#119 - Leading with the Divine with Vickie Helm

In this episode of the Morning Upgrade podcast I talk with Vickie Helm about her morning routine,  setting intentions for the day, leading with the divine,  creative work and more. 

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Announcer  

Welcome to the Morning upgrade podcast with Ryan Cote where we feature casual conversations with entrepreneurs about personal development and growth.

Ryan 

Hey, Vicki, welcome to the Morning Upgrade podcast. How's your day going?

Vickie 

So far? It's going really good. I'm hanging out with you today. So we're doing great.

Ryan 

Yeah, thank you. Thank you for saying that. Let's introduce it to my audience of Morning. Upgraders. Tell everyone know who you are, what you do for a living, and then give us something that you're grateful for?

Vickie

Wow, my name is Vicki Helm. I transform lives for a living. Something I'm grateful for is where I live and my spouse.

Ryan 

Excellent. What do you like about where you live? Just curious.

Vickie 

I live way up in the mountains. And you know, I've been living here now for a while I bought this house as a weekend getaway. And it is now become my permanent home. And I quite like it.

Ryan  

That's really amazing. So it's not about your morning routine. Did you do anything outside like, just imagining you on like a, like a porch or something like that? Looking out over the wilderness? I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. But what are your mornings look like?

Vickie 

Well, my morning routine is I wish it was just, it doesn't matter what window you look out. I'm in the middle of the wilderness. And I live very rarely. And so, yes, I get up and look out the window. But really, what my morning routine consists of is setting my intention for the day. And I have this whole routine of setting the intention for today, and what I'm going to accomplish, and I have, you know, a morning ritual of kind of a spirituality section where for at least 30 minutes I do contemplation or meditation and really ground myself so that I'm the most effective I can be during the day whilst I'm having coffee. I do this, so it's coffee at this moment to the day I first take care of myself. Me first. And then everything else.

Ryan 

Excellent. Yeah, well, you mentioned intentions. I started doing that. Maybe, for now. And I was nine months ago. I thought it nine months ago; I was setting the intentions for the day as part of my morning routine. I learned it in some sort. Of course, what I was taking was really powerful. Are your intentions? The same every day? Like I'll give you an example. Like I write down how I want to show up today, across love, energy, and work? Yes, of course, I took it, but how do you do it?

Vickie 

Yes, I think this is such an important aspect of everything; just what you said, Ryan is so important. And I think if people want to enjoy more success, one of the things that we forget, and we start learning, and it's why I like entrepreneurships so much is that we forget that we are more powerful than anything else we have in our arsenal, we are our arsenal. And when you set your intentions, what you're doing is allowing yourself to focus your attention on what you want to focus on. And if you don't do that, you'll be taken away by Facebook, news, or anything else. If you're not directing your attention, who is everything outside of you is. So setting your intention. First thing in the morning is you deciding to get in the driver's seat of where you're going to point your focus point your attention for that day. And when you do that, you achieve more success. But more importantly, you realize that the person in charge of your attention is your attention, and intention is the most powerful thing you can do in the morning.

Ryan 

I'll give you an example of, like, I write down the same thing every time, at least right now. So for just everyone listening about the to picture this, you know, Chris law by write down, warm, present and encouraging. That's how I want to show up across that energy. I write down abundant, grateful and zestful. That's how I want to show up across energy. And then for work. The three I chose are confident, calm, and ambitious. And so I write those things down every morning will change in the future. Maybe right now. Those are the things that are most important to me. And yeah, you're right. Like it's, it's a reminder every day when I'm writing down how I want to show up and I and sometimes like it comes up in my head, like, if I'm talking to if one of my kids is talking to me and I'm on my computer. Like I'll think like, Hey, dummy, you said present, you're not being present. You know, it's like a little voice in the back of my head. And so, yeah, I think it's not talked a lot about right intention, but I think you're right, it is super powerful.

Vickie 

And I love what you said, Ryan. You know the one thing that you just said is how I want to show up. That's the most empowering thing. Usually, what we do is we get up in the morning, and we let the day tell us how we're going to show up. Oh, we're stuck in traffic. Oh, look at the rain, or Oh, things aren't how I want them to be. Well, you set that intention and when you decide how you're going to show up, what you'll think about that is that you become how you're going to show up suddenly. It is you're unconsciously competent at it. And this happens over time, not overnight. So the practice of doing that's the key area where you can get the most achievement. And whatever you say you are, that's what you are.

Ryan 

Yeah. 100% I'm glad we're talking about this. Because I think it's so important. And it's so doable to it doesn't take I mean, you know, it takes discipline of doing it every day. But that's really it. And so I normally like to ask this question towards the end of the interview, but I just feel like now's the right time. Not sure why I feel that way. But I do. So let's go with it. through the lens of Vicki, what do you consider to be the meaning of life?

Vickie

Boy, that's a big huge question. But I'm gonna just say the absolute meaning of life for me, is to be awake in such a way that you are serving the divine moment to moment, the meaning of my life is to serve the divine moment to moment. In any situation that I do I want to leave whatever conversation are people better than when we got there?

Ryan

Have you always felt that way? Or Did something happen in your life that shifted your mindset?

Vickie 

Well, nobody is born with this; you definitely have to grow into it and choose who you decide you want to become and who you want to serve. So the truth is, I think it hit me at about 14 years old. But prior to that, you know, and from 14 years old, it doesn't mean I woke up, and I was perfect at it. I mean, there was something inside me that continued to listen to the guidance that was coming through me, and you know, kind of what I call it the inner master, or you know, that divine spark that keeps leading your life, my job is to surrender to it. And when I do, I have more success. And when I don't, I have more pain and struggle. So once you figure out that if you lead with the divine, then you have a lot less stress, stress, if you lead with your mind, you have a lot more struggle.

Ryan 

It's a silly question, but I want to ask, just in case. What do you mean by lead with the divine? What does that mean?

Vickie 

Okay, so I don't know about you, but for me, anytime that I have had an encounter, or an opportunity, or an idea shows up, I love this, okay? In Dr. Joe Vitale, his book Money loves Speed. There's a section where he talks about ideas and opportunities that come to you. They're actually not yours. They're gifts from the Divine there, they come out of the ethers out of somewhere. And suddenly you either get a spark, yes, I want to do this. And maybe you're nervous, or whatever it is. But that spark comes from the Divine. So when that spark gets here, that's the one you should follow when you start thinking. And you can tell when you're thinking, because you're like, I had a good idea. What do you think of this idea? The second, you're asking your buddy, what do you think of this idea? You know, you're in your mind. But if you're laying up at night, and the ideas in your heart, and it's keeping you up, and you keep ruminating, and kind of, you know, vision, visualizing it happening, or visualizing it becoming this big company, or this big outcome? Well, that's the divine talking to that's your inner pain, the inner part of you that saying, hey, step up to the plate and do this work first. Now what happens is, a lot of times we get stuck in the joy of the vision, and we forget to take the first action. And that that the first action is when you follow the divine when somebody says, like, for me, I write books. And I know, when I hear a title of a book, in my head, there's the idea. There's the opportunities given to me by the Divine. And so when I do that, I can think about, oh, God, this book is on the New York Times bestseller list, or, Oh, this book got me on Oprah, or whatever fantasy you want to think. But until you sit down and you actually take that and you say chapter one, and you start writing that chapter, you're not getting anywhere. So following the divine means also sitting down, taking the action and accomplishing that work. And I hope I answered your question with that.

Ryan

You did. No, you 100% did. For some reason, you made my mind wander towards a book that I read. Maybe that was around 14 or 15? I don't know exactly, but I was much younger. It was called The Celestine.

Vickie

The Celestine Prophecy. Yes. That's great.

Ryan

Yeah, I read that book. Like, I need to read that against I remember that book. It just changed. It changed me like I started thinking like, there's no such thing as coincidences and like, so then when things happen, I'm like, Well, why is this really happening? And so I have to read that book again, because I know it changed me like permanently in a good way. And so for some reason, what you're talking about made me think of that book.

Vickie

Well, that's a fantastic place to start. Because there's absolutely this I call it the silent intelligence. And this silent intelligence is really what's running everything around us. So it knows when the season should go when the rain should fall. And even though we may argue with that, our mind like, oh, I don't want to terrain today, or I'm not ready for winter, or I can't wait for summer to happen, whatever, whatever mindset you're holding, at that point is arguing with reality. But that silent intelligence, also is the thing that created you that said, Okay, Ryan, this is your perfect moment, your perfect time. And here's the perfect things about you to achieve this kind of experience in the world. And so yeah, the celestial prophecy is the good starting point for anybody to look outside the norm to answer the question, Why am I here?

Ryan

Yeah. So they'll be linked up in the show notes page for everyone listening. On this topic. Does it influence your business at all? I know, you probably teach it, but I'm saying that you are growing your business or taking it in different directions. How do you use it?

Vickie

Well, I want to tell you this, because I tell everybody this on stage, when I'm speaking or in one of my books that you're reading, there is a point where I have started 18 businesses, but only 13 of them were successful. Now, the 13 that were successful was me surrendering to what the divine actually wanted me to do. And the six that failed, were me wanting to control this situation and say, I want to do this. And I want this, and this is how I want it and blah, blah, blah, and they just can't. So what happens is, I realized that when you want to achieve success, the second you surrender to achieving success by serving the divine, serving others, you'll win. If you get to the point where you think you're gonna push and pull and use force to get something done. Perhaps you can get it done. I mean, perhaps you can. But for me, it just changed. So I think that's really the point when I, I now don't do a business that I don't feel the divine pole from. If I don't feel that divine spark or that divine pole, I have no interest.

Ryan 

I'm assuming that as you've done this longer you that voice is much louder, or you can recognize it more clearly.

Vickie 

Talk to me softly, and I hear it. But here's the thing, the voice inside you always speaks to you. It's whether you're becoming aware enough to hear it outside, because there's always that critical voice. Well, you're not good enough. You're not smart enough. You're not this, you're not that Baba, we always know the inner critic, and we can hear the inner critic loudly. So why can't we hear the inner divine loudly? Well, is where you're placing your attention. If you're placing your attention, and focus on your inner critic, well, that's the loudest voice. So the object is to go ahead and take your attention and say, I no longer choose to listen to that voice. I'm gonna move it over to listening to this voice. Now, how do you do that? Well, you have to quiet down that inner critic. And when it comes up, you have to be able to shut it down in a moment's notice. Which means you want to be aware and mindful mindfulness and awareness is that bridge, that key that takes you from the inner critic, to your inner genius. When you touch your inner genius, you're touching the divine part of you. Most people don't think they have any inner genius. So all they do is a listen to the inner critic, and they believe the inner critic, they believe that and they're like, Oh, this is true about me. No, it's not. It's a bunch of crap about you, your inner genius. That's what's really you.

Ryan  

I was on a podcast interview last week, I should introduce you to him, I think you guys would have a really fun conversation. But he was he says something that's similar to what you're saying. He was like, it's hard to get out of a rut, if all you're focusing on is the rut, you know? Yeah. And so the inner critic, is really good advice. And this has been a really different conversation and a real fun conversation. And you got my head, just thinking about a lot of different things. Is there a particular book, maybe one of yours, like, in terms of listening to the listening to the Divine that you'd recommend?

Vickie  

Yeah, I have one out right now. It's called The Secret Joy View. And it's you know, how to unlock your inner genius and building a life you love, and it's on Amazon. It's The Secret Joy of View. And that'll walk you into the conversation, we just had.

Ryan  

Okay, Vickie, I've got one last question for you. And then we're going to wrap up with you sharing how people can connect with you. So my last question, let's go to it. I like to talk about habits. You know, the guests that I have on this podcast, typically they have habits that they rely on. So how does that work for you? Are there any habits personally, professionally that you rely on every day?

Vickie  

Yeah, and I think everybody will benefit from learning this but the habit that I manage the most is, there is a point and time in your day when you're the most creative, you're the most creative. And so for some people, it's like at six in the morning, I'm the most creative. And some people, it's like, the wee hours in the morning, it's like, hi, it's one o'clock in the morning, and I'm feeling quiet and creative. Those are the hours that I protect the most, whether it's the morning or the evening for me, I'm a morning creative person, and I do the most important work, my most important work, at those hours. So that would be the time that I created content, anything that needs my creativity. And what everyone should learn to do somehow is protect your most creative hours and use it those creative hours, whether it's one hour, four hours or eight hours, to do the kind of work that is going to bring you and develop the success you want in life.

Ryan  

Yeah, great advice. 100%. How do you know what's your? I guess it depends on your business, right? And what are your goals? But how do you? How do you know what to spend your time on? For you? It's obvious, right? Cuz you're an author. So writing makes sense? Is there an exercise that you recommend to people?

Vickie 

Well, you know, it's, it's like, here's the thing, nobody can know your business like you do. So writing is one of the things I do. So I have four companies. And inside one is my publishing company. But there could be client calls that you're doing, or things that you do that require a lot of your creativity, and only you're going to know what that is. So for me, it's writing, or I usually do radio shows in the afternoon because that's how I protect my writing times. But when I do interviews, I put them in the time that I'm most creative, because I want to be the most awake for my interview, I want to be a good interviewer. So on the coffee break, show, I have a drain that most creative hours. And it just depends on your business and when you're creative. So if you make podcasts like this, and maybe your creativity is one in the morning, that's not going to work really well in this, you're interviewing somebody in England or in Australia. But if you're interviewing here, you have to kind of look at your day and piece it together. And until I knew what you did and when your creative hours were, then I'd be able to help you connect the dots. But in this case, I connect my dots.

Ryan  

Yeah, that makes sense. I try to like so for Balentine, or, or marketing agent, my family's marketing agency. I tried to schedule like presentations like sales presentations, I try to schedule them like 10 between 930 and like 132 o'clock, because I heard somewhere forget wherever after, like 233 people's ability to focus and pay attention drops. And so I don't want that.

Vickie

That's absolutely correct. And if you know this, this is how important it is to know when these hours of creativity. That's why workers, there's companies they always want their workers in in the morning. That's when they're freshest in their creativity.

Ryan  

Well, this was great. We covered a lot. I know this is gonna be very helpful for people that listen to it. If they want to connect with you. If they want to learn more about you. Where should we send them?

Vickie

Well, it's super easy. It's vickiehelm.com, but I spell my name V-I-C-K-I-E-H-E-L-M.com.

Ryan 

Alright, we'll link that up in the show notes. And thanks for everything you shared. 

Vickie

Thanks. It was fun being with you.

Ryan

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