I have been on a path of self-healing most of my life, the central aspect of which has been to learn to really love myself. This means doing things that support my health and not doing things that will hurt me. Of course, it has also been a journey of knowing the difference between these two and weighing the balance of what needed to be done to get the bills paid.

I was clear that I didn't want to end up like a lot of my clients in my pursuit of being successfully self-employed. I knew loving myself meant to take care of my life in such a way that I had time to smell the roses, to get outdoors, to have tea with friends and to continue my daily meditation practice. I knew if I didn't allow for these in my life, it wouldn't matter how much money I made.

Was my only option to live as a frugal monk if I wanted to be happy?

My first commitment in life has always been my spiritual path. I realized that the answer was in my spiritual practice itself. I had already been cultivating an attitude of faith. I needed to apply it to my life in a bigger way. And so I have striven to find a way to venture out into the world of business while maintaining the integrity of my spiritual life.

What I found was that my spiritual life, when kept in balance, actually supported my success more than any other single factor.
And it all revolved around loving myself more and more so that I could believe I actually deserved, much less could have, a life that is in balance.

I have distilled into the following 7 principles, the art of using a spiritual approach to create a balanced successful living as a self-employed woman.

1. Connect with source/practice the witness state
2. Get clear
3. Commit to yourself and your business
4. Stay open
5. Commit to integrity
6. Give!
7. Receive and be Grateful!

#1. Connect with source/practice the witness state.
Begin your day by spending a few quiet moments in meditation making a connection with whatever you look to as your spiritual source. It really doesn't matter what your spiritual or religious belief. What does matter is that you go inward and symbolically open the door to the wisdom you access from this source. In a very real way, this allows a channel to be opened so that you can receive guidance and be kept aligned with your highest vision for yourself. It is also good to set an intention for the day.

If you have more than a few minutes, I also highly recommend the practice of just sitting and calming your mind through simple witnessing -practicing what is called mindfulness.

Throughout the day, try to take a moment here and there to remember your connection, your witness and your intention for the day. This especially helps if you find yourself in a stressful situation or needing to boost your faith in yourself and what you are doing.

One important benefit from feeling connected to source is that, because you feel fed internally, you don't need as much externally. This has very practical consequences. You will tend to want to live more simply and this keeps your overhead down. The more you feel spiritually fed, the freer you will feel and you'll have more time and energy for your visions.

#2 Get clear.
This is critical. If you are not clear, you will not get good results and success will elude you. Check in with your source and with yourself to be more clear about what you are here to offer. To be clear about who you are and what you are doing requires some reflection. I find the question "What makes me most come alive?" to be very helpful.

If you are finding yourself not connecting with the work you are doing, you may need a bigger process of seeking that which does inspire you and feels "clearly you". Or If you are on the right path, you may need to connect with the aspect of it that you know feeds you. For example, while doing a mundane task, remember the end result and who it serves. Making what you do into a personal connection and seeing it as a service to the world, no matter what it is, is a great way to stay inspired.

Getting clear involves, not only what you are doing, but why you are doing it and who it serves. It also involves breaking it down into concrete tasks. It is a good idea to write a mission statement.You can refer to it time and again as needed.

#3 Commit to yourself and your business.
When you make a clear commitment to go forth with your vision, everything rushes in to support you. However, until you make that commitment (and you'll know it when you have), things will often feel challenging. Commitment means that you have chosen to give yourself to this path fully. Never underestimate the power of deciding. If you are having trouble with this, then its time to go back to principles 1 and 2 and see if what you think you are doing is really something you are committed to from your heart.Commitment does take heart as well as mind.

#4 Stay open.
Once you've made your commitment, put yourself on the path of happy surprises! Often, success works through serendipity. It's up to you to get out there and be open to things. If you decide the "how" of your vision down to the last detail, you may be keeping yourself from new information that could make your work not only easier, but more magical and fun . Make connections, follow your intuition and don't dismiss something on your path just because it doesn't look like what you were expecting. That chance encounter could be the best luck ever!

#5 Commit to integrity.
Being in integrity means being willing to be honest with oneself. Are you giving the best service/product you can give? Are you giving what you have promised? Consistently look for where you can improve. Get feedback and support. Ask for help when you need it. Do your homework. Being in integrity with your business and yourself may be more work sometimes, but it is always worth it. Being in integrity is the ultimate demonstration of self-love. Basically you are saying to your customers/clients that you care about them, yourself, and your business.

#6 Give!
There is a reason many religions include the practice of tithing. This is a spiritual principle that is also very practical. Giving comes in many forms, including giving discounts and offering your product or service for free to a certain number of financially challenged people. Many businesses have charitable causes they support. When you give, do so without expectation of return from the receiver. Know that whenever you give, you give to yourself. Giving is investing. As long as you are giving freely and are not giving with a sense of resentment or expectation, it will always come back to you and feed the success of your business.

#7 Receive and be Grateful!
This is where you trust, even when you don't see where the money is coming from. When you are feeling scared or worried, go through the first 6 principles to make sure that you are doing your part. If you feel satisfied that they are all being addressed, then it is time for you to truly trust and allow your good to come to you. Faith is an active quality that gets stronger the more it is used, much like a muscle. Cultivate faith. Loving yourself is letting yourself receive what you need and want to make your life work. Act as if you already are the success you desire. Picture the amount of business you want everyday and actually feel it happening in the present time. Think of all the good things in your life and always give thanks. Remember that people love to give their business to someone who is appreciative!

Give thanks silently even as you pay the bills. You'll be amazed. Give thanks to yourself often for all the effort you've made. The power of gratitude is one of the best tools you can have.

Julia Bystrova, MA is an ordained Interfaith minister. She has been working in the health and healing field for over 20 years, as a massage therapist, medical coordinator, health intuitive counselor and manager of a therapeutic spa. In addition, she has studied the physical sciences and philosophy and holds a masters degree in Science and Spirituality. Julia passionately believes in the power of Spirit, yet sees the great need for many spiritually based activities to learn from the grounded practicality of science. She has a private practice in Sebastopol and Mill Valley, CA, helping people on their awakening and healing journeys. She also leads groups and classes and is currently in the final stages of writing her book The Relational World. She can be reached at (707) 321-0644 or her website at www.deeperhealing.net

Make your Valentine be a love letter to the earth. Did you know that most of the roses we send come from far away? Poor labor practices, use of pesticides and wasted energy took the shine off of the dozen red roses for me. And chocolate... to read more about that do a Google search for "fair trade chocolate" or check out www.newdream.org. They have interesting facts about how to support farmers and enjoy your yummy treats.

Simple ideas:

• make your own cards using collage or stamping
• buy free trade chocolates and locally grown potted pants or flowers for your loved ones
• attend a local musical or theatre performance (see below for the Love Salon in Sebastopol)
• Write something heart felt to your partner, friend, child, grandchild, spouse or parent

Are you feeling kind of alone in the world on this day for "lovers"? This is a single day in the year, selected to improve retail business. Don't let it mean anything about your lovability! Even if you can think of no one you know to share love with today, remember to love yourself.

Ideas For Loving Yourself:

Take yourself out for a nature walk
Buy a delicious novel about an independent adventurer and curl up in a comfy chair
Make yourself a special meal and write yourself a letter of appreciation
Reach out to someone less fortunate (statistics about altruism show that it lifts our spirits to give)

For writing ideas, I love the book, Put Your Heart On Paper by Henriette Anne Klauser. You may be surprised at all the great ideas she has for "staying connected in a loose-ends world". The written word can provide one of the most powerful gifts of love. One of Klauser's suggestions is called "A Trail of Thank You". She suggests leaving a little trail of thank-you notes for someone, tucked in places they might find them through out their day. Why not adapt this to love notes! Tuck notes of love and appreciations in the sock drawer, on the coffee maker, on the steering wheel and in the wallet of your loved ones. This will make them break into a smile each time they discover one. By the end of the day you will have given a gift far more valuable than anything you could buy. You will see it in the sparkle in their eye.

If you are intrigued by divination and collage or just committed to personal growth, this workshop is for you!

The power of this process will blow you away. Just beginning to think about making your cards will initiate profound changes in the way you view your life experiences. Making these cards and sharing them is truly a blessing.

Experience 7 information packed hours for $90*
DATE: Saturday, March 31st, 2007
TIME: 10AM to 5PM
LOCATION: Santa Rosa, CA
accepting sign ups now! *optional $15 materials packet may be ordered