I am introducing 
my sister, Shannon aka The Cinnamon Cowgirl for this week’s sharing. I adore my big sister so much. Shannon was my original and first SHEROE and was the inspiration for my book She Dances Between The Worlds and truly, she was and is a source of guidance for the founding of Cosmic Cowgirls.
This is an article she wrote for our book for women in visionary business, Heart of the Visionary, she was a primary author along with me, Mary MacDonald, Caron McCloud and Elizabeth Benson-Udom and 23 contributing authors with a foreword from SARK.
In this writing, my own sista, a brilliant being, in true Cosmic Cowgirl fashion combines two things together that don’t normally share real estate. Birds and business. After a very long successful career, my sister, now lives the legendary life of a storyteller, creative, coach, music promoter and writer.
And together we just love to dance….and fly to destinations unknown. And, we have often been known to ride our imaginary horses around facebook and out to Red Rock in the wee hours of the morning…
Finding My Wings Again To Migrate to New Legendary Adventures
The Power of Metaphor—Business Is For the Birds
For nearly two decades I was responsible for supporting my employers in achieving their goals to “Build and Enhance the Company’s Corporate Vision, Improve Profitability, and Increase Shareholder Value.” I had a vital “Corporate Business Vision” which was specific to achieving these goals critical for success, not only for my company but also to help other key business leaders in doing so. I became an expert negotiator, sales woman, and consultant and my success was measured in terms of “The Bottom-Line.” Clearly, “Vision” and related goals and that which comprises “The Bottom Line” are of utmost importance to creating our value as businesswomen.
There are endless species of birds with different migratory cycles and processes, some migrating daily, others seasonally and annually, or not at all. Some migrate over land by day, others are nocturnal travelers who migrate at night and over water. Other birds migrate on foot, never taking flight but still having their own migratory planning and vision with which to deal.
While I graduated “Summa Cum Laude” with my expertise in “Street Smarts,” the prerequisites required in my line of work, and specifically my company, were/are that one should be a white male, graduating from “Ivy League College” with an MBA or PhD. Nevertheless, I became a highly successful, respected, and rich. To me, not being or having any of these “qualifications” meant that I HAD to succeed. In my mind I had to prove, not only to everyone else that I was competent to get the job done and then some, but most of all, I had to prove it to myself. While my statistics quickly reflected my success, and the money was great, I didn’t experience feeling truly wealthy or worthy, and due to the challenging nature of my work and its complex dynamics, I simply didn’t have time to care for myself.
A bird’s survival depends upon the condition of its feathers, and they work hard to make sure their feathers and wings are well preened, strong and waterproof.
I made a big mistake and left me behind. Fortunately, I never left my Cowgirl Boots or Lipstick behind.
Most species who fly over large bodies of water are not able to land and have rest. There are small birds who have the most difficult journeys to make, flying over thousands of miles to their destination. The migration journey of the ruby-red-throat Hummingbird, for instance, is 2,000 miles, and they can fly nonstop for over 500 miles, at speeds up to 60 mph.
My work hours became out of control as did my personal life and health. I have a big spirit, but I am indeed, a small bird in body frame. My journey, although exciting, was taking some of my vitality out, and not putting enough back in.
Prior to entering into their seasonal and annual migration cycles, birds have to carefully plan and prepare for their journeys. They rebuild their bodies from the inside out, nourishing themselves to provide strength within. They go through a molting period which helps regulate their body temperatures to help them stay warm over cold waters and adjust to climate changes.
Then came a new challenge—supporting our company and our clientele to incorporate our expertise into their businesses internationally. One of my special clients and myself helped launch this new calling in the marketplace. Specific to negotiation and conflict issues, the integration of those topics on a worldwide basis required intricate attention.
Birds select their flight patterns based on different celestial compasses and adjust them to pervasive environmental changes. Most birds migrate at night because winds tend to be more calm and there are fewer predators. Also, when flying over enormous bodies of water at night they focus on their celestial compass, such as star patterns in the sky. But sometimes when clouds obscure the light, the flock can become scattered and disoriented. However, they still learn to adapt and seek polarized light. They also use the light of the moon as a compass by its reflection on the water. They sing out to their pals to make certain they are on track and not separated from one another along their journey. Many birds even migrate in mixed flocks.
Our team members were called to incorporate multicultural values, belief systems, politics, and multilingual translations both in written and in verbal form. Further, the nuances of the underlying meanings of those translations and what they meant to the multitude of cultures was vital. We not only had to learn and teach our individual cultures these new business disciplines, but to learn and teach other cultures reaching far beyond America how to integrate with each other and us as well. When this was particularly difficult and these cultures often resisted, we at least tried to guide them to inquire into and honor one another’s differences, and to realize that they must adapt to this dynamic if they were to be successful in the business world.
The primary danger isn’t a lack of sleep because birds take little naps and rest their eyes, sometimes partially closing them to soften their vision, and sometimes they might even fly with one eye closed. Though napping, they cannot rest their wings but must keep flapping them and flying in unison.
I had to adapt my work schedule based on International Time Standards. When I was on conference calls or attending meetings, I had to learn how to reframe my mindset and strategy to consider multicultural differences, manage conflicting goals and internal competition with different leaders in the same company. I somehow became, by default, the one to whom people looked to solve “the problem.” Most people tend to be conflict adverse, and this, coupled with a significant variance in belief systems, requires a substantial amount of time when attempting to resolve their issues. As the world and my career became more complex, my goals were increased each year by approximately twenty percent.
The major danger to survival is weathering storms and strong headwinds. The stronger birds that care for themselves and better plan for their journey greatly increase their chances to survive. While the little birds that are more fragile, or don’t know how to care for themselves prior to migrating, become exhausted and fall into the waves.
In the beginning of my migration into the corporate world my wingspan was mighty and strong.
I could fly endlessly for thousands of miles under any conditions. But I failed to take care of myself. After flying furiously and mightily for endless distances through uncharted territories, I was forced to fold in my wings. I went into what is commonly known by the human species as “burn out.”
While shedding the familiar feathers of my corporate cloak, the stress and pain reached so far inside of me that I had no strength left within my wings to fly any further. Losing, first my personal source of origin and then my point of destination, broke my heart. I didn’t know who I was except a successful business woman without a personal vision of my own or the strength to carry myself either onward or back to the nest full of creative possibilities that I had abandoned for so long. But, in spite of broken wings and a broken heart, I have no regrets, except that I did not take better care of myself. I am grateful for the opportunity and what I accomplished and learned. I am so very grateful to those special people in my flock who helped guide me in my journey to “Destination Business.” After having lost my business, personal vision, health, creativity, and income, I am grateful that I had been able to generate capital enough to see me through a painful and seemingly endless time of recovery. Napping. Nesting. Nurturing.
And now, I am so grateful for my new journey, for the strength to rebuild my wings, my heart, and my passion. I am finding new flight patterns as I go, and I sing in unison with my flock of Cosmic Cowgirls while migrating to my favorite place, “Destination Miracle.”
I hope you will join our mixed flock and fly with us to new destinations!
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said:
Well behaved women rarely make history.
Tips For Bird Watching
Bird’s flying abilities take practice and evolve gradually. We need to take our life-path steps gradually, making notes of goals we can reasonably achieve over time, and taking time to observe and to learn. And to stop when we are tired.
Birds plan and pay careful attention to nourishing themselves both inside and out in order to achieve maximum power prior to their journeys. What, as women, must we do to nourish ourselves? This is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Birds have a vision and an internal compass for their flight-path, which is celestial. There are many meanings such as “Heavenly Body” or “Celestial Peace” derived from the origin of the word celestial, and other definitions signifying a sense of peace and beauty, but they always relate to the Sky. So, we reach up as far as we can! What business values do we wish to bring to the operation of our company that will guide ourselves and others? What tools and processes need to be considered to ensure we are leading our business in a way that is true to our personal style and integrity, and to our team members and customers?
Birds live their life in a hurry with high energy which shortens their life span. As women in business we must find ways to choose our own speed limit and to determine where our energy is best focused. Remember, although birds live their lives in a hurry to survive, they still learn to fly gradually. We can pay attention to our vision and create options which support us if we are to have a long and abundant life, both professionally and personally. What should we contemplate? What are our priorities? What can we enter into our journal of thoughts and ideas that we can reflect upon when we feel stressed? How can we use this wisdom before we find that we have to give ourselves a ticket for unhealthy, unproductive speeding?
Birds have daily, seasonal and annual migrating cycles. As women in business, we are also required to achieve goals in daily, weekly, quarterly, monthly, semi-annually and yearly cycles. We can learn to pay attention to these cycles so that we can better plan and be in alignment with both our personal goals, and the goals of our business which are all a part of that greater cycle of seasons that naturally occur in our universe. We can also plan for our personal cycles.
Some Birds fly in mixed flocks. Given the increasing tension among race, religion, culture, etc. how can we best adapt with as much ease as possible? What are the important things to consider? What can we use to guide us to honor our own individuality and that of others? We don’t have to agree with or even like each other, but we do have to work together.
The primary cause of death for birds is from exhaustion. How can we rest and care for ourselves and balance that with the business world which requires so much of our attention and so much of our life? We cannot wait until we have a crisis to stop.
Birds sing. So should we, even if we can’t carry a tune. This is an incredible way to manage stress, fight depression, increase breathing, and become inspired. What songs shall we sing? Write them down and learn to sing them! Make up your own little tunes! Hum!
Birds like to take baths. A lot. Need I say more? I take several actual baths a week!
Birds are miraculous and amazing. So are we. Each of us must find that part inside of ourselves that we love and write about it. If that is too foreign or scary for some of us, think
about oneself as a much loved friend. Ask, “What are the reasons I find her magnificent,” and “Why do I love her?” Give her a beautiful name. Write about her.
Birds belong to a different species. The women contributing to our vision in creating this workbook are a species we call Cosmic Cowgirls. Cosmic Cowgirls are women who “Dance between the worlds, with our bare feet in the grassroots, a song in our hearts, and our head in the stars. We create our own legends.” Want to join us? Are you a Cosmic Cowgirl?
To order your own copy of Heart of the Visionary
either in hard copy or as an e-book. magine having access to the wisdom of 23 women entrepreneurs!
These women have shared the heart and soul of their businesses as well as secrets, ideas and ways to git-r-done. This book is for the woman visionary who wants heart to be a the center of her goals, but also want to pay attention to her bottom line. IN the feminine business paradigm we put our values as the central vision, and weave our income streams out from that sacred place.This step-by-step journey lays out the basics of a powerful business plan – while keeping creativity and pleasure and dreams at the very heart of the message. This book is illustrated, and features the poetry and images of successful business women. Everything from how to use active imagination in the purpose of your business, to a budget, to a marketing plan, to writing a mission statement is included in this volume.
Shiloh and Shannon dancing the blues...
You can find Shannon on Facebook at Shannon Cinnamon McCloud
Shannon aka The Cinnamon Cowgirl is a published author who writes fairy tales for and with grown ups who are recovering from being grown up. As a teacher and writer, part of her work is to support other recovering grown ups to write & sing their own true fairy tales as a part of their healing and life journey. She is still writing and and living her own legend in the hills of Marin County California. Shannon is also a Music Promoter and Supporter of the Arts. Shannon says: “I love to work and play with my Cosmic Cowgirls, My Artista Brothers and Sistas’ and frolic, dance and celebrate love with one another.”
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yself this question almost every day. It is how I get ACCESS to my own information. How I enter the part of my conscious and unconscious self to get TO the very places I know need to be illumined to have a wonder-filled life. I am in love with wonder – living a life where aliveness, wonder and creativity reign – this is my choice. But will I choose it? Yes. I have to. Poets and artists eat wonder butter spread onto toast with jam with morning tea. It’s how we create. It’s where we create from. It is the spaces between the spaces where our own original genius can emerge. 
based on creative practices designed to bring us more fully alive, creatively self expressed, and able to move upon life with all the grace, grit, aliveness and possibility we can muster out here in the rodeo of the soul. And our brilliant (and might I say, gorgeous and witty) Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine staff has agreed to journey with us as we move through what can only be called – Dangerous Territory. In this journey what we call our creative practices depends on our mood: fence posts, vocabulary words, portals, tenets, doorways, principles. But what are they really? The concepts we are working with at Cosmic Cowgirls are gateways to the infinite through which we access the core essentialness of who we are as humans.
ght you haven’t had yet.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with close to 700 women on a call called Live Like You Are Living, if you want to hear some juiciness expressed in my own voice - you can find the recording on the information page for our upcoming Color of Woman – just scroll down a bit to listen or download it to listen later.
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