Week 8 - Integrity: The art of right alignment

Dear Friends,

Monday, (2/25 at 9pm ET) is our monthly telegathering, and we’ll be joined by Natalie Goldberg, author of “Writing Down the Bones,” to talk about her new book “Old Friend From Far and Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir.” Natalie is an amazing writer whose work I’ve admired for years, and her new book is terrific!

Because she’ll be in California at a book event, Natalie will need to leave the call at 9:45 pm ET. I’ll use the last fifteen minutes to talk about The Writer’s Workshop in April and to answer any questions you might have about the cruise. Please feel free to send your questions for Natalie ahead of time by hitting reply to this email. To join us on the call, dial (646) 519-5883 and use pin code 2346# promptly at 9pm ET. For more info on Natalie, visit: http://nataliegoldberg.com/

We now have plenty of the “You Can Heal Your Life” movies in our store and we’ve also stocked up on our popular Mesmerizing Oggz Eggs so you can share a healthier, more peaceful Easter gift with kids — much better for both of you than lots of candy :). You’ll find these items in our store, here: http://www.cherylrichardson.com/store/

Join me for this week’s “Coach on Call” live radio show where I’ll talk about reawakening hidden parts of yourself. I’ll also take your calls. To join me, visit http://www.hayhouseradio.com/ on Monday at 5pm ET (2pm PT, 10pm GMT) and click on the “listen now” button.

Have a great week…

Love,

Cheryl

p.s. – Need a little Divine Direction? Use the “Touch of Grace” button on our homepage here: http://www.cherylrichardson.com.

“The path of least resistance is what makes rivers run crooked.”

–Elbert Hubbard

Topic of the Week – Living with Integrity

As I continue to finish up my book, I’ve been going through old newsletters to rebroadcast the ones that generated a lot of feedback. I wrote this week’s newsletter after taking a trip to Toronto to speak at a conference. It struck a chord with our community and turned out to be a lesson that would serve me well later on. I hope it speaks to you in some way this week…

Last month I gave a speech in Toronto and during my trip I had an interesting experience that prompted this week’s message about living with integrity. While planning my trip, I’d been advised to say that my travels were for personal reasons when going through customs. I was told that if I admitted that I was going to Toronto on business I may be delayed for an indefinite length of time. This would have been a problem since my schedule was tight and I needed to leave for a television show immediately following my arrival at the airport. I couldn’t afford any delays.

When I received this advice I felt uneasy. I didn’t want to lie and I knew I’d be worrying about it every step of the way. Sure enough, as I was thinking about my trip the night before, I felt anxious about going through customs. After twenty minutes of mulling it over, I thought: “Cheryl this is silly. You travel all the time and it’s no big deal. Just say you’re visiting a friend.” Then I went to sleep.

The next morning while sitting at the gate, I began talking to a gentlemen who was traveling on the same flight. Since he was also going to Toronto for business, I asked him if he normally shared that information with customs. He said that he did. However, when I explained my situation, he too suggested that I say I was visiting a friend. “Don’t worry,” he said, “no one will ever know.” Ugh…

After spending practically the whole flight trying to come up with a story that would help me to rationalize lying, it suddenly occurred to me that this wasn’t about getting into Canada without a hassle. Nor was it about making my appointments on time. It was about my integrity. I realized that I wouldn’t feel good about myself if I lied. So, with that understanding my decision was easy: I would tell the truth and deal with the consequences.

It’s funny how small decisions can have such a big impact on the quality of our relationship with ourselves. Every choice has consequences and how you feel about yourself in relation to the choices you make has a direct effect on your self-esteem — your ability to hold yourself in high regard. Once you realize this, you become more aware of how your choices make you feel. For example, deciding to gossip with a co-worker might pass the time at a boring job, but it may also leave you feeling ashamed about your behavior later on. Or, staying late at work when you promised your family you’d be home early, might get an important project completed on time, but there’s a good chance that it will also cause you to feel guilty after the fact. These are the kinds of choices that can whittle away at our self-esteem.

While I’m not suggesting that you take yourself to task for every little issue, I am suggesting that you pay closer attention to how you feel about the choices you make to be sure that they leave you feeling good about who you are. When what we think, say, and do are congruent, we’re operating with integrity. As a result, we begin to experience an “inner alignment” that supports our emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

By the way, when I arrived in Toronto and went through customs I *was* pulled aside and sent to immigration. Once there, I had a lovely conversation with the customs officer (a young mother) who asked for advice about how to balance her busy life. After a little coaching, she sent me on my way with a grateful smile. Now if every tough choice could turn out that way . . .

~*~ Take Action Challenge ~*~

Is there a decision you need to make that might challenge your integrity? Use the following questions to help you make a wise choice:

How will I feel about myself once I’ve made this choice?

Will this decision allow me to hold myself in high regard?

If I make this choice, will I be walking my talk?

Every day we have an opportunity to raise our level of consciousness by raising our level of integrity. Honor your soul by choosing wisely.

In the News

There are still some spaces left in “The Writer’s Workshop” Mexican Riviera cruise. If you are an earnest writer who’s committed to getting your message out into the world you’ll want to check out this important opportunity to learn the ins and outs of getting published. Along with a comprehensive program, you’ll be invited to attend a special event with Reid Tracy, president and publisher of Hay House, who will answer questions about what they look for in a successful author. For more info click here.

Would you like a little laser coaching from Cheryl? Call in during her live Internet radio show, Coach on Call, on Mondays at 5pm ET (2pm PT, 10pm GMT) at www.hayhouseradio.com. Simply dial (866) 254-1579 if you live in the US, or for international callers dial, 1-760-918-4300 after your country code. Cheryl discusses a variety of topics related to practicing Extreme Self Care and living a high quality life.

We have a variety of unique life-changing gifts in our webstore at www.myextremeselfcare.com. You can have books personally signed for you or a loved one with a note of encouragement or support, include a hand-written gift card with your order, or find a special item to support your own self-care. There are heart ornaments, books, audio programs, lotions, and our popular Mesmerizing Oggz Egg (you need to see it to understand :). Check them out here: www.myextremeselfcare.com.

Listen to the free Practice Building Workshop telegathering on audio podium and learn to build your client base in a relaxed and authentic way. Whether you’re a coach, therapist, lawyer, massage therapist, or other service oriented business owner, you can learn about our program and the important steps for practice development by calling (405) 244-4000 – Box 104. For more info on our PBW audio program, click here.

Cheryl's Blog

Week 8 – Integrity: The art of right alignment

let’s stay connected!