co-creative – People, Place & Purpose

What does being “In The Moment” really mean?

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Today I made a fantastic distinction around Diversity = Dynamic

One of the challenges of sharing ideas in family, team, and community – is we can experience control or get upset and regularly come away feeling confused by another person’s strong point of view around systems, a project or start-ups. I believe this is attributed to our different styles of thinking, not learning. We each go through our own unique thought process to come up with our interpretation of a situation.

These interpretations are expressed by the way our personal neuro pathways are fired up in the brain; an array of electrical impulses and connections that help you to express yourself. And yes, I know we have all heard about all the different learning styles, but this is different.

What I am talking about here is “how do we stay present with each other without being dominated by one person’s particular thinking process?” I believe the reason for all the discord or control in relationships, be they personal or professional and even cultural and community are due to this very thing.

I term this behaviour ‘the thinking wars’ – Dominance = Disconnect.

However, where we need to move to as a species is – Diversity = Dynamic

And of course this all sounds good on paper or on a wiz bang power point, but how do we do it in real time, real life? We must be willing to cross the bridge with one another, we literally have to drop out of our thinking for a moment or two and connect to the intelligence of our heart.

If each person present can accept that the only way they can truly understand each other and make a valuable contribution, is through a genuine heart to heart connection, this is in fact what empowers people. Because the real power is when and where lasting trust is built. Truth is, we are never going to really understand the way another person thinks because we are not that person.

Moreover, we most certainly can connect with each other through our aligned values, which are born from the heart.

Our aligned values are what make up the unbreakable connections, which can form this powerful and effective Diversity = Dynamic bridge.

The new wave of relationship in business is emerging: where people adopt a very different, but progressive model of teamwork… Because it will be through our surrender to the power of the heart that we will experience the benefits of cordial collaboration, social synergy, cohesive community and contributing more than money.

So, my dear humans take heed…

HEART to HEART CONNECTION is the currency of the FUTURE.

The great news is, we all have one!

CONTACT ME TODAY

TEL: 040 330 9696
elizabeth.ellames@ozemail.com.au

What is New Style Leadership?

Why is New Style Leadership necessary today?

How can New Style Leadership succeed in the real world?

New Style Leadership is not based on the old model of just seeing results; the old bottom line system address’ only one aspect of the whole process. While the New Style Leader focuses on staying in a unity-based context, which defines and gives structure to the role of the New Style Leader as a co-creator.

The first step in becoming a New Style Leader is saying YES to the call…

What does that mean?

A New Style Leader knows that social and spiritual awareness are one in the same and play a large part in being an effective leader. Saying yes to the call is actually saying yes to your conviction as a social and spiritual entrepreneur.

People may say “but I am not socially active and I am not particularly spiritual either”. Let’s view the idea of social and spiritual – there are many definitions in the dictionary that describe spiritual, many of which are focused on religion. I suggest this is not the case for most people in society.

Here are three definitions, which I believe are how many people view the idea of being social and spiritual today.

Definition – Social

Pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations.
Living or inclined to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation.
Have or pertaining to the life, welfare, and relations of human beings in a community.

Definition – Spiritual

Relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material.
Pertaining to having a spirit or soul, different from the physical nature.
Having a relationship based on a profound level of mental or emotional unity, pertaining to a refined and higher quality of emotions and actions.

What I am suggesting here is the idea of being dedicated to social and spiritual awareness, which are at the heart of every New Style Leader and one cant create long-term effective change in the world without these two very powerful and necessary elements.

Social and Spiritual

We have turned to many metaphor duets over time and Social and Spiritual can indeed come under that category.

Here are just a few popular examples – as above/so below, within/without and the micro/the macro. The connection between Social and Spiritual awareness plays an important part in our human experience, we are much more than our immediate world of material matter, we are also made up of our inner more sensitive world of emotions, which are connected to our thoughts, feelings, desires, and visions for a promising future.

However, the moment one starts to talk in these terms, their audience often becomes dismissive, defensive, and disagreeable. Perhaps that’s because people have thought you must keep social and spiritual concepts separate.

But what if keeping them separate has actually created many of the hardships we are facing today. I believe there is no separation between social and spiritual; unfortunately, humanity is repeatedly creating this illusion of separation, which is supporting our unstable and disturbing reality.

The New Style Leaders role requires bringing these two worlds/realities; social and spiritual together. It doesn’t involve becoming a preacher or religious person. All it requires is the desire to cultivate a promising future for humanity, one where both social and spiritual needs are met and respected.

It is acknowledging, honoring, and participating in the process of creation…

Every culture throughout early civilization was centered on a creation myth of some kind. A creation myth (or creation story) is a cultural, traditional or religious myth, which describes the earliest beginnings of the present world. Creation myths are the most common form of myth, usually developing first in oral traditions, and are found throughout human culture. A creation myth is usually regarded as conveying profound truths, although not necessarily in a historical or literal sense.

They are cosmology myths, which describe the ordering of the cosmos from a state of chaos or nothingness. What I am suggesting is that all human culture was originally based on similar concepts, like the social and spiritual connection. This is not a new or unusual concept; perhaps we have just forgotten the nature of our origins. I’m not saying we need to return to such ancient practices, but rather we can draw on these ideas that were unity-based.

Basic types of creation myths are: EARTH DIVER – EMERGENCE – OUT OF NOTHING – WORLD PARENT – CREATION FROM CHAOS

Here are three simple definitions that I believe are aligned to the social and spiritual model of leadership. I see the concept and application of creation and co-creation as being a very valuable tool in our world today.

Definition – Creation

The act or process of creating.
Something that has been brought into existence or created.
The act of creating or engendering; give rise to.

These three neutral definitions of creation also provide a great platform from which to form a new and stronger style of leadership. The idea of creation is the combination of being in the continuous process of social and spiritual activity. Creation could, in fact, be the process and the result of how we grow as human beings.

We are creation its self, so through the process of becoming socially and spiritually creative, it enhances our ability to create even more. Creating a new, creating together, creating social systems and creating spiritually sound relationships. This is how we grow a vibrant and creative new humanity.

I don’t see an end to the process, but rather it requires a commitment to stay in the process until your time is up; your personal life cycle is complete. We need to stay in a continuous process of creation in order for the new humanity to remain just that; it must always remain in a state of new.

New Style Leaders collectively have the what, why, how and vision to respond to the call of creation.

So, in conclusion, I suggest that social and spiritual are actually one of the same and do need to co-exist. We require social structures that have a sound unity-based context, in order for the refined qualities of our human spirit to be creative and fully expressed. The New Style Leader is committed to maintaining and repairing the social and spiritual fabric of humanity. The New Style Leader is prepared to stay in the process of creation for as long as it takes to fulfill their life’s purpose.

If we are able to observe the perfected patterns of nature; Creation, desirable results form organically and the true nature of success takes up its rightful place in community and humanity.

From a paper written by Elizabeth Ellames | Oct 2013

Purposed Based Brands

The 12 Essentials To Growing A Purposed-Based Brand….

Connect to the heart much more than the head.

Have a bigger purpose that extends beyond profit.

Always add value where ever possible.

Take time to do your best.

Shape ideas with clarity of intention.

Its embedded with truth.

Make your audience the Star or Hero, not you.

You don’t have to matter to everyone.

Give your audience something to talk about and give them something to believe in.

Develop a community of Tribe-Talkers.

Make your audience feel like they belong.

Share yourself with your audience.

If you want to know more…

Elizabeth Ellames Tel 040 330 9696

Email elizabeth.ellames@ozemail.com.au

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How to live an extraordinary life?

There’s lots of information out there today about how important it is to have a vibrant personal and professional brand?

But what does that really mean?

And how do you get there?

I have explored years of personal development with my clients and on myself, but nothing beats applying “The Process Of Story” – It is indeed the most powerful personal development and branding exercise I have ever experience.

The real secret to developing a great brand is indeed ‘Owning the value of your STORY’ because it’s your story that informs your purpose, and it’s your purpose that informs your brand, in fact, your brand is your purpose!

This is my story of how I changed my life for the better… how I moved from a ‘nice life’ to an ‘extraordinary life’ enriched with mastery.

I Committed To Knowing My Self – I first needed to really know what my gifts were, which required identifying my archetypical patterning. Because it was through the process of recognizing my archetypes and values that I learned who I really was, which then lead to what I had to offer.

I Decided To Trust My Self – The next step was clarifying my shadow attributes and in doing so, I began to trust myself even more, by highlighting some of these attributes I started to see where I had been operating out of alignment. In a nutshell, I got to see in my life what was working and what wasn’t working, which gave me the clarity and courage to correct and transform persistent and unproductive behaviors. This new practice accelerated my trust in myself and built a lasting confidence in the benefits of my new awareness and actions. I began to see how everything in life was connected.

I Discovered My Story – I created a gentle pause in my current life so I could reflect on my life gone by, and wholeheartedly began to write my story – Where I had come from and who had contributed to my life, both good and bad. I took time over it, making sure what came forth was indeed leading me to see why I was here, where gifts would be of value and who I could best serve.

I Discovered My Purpose – I then got very specific about what, why, who and how I was going to add value and by the way, this is everyone’s purpose is in life; to add value. I know that sounds too simple, but its been my experience over and over again that people who have a desire to be on purpose also want to add value to our world, they seem to go hand in hand. I then developed a personal brand that was all about quality, initiative, and consistency. I devotedly attended to defining and refining my self- exploration, which essentially revealed my true value.

I Began To Live A Larger Story – I confidently made the decision to live a larger story, because I knew I had dreams, desires and a healthy dose of direction. I also knew I wanted to step up and step out as a new style leader. Once I’d established where I could add value to the world and why I was the best person for that role, the rest followed naturally. Now I’m not saying its always-smooth sailing or I didn’t come face to face with a few emotional challenges. Because I did – that’s the nature of our human experience and we all know that a really good story requires plenty of colour, emotion, and texture to make it truly interesting.

So, that is how I got extremely clear on what I am here to do and how I want to spend my time; my life.

Elizabeth Ellames

What about you, have you made some valuable distinctions about your brand?

Give it to me NOW!

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

This is the number one mantra used in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and a great tool for those struggling with any emotional addictions or substance addictions.

Let’s have a think about this… All the reasons why we cant respond to our heart’s desire are basically not true, and only feed our emotional addictions or our need for control… which we often hide behind.

Our ‘collective shadow-side’ has been running amuck for a long time and needs some serious transformation. We can either keep feeding its addiction or acknowledge its presence and decide to transform it into its full GLORY.

New Style Leadership is a vehicle of liberation and illumination… Not a game of comparing and competition.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could collectively “correct and transform” the following;

THESE ARE THE FOUR MAIN EMOTIONAL ADDICTIONS.

CONFLICT

SUFFERING

WITH-HOLD

ENABLING

Most people live with one or all of these addictions every day…. we can use this information to keep stuck in our old story/addiction or we can use it as a driver toward a new style of leadership.

Let’s transform our psyche from FADE to FLOURISH

So, if we have an addictive nature (and I believe all humans have) let’s change our addiction to one that works positively for all of us.

We could turn our “re-active impulse” into our soul’s “creative impulse”: Our Life Purpose

You know, that thing we just can’t live without… let our Obedient Heart be our compass of JOY… let joy become our fix, our next hit.

I have a burning desire to activate as many people as possible, so they can truly prosper in their glowing authenticity.

If this is my creative impulse, my positive addiction, bring it on… I want it now, give it to me, give it to me NOW!

What is it that’s driving your passionate desires?

CONTACT ME TODAY

TEL: 040 330 9696
elizabeth.ellames@ozemail.com.au

Real Deal Power

Many female leaders mistakenly try to balance the shortcomings of dominant leadership by “over-relying” on their passive leadership tools such as empathy and collaboration. But getting people together to figure out what their Primary Vision is and what it needs, can easily lead to more confusion.

It can also weaken the power of women who may be misplacing their emotional intelligence when it’s their practical intelligence that will really make the difference.

However, a new style leader needs to demonstrate their Real Deal Power and cut through the confusion by constantly “simplifying the complexities” that are presented.

She is able to articulate the big picture and the necessary priorities using an array of simple directive statements, not commands or demands, but rather discerning and objective distinctions.

She always links her actions to the urgent needs of the project at hand and the culture of the company or team.

She can articulate the strategic plans of the project as clearly as a CEO.

She states what must be done immediately and has a question such as, “Does it make sense to you all that we replace our program development reviews with short, biweekly feedback sessions since people need a constant flow of coaching to stay focused on emerging priorities?”

And it’s wise to remember not to open any of these clarifying questions with a “Why”, because this can often imply that there is a level of judgment present and may bring about even more confusion.

This technique of making recommendations in the form of a question consistently raises her position of effective power. Her questions frame the discussion and contain compelling “if-then and what next” logic. It also helps her not fall into the trap of either complaining about or insisting on a change she wants to make.

This technique is not trivial.

There is plenty of research that confirms when women try to exert power using the same techniques as dominant males they actually reduce their power and influence and become labeled as “overly aggressive or worse…”

To sum it up, if we want to increase our power girls, we need to simplify confusion, clarify priorities, and lead people to follow us by asking them the appropriate “what’s next” or “where next” questions.

Above all adopt a real deal leadership approach. Don’t wait for orders and don’t spend your life trying to achieve other people’s goals.

Your ideas and goals are more than likely the Real Deal… So, You Go Girl!

You Are What You Share

We all know personal branding is important for most people today, not just celebrities and entrepreneurs.

Today when someone connects with you about your business or career, they need to understand who you are; they want to know what you’re about and whether you can add value.

Many people fall short though; either by ignoring their personal brand, thinking their work will somehow speak for itself… I have spent several years designing what I believe to be the best possible formula to identify the very essence of one’s personal branding. Over the last 20 years, I have explored branding through a few different avenues.

One is the development of Living Attributes, which is a typology (tool) that helps you to identify the value of your unique story; your brand. Its design and application build a lasting confidence by uncovering your true potential. Purpose-Based Branding goes way beyond the usual landscape of conventional branding, which only focused on highlighting a person’s professional identity. The refreshing approach to Purpose-Based Branding invites you and your audience or community to develop a quality relationship built on integrity and empowerment.

Secondly, over a three-year period, I had the privilege of working closely with an amazing team of women. In our third year together, with great conviction, they identified and developed their “Purpose-Based” brand from the inside out. As the facilitator of their powerful process, I also learned a wealth of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to creating a brand based on your values. Each of these women has now moved on to form their own business and are forming communities around those businesses, they are indeed a shining example of Purpose, Passion, and Promise.

Here are my top insights on where people can fall short around their personal branding – and how you can avoid those mistakes.

#1. Distinction – The importance of creating a relatable and engaging story.

Most people assume that others will just “get it” when it comes to their brand: “Can’t you just work it out… can’t you see what or why I’m doing it?” Well no… Not really. Unless you take the time to explain yourself and fill them in, they probably won’t take the time to work it out and will come up with a conflicting version of who you are or won’t think much about your brand at all.

Tell your own GREAT STORY – don’t leave it to others to do it on your behalf, unless they have the full story and are telling it for all the right reasons. Remember your STORY informs your PURPOSE and creates your VALUE. This is a vital starting point that can make all the difference to how you present your message to the world.

#2. Distinction – The importance of finding out everything about your personal brand.

It is so easy to think we know and understands our personal brand. It’s basically who we think we are, yeah? Of course, when we take a deeper look, it’s easy to see the misconception.

Your personal brand isn’t just who you say you are; It’s actually all about…

identifying and clarifying WHAT your real talent is,
specifying HOW you love to express and share that talent
and WHY it is so very important to you
and WHO your brand is for… and does it add value to their life.

Once you know your WHAT, HOW and WHY… your WHO it’s for, becomes much clearer. I have found the following to be the best way to uncover all of the above.

By applying the simple formula of… IDENTIFY, CLARIFY, SPECIFY, EDIFY and UNIFY you become crystal clear about what your personal brand looks like, feels like and what it communicates to others.

#3. Distinction – The importance of living the core values of your brand.

The days are gone where creating a personal brand was just coming up with a clever resume, getting yourself a stylish makeover and a reasonable elevator pitch. Your personal brand is indeed far more than just what you say about yourself. It’s all about how people feel about you, what they perceive about you and what they find out about you based on your web presence. They want to know how you relate to them and others, what kind of tribes you associate with, what kind of leadership roles you’ve taken on, the type of content you share, the concepts and the new ideas you circulate.

Key Principles:

You are WHAT you SHARE
Your STORY informs your PURPOSE
And your PURPOSE is to ADD VALUE
Which then CREATES your REAL VALUE

A lot of unsuccessful entrepreneurs figure that as long as they talk the current lexicon, they will be seen to be in the know. But it doesn’t work like that anymore. This new way takes effort, focus, and transparency to work, and that means living out your brand values consistently, each and every day. If people sense even the slightest bit of discord or imitation, it renders everything else you do as fake.

People want the REAL DEAL today –

Ensure that every action you take is aligned with how you want to be seen by your tribe and peers. However, it’s been my experience that not everyone is willing to make that kind of commitment to their brand.

Do you want to stand out, get noticed and be an influencer?

If so, you have to commit to your purpose, your passion, and your promise… for example, you need to be writing blog posts about trends YOU see in your industry, connect with other groups of people or perhaps create your own community or group, and start speaking at events to share your vision. When people see you living out your message, your brand, that’s when your brand will really become a valuable asset in your life and the lives of others.

Avoiding these mistakes will help others know what you are offering them, and allows you to be a leading edge contributor.

Take your brand to the next level and contact me – Elizabeth Ellames

Email – elizabeth.ellames@ozemail.com.au

Mobile – 040 330 9696

Oh yeah… Its Christmas

Well it is that time of the year again… Christmas.

Some people love it, others hate it and others just do it.

Which category do you fall under?

I like to view my Christmas as a sacred time, a time to celebrate all I have achieved in terms of correcting and transforming my life.

The Christmas Tree in our home is likened to the Tree of Life and its decorations are seen as symbolic gestures, which mark different eras in our time together as a family. The trimming of the tree and making the Christmas Pudding are a tradition that are always upheld with much delight.

Of course both of these practices are common place in many homes, and can often lose meaning, so for me I feel it is important to add our own family culture to the mix. We can slip into the empty habit of just doing a job and moving on to the next task at hand. That is indeed the way of our busy world. But Christmas marks a time in the year to truly create, celebrate and contribute.

I encourage you to embrace Christmas with delight:

Create the space in your life to be creative.

Celebrate and share the joy in your heart with your family, friends and community.

Contribute in ways that add value, come to the table with a gift that really counts; your “generosity of spirit”. It is worth so much more than anything you can buy. Start a heartfelt conversation and initiate acts of kindness where judgement would usually be.

These simple unity based principles are what Christmas is really about… The birth of the Holy Child is alive in every human being. And Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate our life together as children of our Holy Mother, Planet Earth.

We can be restful and respectful as we unite, and in this sacred union we are reminded that we are The Holy Family.

And would like to also add that the video below of Happy Christmas by John and Yoko was released in 1971 – And we do indeed need to be living the mantra “war is over, if you want it!”.

Time and change are our constant reminder that nothing stays the same. They bring home the heartfelt memories of what really matter to us in our life.

May PEACE be your heartfelt intention this Christmas and everyday. We can use our collective consciousness to create PEACE, before we charge our glasses and say Merry Christmas, perhaps we could share a heart to heart prayer for real PEACE on EARTH.

I choose to be the REAL DEAL this Christmas and Unite My Light where ever I can for PEACE….

Imagine

Dear Ones…

To those who are here working to create a better world, we stand in shock horrified at the attacks on Paris, I hear and feel the pain of my dear friends and family… as my Soul courageously witnesses my own human heart weeping and breaking open with deep sorrow. I write these words because I don’t know what else to do.

My spirit is so sad, but strong, because I know I must share my promise to humanity. I watched the Sun come up this morning and reflected on the fact that we are one Planet; warmed by our one Sun and we are given the opportunity to connect to our feelings through our one heart in our one body. And that all these things that appear to be separate are in fact all connected.

That is why I feel sad and strong at the same time, even though I am thousands of miles away from Paris, I can still feel the sorrow and urgency for change and healing – simply because we are all connected. And my heart is breaking because my Spirit is asking me to open my heart even more and allow more love to pour forth on to the world.

My breaking heart is calling me to never, never give up on the power of Love – And never give up my Freedom.

THE ARTIST

Abstract blurred people in night market or open street market for background

THE ARTIST – Creates COMMUNITY/TRIBE

Some other choices in this category are Designer, Painter, Musician and Poet. Through your expression of life as an Artist you create tribes or followers that form community. This is how you grow your style of leadership. It is through your followers/community that you can see how your visions and artistic talents as a new style leader benefit others. By simply sharing your talent, art or craft, your community then starts to enroll others to support your leadership and vision as their own.

Community Needs Your Leadership.