AUTHENTICITY

"Best be yourself, imperial, plain and true." 

~ Robert Browning ~

Authenticity is under-rated. We believe there's more value in presenting ourselves to others the way we think they want us to show up, rather than simply being who we are. Our belief in this instance seriously dis-serves us, and creates a condition of pretense, and undermines trust.

I make a point of keeping it real. 

THE TIGHTROPE OF LIFE

"O God, I pray that not too much of calm be mine, but one day let the maddened rush of waters break against my soul."

~ Muriel Strode ~

Life is a balancing act. We need time with others and time alone. We need structure and freedom. We need purpose and spontaneity, conversation and silence, friction and ease.
     It's the contrast that keeps things interesting, and the mix of it all that makes life life.

I accept the ups and downs and roundabouts of my daily experience. 

CONFRONTING LIFE

"Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four leaf clovers." 

~ Author Unknown ~

In challenge lies opportunity. When we are questioned, we must answer, and in answering, we learn. And when we are stretched to our limits, we grow.
     The natural reaction to anything unexpected and confronting is to resist with all we have, but in facing what disrupts us, we are graced with better knowing who, exactly, we are.

I accept the challenge, whatever it may be.

BEING THE CHANGE

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." 

~ M. Ghandi ~

We experience what we express. The energy we put out into the world is what comes back to us. If we send out prickly, we get back prickly, and if we send out love, we get back love. We're more responsible than we realize for the way the world is.
     So what do we want? And who are we being? Let's align the two and heighten our impact.

I spread the energy I believe in. 

THE ACT OF ENGAGEMENT

"Suit up and show up." 

~ Anonymous ~

Engagement is our ability to be involved emotionally in whatever we are up to, our desire to participate, and our inclination to share our whole selves. And it's easy to turn off and shut down. It's easy to tell ourselves stories that we don't matter, that we have no voice, and that our being there, or not being there doesn't really make a difference and doesn't really change anything anyway- sour grapes like- but it's not true.
     We do matter, and we do have a voice, and the more authentically and consistently we show up in the world, the more rewarded we will be.

I actively participate in life.

STANDING FOR PEOPLE

"How others treat me is their path; how I react is mine." 

~ Wayne Dyer ~

I stand for people who do not see or understand their power or their worth. I stand for the lonely. I stand for the emotionally wounded. I stand for those who are afraid.
     Let's care about each other. Let's listen and see. Let's remember who we are at the heart level, and what our real purpose is, and why we are here.

I show up for people, and love them wherever they are.

BEING BRIGHT

"Go out there and do something remarkable." 

~ Wendy Wasserstein ~

Let's unimpede ourselves! 

Let's clear what blocks us, uncover what shrouds us, and shine brightly from the inside out.

I step out of the darkness into the light.

THE THINGS WE'RE GOOD AT

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Owning our strengths is a challenging endeavor. It requires that we be sincere, stable, and unapologetic.
     It's ok to be good at what we're good at. It doesn't make anyone else less good, and is no cause for guilt or shame. It's what we've been blessed with, and what we have to contribute, and our way to make a positive difference in the world.

I own my strengths. 

TRAPPED BY THINKING

"Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?" 

~ Winnie The Pooh ~

Our thinking blocks and constrains us in more ways than we can possibly understand. Thoughts become barriers to entry, to access, and to flow.
     When we stop attaching to our thinking, we are free to express ourselves without resistance, free to create our lives in ways that inspire us, and free to be without negativity, judgment, or self-doubt.

I surrender my attachment to the construct of thinking.

UNIVERSAL ONE-NESS

"We're all just walking each other home." 
~ Ram Dass ~

We are intrinsically connected to others, so why do we set ourselves apart in our minds? Why do we isolate? Why do we shrink and hide?
     The light is in laughter and eye contact and sharing war stories, and our spirits soar in the company of those we enjoy.
     So why not enjoy the people we encounter on a regular basis? Why judge them so negatively, and feel so apart? We are one, after all, as truly as we are our own individual selves.

I am one of many and connected to all. 

GRATITUDE AS GOOD PRACTICE

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."

~ GB Stern ~

I'm grateful for winter sunshine.

I'm grateful for my dog, Boss.

I'm grateful for the process of learning,

For challenges to grow me,

good company,

and the color red.

I'm grateful for the people I love,

and the people who love me.

I'm grateful for moonlight and star-shine,

for crackling fires,

the smell of honeysuckle,

and delicious, soaking rain.

I'm grateful for black-eyed susans,

and larkspur,

for chocolate,

and iced tea.

I'm grateful for gratitude,

And I'm grateful to be me.

I express my thanks, often, and out loud.

THE NEED FOR PLAY

"Anticipate the day as if it was your birthday and you are turning six again." 

~ Mike Dolan ~

True fact.

No matter our age, we all need playtime.

I bring play to my day.

THE END OF THE PROCESS

"Simplicity is the final achievement." 

~ Frederic Chopin ~

I'm not sure why simple is so often difficult, only that it is. In the beginning, when things are new to us, they generally feel complicated, overwhelming, and impossible to master, and then we master them, and looking back, we wonder how it ever seemed so hard.
     Perhaps the access to simplicity is through mastery, or through surrender, or clarity, or truth. I'm not sure- only that simplicity always seems to come at the end of a process, and never at the beginning.

I celebrate simplicity when it comes. 

UNCONDITIONAL LIVING

 "Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?"

~ Rose Kennedy ~

We make our happiness, our feelings of safety and security, our well-being, and our self-worth contingent on things being a certain way in our lives. If we have this, that, or the other, we tell ourselves,  then we can be happy, then we can feel secure, then we can feel like we are enough...
     But what that means is that if we don't have those things, we can't feel secure or worthy. It's the trap we set for ourselves and we live inside of it.
     The way out is through awareness. Knowing that we are the ones who create these disempowering stories, and that the stories themselves determine our experience, we can create new stories and change the way we feel. We can decide, simply, that no matter how much money or acclaim or whatever we may have, we can be happy, we can feel fulfilled, and we can enjoy the daily adventure and the unfolding journey of our lives.
   

The conditions of my life do not determine my experience- I do!

LIVING LARGE

"Do good and be happy." 

~ Simeon Carter ~

Let's be ambassadors of courage. 

Let's brave up and step forward into life, instead of back and away from it.

Let's play our hand, dip our toes, and speak our truth.

Let's awake. 

Let's shine. 

Let's be audacious and unapologetic. 

Let's rise and take the field.

I live courageously and from the heart. 

MOODS

"Let's not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives."

~ Vincent Van Gogh ~

Sometimes I feel all stirred up inside and don't know why.

I'm shakey and unsure.

I'm in a mood.

Irritable, touchy, and dark.

And then, like clouds, the mood passes.

And I am sure again,

And strong,

And happy,

And grateful to be alive.

I accept the changing nature of my daily emotions.

NOT ALONE

"A crown is no cure for the headache." 

~ German Proverb ~

Some days dawn bright and full of goodness and optimism, and some days we'd rather go back to bed. This is true for all of us. We feel like we're the only ones who can't face the day or the future, who are overwhelmed by fears and self-doubt, and yet, that's just how it is to be human.
     If we can honestly share where we are on any given day, we will find resonance and relief and know that we are not alone, whether we feel like nothing can stop us, or nothing can start us. Both feelings are elemental and foundational, simply part and parcel of the journeying paths of life.

I share the journey and know I'm not alone.

STEADY ONWARD

"You can't go through life quitting everything. If you're going to achieve anything, you've got to stick with something." 

~ Family Matters ~

We learn by doing, by trying, and by taking risks; and we evolve as we go. Not everything we try will work- why should it? Life is a process of testing. We go so far, and then we want to venture a bit farther. We're curious. We question, "What about this?" We wonder. We dream. We put ourselves out there and get burned. We retreat. And then we step out yet again because there's nothing else for it. Life is for seeing what works.

I keep on stepping up to the line. 

ACKNOWLEDGING ACCOMPLISHMENT

"Never violate the sacredness of your individual self-respect." 

~ Theodore Parker ~

Most of us are hard on ourselves, harder than we need to be, and harder than we would ever think to be on anybody else. We sit in negative judgment of our progress, our motivation, and our dreams. We judge and doubt, and then judge and doubt some more. And even when we experience a victory, we focus on the one tiny imperfection...

     Why do we do this? And in what way does it serve us?

     Let's pat ourselves on the back instead, for all that we have accomplished, for all that we have learned, and for all that we have overcome. 

I give credit where credit is due.

OPPORTUNITY

"Nothing is so often irretrievably missed as a daily opportunity." 

~ Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach ~

One time last year I saw a perfect opening for a conversation with a work colleague. She was sitting alone, which was rare, and I had something pressing to share with her. I told myself I would take care of a handful of little odd jobs and then come back- just a few minutes- and when I came back, she was no longer alone. The opportunity had passed.

      Life creates a space, a portal, and we can step forward, or not. This is the last chance to take advantage of The Intention Workshop. I look forward to meeting you there.

I capitalize on opportunity and seize the day! 

CHOOSING THE HONORABLE PATH

"Never rob your character to enrich your pocket." 

~James Lendall Basford ~

When we discover that others have made personally reckless emotional deals without considering the long-term potential relationship ramifications, it makes my heart heavy and my stomach feel sick. The cost of discounting and dishonoring the people we love for power and self-righteousness is higher than we know. Just for today, let's choose to live by grace instead of greed.

I accept and forgive the naivete of short-term vision.

THE PAIN OF FEELING

"My heart may be broken, but it will never stop loving." 

~Jessica Garay ~

It's a natural instinct to deny feeling hurt. "It doesn't matter," we tell ourselves, and "It's no big deal," we say to others.We pretend to be tougher than we are. We act as if the way we are treated is inconsequential and unimportant. But it's not. And that we can rise above it without so much as a shiver of upset. But we can't.
     When it hurts, it hurts, and better to admit that, and let it run its course, than to stuff it inside and make ourselves sick.

I gradually process whatever hurts come my way. 

CELEBRATING WHO WE ARE

"And nothing, not God, is greater to one than oneself is." 

~ Walt Whitman ~

I celebrate my blessings.

That I can see and hear and smell and feel.

That I can take a walk, take a ride in my car, take notice, take a break.

We are vastly magnificent- rich with gifts.

We are wise with experience and fresh with vision.

Complicated, compassionate, courageous, and complete.

There's nothing to fix about us.

We are already whole and perfect.

There is only the journey of opening to who we are,

Authentically, and with gratitude from the heart.

I am grateful to be me!

INTENTION

"Never act until you have clearly answered the question, 'What happens if I do nothing?'" 

~ Robert Brault ~

How can we best honor our calling and show up powerfully in the world? How can we create the life of our hopes and dreams, contribute what we have to contribute, know our why, live our purpose, and inspire others along the way? How can we let go of feeling at the mercy of the people around us and connect with them instead?
     Answering these questions allows for rich possibility and personal fulfillment, and is the motivation behind The Intention Workshop, an intimate, interactive, online video experience I will be hosting on January 20th. Click on the link for more information, and start the year on purpose and on track.

I take steps to create the life I envision.