Glimpses of Your Life's Work

Happy Holidays. Today is a really special episode because it reflects back on 30 years ago when I gained some insight into my life's work. Little did I know it then, but much of what happened in just a few minutes is some of the work that I do today. So hopefully this story from chapter 20 and Chapter 21 of Seeking will give you a glimpse of your life's work. Have a wonderful holiday season and I'll see you in 2023. 

Seeking: 74 Key Findings to Raise Your Energy, Sidestep Your Self-Doubts, and Align with Your Life’s Work 

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JJ's new book Seeking: https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Findings-Energy-Sidestep-Self-Doubts/dp/B0BKQCWJ62

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My energy podcast Together We Seek: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1923001

Transcript

Happy Holidays. Today is a really special episode because it reflects back on 30 years ago where I gained some insight into my life's work. Little did I know it then, but much of what happened in just a few minutes is some of the work that I do today. So hopefully this story from chapter 20 and Chapter 21 of Seeking will give you a glimpse of your life's work. Have a wonderful holiday season and I'll see you in 2023.

Chapter 20, an early glimpse of my life's work. Little did I know when I was looking across a sea of holiday shoppers that I would get my first clue about my life's work. The store in the mall was bustling with people grabbing last-minute gifts. The registers were humming and the checkout line stretched almost out the door. This retailer was known for its jeans and flannel shirts, of which I had a closet full. I worked there throughout high school and returned for long breaks during college. Even with crazy hours and piles of clothes to refold, I felt privileged to work on the register. My eight-hour shift slipped away because the checkout line never ended. One busy Saturday afternoon when I was still in college, about halfway through my shift, I remember hearing You're so stupid, which was followed by, you're a. You're a piece of.

My raider went up and I locked eyes with a middle-aged man, at least seven people back in the checkout line. My desire to listen to their exchange distracted me from the customer at my register. I found myself asking my inner self, why was he talking to her like that? As I looked with more intention, I could see that he had a grip on her arm. She was not only looking down, but she was also trying to hide behind a tall stack of sweaters. She was clearly embarrassed. As she continued to glance out into the mall, it was apparent that he noticed me noticing him. I tried to refocus on the customers at my register, but his comments would not stop, and with this additional attention, his forcefulness with her intensified, judging by his public display of anger and her submissive nature, I was sure this was not out of character for him.

As they'd made their way to the register, I could feel myself wanting to say something. I knew she needed help, but who was I? What could I do? I questioned myself on how I could help, and before I knew it, I heard myself say, does that make you feel good? Do you feel better when you put women down? Do you think it makes you stronger? Well, let me tell you, if you have to hurt someone else to feel strong, you are the weak one. I was just as surprised as they were. I was not expecting to share my inner thoughts about the situation, and definitely not on the Saturday before Christmas when the holiday rush was in full swing by the look I saw on his face, I'm sure that he did not expect it either. He turned his energy and focus towards me, and with full throttle, he unloaded.

I could feel his words spray my face and his energy engulfed my body. I can't even recall what he said. Outside of mind, your own business, you stupid girl, along with all types of vulgar swear words, the exchange was over. In a few brief minutes, my body buzzed with unexpected unsettled energy. As my manager, Margie swiftly guided me off the register to the back of the store in the break room, I felt embarrassed and nervous. I questioned my actions and I was fearful he would come back. A short while later. As I returned to the floor, I was notified by coworkers that I was demoted to the fitting rooms for the rest of the week. That was the least desirable role in the store, but at that point, I didn't care. I started beating myself up on the inside. I realized that I could have worsened the woman's situation that day, and it sickens me to think about what happened to her after they left the store.

I'm sure he took out all his frustration on somebody, probably her, which still saddens me. What I know for sure is that seeing her verbally abused by that dark energy enraged me. Her lack of a voice was evident, and I knew her situation was dire because I had noticed marks on her arm when they were at the register. I still wish I could have done more for her at that time, but I was naive. I lack the awareness and the dynamics of abusers. I now know that going head on with one of these people is not the recommended approach. Instead, trying to help the victim should be the priority. I have since learned that abusers will often try to distract a person from talking to the victim. Although I was young and inexperienced during this exchange, I was hopeful that standing up to him gave her a glimpse of possibilities.

As I share this story with you, my heart still sinks with sadness as I think about what might have happened to her and the many women in terrible situations that suppress their confidence and muzzle their voices with a vortex of fear. I could definitely bring myself to a dark place in minutes if I allow myself to follow that energy. But now I, I choose to focus on what I can impact, what I can do, who I can help. I donate to local and global programs that help women and children move out of abusive situations. I also have held meetings with women in Uganda through Willow International. The first sentence on their about page of their website states, there is light that drowns out the darkness. Willow International's mission is to eradicate human trafficking through survivor care, government reform, and global partnerships, we can erase the plague and restore hope to the millions of victims across the globe.

Beyond this, I marked that situation and that day as a beacon of light in my life's journey and work with more than 40 people in the store that day, at that specific time, witnessing the same exchange. Why was I a 20 year old woman, one of the only people to have an outward reaction? Why did his actions towards that woman ignite me? Why did I feel so compelled to speak up? Why did I shake with fear for hours afterwards? Yes, many have shared that little to no good could come from speaking up, but I'm not sure I had a choice. My inner self was activated and doing nothing was not an option. Looking back on that day, it marked the beginning of my journey towards unleashing my inner light. This situation marked a new desire to support women in a public setting key. Finding 30, we get sneak peaks into what ignites our soul all probably not exactly what you were expecting, but I gave me a glimpse into my life's work. Little did I know then that that would be so instrumental to me now. But let's jump into a more positive side and talk about Lavender

Chapter 21, seeds of Insight. Many of us captured glimpses of our life's work, often starting at an early age. These glimpses of your life's work could be a memory of something that makes you happy, upset, curious, angry, or satisfied. These experiences and relating feelings can shed light upon some level of insight, knowing or energy that illuminates your passions. These are usually rather memorable moments or experiences as they often create more than a passing emotion. Just as I have been able to recall the series of events back from my retail days that occurred almost 30 years ago, these experiences often invoke a full body memory. Let's take a few minutes to think about a time in your life when you recall a full body reaction. <affirmative>.

Maybe you've had a few. Take a minute to reflect on these moments, and if you can't think of any, think about a time you were filled with joy. Can you make any correlation between how you felt in these moments or situations and what is important to you now, experiences, events, or situations that you remember with a full body reaction could be beautiful. Like Susan's experience at Bristol Hill in Bloomfield, New York, flowers have always brought Susan so much joy. Her mother had always called her flower girl, and she even remembers her first flower and iris. Fast forward decades, flowers became Susan's escape from her reality. After the passing of her husband to manage her grief, she created a memorial garden that began with lilac trees. She then added hydrangeas and other bulbs when she could find time away from her work and family. She found herself planting and expanding her own flower garden.

As her story unfolds on her website, Susan shares that when she gardens the layer of ice around her heart melted, preparing her for the next chapter in her life, she met a new love that eventually became her husband. He encouraged and supported her in planting her dreams, a lavender farm. I stumbled across Susan's lavender farm on a beautiful October Monday en route to celebrating my mom's 75th birthday at the Lake House Hotel in the Finger lakes in the middle of New York. We were driving along at 55 miles per hour when my mom and I noticed her lavender sign nestled in the front of her yard with an oversized barn. It was not easy to hang a U-turn, but we were determined. I turned the car around on the next street and we made our way back to Susan's long driveway. We saw her bent over with her head in one of her many gardens. She looked surprised to see us pulling in, but hand motioned us up to the top of her driveway adjacent to her three story white barn. When we opened our car door, she was already introducing us to her nephew, and then her dog, whose dirty paw and wet head gave the impression that he had spent the morning on his own adventure.

We had not realized the farm was closed to visitors, yet Susan welcomed us in. She graciously answered all of our questions about her farm, her business, and her life's journey. As we walked the farm, she shared her stories and educated us on the different lavender plants. Seeing the results of all her hard work, we were eager to take a piece of her firm with us. Susan walked us into the big white barn where she events and even design programs where people can make Reese and other flower based products. My mom and I were in our glory. As we shared in her energy and her journey. We collected a bag full of the best smelling lavender candles I have ever burned as we are getting back into our car to leave. Susan shared that she had been unsure she could create a lavender farm, but she credited her now husband who graciously said, Susan, you could go back and get another degree, but what would you love, love, love to do?

Susan responded with, I always wanted a lavender farm. He said, then I will help you build that lavender farm in just a few years with lots of hours on the farm, Susan has more than 2000 lavender plants. She shares her love for flowers with people worldwide and creates flower arrangements and bouquets for birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, and weddings. What events or situations in your life give rise to an undeniable level of emotion, either good or bad? What events or situations in your life would you like to revisit or expand? What have you talked yourself out of that you may want to revisit?

I of course, had no idea. While working retail, three decades later, I would see my holiday encounter with an abuser as a milestone in my life's work, or I would be referencing it as a beacon of life for the work I do now to empower women to step into their light gifts and knowing, and even though I do not see women being emotionally or physically abused right in front of me, there are many women who have crossed my path carrying stories, situations, or histories that hold them back or even down keeping them from stepping into their potential and life's work. What may be holding you back if someone you love says, I will support you. What do you wanna do? Where would you align your energy and your time? What excites you about what thoughts or ideas came forward for you? Make time to think about events or situations in your life that may have given you insight about your passions, interests, or frustrations. These are often accompanied by a spike of emotion. It is no mistake, this book landed in your hands. Your focus is shifting. You are ready for your next chapter, but you likely have to realign some of your energy and reassess some of your stories to make space for that shift. I am honored that you are here and thrilled to be sharing some of these tools with you to help you make more room for light love and new levels of impact. Key finding. #31. There are seeds of insight tucked away waiting for your attention.

Thank you for joining me in 2022. If you enjoyed these chapters, Seeking is now available on Audibles. You can find all options on amazon.com. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to seeing you at live events. Inside www.TogetherWeSeek.online. Happy Holidays.