So Let It Be Written

I wish that I could say today’s blog is self-inspired. It is not. It is inspired, again, by an email I received from Kat Laterzo, a woman who writes a business and self-development blog for the not-faint-of-heart.

“So if you want CHANGE?
Big f'ing positive change, change that makes your head spin and leaves you BREATHLESS with how awesome your life IS?
Write that s#*t down. Again. And again. And again. And again.
Until you believe it.
Until you are living it.
Until you ARE it, and it is you.” 

"I know, I know," I thought as I read the message. I know how powerful words are. I believe they have power to heal or to wound; to create or to destroy. I have been healed by and have healed others with them. I have been wounded by and wounded others with them.

Philosophers and poets, clergy and laity, political leaders and ordinary citizens have contemplated for generations the power of the written word: mightier than the sword it is. “We hold these truths to be self-evident…,” wrote Thomas Jefferson and a nation was born. “And the just shall live by faith…” wrote Martin Luther in his 95 Theses, left taped to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, and ignited a religious reformation.

I fully believe that “life and death” are in the power of our words. Spoken or written, words are not to be taken lightly. Knowing their power, I set an intention at the beginning of this year to use them more judiciously when spoken and written. Taped to my closet door, which is the first thing I see upon rising each morning, is the message “Don’t want it; don’t say it.” And yet, I have lately been a bit careless with my words some days—majorly careless on some others as if forgetting the warning that “every idle word spoken” will be made manifest.

I've been writing in journals for years now. Some are plain, some are really fancy notebooks filled with notes about how wonderful my life is and how grateful I am for my loving family and friends along with the sun, the moon, the rain, the snow, birds, trees...(Did you notice the solar eclipse this evening? What an amazing sight!) I'm certain that's why I've attracted so many wonderful experiences into my life. I'm also certain my occasional carelessly spoken and written words are, at least partly, responsible for some of the less than pleasing experiences.

Nevertheless, I believe that I can overcome the effect of words spoken out of anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, or sheer carelessness with loving, healing, life affirming ones. I remain committed to using my power in the best way possible to create a life filled with abundant health, joy, peace, love, wealth, laughter, and every other good thing I can imagine.

You want it? Write it, speak it, chant it, sing it. Let your every thought, word, and feeling empower you and propel you toward your dreams. Write your vision. Put it where you can see it, and speak it aloud daily until it’s imprinted in your heart and drives every action you take, every decision you make. Ignite your own personal reformation. I’m off to write my vision now.

Namaste

Remember to reach for the moon. Even if you don't get there, you'll still be among the stars!

I Was Born for Greatness; So Were You

This blog is an interesting one for me to write. Tooting my own horn, so to speak, is not something I’m accustomed to, or comfortable, doing. Yet here I sit at my computer inspired to do exactly that today. As one of my mentor’s once told me: “If anyone is going to think you’re great, it might as well be you.”

Earlier I received an email from a woman named Kat Loterzo who helps other women realize the power within themselves to live the lives they dream about, whatever those dreams may be. In her email she writes: You KNOW you were born for more. And, she’s absolutely right. She is absolutely freakin' right! I know it. I’ve always known it. (At least part of me has always known it.)

I am realizing it’s that seed of greatness in me that causes me to become disquieted, agitated, and sometimes outright angry when I’m playing it small and trying to fit in—trying to live by other people’s expectations, rules and the limits they place on themselves, and indirectly me. After all, among the many things we have in common as humans is our deep desire/need to be loved and accepted and at some point in our life—likely between birth and age 7—we learned that love and acceptance is conditional upon our being like others and doing what we’re told or what is expected. So we do. Yet the seed to be more remains.

It’s that seed of greatness that causes me to want to scream out loud like a woman trapped in a small, cramped space, for seemingly no reason. It’s my spirit trying to get my attention. On the surface, all may appear to be going well by societal standards, yet she wants me to know that she’s feeling confined, claustrophobic—that she longs to do more, be more, have more, experience more. She wants to be released to live the life she dreams about. She wants to experience in reality what she’s experiencing in her imagination. She wants to experience financial freedom; nurturing, loving, empowering relationships; a strong, healthy body; a life filled with passion and purpose; control over how she spends her time; a home along the water; freedom to choose her destiny; and more, so much more. And she can. The only one really stopping her is... ME.

I was born for more. I was born for greatness; all of us were. We were born to solve a problem that only we can solve, to have an impact on the world that only we can. Each one of us has the capacity within to be geniuses, great leaders, great artists, healers, or world transformers. It is why so many of us are disquieted with our jobs, our relationships, our homes, our governments, our lives. It’s why many of us experience stress, depression, and other health issues. Our spirits are trying to get our attention. We look for a savior outside of ourselves, but that savior is already within. Our spirits know that we are infinite beings capable of achieving far more than we've allowed ourselves to imagine. Our spirits are trying to tell us: “You were born for more.”

So, I'm going for the more, and I encourage you to do the same. Allow yourself to be all that you are capable of being and doing all that you are capable of doing, no matter what anyone else thinks. Silence the fearful child within by letting him or her know it’s okay to be fully you. Whatever it is you’re desiring, whatever it is you’ve been dreaming, go after it—one step, one day at a time. Become obsessed by it and dare to step into your greatness. If not now, then when?


"If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place." - Nora Roberts

"...if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours..."  - Henry D. Thoreau

What Do You Know?

Here's a thought for you to ponder that may also mess with your mind for a day, or two, or ten....

I only know that I do not really know anything. And since I do not really know anything, I am free to choose what it is I know.

Just think about it.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Because some days you just have to choose to be happy! If you're having one of those days, here's something that will help to put a smile on your face and one in your heart where it counts most.

Courtesy of Bobby McFerrin: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

                               

Dance like nobody's watching. Love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's heaven on earth.

Edgy? Moi?!

I took a personality test today. Someone sent it to me via email and since there wasn't much else for me to do given there's about a foot plus of snow on the ground outside and no buses are running, I figured why not. (Then again, snow angels are always fun!)

I find personality assessments to be useful tools for understanding my psyche. I am careful to not let them limit me in any way, yet I appreciate any tool that can help me grow and become more of who I want to become. I have found that personality tests offer helpful guidance along those lines. I've used them to gain insight about how I make decisions or process information. I've also used them to help me assess the types of learning or work environments I'm best suited for, or even the best career options. I remember taking one such test about two years ago—required for my job—that provided insight into how I work as part of team. One aspect of my character it aptly identified is that I don't tolerate fools well. Needless to say, I'm no longer at that job!

Anyhoo... today's test was a bit more fun. It identified your five dominant personality traits—the ones that stand out to others when they get to know you. After answering about 20 questions, here are mine:

Edgy, experimental, open-minded, artistic, and intuitive.

Edgy? What a curious word to describe me. I had to look it up. One definition reads: tense, nervous, irritable. Another reads: at the forefront of a trend; experimental or avant-garde.

According to the Free Dictionary, edgy can also mean: Having a sharp or biting edge: an edgy wit; or daring, provocative, and trend-setting.

The Urban Dictionary defines edgy as the act of thinking that one is cool. And among the many synonyms I found for edgy were these: cutting-edge, on-the-edge, fringe, avant-garde, innovative, original, offbeat; gritty.

Edgy? Well, if by edgy, this assessment means cool, cutting-edge, avant-garde, trend-setting, or just plain original, I'm totally okay with being that. In fact, I intend to fully embrace and explore my edginess. Why the heck not? After all, it's the cutting-edge people who have dared to create their own style and their own rules, who have had the biggest impact on the world.

I Declare—2016 My Year of Abundance

to declare (v) - say something in a solemn and emphatic manner; acknowledge possession of; to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms; to manifest, reveal, show; to proclaim.

It's 13 days into 2016, and while I set a clear intention on day one about the type of year I desired to experience, I think I need to shake things up a bit by openly declaring what I would like to transpire this year. To quote Joel Osteen: "You've got to send your words out in the direction you want your life to go."

So, I am sending my words forth into cyberspace and the universe:

I emphatically declare that this year, 2016, is my year of abundance! I will live the promise of an abundant life in every possible area. I aim to experience abundant joy, abundant peace, abundant love, abundant laughter, abundant health, and abundant wealth! I will take inspired action in the direction of my dreams, seek wise counsel, express gratitude daily, and be amazed at how heaven moves on my behalf. This year will be my best ever.

And yours too. Just declare it, and watch all of heaven move to make it so!


"...when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." - From The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Don't Quit

I love synchronicities. They feel like signs from God/the Universe that are saying "Hey, I'm listening to the very thoughts of your heart."

In case you're not familiar with the term, synchronicity is a concept first coined by psychiatrist Carl Jung to describe events that seem meaningfully related yet have no causal relationship. For example, you're thinking of a song you haven't heard in eons, and moments later when you jump in the car and turn on your radio, that exact song is playing.

Well, just yesterday I was thinking about the poem "Don't Quit," which I read for the first time about 15 years ago. I was actually going to search for it to post on my blog, but then became distracted by other things I needed to do.

Today I'm reading an online article about some new scientific breakthrough that promises to change lives, and in the related posts section at the very end of the article there's a link to the "Don't Quit" poem. How very cool. Especially, since I'm not all certain how it ranked as being related to the article I was reading. Even cooler... I click on the link and it takes me to a beautifully produced video featuring the poem. Every image and the music seem to perfectly represent the poet's intent.

So, if by chance 2016 isn't starting off quite as you had hoped, or maybe you just need a little extra push to keep those resolutions, watch this video and be inspired. Keep tissue handy.