Do You Need a SOULution? | Barbara Hemphill
Barbara Hemphill
Vision Accelerator - Helping Others Pursue Entrepreneurship - Founder at Productive Environment Institute
If you’ve ever struggled with a major life decision, you know well the conversations that go on in your head. Maybe you’re looking for a solution to a problem, then when a potential solution appears, you second guess it. Should I do it? Should I not do it? Should I take a risk, or should I play it safe? How do I know it will work? What if I fail?
Andrea, PEI President, shares her story of such a dilemma 15 years ago when our paths first crossed. She had a job in the field of family preservation that drained her physically and emotionally. She dreamed of owning her own business so she could control her time, but instead, she was at the beck and call of a very demanding boss who happened to be overwhelmed with paper! It was this circumstance that led Andrea to do a Google search for “Filing System,” and lo and behold, my name popped up! Andrea reached out for more information.
One of my team members connected with her and shared our service offerings. Andrea was intrigued by the idea of someone coming to her boss’s office to help organize her paper--then she learned that she could take my training program and become a consultant too, which really got her excited!
BUT...
It would be a whole year before Andrea took any action beyond using the system in her boss's office. (It worked by the way!) However, the boss was still demanding and Andrea would be in tears a lot of the time. Once when expressing her deep frustration and angst, her friend Wanda suggested that she quit and do something else.
But Andrea argued...I can’t do that because...I need my job...I don’t know how to start my own business...I need a paycheck...What about insurance?
Then Wanda said something that made all the difference in the world. She said “_____ (Andrea's boss) is not your Source! God is!”
Fast forward a few weeks--Andrea was driving and again having that same dialogue in her head...Wanda was right, but….I can’t do that because...I need my job...I don’t know how to start my own business...I need a paycheck...What about insurance?
Then out of nowhere, a car pulled in front of her with a scripture on the license plate. She immediately called her friend Wanda and asked what it meant. Although the word Insurance was not mentioned in relation to the scripture, the word Assurance was! And that’s all Andrea needed to shift her thinking and start making plans to make her transition from a job she hated to a business she loves!
Andrea was looking for a solution that made sense, one that she could control. But what she received was a SOULution, when she was reminded who was really in control!
Over 10 years later, Andrea was able to share her story with one of our Certified Productive Environment Specialists? who was working for an organizing company after completing our training. The CPES was sharing that the environment that she was working in was not a kind or supportive one; however, the income was very good. Her dilemma was should she stay for the money or go out on her own and have freedom and flexibility in her life and a great deal less stress! After listening to her, Andrea gave her the same advice Wanda had given her many years before, “Your boss is not your Source. God is!”
Again, those simple words were the SOULution that she had been searching for. Since that time, the CPES has started a new business that is thriving and living a life that is filled with peace and joy!
I recently heard an amazing story in American history about the "An Appeal To Heaven" flag displayed by George Washington. The phrase came from John Locke's writings, an influential English philosopher from the mid-1600s, who wrote a series of papers on "Natural Laws," stating that human rights originated with God, not with the government (or your boss). You can listen to the story here.
The bottom line is that America was born under a banner of prayer.
Often, when we are struggling with a challenging issue in our lives searching for a solution in our own power, what we need is prayer -- an appeal to heaven -- our souls reaching out to God for an answer--what we now call a SOULution!
Do you have a SOULution story? Did you receive divine guidance for a dilemma you were facing? Or perhaps you’re still searching. We would love for you to share your story below!
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4 年Hey Barbara your Productive Environment Institute and community is my SOULution!