Orthodox Biz Blog

Written by Dianne Tzouras April 12, 2008

Tempus fugit. Time flies as we get older. The Marketing Bootcamp Teleclass I took this year was about preparing the soil for new growth in business and life.

As I mentioned in Di’s 6th Blog, it all started with our first assignment, namely, creating space and order by getting rid of unnecessary items around the house. Three months later, I’m still working on that assignment and reaping it benefits.

How is discarding possessions related to new relationships? Each bag of stuff that we discard or donate makes room for a new person or experience to enter our lives.

What have I weeded out? I gave away scores of books, but I still have hundreds more. I cleared out lots of clothes, toys and housewares, some of which will become part of Yiayia’s Closet. And I am culling the best pages of family journals, articles, and letters from the past fifty(!) years.

[*********NEWS FLASH******************]
What is Yiayia’s Closet? It’s the rummage table of the annual Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church OPA Festival to be held at our parish in Elkins Park, PA, on May 22 – 25, 2008.

Of what value are the envelopes? Each letter has an envelope. Before the age of email and computers, letters were lovingly and beautifully handwritten, addressed and stamped. In my collection, many of the envelopes had sealing wax, stickers, drawings, colorful sketches, quotes, lyrics, postscripts and greetings. In an effort to save space, and purge the piles, I got rid of most of the envelopes and much of their contents, but not before I got a second, more illuminating, look at everything.

What did I gain by rereading this material before I gave so much of it away? I gained more than I discarded, and in the process, I acquired a better appreciation of friends and family, old and new. Overwhelmed by the immensity of the project, I had been carrying around emotional baggage for years by procrastinating. The class assignment was the catalyst I needed to complete this long ignored task. I decimated the assorted piles of papers that had once filled an entire dresser, and soon I will give away the dresser to someone in need. As I delved into the project, old grudges, resentments, and hurts disappeared, and the warmth of caring, precious relationships enveloped my heart. Thoughts and words were profoundly transformed into love, provoking me to tears and laughter. Love traveled through the paper from their hearts to mine.

In The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality by Kyriacos C. Markides, Father Maximos says that the ideal monk or ascetic has no subconscious, no hidden agenda, and no emotional baggage. His true self is on the surface, and love permeates his being.

The Marketing Bootcamp Teleclass assignment has been a catharsis, a cleansing, and an emotional clearing for me, and it has opened the door to a neater office and hopefully better listening skills and more sincere relationships with others. Since Eleos is a network or relationship marketing business, it all goes together.

Now for a nice cup of tea made with a drop of chamomile essential oil.

Many Blessings,

Di

Please send me your comments and questions about my story. I’d love to hear from you.

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Dianne Tzouras dtzouras@mac.com
www.eleos.ws www.youngliving.org/eleos www.eleos.biz
www.orthodoxbiz.com (Di's blog)
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