Words that Work

Archive for the ‘weblogs’ Category

Sometime during the 1990s I began making up words that I sensed belonged in our everyday vocabulary. Of made up words, google is most likely the most noticeably recognized one used as a part of speech.

Today’s world of instant, almost infinite information that Google provides presents a readily available opportunity to search for information. In addition to searching for information, some of us search deeper and deeper for meaning that, at first, may not seem so readily available. We search for how we can be of greater service and make a lasting difference.

In my search, I benefited from colleagues and mentors. Adela Rubio inspired Yessence through her energy conscious business mastery. Suzanne Evans and confirmed the need for Yessence through her shift from marketing to movement message: Decide. Lisa Cherney gave life to Yessence through the benefits of the benefits part of her conscious marketing.

From working with these thought leaders, as I gained greater clarity about my purpose, Yessence emerged as a word that works. What is Yessence?

• Yessence is saying yes to your essence; saying yes to your core; saying yes to your authentic self.
• Yessence is saying yes to your world; saying yes to your past and to your now and to your future.
• Yessence is saying yes to making a difference.

Imagine creating a community around Yessence. Explore adding Yessence to your business coaching, life coaching and group coaching vocabulary. 

Consider the senses of Yessence:

• Sight—See the pink and gold iridescent colors of Yessence
• Sound—Hear the do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do song of Yessence
• Smell—Breathe in the sweet, musky, earthy scent of Yessence
• Taste—Savor the spicy, exotic curry of Yessence
• Touch—Feel the fresh, air dried cotton, the smooth silk of Yessence
• Kinesthetic—Move with the full embodiment of Yessence

Passing the plate relates to exchanging energy in the form of money—we give to others to support them. Traditionally, giving by passing the plate is done in houses of worship and often carries a spiritual as well as monetary message. Money energy is spiritual energy.

In fact, everything is energy. When passing the plate in houses of worship the energy takes the form of money that is visible. I experienced an energy exchange from passing the plate in a non-traditional way.

Rather than receiving money from passing the plate that supports life for others, I received life’s memories. In this case, energy was in the form of a set of plates, one of which is shown.

In late March Mom moved to an assisted living facility where she is enjoying life with her bedroom furniture and photographs and pictures. Last week was time to clear the rest of her house of 51 years to get it ready for sale. Seven of us (brothers, sisters-in-law, niece and nephew) had fun, most of the time, going through truckloads of belongings. Even though my Mom had saved a lot, she was extremely organized, making our lives easier, so much so that we cleared and cleaned and staged 2500 square feet of living space, plus an attic, recreation room, laundry room, storage room, garage and garage closet in 2.5 days.

Among the treasures we discovered were Mom’s grade school report cards, my grandfather’s silk top hat and an ethical will. My daily treasure is using the plates (shown) for breakfast or fruit, exactly as Mom did during the 4 years she had home health aides. When I shared with Mom that I use the plates in exactly the same way she did, she was delighted that I was getting pleasure. In some way she sensed the energy connection. Passing these plates is a spiritual energy exchange directly with my Mom.

In what ways you can pass the plate literally or figuratively for an energy exchange?

Offering another view of words that work without words: What do your hands say? What does your voice hold?

Our hands and voice are our earliest, most reliable and effective instruments for connecting. Usually we think we talk with our voices and use our hands for holding. Recent Facebook postings of Tonya K. Freeman and Bill Pinder inspired me to think differently about the multiple uses for hands and voice.

As words create connections, so to do hands create connection. Hands speak and connect through creation: the Pyramids, early forms of transportation and housing, tools, and artwork in myriad media.

Examples of hands being instruments for connecting:

• Hands shake to say welcome to others
• Hands massage to say, “I am providing comfort and relief from pain”
• Hands touch people with dementia who have difficulty connecting to say, “I am here” even though the person does not know you or remember who you are
• Hands touch people who are afraid to say, “You are safe”
• Hands hold people who are dying to say, “Thank you for being in this world,” and to ease the transition into another world
• Hands speak through American Sign Language

Our voice holds much, more than we sometimes imagine.

• Voice holds promise
• Voice holds the power to heal without words through chanting
• Voice holds fear and shock

Communication and connection are essential to business coaching and life coaching and organizational consulting. Thanks to Tonya and Bill I will be exploring how to integrate what your hands say and what your voice holds in my work.

Have some fun and explore reframing the uses of your hands and voice.

• In what ways do you use hands to talk?
• How do you use your voice to hold?