A guest post by Tara Sophia Mohr, creator of Playing Big.
The story that Tara Gentile told here yesterday is true.
I had come across Tara Gentile via Twitter and was so impressed by her personal story. Then I had a dream that I had done a coaching session with her and it had really helped me.
Yup, a dream.
I wrote her and asked her if we could do some sessions. She said something along the lines of, “Great to hear from you! I can’t imagine I have anything to offer you, but let’s just set up a call to say hi.”
I said: “No, I really want to pay you money. Based on your website, you seem to be very “pro” that whole thing where one person pays another for their work. May I please hire you?”
She persisted. I persisted. After some discussion, we decided to work together.
In her post yesterday, Tara talked about how working with me was a step in her own playing bigger. Believing that she could offer value required defying an inner critic who’d declared she had nothing to offer a woman who wrote for Huffington Post and sported a Stanford MBA.
Her inner critic was very wrong. I’m glad she was willing to question it, because Tara helped me transform my work into a thriving business.
Tara also helped me play bigger. She pushed me to set higher goals for the number of people I could reach, the money I could earn, the partners I could work with. Her vision for me was free of all the stuff my inner critic and limited thinking was telling me.
Together, we looked at my passions and expertise, and discovered what my blog readers wanted more of from me. It turned out that what my audience most wanted to learn was what I most wanted to teach. My biggest passion was their biggest quest: playing bigger. Specifically, how visionary, creative, entrepreneurial women can play bigger.
From there, I developed my Playing Big program – a natural outpouring of all that I already knew from my own journey to playing bigger, from coaching other women, from my MBA training, and from a lifelong passion for helping women share their voices. Over 100 women from around the world – from Dubai to Detroit – have participated in Playing Big, and now an amazing group is signing up for round two.
It’s fascinating to me that for both Tara and I, the presence of another person helped us play bigger. That resonates with one of the big truths I know: we learn to play bigger in supportive community, in relationship.
Okay. On to the fun part.
Because I am such a fan of Tara,
because I am so passionate about fabulous women like you playing bigger,
and because I know that playing big happens because of relationship as well as tools and skills,
I’m sponsoring a scholarship spot for someone to attend her Art of Earning LIVE event Philadelphia.
I’m thrilled to foot the bill, because I know doing so advances my mission: helping brilliant, creative women stepping into their full potential.
If you’d like to enter to win the sponsored spot, ask yourself:
- Are you ready to transform your relationship with earning?
- Do you have the bandwidth to give time mental space to this event this year?
The scholarship covers the $1000 tuition & 3 meals; it does not include travel or accommodation expenses.
If your answer to the two questions above is yes and you can get yourself to and from Philly, please leave a comment below sharing, “What does “playing big” mean for you and your business in 2012? And what do you hope to gain from The Art of Earning live?”
Here’s to your playing big in 2012.
Love,
Tara Sophia Mohr
***
Here’s how it works:
- Post your answer to Tara’s questions in the comments below by Friday, January 20 at noon Eastern.
- Tara & I will pick a winner using good business sense & a bit of feminine intuition.
- The winner will be contacted via email on Monday, January 23. The winner must respond via email within 24 hours.
- No purchase necessary.
- The winner will be announced publicly here at taragentile.com by Tuesday, January 24.
Want to share this your network? Hit the Twitter, G+, or Facebook buttons below or click to tweet below:
Win a ticket to The Art of Earning LIVE & play bigger w your biz in 2012! @taragentile & @tarasophia want YOU: http://bit.ly/y3n4SW
After a long life of being criticized, being told ‘it’s not good enough’, that ‘I’m not good enough’, and that ‘ill never succeed’ i’ve finally realized that i can USE all of those negative statements and turn then around.
The world is SUCH a negative place, and i KNOW I’m supposed to being little bits of joy and encouragement through my art work. It’s taken my heart a really really long time to be happy with my life’s purpose, but now I’m super excited, thankful for the criticism and ready to COMPLETELY jump in and express myself, and my words to make the world i better place.
I’m ready to CELEBRATE all of my successes, I’m ready to ACCEPT that i DESERVE to make a living doing what brings me, and others joy. I’m ready to LEARN how to make my own dream come true, and how to help others RID of the negative messages in their lives.
It’s OKAY to feel.
It’s OKAY to concur fears.
It’s OKAY to succeed!!!
Thanks so much for the oppertunity and these questions. I really REALLY enjoyed writing this little mantra out, and it’s inspired me to blog my feelings.
That ALONE was a great PRIZE to me.
smiles and thanks,
Jenipher
Hi Tara & Tara,
I am Kat Gannon. Jewelry Designer and maker. My business at this point seems to be turning a corner. A corner that is driving me. What playing big for my business and myself in 2012 would mean I act out of my box, confront the fears and stumbling blocks that are presenting themselves at this point. I would like to create a business so that one day I am able to mentor another jeweler that has a dream. And of course I would like to make more money. Playing big would be shocking myself! I am ready to do whatever is necessary to make my business grow and work into something that is profitable beyond my wildest dreams by following my vision but learning from others as well. I have finally learned that we all need help and input at one time or another.
What I would like to gain is growth. Growth for my business for myself and the beginning of a network for both to thrive.
I know that I have a lot of work to do and a long way to go but I need help. Outside of saying pick me pick me. LOL PICK ME
Ready to work!
Kat Gannon
p.s. Almost a year ago today, I attended an art journaling workshop Kimberly Wilson hosted in Washington, D.C. {Did you know Kimberly also interviewed Tara M. for the Tranquility du Jour podcast?}
Anyway, I mused that afternoon about a name for my yoga-inspired hand-knotted jewelry and created a lovely two-page spread. It features a photo of a woman’s hands decorated with mehndi, open in a gesture of receiving. Alongside it I wrote: ”I am open to the possibilities of the universe. I receive, channel love, peace, beauty … pick a name, let a name arise” Underneath I penned:
2 tara
II tara
tu tara
I flipped through the journal on January 15 and spotted my art. Then, on January 18, you sent out an email with a call to register for the scholarship. WITH TWO TARAs.
Woo woo? Kismet? Or a coincidence? I call it synchronicity. I would be honored to study with the two Taras. Thank you.
Hello ladies!
“Playing big” for me means truly knowing that my visions for my career and future business are possible. It means not allowing my own limiting thoughts or other’s limiting thoughts to stifle my motivation and drive. In my core, I know that it is a waste of energy to “wonder what others will think” or “I don’t think I’m smart/skilled enough to do this”. However, those thoughts still manage to creep up in my mind and I want to put an end to it. “Playing big” also means knowing that I have something to offer to people. At this point, I feel like I am stuck in the technical & mandatory parts of building my new career (by being a graduate student & intern). It is challenging for me to begin the steps of creating my business, because I feel like I am not yet allowed to. I am encouraged by the fact, though, that I eventually accomplish every big goal I set for myself.
By experiencing The Art of Earning Live, I hope to gain a swift kick in the pants to leave my limiting thoughts behind and start the small steps towards actually building my business. I look forward to being surrounded by other like-minded women & those already experiencing success with their businesses. These are relationships that I am currently lacking and know would be very inspirational. I also want to change my views about money (of course!) and not view it as an enemy but as a tangible demonstration of my worth. I do not want to feel guilty about wanting to make a substantial amount of money from my business.
With my business, I plan to blend my creative culinary passions with my scientific knowledge. While I hope to educate and assist people to live healthier lives, ultimately I want to empower them to do it for themselves. I firmly believe that no one can make you do something (whether good or bad) if you do not want it for yourself.
I would be honored to be chosen to attend The Art of Earning Live and know that it would be a worthwhile, inspiring, and informative experience!
~Olena
My name is Colleen Attara, owner of Colleen Attara Studio, and ready is my word for 2012.
I am ready and prepared to completely transform my relationship with earning.
Confront it.
Then turn it over and look at it very closely.
I know at first that might be a little uncomfortable. But over the course of growing my business, I get excited when I leave my comfort zone, because that is when the real growing takes place. I am comfortable being uncomfortable and I think that is what it takes to transform your relationship with earning.
Ready is my word for this year, but I have been “getting ready” for years.
I am an eco-artist and I make joyful art from reclaimed materials. My favorite material to repurpose is any form of scrap plastic. I have built relationships with local sign shops and plastic fabricators that are mutually beneficial so that they save replaced business signs and scrap plastics for me.
This past year, I was one of 70 artists out of 700 chosen to be part of a new regional medical center filled with art. I was commissioned to build a 70-foot long installation of a colorful city out of reclaimed business signs and mistake paint in the entrance to the pediatric corridor of Capital Health Medical Center. I was way out of my comfort zone on this project and it has opened many doors for me.
My plan for 2012 is to build more large green installations in healing environments. There is hope when materials headed for a landfill become art. I want to spread that hopefulness far and wide in the coming year.
I have my own studio in an 1800’s cottage on preserved farmland. I sell work from my studio, teach workshops, and have my art in several regional galleries.
My website was just redesigned and I have fully embraced social media. I have a loyal customer base that is very supportive of my work. I am completely ready to grow my business and transform my relationship with earning.
My studio is about a half hour away from Tara’s amazing workshop. I am ready to drive straight down I-95 and think about how transforming the day ahead of me will be. I am ready to listen and take action on everything I hear that day. Tara’s voice is pure wisdom. She has my full attention and has had it for some time.
If I didn’t live so close, I would happily drive myself to the airport and sit on a plane and think about how transforming the day ahead of me will be.
Tara and Tara, thank you for your consideration and this opportunity to put my name in the ring. I am a huge believer in female intuition.
My name is Angela Armstrong and I am currently “burning the box” in every area of my life and reinventing myself from the ground up.
Playing Big in 2012 means that I no longer let doubt and fears live rent free and stop me from taking action and sharing m gifts with the world. I stand tall and share my story the good, bad and ugly. I stand in my Truth. Knowing that if my story impacts one life it will change the world. It means charging what I’m worth and making the money in order to thrive and give back.
Playing big means dancing to the beat of my drum even if it’s a little off beat. It means being more afraid REGRET then FAILURE. It means that I have found my voice and letting it be heard. “I am not afraid I was born to do this” is the motto I live by. Fear is not only my friend but it makes me laugh and feel alive. Playing big in 2012 means next year, I will be able to gift a scholarship to another woman who wants to “play big” in her life and career.
Playing big creates EPIC change.
Playing big means finding my tribe and creating content that empowers them to use their voice and burn the box in areas of their lives that are holding them back and keeping them from living life on their terms.
I hope to gain from The Art of Earning, Tara Gentile’s freakin’ BRILLIANCE. She is amazing and filled with so much knowledge about creating and living in the You Economy. She has done this organically and this is what I hope to gain by spending one day with her and her community. I hope to take away that powerfulness that will be unleashed in the room and create something EPIC. To be in that room for over 8 hours is going to transform my life in ways that I can’t even imagine. I hope to gain “membership” into a powerful community of like-minded people who will be my biggest resources, cheerleaders and accountability partners. I also look forward to introducing the world to the new me that will be unleashed after the Art of Earning !!
For me, playing big in 2012 means risking big, believing big, and giving greater credence to my own talents and dreams than I do to the negative messaging that has been suffocating me for years. Risking big means taking the leap to leave my low-paying, low-satisfaction job in favor of abundance in my work. Believing big begins with the knowledge that the mental and spiritual fulfillment of doing meaningful work will in fact lead to meaningful financial fulfillment. (And that financial fulfillment and spiritual fulfillment are not mutually exclusive- they can coexist!) It also means believing in the power that I possess- that I will not let down my daughter, my husband or myself. That I’m actually letting us all down now by settling for what is small, steady and stifling instead of what is calling me into the great unknown!
What I would most hope to gain from participation in The Art of Earning Live would be real, live connections with a community of empowered entrepreneurs that would extend beyond the bounds of the event and the internet. The life of an artists, and a life lived out behind the glowing screen can be isolating, and I believe that when we feel alone, we are least likely to know our own worth, project it into our work, and watch our earning power become a reflection of our best selves. I want to be part of a movement of mutual empowerment, and I see the Art of Earning Live as an excellent incubator for such a thing!
I know i’m too late for the draw, but I feel answering these questions are a great challenge for me to get clear. So, I”m taking it!
Playing big for me and my business in 2012 means “Coming Out!” and diving in to my business 100%!
1) dropping my day job & doing my business 45-60 hours a week- fulltime! this is a FIRST for me and very exciting. I will be leaving my day job Feb. 8th- so the wheels are in motion already!
2) taking Tara’s 6 week website kickstart workshop & totally revamping my website- and continuing to tweak my website after the workshop ends in March
3) doing Tara’s 30 day Email Marketing Kickstart- and diving into understanding email marketing
3.5) Build my BLOG!!! do weekly posts that I write/ video & start including guest posts, interviews with other bloggers & people I admire
4) making videos of the movement work I do that are accessible for all people with or without fluid movement background. These videos concentrate on teaching people to embody themselves to their next level-
(i) learning to listen to their bodies for healing and for insight.
(ii) learning how to unwind trauma, injury & inhibitive coping-mechanism patterning thru sensation tracking & fluid movement
(iii) learning more about the body thru light anatomy images & diagrams woven into the movement + music guidance
(iv) learning how to use breath to move feeling + energy thru the body
(v) deepening emotional intelligence skills by learning to manage emotion:
- identifying feelings that are lodged in physical sensations
- learning to give space for these feelings & sensations
-learning to let these feelings move thru fluid stretching, fluid resistance & fluid random, multi-tempo, pattern breaking movement
5) Teach More!
(i) Teach more weekly classes
(ii) teach workshops
(ii) Create trainings for practitioners, therapists & doctors on somatic movement and sensation tracking
6) Increase my private client base
7) Network to medical community on the value of somatic movement + coaching
(i) Twitter
(ii) Blogging
(iii) Healtchare 2.0
(iv) conferences
(v) reach out to my healthcare heroines & heroes- eg. Candace Pert, Deepak Chopra etc… and
What I hope to gain from The Art of Earning live:
-a new perspective on earning that is artful, fun, expansive, inspiring- that takes me out of my deeply ingrained, limiting notions about earning
-a new perspective that inspires me to accomplish my playing big goals above.
-a perspective that isn’t about over-pushing myself & driving me into the ground in order to play big, but rather shows me the key to tapping into a flow.
- a perspective that talks about the value of challenge pressure and mistakes, without
- i hope to gain team mates to gather strength & accountability assistance
-I hope to gain humor and playfulness around playing big
Thank you!
Michelle