... yet often preoccupied with being okay. (Stuart Emery)
Yeah ... just okay. Huh?!? Defeating, right?
This blurb stood out while reading the other night.
Makes you think.
Often true (?)
It says so much (per me).
-the 'human condition' in general (oh how many of us have that 'picture' in our brains of not being enough, of not being okay, of doubting our worth and gifts)
-the amount of energy expended trying to FEED THIS LIE (the "i'm not okay" lie, that is)
People ... it's time to LET THIS LIE GO.
Really! Pull it out of your brain, your space, your energy, your thoughts. (see and feel it pulled out. I often picture a sort of smoke ... much like memories in the Pensive from Harry Potter movies. Yeah ... nerd here! wink and smile)
Now ... intend to weigh it down and DROP IT LIKE A BRICK! (and, no take-backs!)
Practice this/do this as often as you feel is necessary. Get good and adept at LETTING THINGS GO. (all those silly lies/stories you tell yourself, that get in the way of you being your best, most natural YOU. Just keep dropping stuff!)
Next, you may find you have MUCH more energy to apply to things in life that bring you JOY, things in life that LIFT (rather than deplete). Think of it this way ... you're filling in those now empty spaces with the things you want! Ahhhhhhhhh! How nice that will surely feel!
YOU ARE MAGNIFICENT!
Start getting comfortable with this ... it's the natural order of things, for the love!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Path to YOU.
Ok ... so there are a few blogs swirling around in this brain of mine right now.
Alas, I have decided to share another's blog today.
Is it long?: YES
Is it worth the read?: YES
Who is it for?: EVERYONE
Who is it for (take II)?: Those oft-called "restless spirits" who feel and KNOW there is more to this crazy-awesome-beautiful-tragic-awe-some-(again)-life each of us is LIVING right this moment.
SMILING a warm-hearted smile. :)
I truly ADORE individuals' "moments of REALIZATION/REMEMBERING!"
I feel truly HONORED when I can bear witness to this through coaching, be-friending or merely reading/watching personal accounts on-line or on TV.
Oh, and, realizing/remembering what, you ask?
Realizing/Remembering YOUR TRUE and "HIGHEST" SELF ... and, incidentally, the unique and sorted path in which one (we) "get there!".
(ooooooooh, it kicks serious arse!!!)
Read On (from themiddlefingerproject.org) Sign up for this one, people!!!
"Yesterday, a reader emailed me this:
Ok. I’ve added you to my “HEROS” list on Twitter because you’re absolutely one of the people I’ve come across that I want to emulate in some form or fashion (sans the dress and overseas love affairs with men).
Anyway, I’ve combed through your blog quite extensively (a literary masterpiece) and I can’t seem to really round up your story.
I guess, if you have just a moment, I’d love to hear who you are and how you started.
Well, I took that suggestion to heart, because I realized that I haven’t really told my story in full, because I always try & keep my focus on the reader.
But maybe it’s time.
I hope you can take something from it.
And when you’re tempted to send me hate mail for publishing such an obnoxiously long post, you’ve got the guy who sent me that email to thank. ;) While you’re at it, you should also probably tell him that overseas love affairs are so worth it.
************************************************************************
OBLIVIOUS
When tears silently fell from her cheek upon finding the note from her lover, 3 days before their daughter was born that read: ”I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
ASHAMED
When classmates asked me what my daddy did for a living. I lied & told them he was Crocodile Dundee, and had to be in Australia to tame the outback.
CONFUSED
When we used different money than everyone else to buy bread & milk.
BITTER
When I was 14 and stood waiting in the hospital for my step dad to come out of the doctor’s office. He handed me a phamplet. It read, “Helping Your Family Cope with Terminal Cancer.”
NOSTALGIC
When I would hear Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” come on the radio after he died, just a few short months later, after tearfully asking me to call him “dad” instead of “Jimmy,” like I always had. I got to call him it twice.
MORTIFIED
When it was just me & my mom after that, and all of the other 15 year olds had basements underneath their houses. We had wheels.
FRUSTRATED
When my mother’s debilitating anxiety & social disorder prevented her from ever coming to watch me play volleyball more than once in 4 years. We were almost state champions.
RELIEVED
When the founder of Monster.com thought I was worthy enough to be awarded a 4-year, all-expense paid scholarship to a private, liberal arts school—room & board included. The scholarship was based on financial need & demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit. My mom cried.
GUILTY
When I took the scholarship and left her all alone.
SADDENED
When an unexpected card would arrive with $50 that she didn’t have inside, telling me to go buy myself something pretty.
ANNOYED
When, 6 years later, I found myself in that same hospital waiting room. But this time, it was my mother I was waiting for to come out of the doctor’s office.
SCARED
When I realized the seriousness of the matter.
PATIENT
When she taught me how to pay all of the bills, as I wrote out check after check from her hospital bedside, as nurses came in and out to take her blood.
LIVID
When the doctor’s arrogant insensivity to her pain one day made her weep.
VENGEFUL
When I let him have a piece of my 20 year old mind.
FRUSTRATED
When college friends ragged on me for not going out that weekend to party.
RESENTFUL
When I couldn’t.
SHOCKED
When I got the phone call while driving to my first day at my internship at a local TV station.
DEVASTATED
When, by the time I got to our house, the coroner had taken her body & simply left a note on the door.
BITTERSWEET
When, 4 months later, I walked across the graduation stage & got my college degree, not even bothering to look out into the crowd for a familiar face, knowing there wouldn’t be one.
INDIFFERENT
When I hastily auctioned off all of our things.
LOST
When I sold our house & moved to Costa Rica—mostly because I didn’t know what else to do.
DISTRAUGHT
When I loved it there, but still felt the pressing need to “live up to my potential” & become a CEO.
HOPEFUL
When I flew back to the United States several months later to interview for my first real job.
WORRIED
When I realized that I didn’t have a home to return to.
GRATEFUL
When the job went so well, I received a promotion to head up marketing efforts.
DISHEARTENED
When I’d see planes pass by my office window, and longed to be one of the passengers on board.
DISAPPOINTED
When the realization came that I could only be one of those passengers for up to two weeks a year, from now until the day I retired.
DISILLUSIONED
When I discovered that my dreams of corporate success were never worthy of my time.
DESPAIRED
When others told me I was naïve, and that I just had to suck it up.
LONELY
When those same people spent Thanksgiving & Christmas with their families.
ARROGANT
When I quit my job in 2007 & decided to become a freelance copywriter instead.
FOOLISH
When I actually thought that spending my time developing corporate communications materials that didn’t interest me would be any better.
EXCITED
When that same year, Escape Artist gave me a contract to write an eBook on visiting Costa Rica.
SMART
When I realized they didn’t have exclusive rights, and I could develop my own site & sell the book there, too.
DETERMINED
When I laboriously tried to learn HTML.
ELATED
When I saw my very first sale come through Clickbank.
INTRIGUED
When I discovered the world of Google Adwords.
ADDICTED
When it became apparent that you really can make money online.
CONFIDENT
When I painstakingly slaved over a book proposal to write a non-fiction narrative titled, “The Truth About Mangoes.”
TORN
When I repeatedly received the infamous rejection letter (after rejection letter after rejection letter after rejection letter).
DESPERATE
When I wasn’t making as much money online as I thought I would, and had to borrow money from a boyfriend to pay my $1,000 a month rent.
HOPELESS
When I caved to pressure & agreed to take a job as an advertising account executive in order to pay the bills.
ENCOURAGED
When I got contract after contract signed on the spot.
UNCERTAIN
When, in my heart, I knew I needed more that signatures & commissions.
PETRIFIED
When, despite that knowledge, I was too scared to make any bold moves, knowing that I had no one in the world to back me up if I failed.
INCENSED
When I stood by and watched that fear get the best of me.
OPTIMISTIC
When I returned to school for my master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
ANXIOUS
When I imagined that my degree would allow me to indefinitely travel the world, and make anywhere I pleased my home.
IRRITATED
When loan applications were denied without a parent co-signer.
STUBBORN
When I decided that I would teach English online as a way to make up for it.
HEARTBROKEN
When, at a time when I was just barely making ends meet with $26 in my checking account, my good friend told me I needed to find a new place to live so her boyfriend could move in.
DEFEATED
When I had no choice but to go stay with a mysterious new guy I had been seeing.
DESTROYED
When, a few weeks later, I fought for my life as the mysterious new guy almost strangled me to death, and physically threw me outside onto the pavement because I was late.
HOPELESS
When I was alone & scared in the middle of the night, with everything I owned and no place to go.
ANGUISHED
When a friend told me it was my own fault, and that if I had only just played by the rules & had continued to go to work everyday like everyone else, I would have had had a savings & would have never have been in that situation.
OBSTINATE
When I decided to start The Middle Finger Project as a way to find people who GOT IT. Who got ME, and this NEED to seek MORE out of life…despite the consequences.
DILIGENT
When I taught myself everything I needed to know about blogging via endless Google searches.
VALIDATED
When my ideas were well-received, and I began to grow an audience.
COURAGEOUS
When I remembered how good my online success felt in 2007, and decided to learn as much as I could about affiliate marketing.
AMAZED
When some months I was making > $1000+ as a result.
EXHILARATED
When I found myself up until the wee hours of the night writing for the blog, which told me I was finally on the right path.
DEDICATED
When I decided I wanted to make it my full-time gig.
INSPIRED
When I continued on with TMF, and began plotting & executing some other online projects as well.
PEACEFUL
When my influence online grew & grew, and I began making more & more money. Just the other day, I made over $600 in one day from my efforts as an affiliate alone (my salary at the 9-5 was approximately $130/day after taxes, though in all fairness, I don’t make over $600 every day Monday-Friday as an affiliate, though it evens out.) In addition, a few weeks ago, I was able to yield several thousand dollars through pre-sales for my new book, in the span of one week. (Sold at a significantly reduced price.) Once the book launches this Wednesday, it will yield that and more now, and will continue to yield me an income over time.
INVIGORATED
When I decided to move to Chile, simply because I wanted to, and I can, since I no longer have to be in any one physical location, thanks to the internet.
HAPPY
When I looked around me yesterday, took a sip of my wine, and finally felt like I was doing what I was meant to do, and being what I was meant to be…despite the long road it took to get here.
That said, I have a message.
For everyone out there thinking to yourself that it’s unrealistic, YOU ARE WRONG.
For everyone out there shackled by fear, telling yourself that you could lose everything, YOU ARE RIGHT.
And for everyone out there that, despite that knowledge, is still willing to risk it by fighting for something more out of this fleeting speck of time we’re granted here on earth, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO WILL TRULY SUCCEED.
Because at the very least, you know that you did everything you could.
Not many people can say the same."
Alas, I have decided to share another's blog today.
Is it long?: YES
Is it worth the read?: YES
Who is it for?: EVERYONE
Who is it for (take II)?: Those oft-called "restless spirits" who feel and KNOW there is more to this crazy-awesome-beautiful-tragic-awe-some-(again)-life each of us is LIVING right this moment.
SMILING a warm-hearted smile. :)
I truly ADORE individuals' "moments of REALIZATION/REMEMBERING!"
I feel truly HONORED when I can bear witness to this through coaching, be-friending or merely reading/watching personal accounts on-line or on TV.
Oh, and, realizing/remembering what, you ask?
Realizing/Remembering YOUR TRUE and "HIGHEST" SELF ... and, incidentally, the unique and sorted path in which one (we) "get there!".
(ooooooooh, it kicks serious arse!!!)
Read On (from themiddlefingerproject.org) Sign up for this one, people!!!
"Yesterday, a reader emailed me this:
Ok. I’ve added you to my “HEROS” list on Twitter because you’re absolutely one of the people I’ve come across that I want to emulate in some form or fashion (sans the dress and overseas love affairs with men).
Anyway, I’ve combed through your blog quite extensively (a literary masterpiece) and I can’t seem to really round up your story.
I guess, if you have just a moment, I’d love to hear who you are and how you started.
Well, I took that suggestion to heart, because I realized that I haven’t really told my story in full, because I always try & keep my focus on the reader.
But maybe it’s time.
I hope you can take something from it.
And when you’re tempted to send me hate mail for publishing such an obnoxiously long post, you’ve got the guy who sent me that email to thank. ;) While you’re at it, you should also probably tell him that overseas love affairs are so worth it.
************************************************************************
OBLIVIOUS
When tears silently fell from her cheek upon finding the note from her lover, 3 days before their daughter was born that read: ”I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
ASHAMED
When classmates asked me what my daddy did for a living. I lied & told them he was Crocodile Dundee, and had to be in Australia to tame the outback.
CONFUSED
When we used different money than everyone else to buy bread & milk.
BITTER
When I was 14 and stood waiting in the hospital for my step dad to come out of the doctor’s office. He handed me a phamplet. It read, “Helping Your Family Cope with Terminal Cancer.”
NOSTALGIC
When I would hear Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You” come on the radio after he died, just a few short months later, after tearfully asking me to call him “dad” instead of “Jimmy,” like I always had. I got to call him it twice.
MORTIFIED
When it was just me & my mom after that, and all of the other 15 year olds had basements underneath their houses. We had wheels.
FRUSTRATED
When my mother’s debilitating anxiety & social disorder prevented her from ever coming to watch me play volleyball more than once in 4 years. We were almost state champions.
RELIEVED
When the founder of Monster.com thought I was worthy enough to be awarded a 4-year, all-expense paid scholarship to a private, liberal arts school—room & board included. The scholarship was based on financial need & demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit. My mom cried.
GUILTY
When I took the scholarship and left her all alone.
SADDENED
When an unexpected card would arrive with $50 that she didn’t have inside, telling me to go buy myself something pretty.
ANNOYED
When, 6 years later, I found myself in that same hospital waiting room. But this time, it was my mother I was waiting for to come out of the doctor’s office.
SCARED
When I realized the seriousness of the matter.
PATIENT
When she taught me how to pay all of the bills, as I wrote out check after check from her hospital bedside, as nurses came in and out to take her blood.
LIVID
When the doctor’s arrogant insensivity to her pain one day made her weep.
VENGEFUL
When I let him have a piece of my 20 year old mind.
FRUSTRATED
When college friends ragged on me for not going out that weekend to party.
RESENTFUL
When I couldn’t.
SHOCKED
When I got the phone call while driving to my first day at my internship at a local TV station.
DEVASTATED
When, by the time I got to our house, the coroner had taken her body & simply left a note on the door.
BITTERSWEET
When, 4 months later, I walked across the graduation stage & got my college degree, not even bothering to look out into the crowd for a familiar face, knowing there wouldn’t be one.
INDIFFERENT
When I hastily auctioned off all of our things.
LOST
When I sold our house & moved to Costa Rica—mostly because I didn’t know what else to do.
DISTRAUGHT
When I loved it there, but still felt the pressing need to “live up to my potential” & become a CEO.
HOPEFUL
When I flew back to the United States several months later to interview for my first real job.
WORRIED
When I realized that I didn’t have a home to return to.
GRATEFUL
When the job went so well, I received a promotion to head up marketing efforts.
DISHEARTENED
When I’d see planes pass by my office window, and longed to be one of the passengers on board.
DISAPPOINTED
When the realization came that I could only be one of those passengers for up to two weeks a year, from now until the day I retired.
DISILLUSIONED
When I discovered that my dreams of corporate success were never worthy of my time.
DESPAIRED
When others told me I was naïve, and that I just had to suck it up.
LONELY
When those same people spent Thanksgiving & Christmas with their families.
ARROGANT
When I quit my job in 2007 & decided to become a freelance copywriter instead.
FOOLISH
When I actually thought that spending my time developing corporate communications materials that didn’t interest me would be any better.
EXCITED
When that same year, Escape Artist gave me a contract to write an eBook on visiting Costa Rica.
SMART
When I realized they didn’t have exclusive rights, and I could develop my own site & sell the book there, too.
DETERMINED
When I laboriously tried to learn HTML.
ELATED
When I saw my very first sale come through Clickbank.
INTRIGUED
When I discovered the world of Google Adwords.
ADDICTED
When it became apparent that you really can make money online.
CONFIDENT
When I painstakingly slaved over a book proposal to write a non-fiction narrative titled, “The Truth About Mangoes.”
TORN
When I repeatedly received the infamous rejection letter (after rejection letter after rejection letter after rejection letter).
DESPERATE
When I wasn’t making as much money online as I thought I would, and had to borrow money from a boyfriend to pay my $1,000 a month rent.
HOPELESS
When I caved to pressure & agreed to take a job as an advertising account executive in order to pay the bills.
ENCOURAGED
When I got contract after contract signed on the spot.
UNCERTAIN
When, in my heart, I knew I needed more that signatures & commissions.
PETRIFIED
When, despite that knowledge, I was too scared to make any bold moves, knowing that I had no one in the world to back me up if I failed.
INCENSED
When I stood by and watched that fear get the best of me.
OPTIMISTIC
When I returned to school for my master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
ANXIOUS
When I imagined that my degree would allow me to indefinitely travel the world, and make anywhere I pleased my home.
IRRITATED
When loan applications were denied without a parent co-signer.
STUBBORN
When I decided that I would teach English online as a way to make up for it.
HEARTBROKEN
When, at a time when I was just barely making ends meet with $26 in my checking account, my good friend told me I needed to find a new place to live so her boyfriend could move in.
DEFEATED
When I had no choice but to go stay with a mysterious new guy I had been seeing.
DESTROYED
When, a few weeks later, I fought for my life as the mysterious new guy almost strangled me to death, and physically threw me outside onto the pavement because I was late.
HOPELESS
When I was alone & scared in the middle of the night, with everything I owned and no place to go.
ANGUISHED
When a friend told me it was my own fault, and that if I had only just played by the rules & had continued to go to work everyday like everyone else, I would have had had a savings & would have never have been in that situation.
OBSTINATE
When I decided to start The Middle Finger Project as a way to find people who GOT IT. Who got ME, and this NEED to seek MORE out of life…despite the consequences.
DILIGENT
When I taught myself everything I needed to know about blogging via endless Google searches.
VALIDATED
When my ideas were well-received, and I began to grow an audience.
COURAGEOUS
When I remembered how good my online success felt in 2007, and decided to learn as much as I could about affiliate marketing.
AMAZED
When some months I was making > $1000+ as a result.
EXHILARATED
When I found myself up until the wee hours of the night writing for the blog, which told me I was finally on the right path.
DEDICATED
When I decided I wanted to make it my full-time gig.
INSPIRED
When I continued on with TMF, and began plotting & executing some other online projects as well.
PEACEFUL
When my influence online grew & grew, and I began making more & more money. Just the other day, I made over $600 in one day from my efforts as an affiliate alone (my salary at the 9-5 was approximately $130/day after taxes, though in all fairness, I don’t make over $600 every day Monday-Friday as an affiliate, though it evens out.) In addition, a few weeks ago, I was able to yield several thousand dollars through pre-sales for my new book, in the span of one week. (Sold at a significantly reduced price.) Once the book launches this Wednesday, it will yield that and more now, and will continue to yield me an income over time.
INVIGORATED
When I decided to move to Chile, simply because I wanted to, and I can, since I no longer have to be in any one physical location, thanks to the internet.
HAPPY
When I looked around me yesterday, took a sip of my wine, and finally felt like I was doing what I was meant to do, and being what I was meant to be…despite the long road it took to get here.
That said, I have a message.
For everyone out there thinking to yourself that it’s unrealistic, YOU ARE WRONG.
For everyone out there shackled by fear, telling yourself that you could lose everything, YOU ARE RIGHT.
And for everyone out there that, despite that knowledge, is still willing to risk it by fighting for something more out of this fleeting speck of time we’re granted here on earth, YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO WILL TRULY SUCCEED.
Because at the very least, you know that you did everything you could.
Not many people can say the same."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
I want to be like THAT when I'm 80!
My husband and I had the distinct privilege and pleasure of seeing David Amram (Quintet) this past weekend at Dazzle Jazz Club in Denver.
Wow.
Yeah.
I want to be like THAT when I'm 80!
This man's inarguable GIFT was intoxicating, indeed! (the martini helped too. wink.)
He is so clearly living his strengths and talents ... so much so he exudes a youth and playfulness that rivals many-a-20-year-old. (and with little surprise, he didn't look a day over 60ish).
So, besides merely enjoying a phenomenal show with phenomenal musicians ... I (of course) found myself buzzing (that warm-heart buzz) about LIFE in general.
As I make my way through this life's journey ... ah, to continue to more closely live my truth, my strengths, my talents ... so that at 80 years of age, I'm GROOVING like David Amram!
That's what I'm talking about!
WHAT GETS YOU IN YOUR GROOVE?
Wow.
Yeah.
I want to be like THAT when I'm 80!
This man's inarguable GIFT was intoxicating, indeed! (the martini helped too. wink.)
He is so clearly living his strengths and talents ... so much so he exudes a youth and playfulness that rivals many-a-20-year-old. (and with little surprise, he didn't look a day over 60ish).
So, besides merely enjoying a phenomenal show with phenomenal musicians ... I (of course) found myself buzzing (that warm-heart buzz) about LIFE in general.
As I make my way through this life's journey ... ah, to continue to more closely live my truth, my strengths, my talents ... so that at 80 years of age, I'm GROOVING like David Amram!
That's what I'm talking about!
WHAT GETS YOU IN YOUR GROOVE?
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Road to Success ...
.... is paved with little failures.
Yep. This can be true.
The below italicized passage is a guest post from "Look-Here" blog.
EVERY SUCCESS STORY IS ALSO A STORY OF GREAT FAILURE
Failure is the highway to success. Tom Watson Sr. said, "If you want to succeed, double your failure rate."
If you study history, you will find that all stories of success are also stories of great failures. But people don't see the failures. They only see one side of the picture and they say that person got lucky: "He must have been at the right place at the right time."
Let me share someones life history with you. This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21 ; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52.
This man was Abraham Lincoln.
OK, so perhaps you don't want to be president (me either!) But ...
When embarking upon anything new (and certainly anything worthy of our greatest energy and focus), there is bound to be:
So, when you encounter these little failures ... what then?
(REMEMBER: pause and quiet your thoughts often to check-in with your heart's desire. That "voice" that sings clear and true. That "voice" eluded to in the previous entry: "Your Place." Yeah, that one ... adjust your path in accordance with your "Truth" with a capital T)
Ease on down the road .... to YOUR success!
Yep. This can be true.
The below italicized passage is a guest post from "Look-Here" blog.
EVERY SUCCESS STORY IS ALSO A STORY OF GREAT FAILURE
Failure is the highway to success. Tom Watson Sr. said, "If you want to succeed, double your failure rate."
If you study history, you will find that all stories of success are also stories of great failures. But people don't see the failures. They only see one side of the picture and they say that person got lucky: "He must have been at the right place at the right time."
Let me share someones life history with you. This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21 ; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52.
This man was Abraham Lincoln.
OK, so perhaps you don't want to be president (me either!) But ...
When embarking upon anything new (and certainly anything worthy of our greatest energy and focus), there is bound to be:
- the trial and error phase
- the practice-practice-practice makes permanent phase
- the it-feels-like-I-just-got-clobbered-by-a-huge-wave moments (argh!!!)
So, when you encounter these little failures ... what then?
- Process through it. (try to release those "nay saying" voices. And, find yourself some "cheer-leading" advocates, for the love! I have mine. I'm GRATEFUL for mine. I LOVE mine.)
- Learn a bit from each (seeming) pitfall.
- Tweak a few things.
- Keep Going!
(REMEMBER: pause and quiet your thoughts often to check-in with your heart's desire. That "voice" that sings clear and true. That "voice" eluded to in the previous entry: "Your Place." Yeah, that one ... adjust your path in accordance with your "Truth" with a capital T)
Ease on down the road .... to YOUR success!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Your Place
I like to write, and I'm someone who has always enjoyed the power I've felt from words / "quotations." The vibe and emotion they evoke. The contemplative state that often results.
I have one to share.
"The rest of creation is waiting, breathless, for you to take your place."
- David Whyte
PAUSE.
Take THAT In!
It says so much. It says IT.
So, while you're contemplating YOUR PLACE in this life, this world, this journey ... KNOW a little something.
The little something is this: "Voices" in your head that are self-deprecating are NOT YOURS. The "voice" that rings TRUE and Up-Liftingly BEAUTIFUL (those moments when it feels your whole being is SMILING) ... yep!, that's your soul.
That's your soul in chorus with the rest of creation that's waiting.
Thank you to Ann Strong and Miwa Linehan for much of the inspiration behind this little note.
Breathe an Ahhhhhhhhhh! kind of Breath.
LOVE.
I have one to share.
"The rest of creation is waiting, breathless, for you to take your place."
- David Whyte
PAUSE.
Take THAT In!
It says so much. It says IT.
So, while you're contemplating YOUR PLACE in this life, this world, this journey ... KNOW a little something.
The little something is this: "Voices" in your head that are self-deprecating are NOT YOURS. The "voice" that rings TRUE and Up-Liftingly BEAUTIFUL (those moments when it feels your whole being is SMILING) ... yep!, that's your soul.
That's your soul in chorus with the rest of creation that's waiting.
Thank you to Ann Strong and Miwa Linehan for much of the inspiration behind this little note.
Breathe an Ahhhhhhhhhh! kind of Breath.
LOVE.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Your Strengths!
What are they?
Do you get to utilize them daily?
Great questions to ask as you perhaps swirl around in that "beginning of the new year" vibe!
Here's a cool little activity to try:
First, take some time to LIST YOUR STRENGTHS. (What are you damn good at? What have people/managers complimented you for? What are you doing when you notice you feel HAPPY, JOY, 'in the flow', groovin'? Think about jobs you've held ... what aspects did you love? Think about what "comes natural" to you.)
Next, go to http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx. Register (free) and take the free VIA strengths test. 240 questions that you should try to answer quickly (i.e. your first reaction). See what comes up as your top 5 strengths.
Why do all this?
1) It's a fun and insightful practice. Something to do every 3-to-5 years or so ... perhaps even more often if your life has gone through some larger transitions.
2) It fosters SELF-AWARENESS. The better you know your strengths, the more effectively you can move in directions (by choice) where you can UTILIZE YOUR STRENGTHS MORE! (certainly would make life more fun, hey!?)
Finally, I'll end with an except from the book "Strengthsfinder 2.0." (you can purchase and take their strengths assessment as well! $24.95. And, it's a great one ... somehow seems to be a bit more career minded)
"We were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses. ... What's more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies."
REVEL IN (SPEND MORE TIME DOING) THOSE THINGS AT WHICH YOU SHINE!
Do you get to utilize them daily?
Great questions to ask as you perhaps swirl around in that "beginning of the new year" vibe!
Here's a cool little activity to try:
First, take some time to LIST YOUR STRENGTHS. (What are you damn good at? What have people/managers complimented you for? What are you doing when you notice you feel HAPPY, JOY, 'in the flow', groovin'? Think about jobs you've held ... what aspects did you love? Think about what "comes natural" to you.)
Next, go to http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx. Register (free) and take the free VIA strengths test. 240 questions that you should try to answer quickly (i.e. your first reaction). See what comes up as your top 5 strengths.
Why do all this?
1) It's a fun and insightful practice. Something to do every 3-to-5 years or so ... perhaps even more often if your life has gone through some larger transitions.
2) It fosters SELF-AWARENESS. The better you know your strengths, the more effectively you can move in directions (by choice) where you can UTILIZE YOUR STRENGTHS MORE! (certainly would make life more fun, hey!?)
Finally, I'll end with an except from the book "Strengthsfinder 2.0." (you can purchase and take their strengths assessment as well! $24.95. And, it's a great one ... somehow seems to be a bit more career minded)
"We were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses. ... What's more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies."
REVEL IN (SPEND MORE TIME DOING) THOSE THINGS AT WHICH YOU SHINE!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Now ... Find Center and ACT
Pause. BREATHE. Tame that wild shrew of a brain. BREATHE again.
Often, it is time to ACT. To take the first step, whatever it may be ... (life will keep reminding, so no worries! wink)
Take the step ... and ... Trust the Process!
To this end, I am sharing a GUEST POST that came my way with (again) 'lovely-the-way-life-is' timing! (I could have stayed up all night with the messages life was sending!)
COMMIT or CONSIDER.
(big difference! I've been considering on many a career-front. Time to commit!)
*************
Ann Strong’s:
Strong You, Strong Biz
Current Articles RSS Feed
Transformation: Committed or Considering?
Posted by Kelly Johnson on Mon, Jan 10, 2011 @ 10:53 PM
Committed looks like, "I will do whatever it takes to make this happen." Considering looks like, "I'm thinking about it. I'm interested. I'm getting information. Maybe I'll do it if it's convenient. I have a lot to consider."
In any given moment, we can tell what we have been committed to by what is in our life right now.
I've always been committed to living in a nice home, even when I rented. Anyone who has ever been to any of my homes will tell you that they tend to be small, yet they really feel like home. At the same time, I have often been considering getting another car, but rarely get one until the one I'm driving no longer runs! At the moment, I drive a 22-year-old car that runs great.
Am I committed to creating home wherever I live? Absolutely. And, I do whatever it takes to make that happen.
My internal, personal commitment: transformation of a house into a home wherever I live. My current home in Denver, Colorado.
Am I considering driving a late-model car? Sure. Am I committed to it? Not at all.
(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, copyright 2011.)
I have been considering writing a book since 2002. I have actually written approximately one third of a book.
Which does not make a book. So, working with my own coach Jeff in the first week of this new year, I have now committed to getting the book written and published in 2011.
Whatever it takes.
I've started with a commitment to writing for two hours every day for 40 days. Today is day six. You would not believe how well I have organized my office as I procrastinate each day before getting to the two hours of writing!
Is doing whatever it takes easy? Sometimes it is. Sometimes it's ridiculously hard. And inconvenient. And messy. Complete with doubt and fear. And sometimes with pure grace.
Regardless, I know I am engaged in a process that calls me to express more of who I am and to serve those I am here to serve. With you as my witness, I am committed to getting this book into the world in 2011!
**********
Today, I'll be spending some time creating my 2011 Commitment Statement!
You?
Often, it is time to ACT. To take the first step, whatever it may be ... (life will keep reminding, so no worries! wink)
Take the step ... and ... Trust the Process!
To this end, I am sharing a GUEST POST that came my way with (again) 'lovely-the-way-life-is' timing! (I could have stayed up all night with the messages life was sending!)
COMMIT or CONSIDER.
(big difference! I've been considering on many a career-front. Time to commit!)
*************
Ann Strong’s:
Strong You, Strong Biz
Current Articles RSS Feed
Transformation: Committed or Considering?
Posted by Kelly Johnson on Mon, Jan 10, 2011 @ 10:53 PM
Committed looks like, "I will do whatever it takes to make this happen." Considering looks like, "I'm thinking about it. I'm interested. I'm getting information. Maybe I'll do it if it's convenient. I have a lot to consider."
In any given moment, we can tell what we have been committed to by what is in our life right now.
I've always been committed to living in a nice home, even when I rented. Anyone who has ever been to any of my homes will tell you that they tend to be small, yet they really feel like home. At the same time, I have often been considering getting another car, but rarely get one until the one I'm driving no longer runs! At the moment, I drive a 22-year-old car that runs great.
Am I committed to creating home wherever I live? Absolutely. And, I do whatever it takes to make that happen.
My internal, personal commitment: transformation of a house into a home wherever I live. My current home in Denver, Colorado.
Am I considering driving a late-model car? Sure. Am I committed to it? Not at all.
(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, copyright 2011.)
I have been considering writing a book since 2002. I have actually written approximately one third of a book.
Which does not make a book. So, working with my own coach Jeff in the first week of this new year, I have now committed to getting the book written and published in 2011.
Whatever it takes.
I've started with a commitment to writing for two hours every day for 40 days. Today is day six. You would not believe how well I have organized my office as I procrastinate each day before getting to the two hours of writing!
Is doing whatever it takes easy? Sometimes it is. Sometimes it's ridiculously hard. And inconvenient. And messy. Complete with doubt and fear. And sometimes with pure grace.
Regardless, I know I am engaged in a process that calls me to express more of who I am and to serve those I am here to serve. With you as my witness, I am committed to getting this book into the world in 2011!
**********
Today, I'll be spending some time creating my 2011 Commitment Statement!
You?
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