Cate Montana's Blog - Posts Tagged "feminine"
Changing focus saved my derriere
Just got back from my first official book interview—on TV in Las Vegas in front of an audience being broadcast all over the world live by the Virtual Broadcast Network.
Can you spell N-E-R-V-O-U-S?
But I pulled together all my warrior genetics and swallowed the terror, focusing on the inescapable fact that it’s the message that matters, not me.
Really. It’s the only thing that got me through. That and the fact that I did considerable invocations to the Goddess for support and eloquence on Life’s behalf!
It’s a very feminine thing, setting aside self-importance and reaching out for support. The me of 20 or 10 or even five years ago… hell, even two—would have LOVED making that TV appearance all about me! But how nerve-wracking that would have been!
I would have been consumed with terror over my performance. My self-esteem ratings, my very sense of self would suddenly depend upon my wittiness and ability to make the audience laugh. I’d be constantly thinking about how I looked and how to get the maximum response from people.
Yuck.
Instead of thinking about "me" - I focused on my connection with my host and thinking about the message: that unless the “softer” feminine values of compassion, connectivity, empathy and concern for others are visibly acknowledged as equally important as power, profit and possessions that our world is basically toast.
Burnt toast.
While I was in Vegas watching the power meter spin wondering what the light bill ran each month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest statement saying it’s “extremely likely” that human activity and the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for dangerous global warming.
Really?
It’s just plain common-sense that we're responsible ... isn't it? It's obvious that corporate greed and a ‘let’s burn the last barrel of oil and rake in the cash while we can’ mentality is responsible for the lack of regulation over CO2 levels. But who in “real power” (besides Al Gore) is willing to take a stance and do something about it?
The Power Brokers care only about SELF. And that’s where the problem lies. And if we're all mostly looking out for #1, grabbing for the goodies, we’re ALL going to go over the cliff together.
So - what if individually we simply decided to start caring for the others in the world - and caring for our planet? What if we collectively decided to TAKE CARE and take the focus off of self and do things differently?
What if we took time to send a kind thought somebody’s way? Remembered to turn off the lights before leaving the house and tried carpooling occasionally (Ack! I know, I know!).
What if we all thought before grabbing stuff off the grocery store shelves that TV ads programmed us to buy and selected the products with less packaging and no GMOs... ?
Shifting my focus off "me" sure helped me get through that broadcast! Maybe shifting focus is all we need to do to make a difference and save the world.
Can you spell N-E-R-V-O-U-S?
But I pulled together all my warrior genetics and swallowed the terror, focusing on the inescapable fact that it’s the message that matters, not me.
Really. It’s the only thing that got me through. That and the fact that I did considerable invocations to the Goddess for support and eloquence on Life’s behalf!
It’s a very feminine thing, setting aside self-importance and reaching out for support. The me of 20 or 10 or even five years ago… hell, even two—would have LOVED making that TV appearance all about me! But how nerve-wracking that would have been!
I would have been consumed with terror over my performance. My self-esteem ratings, my very sense of self would suddenly depend upon my wittiness and ability to make the audience laugh. I’d be constantly thinking about how I looked and how to get the maximum response from people.
Yuck.
Instead of thinking about "me" - I focused on my connection with my host and thinking about the message: that unless the “softer” feminine values of compassion, connectivity, empathy and concern for others are visibly acknowledged as equally important as power, profit and possessions that our world is basically toast.
Burnt toast.
While I was in Vegas watching the power meter spin wondering what the light bill ran each month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest statement saying it’s “extremely likely” that human activity and the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for dangerous global warming.
Really?
It’s just plain common-sense that we're responsible ... isn't it? It's obvious that corporate greed and a ‘let’s burn the last barrel of oil and rake in the cash while we can’ mentality is responsible for the lack of regulation over CO2 levels. But who in “real power” (besides Al Gore) is willing to take a stance and do something about it?
The Power Brokers care only about SELF. And that’s where the problem lies. And if we're all mostly looking out for #1, grabbing for the goodies, we’re ALL going to go over the cliff together.
So - what if individually we simply decided to start caring for the others in the world - and caring for our planet? What if we collectively decided to TAKE CARE and take the focus off of self and do things differently?
What if we took time to send a kind thought somebody’s way? Remembered to turn off the lights before leaving the house and tried carpooling occasionally (Ack! I know, I know!).
What if we all thought before grabbing stuff off the grocery store shelves that TV ads programmed us to buy and selected the products with less packaging and no GMOs... ?
Shifting my focus off "me" sure helped me get through that broadcast! Maybe shifting focus is all we need to do to make a difference and save the world.
