"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor" -Vince Lombardi
I don't know why this is scary as hell. If someone I knew confided their intention to me, I would be supportive and happy for them, but I wouldn't credit them with any special quantity of bravery or courage. So here goes; I am about to declare my plan to move forward in a new direction. One that I can captain myself, and take complete ownership of. My first idea, two weeks ago, was quickly dismissed when I realized that running a seminar business appears to be a sales gig, and worse, the product that you must continually promote is yourself. By divine fate, I have landed on a profession that feels organic and fraught with possibilities: a life coach. At this stage, there are many specialties and niches to explore and I need to figure out where to get certified. I'm so excited! And unsure. And hopeful. Hopeful that my inner faith can breed visible action. At this stage, fear be damned, I'm committing to myself.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
JUST a Dream? No Such Thing!
"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." -Mark Twain
As always, I was a bit late to the party, but I did get on the "New Earth" bandwagon when Oprah rolled out her series of inter-active classes five years ago. When I tried reading this strange little book by Eckhart Tolle, I confess, it was a little over my head. It was relegated to my 'library', (the main floor powder room, where I do most of my reading) where I have gleaned a great deal since, in much more manageable bits and pieces. One morsel, taken from a section called "The Dreamer and the Dream" on page 209 opened the door to a profound realization: "there is the dream, and there is the dreamer....the dreamer is the substratum [basis or foundation] in which the dream appears, that which makes the dream possible". It occurred to me, if my ideas (aka my dreams) are to be real, I must disassociate them with any criticism or fear of failure. When I accept them as true, they become the Truth. Then fear becomes the fantasy. When my ideas are attached to doubt, they remain a dream. Operating from an elevated level of consciousness, we can manifest ANY dream.
The bible says it another way, "with God, all things are possible" -Matthew 19:26
p.s. On an unrelated note, my sister and I performed a song that we wrote together. I highly recommend Unity of Bay City to any 'wannabe' musicians as they are a small, but very loving and supportive congregation. I botched the chorus both vocally and instrumentally, (not sure how one writes a note, hones it and practices it for over a year, and then loses it during the very first performance?) Still, my sister sang beautifully, and everyone was very appreciative. Nowhere to go from there, but up. No one ever said playing the tuba is easy.
As always, I was a bit late to the party, but I did get on the "New Earth" bandwagon when Oprah rolled out her series of inter-active classes five years ago. When I tried reading this strange little book by Eckhart Tolle, I confess, it was a little over my head. It was relegated to my 'library', (the main floor powder room, where I do most of my reading) where I have gleaned a great deal since, in much more manageable bits and pieces. One morsel, taken from a section called "The Dreamer and the Dream" on page 209 opened the door to a profound realization: "there is the dream, and there is the dreamer....the dreamer is the substratum [basis or foundation] in which the dream appears, that which makes the dream possible". It occurred to me, if my ideas (aka my dreams) are to be real, I must disassociate them with any criticism or fear of failure. When I accept them as true, they become the Truth. Then fear becomes the fantasy. When my ideas are attached to doubt, they remain a dream. Operating from an elevated level of consciousness, we can manifest ANY dream.
The bible says it another way, "with God, all things are possible" -Matthew 19:26
p.s. On an unrelated note, my sister and I performed a song that we wrote together. I highly recommend Unity of Bay City to any 'wannabe' musicians as they are a small, but very loving and supportive congregation. I botched the chorus both vocally and instrumentally, (not sure how one writes a note, hones it and practices it for over a year, and then loses it during the very first performance?) Still, my sister sang beautifully, and everyone was very appreciative. Nowhere to go from there, but up. No one ever said playing the tuba is easy.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Just Around the Riverbend
"I believe the second half of one's life is meant to be better than the first half. The first half is finding out how you do it. And the second half is enjoying it."--Frances Lear
Last summer, my son talked us into getting him a bearded dragon as an early Christmas gift. The idea of it creeped me out, but after some inquiry, I learned that they are surprisingly social animals and even kind of cute. And it turns out that I have something in common with our newest family member: we are in a continual state of shedding our skin. While his comes off in flaky patches that make him look, well, -icky, mine generally goes unnoticed. However, lately I have felt the uncomfortable, unattractive reality of a mid-life jettison. My identity as a mother for the last 20 years is peeling away, and I am forced to come to terms with living in a new and unfamiliar skin. While this is a necessary process for growth and renewal, it still is painful. I am surprised and confused by many of my thoughts, feelings, and remarks. I feel a little crazy. And a little excited. New beginnings are scary, but I have never been one to shy away from change. Now that I am older, I realize the rapids are ever-changing. No need to furiously paddle, fighting the currents. Time to hold on, enjoy the ride, and know there is always a new adventure just around the bend.
Last summer, my son talked us into getting him a bearded dragon as an early Christmas gift. The idea of it creeped me out, but after some inquiry, I learned that they are surprisingly social animals and even kind of cute. And it turns out that I have something in common with our newest family member: we are in a continual state of shedding our skin. While his comes off in flaky patches that make him look, well, -icky, mine generally goes unnoticed. However, lately I have felt the uncomfortable, unattractive reality of a mid-life jettison. My identity as a mother for the last 20 years is peeling away, and I am forced to come to terms with living in a new and unfamiliar skin. While this is a necessary process for growth and renewal, it still is painful. I am surprised and confused by many of my thoughts, feelings, and remarks. I feel a little crazy. And a little excited. New beginnings are scary, but I have never been one to shy away from change. Now that I am older, I realize the rapids are ever-changing. No need to furiously paddle, fighting the currents. Time to hold on, enjoy the ride, and know there is always a new adventure just around the bend.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Here and Now
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." -Eleanor Roosevelt
Here I am, one week later and that much farther along the path of my destiny. I am hesitant to make any declaration of action, but I have a quite fertile field of ideas, and I can set a course today. I will purchase a how-to book on the Kindle that my mom passed down to me, I've had it for quite some time, and this will be my first time using it. (Mom, you've just earned your acknowledgement when my first book gets published.) How-to books have a way of either fanning the flames of a new found passion, or extinguishing the glow, thereby diverting our attention to a new fire. There is an overwhelming wealth of information to choose from, and there are many self-proclaimed experts ready to offer their knowledge for a price. The world of writing is utterly subjective. We depend on the author to convey the necessary information, and even with ratings and reviews, there can be no guarantees. Thankfully, living by faith assures me that the right copy will send me in the right direction of prosperity and peace. Rest assured, I will play my tuba.
Monday, July 1, 2013
No Holding Back
"Thoughtless risks are destructive, of course, but perhaps even more wasteful is thoughtless caution which prompts inaction and promotes failure to seize opportunity." -Gary Ryan Blair
Each day is a conglomeration of moments to be grabbed, held onto, and wrung out so that every bit of life is squeezed from them. Whether you wish for joyful and exhilarating thrills, or a sense of quiet inner peace, the intent is to make the most of whatever little time we have on this earth. It is ironic and depressing that I have managed to compose over a years worth of weekly commentary on spiritual wellness and growth, yet have achieved very little measurable success of my own. So far I have pledged to commit to
establishing a routine, taking a vow of silence, signing up for laughing classes, performing in public, and expressing my true fashion sense, -just to name a few. Sincere as these notions are, I cannot continue preaching until I take steps to bring at least one to fruition. I love to recall a skit on the old tv program The Gong Show. A guy would come out on stage and perform an elaborate song about playing the tuba. The audience would join in, shouting, "whattya gonna do?" to which he would exuberantly respond, "I'm gonna play my tuba!". Finally the host, Chuck Barris, would halt the act and ask, "hey, when are you going to play your tuba?", to which the performer would respond, "naw, are you kidding? I can't play the tuba, and besides, those things are too big to carry around."... I am paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. I'm 45 years old, not getting any younger, I'm ready to come up with excuses for the things I have done, I'm gonna play my tuba now.
Each day is a conglomeration of moments to be grabbed, held onto, and wrung out so that every bit of life is squeezed from them. Whether you wish for joyful and exhilarating thrills, or a sense of quiet inner peace, the intent is to make the most of whatever little time we have on this earth. It is ironic and depressing that I have managed to compose over a years worth of weekly commentary on spiritual wellness and growth, yet have achieved very little measurable success of my own. So far I have pledged to commit to
establishing a routine, taking a vow of silence, signing up for laughing classes, performing in public, and expressing my true fashion sense, -just to name a few. Sincere as these notions are, I cannot continue preaching until I take steps to bring at least one to fruition. I love to recall a skit on the old tv program The Gong Show. A guy would come out on stage and perform an elaborate song about playing the tuba. The audience would join in, shouting, "whattya gonna do?" to which he would exuberantly respond, "I'm gonna play my tuba!". Finally the host, Chuck Barris, would halt the act and ask, "hey, when are you going to play your tuba?", to which the performer would respond, "naw, are you kidding? I can't play the tuba, and besides, those things are too big to carry around."... I am paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. I'm 45 years old, not getting any younger, I'm ready to come up with excuses for the things I have done, I'm gonna play my tuba now.
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