Blu Who?
(This is part of the "Road Less Traveled" series)
In some of my past blogs I have mentioned a friend of mine who is doing some amazing work with her company WorldBlu. Well, this series is the perfect opportunity to profile Traci Fenton up close and let her tell you in her own words what exactly WorldBlu is, how it came to be, and how it may very well change the way the world works.
Travis: So Traci, give me your elevator description of how you describe WorldBlu.
Traci: Sure! WorldBlu exists to elevate the human sprit by inspiring the supporting the design and development of democratic workplaces around the world. I first founded WorldBlu in 1997 as a non-profit think-tank and then launched it in its current form in the fall of 2003 as a for-profit company.
Travis: But why? Why did you decide to start WorldBlu?
Traci: Founding WorldBlu was never a decision for me, it just something I HAD to do. Although it may sound odd to say, there was no choice involved. I just felt it was my calling, part of what I was made to do in this life. There was an inescapable pull to start it and give all my heart and soul and sometimes blood, sweat and tears to it. I knew that if I didn't it wouldn't let me go until I did. And even though technically I'm the founder of WorldBlu, I feel like each day I strive to be good enough to get to work there.
Travis: You say it was a "calling." Can you elaborate on that? Would you also say this work is part of your life purpose?
Traci: Absolutely this is my calling and my purpose! My purpose in life is to help move people from a mind-set of fear into a mind-set and life of freedom. I strive to do that in many ways, but professionally I get to do it as WorldBlu. How do I know it's my calling? Because it's in my DNA! It's the same thing that sometimes breaks your heart and makes you feel like you can fly! It's the thing that deepens you and brings together all the things you love. The paradox of living your purpose is that it's the most selfish and unselfish thing you could ever do. And when you're doing it you just know and nothing can shake you from it.
Travis: You mentioned that you help people move "from a mind-set of fear." How have you overcome your own fears?
Traci: The first fear is always self-doubt and internal resistance. Who am I to do this? Who will listen to me? Why should they listen to me, etc.? People tell you to push those questions aside but I think you have to take them one by one and answer them for yourself.
Asking myself, "Why would anyone listen to me?" has pushed me to become an expert in my field. I wanted to be in the know so that others would listen to me! So you learn to manage and eventually transcend your own self-doubt but then you also hit the logistical obstacles which usually revolve around lack...lack of money, time, resources, people, and clients, etc. But I've come to learn that lack is just a way of seeing. I'm still learning this lesson each day, but as I focus on wholeness, I see that more and more played out in my day and at WorldBlu in unexpected ways.
Travis: What are some of the other obstacles you have had to handle?
Traci: I think another set of obstacles that you then find is what others think about you or your company and their criticism in its myriad forms that come along. This year one of our major projects got a lot of press coverage, reaching about 30 million people, far beyond what we ever anticipated. With that also comes criticism and so I'm learning how to deal with that. But again, moving from fear to freedom and keeping with my purpose is often about looking fear straight-on, not ignoring it, not running from it. I have to really work at it sometimes, but ultimately if I'm dealing with a form of fear, I try to get to a point where I can say to the challenge, "Thank you because you are teaching me how to love unconditionally, how to be a smarter business woman, how to be more discerning, etc." Sometimes you just have to love the hell out of things!
Travis: To take on a cause of this magnitude - I can't imagine the spiritual resolve you need to get through each day. So, where do you turn for that support and inspiration?
Traci: There are many resources and people I turn to each day to keep me on track. You cannot do it alone and I'm so grateful for all the mentors and friends I have who unselfishly help me stay on purpose.
As a Christian Scientist, I begin each day by getting centered in what I've learned about God expressing His life as me and listening for direction for God. That always comes first. I read Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible each day. I am also blessed to have a cadre of fantastic spiritual and business mentors who coach me and keep me in the zone and who are also willing to kick my bum if I'm not! You've got to surround yourself with people who hold you accountable to your purpose.
People who are going BIG in life also inspire me, -- whether it is an innovative new idea that someone comes up with to help change the world for the better, an athlete overcoming the odds or a musician who is moving the masses through expressing soul, people who live a no-holds-barred life give me energy and feel like my soul brothers and sisters. They inspire me. I also love the book, "The War of Art" by Steve Pressfield. It's another life guidebook for me. I highly recommend it. I also do something called "commitments" each day. This is a tool that one of my spiritual mentors, Sandy Wilder, taught me, and it's a collection of things I do each day to keep me mentally sharp, awake to the world, and spiritually-grounded. I also run a lot, and this gives me time to think. I always say I'm a better person after I get back from a run! Lastly, I have learned to ultimately trust my intuition over other's opinions to help me stay the course. It's a beautiful thing when you finally get to the point where you've learned to trust yourself.
Travis: With all the people you meet and place you go - it must be hard to stay focused. How do you keep your purpose and priorities in the right place?
Traci: When my Dad - who was one of my best friends and biggest supporters -- passed on when I was in my mid-twenties, I learned a fast lesson about what really matters in this life. I got perspective and I saw that when we pass away we leave everything else behind. Who cares about the car, the house, the material stuff! It doesn't really matter in the end and it certainly doesn't define who you are.
Ultimately everything we do is just a vehicle that the universe gives us to help us let go of a material concept of life and see more of our innate spirituality. WorldBlu is one of my main vehicles for this kind of deep learning, just as I think becoming a parent or a life-partner with someone can be. They're all just vehicles. WorldBlu could disappear at the moment's notice, but the lessons I've learned, the experiences, the alchemy of it all cannot be taken from me no matter what. This perspective of simultaneous permanence and impermanence is what helps me keep grounded and not take it for granted and it keeps me in a state of awe. This is a moment-by-moment journey for me and I truly and deeply love it.
Travis: I know you are off to London - so thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and feelings on what is truly a world changing cause and company.
Have a great day everyone!
Travis
PS - To find out more about Traci and WorldBlu - visit the Website at www.WorldBlu.com
In some of my past blogs I have mentioned a friend of mine who is doing some amazing work with her company WorldBlu. Well, this series is the perfect opportunity to profile Traci Fenton up close and let her tell you in her own words what exactly WorldBlu is, how it came to be, and how it may very well change the way the world works.
Travis: So Traci, give me your elevator description of how you describe WorldBlu.
Traci: Sure! WorldBlu exists to elevate the human sprit by inspiring the supporting the design and development of democratic workplaces around the world. I first founded WorldBlu in 1997 as a non-profit think-tank and then launched it in its current form in the fall of 2003 as a for-profit company.
Travis: But why? Why did you decide to start WorldBlu?
Traci: Founding WorldBlu was never a decision for me, it just something I HAD to do. Although it may sound odd to say, there was no choice involved. I just felt it was my calling, part of what I was made to do in this life. There was an inescapable pull to start it and give all my heart and soul and sometimes blood, sweat and tears to it. I knew that if I didn't it wouldn't let me go until I did. And even though technically I'm the founder of WorldBlu, I feel like each day I strive to be good enough to get to work there.
Travis: You say it was a "calling." Can you elaborate on that? Would you also say this work is part of your life purpose?
Traci: Absolutely this is my calling and my purpose! My purpose in life is to help move people from a mind-set of fear into a mind-set and life of freedom. I strive to do that in many ways, but professionally I get to do it as WorldBlu. How do I know it's my calling? Because it's in my DNA! It's the same thing that sometimes breaks your heart and makes you feel like you can fly! It's the thing that deepens you and brings together all the things you love. The paradox of living your purpose is that it's the most selfish and unselfish thing you could ever do. And when you're doing it you just know and nothing can shake you from it.
Travis: You mentioned that you help people move "from a mind-set of fear." How have you overcome your own fears?
Traci: The first fear is always self-doubt and internal resistance. Who am I to do this? Who will listen to me? Why should they listen to me, etc.? People tell you to push those questions aside but I think you have to take them one by one and answer them for yourself.
Asking myself, "Why would anyone listen to me?" has pushed me to become an expert in my field. I wanted to be in the know so that others would listen to me! So you learn to manage and eventually transcend your own self-doubt but then you also hit the logistical obstacles which usually revolve around lack...lack of money, time, resources, people, and clients, etc. But I've come to learn that lack is just a way of seeing. I'm still learning this lesson each day, but as I focus on wholeness, I see that more and more played out in my day and at WorldBlu in unexpected ways.
Travis: What are some of the other obstacles you have had to handle?
Traci: I think another set of obstacles that you then find is what others think about you or your company and their criticism in its myriad forms that come along. This year one of our major projects got a lot of press coverage, reaching about 30 million people, far beyond what we ever anticipated. With that also comes criticism and so I'm learning how to deal with that. But again, moving from fear to freedom and keeping with my purpose is often about looking fear straight-on, not ignoring it, not running from it. I have to really work at it sometimes, but ultimately if I'm dealing with a form of fear, I try to get to a point where I can say to the challenge, "Thank you because you are teaching me how to love unconditionally, how to be a smarter business woman, how to be more discerning, etc." Sometimes you just have to love the hell out of things!
Travis: To take on a cause of this magnitude - I can't imagine the spiritual resolve you need to get through each day. So, where do you turn for that support and inspiration?
Traci: There are many resources and people I turn to each day to keep me on track. You cannot do it alone and I'm so grateful for all the mentors and friends I have who unselfishly help me stay on purpose.
As a Christian Scientist, I begin each day by getting centered in what I've learned about God expressing His life as me and listening for direction for God. That always comes first. I read Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible each day. I am also blessed to have a cadre of fantastic spiritual and business mentors who coach me and keep me in the zone and who are also willing to kick my bum if I'm not! You've got to surround yourself with people who hold you accountable to your purpose.
People who are going BIG in life also inspire me, -- whether it is an innovative new idea that someone comes up with to help change the world for the better, an athlete overcoming the odds or a musician who is moving the masses through expressing soul, people who live a no-holds-barred life give me energy and feel like my soul brothers and sisters. They inspire me. I also love the book, "The War of Art" by Steve Pressfield. It's another life guidebook for me. I highly recommend it. I also do something called "commitments" each day. This is a tool that one of my spiritual mentors, Sandy Wilder, taught me, and it's a collection of things I do each day to keep me mentally sharp, awake to the world, and spiritually-grounded. I also run a lot, and this gives me time to think. I always say I'm a better person after I get back from a run! Lastly, I have learned to ultimately trust my intuition over other's opinions to help me stay the course. It's a beautiful thing when you finally get to the point where you've learned to trust yourself.
Travis: With all the people you meet and place you go - it must be hard to stay focused. How do you keep your purpose and priorities in the right place?
Traci: When my Dad - who was one of my best friends and biggest supporters -- passed on when I was in my mid-twenties, I learned a fast lesson about what really matters in this life. I got perspective and I saw that when we pass away we leave everything else behind. Who cares about the car, the house, the material stuff! It doesn't really matter in the end and it certainly doesn't define who you are.
Ultimately everything we do is just a vehicle that the universe gives us to help us let go of a material concept of life and see more of our innate spirituality. WorldBlu is one of my main vehicles for this kind of deep learning, just as I think becoming a parent or a life-partner with someone can be. They're all just vehicles. WorldBlu could disappear at the moment's notice, but the lessons I've learned, the experiences, the alchemy of it all cannot be taken from me no matter what. This perspective of simultaneous permanence and impermanence is what helps me keep grounded and not take it for granted and it keeps me in a state of awe. This is a moment-by-moment journey for me and I truly and deeply love it.
Travis: I know you are off to London - so thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and feelings on what is truly a world changing cause and company.
Have a great day everyone!
Travis
PS - To find out more about Traci and WorldBlu - visit the Website at www.WorldBlu.com
Labels: direct life coaching, road less traveled, Traci Fenton, travis thomas, WorldBlu
