed in his training because of the schedule change. I felt like I was going a little crazy for a while until I figured it out. Those “ahah” moments get me every time.

Admitting mistakes or in this case, a loss of ideas. In this world for the most part people are not given permission to admit mistakes without repercussions. In other words people are not allowed to be human. Why can’t we be allowed to be human, make mistakes, and learn from them? It is usually “society” or “work” that puts these pressures on us. For me if I do not admit my mistakes I do not grow and improve myself. Maybe I am delusional in my thinking but I am looking just for this humanness. What are you looking for?

I am making this posting short and sweet. I hope you can relate or know someone who does. Please share this with them if it can help.

 

Until next time…

~Lisa

Jack’s Tale…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Well we have caught the groundhog!! I hired an animal control person. We caught the same possum three times so he moved the trap and put a bigger trap in. Then Sunday afternoon I heard some rustling and hurray he was caught! Oh what a relief it is. It was only a week but it was a long week. I still have some work to do in the dog pen but I will get there.

Onto Jack’s new training, the first session was more about changing my train of thought and how I handle Jack. I need to unlearn and relearn some new behaviors in order to change and train Jack’s behaviors. It went well and Jack is realizing things are changing and he is not very happy about it. I now walk around with a spray bottle filled with water to catch his attention when he is mouthing or jumping on me. At first I was not comfortable with this thinking it was cruel but now I understand it will help in his training. I am already seeing a difference in him and in me. It is amazing how aware I become when I consciously pay attention to my behaviors. Some of my instructions are not using certain words, not repeating myself, and do not use a question in a command to name a few. I thought I did not use those words such as come on and repeating myself oh boy that is a tough one.

This makes me ponder on how I do this in everyday life. Using particular words, yes I am predictable with that. Repeating myself oh yes that is a definite. What are some of your behaviors you need to work on? I am having quite a lot of awareness’s with this new adventure. This week with dealing with the groundhog taking control of a physical area in essence it affected the mental space in my head. Having to change my routine due to an outside force can really set me back if I let it. How about you?

Changing my behaviors-this has been a work in progress all of my adult life. Now I have a new set of circumstances to work on. I catch myself daily so I am aware of what I am doing but how to change it? Hmm-well change a thought move a muscle as they say. I know when I make positive changes life is good so this is another positive change in my life. I am always looking forward to learning something new daily. This helps me grow mentally and spiritually. How about you?

Life is getting better with Jack daily. He gets me going in the morning, makes me smile and laugh, and he does get on my nerves at times but that is just a part of life. But who does not have a person or animal in their life that does that?

 

Until next time…

~Lisa

Hope For Jack…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Well the consultation with the dog trainer went well. We have signed on and I have hope for Jack and I. We meet next week for the first time and I have some tools to use in the meantime. Jack has a very dominant personality and this trainer is a behaviorist, which gives me hope. With the few tools I have I am already seeing a difference. I have been able to sit down for longer periods of time and it has only been one day. Jack is not very happy with me at the moment but in the long run I think we will have a wonderful life together. It feels good to have hope.

For me when I have hope my entire outlook on life changes. The mind is an amazing tool. It can be dangerous and amazing all at once. When those positive vibes start flowing you never know what will come next. I just had a session with my business-coaching group on the inner voice. This all connects for me. I am so concerned about what Jack has been through that I am overcompensating and he is one smart dog. He knows how to work his momma. How do you overcompensate in your life? Recognizing the signs and having those “ahah” moments can change my direction.

These past three months have thrown me off my compass. Introducing Jack into my life, working with him, helping him feel safe and loved even though I feel he has been fighting it subconsciously. His fears come out in different ways and he does not have control over his circumstances. Acting out is his only way to protect himself from the unknown. This training will help the both of us. I will be trained along with Jack. So I still have some learning to do.

Ah, learning this is something I love to do. It is not always easy changing how I do things or how I think but the end result is usually quite beneficial. How do you learn and grow from your experiences? Is it difficult or easy for you? I think when I am accepting and embrace the learning it goes so much easier. When I fight it all I do is hurt myself. I think when Jack learns he still is loved and cared for the training will go much easier. I am excited for our next journey together.

Just this one visit with the trainer has calmed me. I am not as crazy with Jack. I hope I can keep this up until Wednesday. There have been times I have been a crazy person and I do not like myself when I get this way with him. I was at my wits end and had no idea what to do. I was referred to this trainer through this blog. One Facebook message and I have hope. See what a little sharing can do. Amazing happenings here in the world of the Internet. How has sharing information helped you? I love when people share information and it helps someone out. We do it everyday. What information have you shared that has helped someone? Food for thought…

 

Until next time…

~Lisa

Jack Continued…

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Well we continue to make progress. The groundhog is still with us as he ate all of my lettuce again! I have officially given up on growing lettuce and will go to a farmers market. The rest of my garden is flourishing which makes me happy. Jack is getting better around other dogs when walking. We even walked parallel with another dog and owner and I was able to have conversation! Yay Jack!

Jack loves to be out in his fenced area. This helps me out a lot and I am so happy he has adjusted to this. It helps when there is a storm or if it is too hot to walk him. He loves to run and jump. He has so much energy. Sometimes I think he has so much he has no way to get it all out.

What happens to you when you have too much energy? For me this usually happens when I have too much going on or if I am stressing over one particular issue. Finding a healthy release can be tough. This blog has become one of my releases. Meditation is another. My vegetable garden is a big release for me. This year I am doing a ton of yard work. The physical release of working in my yard has really helped me. There have been other years where I do not even want to deal with it. How do you release your energy without it overtaking you?

The biting well this is still going on. We have a consultation with a trainer who was referred to me. So we shall see what he has to say. My neighbor who is a trainer told me this was called mouthing. It can be quite daunting at times. This is my first experience with a dog doing this. I am sure there are times when Jack is frustrated and has no other way to voice this. Other times I know he is playing but it gets to be too much. I am hoping this trainer will be able to help.

This brings me to how do you act when you are frustrated? For me it does not always come out very nicely. Most of the time I am more frustrated with myself than with others. I work on not beating myself up for my mistakes but do my best to learn from them. My attitude at times needs adjustment along the way when I am in a state of frustration. Attitude adjustments are always are process for me. Working out of a state of mind is a process for me. For Jack he seems to let go pretty easily. Why can’t we humans do the same? Oh the clutter in our brains gets in the way sometimes.

Animals really have no control over their environments. Can you imagine living this way? Having control as human beings is a large part of our comfort. When chaos ensues some of us thrive on it while others retreat. Imagine not having control?

As always I would love to hear your experiences.

Until next time…

~Lisa

Selling: Is it a Four-Letter Word?

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

Let’s face it no one likes to be sold to. But most jobs whether working for a corporation or an individual business owner you are selling to someone. It may not even feel like selling to you but it is. Convincing your boss your project should take priority, asking for for that promotion or raise, or interviewing for that perfect job. But here is the thing when you share information, educate people about what you do, why you do it and this resonates within you, then would you not consider changing how you view selling?

We grew up selling. We worked our parents convincing them to buy us the latest trend or take us to wherever we wanted to go. Children watch adults and learn from them. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take what we learned as a child, bring it into adulthood, and not feel guilty about it? Wouldn’t be amazing if learning this skill was considered positive instead of negative? I see people excelling at their jobs; their businesses and I wonder what were they taught as a child? Were they given the tools for success or were they deprived as a child? People are driven by different circumstances. I have learned not to judge anyone based on any characteristic, circumstance, financial status, religion, etc. I cannot list everything but you get the idea.

All of my adult life I have been in some type of sales but never really thought about it up until a few years ago when I became dependent upon myself and the commissions I make. It is very different when you receive a paycheck from a corporation. I am not making any judgments here because I do supplement my income in different ways. My supervisor at my “job” observes how other people act and recognizes how people sell themselves in different ways. So why not look at this in a different light and really think about how we sell. I look at selling as educating. This is new for me and it would have been amazing to have this knowledge years ago but I probably was not ready for it until now.

Observing and learning from others is important to me in order to grow my business. I believe today that I am not selling but educating people on a different way of life; a way that not everyone is open to but another way of looking at life and what our purpose is here on this earth.

Surround yourself with successful people. This success comes in different forms. It all depends on what your definition of success is. That is the really cool part of this. Everyone has their own path whether or not they choose to look at it and go in that direction. It takes some longer than others (like me) and others get it straight out of the gate. All along we are selling whether we realize it or not. So go out there, have fun and sell!

 

Until next time…

~Lisa

Storytelling: Tell Your Story You Just Might Help Someone Tell Theirs

~ lisagangone ~ Leave a comment

I would like to tell you a bit of my story. I did not attend college after graduating high school; I went straight into the workforce. I began working in the retail industry and worked my way up to management.

I stayed with my first company for 19 years until the company went out of business. I worked for three other corporations and it was at that last company that I realized I would not go any further because I was lacking a college degree. I decided to go back to school. My life and career seemed to be at a standstill and it was time to make a change. I decided to try one class to see if I could do it. Not only could I do it, but also I loved it! So began my journey of getting my degree. I enjoyed learning, keeping busy, and not being a couch potato any longer. I met a lot of different people and felt alive again, well almost. My job was not going well so at least I had school to keep me going. I received my Associates Degree in Business Administration in 2013. I am continuing towards my bachelor’s degree in Communications.

I am telling you the next part of my story because it ties into what happened to my corporate life. Towards the end of 2010, one snowy day I was driving uphill and a vehicle in the other lane lost control and hit me head on. Both airbags went off and I was knocked out (I believe physically and emotionally). My body was traumatized and I ended up having back surgery because nothing else could help me. I can tell you this that a power greater than me had plans for me to slow my life down.

The surgery helped me but needless to say my body was not the same. I was not able to do the things I needed to do to take care of myself, my home, and having a physical job I was not able to perform my duties at full capacity. I was pushing my body at work because of the fear of losing that job. Well, I did lose that job and honestly it was a blessing in disguise. I continued with school because it was the one thing besides my dogs (my kids) that made me happy.

The reason I am sharing my story is that I know there are others who have experienced similar situations and struggles. This past February 14th was my four-year anniversary of being out of the corporate world.I did not know losing my job would be the best thing that could have happened to me. I have met others who feel the same way. I had never been terminated from a job ever, but I now know that is okay as someone I met said, “I did not die.” I am surviving, even better I am thriving. I have met so many people in the past four years that I have been able to relate to because their stories are my story. So I ask you what is your story and how are you using your story to change and be your authentic you?

Until next time…

Lisa