So, it’s been a few days since I’ve been home and thankfully, I won’t have to hop on a plane until February. While I loved attending 3 separate events in 4 weeks, I missed the predictability of my home-work schedule.
I was one of Ali Brown’s scholarship winners and attended her Shine event which took place in Las Vegas from Nov 5-7, 2009 at no cost. Well, to be exact, there was a cost because I had to shell out $500 for airfare, $230 for hotel (I shared my room) and about $150 for food, however, my registration fee of $1500 was waived.
I met tons of women over the 3 day event, took pictures, kissed babies, you know, the whole nine. In a room filled with 500 women and probably 5 men, I could feel a wave of anticipation in the air.
I soaked in the energy in the room and smiled at God for making this trip happen. Everything aligned so I could be at Shine and I was curious to know what God wanted to show me. I knew something big would happen for me at Shine and I was nervous not knowing what would be revealed.
Well, it was in the first 15-minutes of the event that 12-months of confusion started to unravel. And it was in that moment I regretted going to Ali’s event. Why? Because there was simply no turning back because I had been “found out.”
You see, the last 12-months have been tough. My income dropped, my creative energy seemed to dry up and my social media expertise was no longer in hot demand. While I could blame the economy, there was something deeper that was affecting my business. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
Me with Tina Forsyth (left) & Terry Green (middle)
Before Ali came out on stage on Day 1, we were presented with a mini Cirque du Soleil act. Two tall clowns, people walking in huge bubbles, a couple on rollerblades and then an agile, muscular man who had an obsession with spinning things.
As he started to spin a large cube in the palm of his hand, the hypnotic movement of the spinning cube put me in a trance of wonderment. As I watched the cube spin and spin and spin, I asked myself just one question:
“If I did an event like this in Canada, who could I hire to spin a cube for me?”
Odd question, I know, but sometimes you have to ask things a different way to arrive at the answer you really need to hear.
The answer I got wasn’t who I could hire. Instead, God showed me that I too had a gift and that for the past 12-months, I hid it.
No, my gift isn’t spinning a ginormous silver cube in the palm of my hand. My gift is inspiring, motivating and entertaining through spoken word.
It was in that moment as the music pumped through the speakers and as I watched the spinning cube, God showed me that because I was hiding my gift, I could not bless others. And because I wasn’t being a blessing to others, God could not bless me with the abundance He has waiting for me.
Bullseye!
Me with Terry Green (left) & Jillian Slack
It took traveling to a city 3000 km away, sitting in a darkened room listening to pounding dance music and watching a rather muscled up guy spinning a huge silver cube in the palm of his hand for me to finally understand why I’ve been stuck over the past 12-months.
For the rest of the time I was at Shine, nothing else mattered. I felt no desire to meet anyone new. Not because I was being a snob, but because I was in my own fog of war. You know, that period of time when things are happening all around you, but you can’t make sense of it right away. Yup, that was me at Shine. Unwrapping the mysteries of my profound revelation one layer at a time.
Some complained that the content was weak. Others complained that Shine was nothing more than an upsell to Ali’s mastermind programs. Still others complained that Ali was using the event to record footage for a TV talk show.
I really didn’t care.
Because for me, it wasn’t about Ali. It wasn’t about what she was wearing or how big her engagement ring was on her finger. I didn’t pontificate about how much money she was pulling in at the event, nor did I engage in discussions about how many thongs she sold through her boutique.
All these material things meant nothing to me. What did was:
- My clear, uninhibited connection to my Creator who finally slapped me out of my frustration and showed me that I had become comfortable with my plain, boring, mediocre business.
- That for the first time in 12-months, I could see clearly why my business stalled.
- And with fresh eyes, I could see what was holding me back for all these long months.
So, I spent my time at Shine asking God to reveal the one action I had to take as soon as I got home so I could start sharing my gift with others. And for the first time in weeks, I finally felt a sense of peace wash over me.
It was the evening of Day 2 that I talked to Kendall Summerhawk about my revelation. I was on my way to dinner and I bumped into Kendall in the hallway. I asked those with me to go ahead and grab a table so I could speak to Kendall privately.
As I started talking, I could feel myself getting all emotional. I couldn’t understand why, so I apologized to Kendall. That’s when she said:
“That’s okay. Your emotions mean you’re moving into something greater.”
I now recognize that I’ve been called to do something bigger. I received a forceful nudge to leave the comforts of mediocrity and enter the uncertain world of greatness. I’m overwhelmed by this revelation and I’m a little nervous of this great responsibility.
Shine has helped me to realize that while my skills make money, it’s my gift that provides purpose. That’s really all I needed to hear.
Updates: For some, it’s not quite obvious why I regret going to Shine, even though I listed it above in the 5th paragraph. So, here it as plain as day once again – I regret going to Shine because it made me aware that I could no longer hide my gift behind my mediocre business. I had been found out. Hopefully that’s clear, huh?
