Unleashing Abundance

Lynne Twist in her book Soul of Money describes three toxic myths that pervade our society and drive a culture scarcity. These myths are:

1) There's not enough
2) More is better
3) That's just the way it is

These myths (or widely held, yet false beliefs) especially around the subjects of #money and #time are toxic (or, poisonous) because once ingested they drive people to madness, and eventually death (spiritually, or otherwise).  I can share that it has taken considerable effort on my own part to "detox" from these perspectives around time and money.  And, from my coaching work with other fundraising leaders, I know that scarcity consciousness is alive and well in the very groups of individuals whose purpose is to embody abundance. 

Knowing this, your intrepid blogger will be co-leading a workshop for a group of fundraisers at the United Way in Toronto with my good friend, Janice Cunning.  Together, Janice and I will take the workshop participants on an emotional journey from scarcity (where most of us reside) to abundance (where many of us dare not venture).  By doing so, we intend to create a shift of consciousness that will unleash abundance--for the fundraisers and the donors with whom they interact.  Stay tuned to the weather channel, a tornado may be reported in Toronto this Friday.

In the meanwhile, I encourage you to play a little game called "Money Madness", outlined by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artists Way.  Quickly (don't think), fill in the blanks below and then reflect on your beliefs around money.


I'd have more money if______________________________

My father thought money was_________________________

My mother thought money was________________________

If I had more money, I'd______________________________

If I could afford it, I'd ________________________________

Money is_________________________________________

Money makes_____________________________________

Having money is not________________________________

To have more money I need to _______________________

When I have money I usually_________________________

People think money is_______________________________

If I weren't so cheap, I'd______________________________

Forget About Anger Management

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore."  

Click on the link above for a memorable scene from the 1976 film Network that is an expression of the zeitgeist of the '70s.  That sentiment resonates through the culture today.  Especially with me right now.

Sadly, we've become conditioned in the current society to tamp down our anger.  In corporate, you'll end up in HR with a reprimand and a mandatory "#anger management" seminar for expressing it.  In the family, your neighbors may call "child protective services" for shouting at your children to stop playing with matches as they kindle a fire in your garage.  Yet even Jesus (among the most peaceful men in recorded history) knew that anger can be used in service of good as he properly channeled his own to drive the money changers from the temple.

As fundraisers, we can channel our own anger at injustice, poverty, poor education, child abuse, disease, or any cause/condition we find unacceptable.  Julia Cameron in her book The Artist's Way, describes anger as fuel for change.  In her words, "anger is meant to be acted upon, not acted out" (paraphrase).  Anger points us in the direction where we want to see change in our lives, or in our society.  When we tamp it down, we suppress a creative force that has the potential to change the world...for the better.

So, what are you mad as hell about, and what are you no longer going to tolerate?  How will you put that energy to good use?

5 Reasons To Trust Your Intuition

#Intuition is a funny phenomenon.  By definition, it is the innate the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.  It usually shows up as a "gut feeling" or heartfelt sensation.  For me, intuition sometimes manifests as visual images in my mind.  

In a 2001 Harvard Business Review Article entitled: When To Trust Your Gut, Alden Hayashi explores the case for executives using intuition along with other highly developed analytical tools when making business decision.  In nonprofit work, I've noticed that successful fundraisers often listen to these intuitive "feelings", while struggling fundraiser do not.  Whether you are in a corporate or non-profit environment, here are five good reasons to trust your intuition:

1) It always knows best.  
When drowning in data, your intuition will see the pattern from which to move forward.

2) It does not lie.
According to the intuitive genius, Mark Twain: "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics".  

3) It will guide you perfectly.
Since intuition comes from a source that is beyond the rational/analytical mind, it is free from the "noise" that pollutes the signals.

4) It provides clarity.
Intuition is like the morning sunshine that burns off the accumulated overnight fog.  When present, vision becomes clear.

5) It offers better decisions.
Steve Jobs famously followed his own iconoclastic decision making impulses.  He implored his colleagues at Apple to "have the courage to follow [their] intuition".

In her 2012 book, Intuition and Psychic Ability, Jennifer O'Neill explores the subject in great depth from a nontraditional angle.  Read it if you're brave enough to strengthen access to your own intuition.

What Is Money?

The root of all evil?  No.  A means of exchange.  Closer.  An expression of appreciation?  Bingo!

Over the past two years I have engaged in conversations about #money with a number of my coaching clients.  It appears to be a topic of universal interest these days.  In The Soul of Money Lynne Twist examines our attitudes toward money—earning it, spending it, and giving it away.  I recommend this book without reservation--especially for fundraisers.

My own heretical view expressed above is that money is an expression of appreciation.  When we earn it, someone else is expressing appreciation for our service.  When we spend it, we are expressing appreciation for the product or service we receive.  When we save/invest it, we say that our money "appreciates".  That is, those who use it pay us interest or dividends.

In fundraising, I recognize that donors may have multiple motives for giving.  I will assert here that the fundamental reason that donors give is because of the appreciation that they have for the organization they care about.  Incidentally, they also give because they appreciate the relationship that they have with their fundaiser.

So now that I have totally activated all of your negative saboteurs around money (these are the voices that are saying: "he's crazy", "that's not it", "it's way more complicated than that", and so on, and so on...), I ask you to conduct the following exercise.  For one week, or just one day, notice precisely how you spend your money.  Every dollar and cent.  Keep a record. And then sit back, and notice what you appreciate.

What Metrics Count?

"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."--Albert Einstein

In #fundraising there's lots of counting (often called "metrics").  Of course, there is the dollar value of pledges made each year, as well as the cash actually received.   We also often count the number of visits with donors along with the number and dollar value of proposals made.  We count the number of gifts made and how many stewardship letters and reports we send to donors.  We have headcount, and even those employees who count the minutes until they can slide down the tail of the dinosaur.

As a professional coach working with fundraising leaders, I see it a bit differently.  And that, I believe, is what Einstein was getting at.  For example, some folks whom I know look at the stock market several times every day so that they may keep count of their "net worth".  Does that really count (or matter)?  Can a person's "worth" really be measured by counting the numbers on a ticker tape?   Alternatively, how do we measure (or count) our love for a donor, friend, spouse, child, or other family member?  Who among these can you count on, and who can you not?

In fundraising by all means count what is essential (and forget the rest).  In life be mindful of those things that cannot be counted; for it is those intangibles that really count.

The Power of Forgiveness

Some time ago I was on the receiving end of a small dose of unwarranted sharp criticism from a leader whom I respect.  This criticism was coupled with a semi-public humiliation, and then a private verbal beating behind the wood shed.

I harbored deep hurt and resentment over this incident for many months, even though I knew I had done nothing to warrant such behavior.  To me, it felt like a painful, open wound that would not heal.  Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night having experienced a disturbing dream, reliving the experience in a variety of distorted, macabre ways, as only dreams can produce.  This went on for longer than I would like to admit. 

Then one day, I was in another meeting with this individual.  He was under the weather and not feeling well.  In that moment, I was able to see his humanity, as I had not been able to before.  Also, in that moment I forgave him--completely, and on the spot.  Not just for the prior injustice, but also for the mess that is the inherited birthright of us all called--humanity.  From that point forward, I have held this person in the cradle of loving kindness. And, guess what?  No more nightmares.  Voila!

In the book, Anatomy of Peace, the authors make a distinction between having a "heart at peace" vs. a "heart at war".  While I read the book after the incident that I describe here, I notice upon reflection that my heart was at war with this person, and because of that stance the wound would not heal.  By forgiving him, my heart is now at peace.

So, I ask: with whom are you at war in your heart? And, how long will you let that wound fester until you forgive and heal?

How Intimate Are You Being?

Last week, I spent some time with 28 leaders becoming more intimate.  That's right--more INTIMATE.  

I find it extraordinarily interesting how often we avoid being intimate (especially with someone of the opposite sex) because we fear collapsing #intimacy with #sex.  Perhaps it's a boomerang response to the sexual revolution of the '60s and '70s where the lines between intimacy and sex were collapsed as part of the zeitgeist.  I am here to say--enough!  We are starving our emotional selves by putting up barriers to intimate relationships in the workplace and beyond.

Sacrebleu!  Did he just say "intimate relationships in the workplace"?  In a public forum?  That's right.  And, before you sick the EEOC on me, let me remind folks of what we are really talking about here.  Intimacy, by definition, is "close familiarity or friendship".  That's it.  Certainly, it can involve sex (as is the case with me and my spouse), but not necessarily so.  I can share that I have intimate relationships with my children, parents, and friends and I can assure you that no sex is involved.  I can also offer that I have had (and continue to have) intimate relationships with current and former coaching clients (men and women).  How could it be any other way?

If this discussion is making you squirm in your seat--good! It should.  My-o-my, how far apart we've moved from each other for the sake of a sanitized, emotion-free workplace (please pass the Lysol).  The pendulum has swung too far.

It may be helpful here to remember a little tool, often used by professional coaches and leaders trained by the Coaches Training Institute.  Intimacy is "Into-Me-See".  From that perspective, intimacy requires an open heart.  Opening our hearts to others is an act of courage because it makes us vulnerable to being hurt.  And while I have had my own heart wounded and broken several times during the course of my life, I find that leading my life from an open-hearted stance much more satisfying and energizing than armoring up every day to protect myself.  

If this post inspires you, makes you uncomfortable, or ignites a small spark of curiosity about how you approach and interact with others, then my duty is done.  With that sense of inspiration, discomfort, or curiosity I ask you to consider: how intimate are you being?