Holy Cow.  Or shall we say Elephant?

We are feeling so blessed, happy, grateful, excited and exhausted – all at once.  Inspired Elephant’s inaugural Vision Board Workshop went sooooo well -- thanks to you!

The energy in the room was AMAZING.  Everyone was incredibly open and supportive of one another.  The support and energy extended outside the room as well.  We could not have done this without the faith of loved ones that couldn’t be there and our biggest cheerleaders -- our patient other-halves who understand how important our Herd is to us. 

The ages in the room spanned three decades but that didn’t divide us.  We were united in the desire to breathe light into our respective dreams and encourage others in the process.  We were a room of single women, wives, girlfriends, mothers, career women and stay-at-home moms who all carved out time in our very busy lives to assert that our dreams our important and we need to nurture them.

Everyone’s vision board was a work of art in its own right. While love, friendship, health, family and travel were prominent themes, they were expressed exquisitely and uniquely.   

Wishes were made, friendships were formed and hopes were shared.  We are humbled to have been witness to this and eager to host more INSPIRED events.

Thank you for supporting our vision of building a community of strong and inspiring women.  Thank you for sharing your dreams with us.  And thank you for telling your friends about our Herd and encouraging them to join.  Now that's our dream coming true!

Stay tuned for details on our next event scheduled for April 2nd!

XO,
Carolyn and Cher

Let’s help each other find our inner courage and be brave. These are 10 techniques that have help "the herd" fear less and embrace bravery. 

1. Fear is always going to be there – C.S. Lewis said that “Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it”.  In the same way, courage cannot be the absence of fear.  In life, we are going to be scared many times.  The key is to learn how to manage and face our fears.
2. Be grateful for our fears – We are designed to feel fear.  It is a survival instinct or response.  When we start feeling anxious about something, we evaluate the situation and have it be our motivator to make a decision.
3. We chose bravery – Every person reacts different to diverse situations.  There is not a magic recipe to manage our fears.  However, the first step is to make decision. We decide to be brave, courageous, audacious.  We decide that fear is not going to control us. 
4. Accept our limitations – We are not super-human.  We are not going to be able to do all things, all the time.  So, it is OK if we decide not to do something.
5. Forget about what others think or say – Do what feels right to us. We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.  People who truly care for will respect and support our decisions.
6. We recall our most daring moments – We focus on the times we have been able to break free from our fears.  The moments when we felt powerful, invulnerable, on the top of the world.  The more we think about those proud moments, the more fearless we become.
7. Count on others – It is fine to ask for help.  Using or asking for somebody’s help is not a sign of weakness.  
8. Ask for and only focus on the specific details – Ignorance only worsen our fears.  Don’t hesitate to ask and don’t assume things (which leads us to technique #9). 
9. Don’t cross the river before getting to the bridge – In other words, don’t make up a big list of fatalistic scenarios.  Do you know that about 95% of our worries don’t ever materialize?  Don’t torture yourself.  That is why we suggested asking for details.  That is how we separate what is real from what is not.
10. Be tougher than we think we are – All of us have gone thru a lot of daring moments but we usually don’t credit ourselves for them. We may have gone away to college, given birth (oh my), overcome illness, traveled alone, changed careers. These don’t sound that exiting but they are!!!  Cowards out there turn their back at living life.  So, we are stronger than we think because life has its own way of pulling the best out of us.  We just need to brave enough to accept the opportunities.  

​#FearlessFriday
 

The difference between being fearless and standing up to your fears lies in refusing to allow your fears to make your decisions.

Don’t pretend fears don’t exist, be thankful we can learn how to push through them. You push through with the help of:

PERSPECTIVE – How bad can it be? What’s the worst thing that can happen? If the world won’t end and no one will die as the result of your actions, you might as well take the leap

EXPERIENCE – Those times when you stood up to fear no matter how small

REPETITION – Understanding what to expect when you step out from the ordinary by frequently standing up to your fears

It is quite conventional to give in to fear and always wonder if something could have been different. But if like us you are inspired to live life to your fullest potential then you must do whatever it takes to overcome your fear. 

But let’s be clear: fearless, that may be asking the impossible. Fearing LESS that is realistically attainable. Start pushing through, it will be worth it. 
​
We’re always looking for inspiration.  Let us know a moment you pushed through and feared LESS. 
#FearlessFriday