Jul 12, 2011
We all want to be loved. We all want to be liked. We all want to fit in. We all want to be understood. We just do.
We are social beings. We thrive in groups. We live in tribes. We have leaders and followers and pecking orders and those at the top and those at the bottom.
And because of this innate dynamic, we tend to look to each other for support. We frequently look to each other for approval. This is completely normal and completely okay. We’re not supposed to go it alone on our journey. More
Jul 6, 2011
We all have so much to offer. We are all born with sacred gifts and special qualities that are meant to be shared with the world. When we are young, these gifts flow easily and pour out of us. We sing, we dance, we play – we share our talents with anyone and everyone who will listen. And even if they won’t – we don’t let that stop us. We are simply living our purpose and sharing our gifts.
And then somewhere along the way, we learn to be self conscious about our gifts. We learn that maybe not everyone wants to see, hear, or receive our gifts. We learn that maybe our gifts aren’t the best gifts – maybe someone else has better gifts to offer. We learn that maybe our gifts aren’t practical gifts – maybe they should be replaced with gifts that are better suited for making it in this world – for succeeding in this world.
And so we bury our gifts deep inside ourselves. And we go about our lives in a conforming way. We do what we think is “right” and what we think is “acceptable.” All the while continuing to push our deepest desires further and further down.
And then we become adults with all of the responsibilities that go along with growing up: a real job, a house, bills, kids, etc. And we do all of these things and feel that we are doing a good job – but there is still that calling from deep inside: our sacred gifts want to come out. And maybe they have made little appearances here and there over the years – we paint on the side, we write a little bit every weekend, we sing in the shower, we help our friends with their relationship troubles… but we know deep down that our gifts want to come out so much more. They want to be a priority in our life. They want to be what we devote most of our time to – not an afterthought when we are too tired to act on it anyway.
I was on a phone call recently where
Monique MacDonaldspoke about our sacred gifts and really got me thinking about how important it is for each of us to identify them in our own life.
She said that they are always outwardly focused – what you can give to the world – rather than inwardly focused – what you can give to yourself. And for this reason, she emphasized that if you feel that you don’t have your own life together – you can still share your sacred gifts with others.
She also said that you can be really good at something, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a sacred gift. The way to tell is to notice whether it feeds you or depletes More
Jul 6, 2011
I was going to write all about a wonderful call that I was on this morning where the presenter reminded us to pay attention to our sacred gifts. And I promise that I will elaborate on that in tomorrow’s post.
Today’s post, however, is going to be a short one.
I was just asked on a spontaneous date by the most wonderful man in the world: my beautiful husband. And while there are always posts to write, orders to fill, emails to respond to, books to write, chores that must be done, dinner to cook, etc…there is only the present moment for appreciating our time together and living in the now together.
So I will go get ready for this mystery date. I’ll put something cute on, freshen up, More
Jun 27, 2011
Have you seen the new show on the
Oprah Winfrey Network called
Finding Sarah?
It’s about Sarah Ferguson’s (the Duchess of York) journey toward finding herself.
She has truly hit rock bottom in both her life and her self worth, and it’s really heartbreaking to watch her struggle to go within and find her soul again. She has been through so much in her life (being a member of the royal family and all of the rules that go along with it, being tormented by the press through the years, and sabotaging any good that came her way due to a lack of self worth).
And while she has had a life that none of us can even begin to imagine, she is still extremely relatable. I think we can all find bits of ourselves in her – struggling to find where we fit in, trying to get to know who we are deep inside after taking away all of the externals, distorted views of our physical appearance, seeking approval from others, wanting to please, afraid to express anger, living with so much regret, hurt and sad over events that occurred in childhood, afraid that you will never be whole again, feeling lost and broken…
She brings all of these insecurities and issues to the surface with a yearning to fill herself up with love – her own love. She longs to love herself fully for the first time in her life.
I can empathize with her so deeply – for the pain she has gone through, the mistakes she has made in her life, and for the loss of self that she is experiencing.
And while the externals are different, we all can relate to her struggles.
We have all been there to some degree at some point in our More
Jun 26, 2011
When our
Commitment Book came out earlier this year, I was excited to put it into action right away. It offers a 4-step plan for achieving your goals and holds you accountable for keeping your word at the same time.
This was definitely an area that I wanted extra support in. I am really great at starting new projects and having many ideas and creative bursts, but I didn’t always follow through with these projects. I wanted to know that when I committed to doing something (however large or small that something was), that I would be confident in knowing that I would follow through, keep my word to myself, and keep my commitment.
When you do something continuously for 30 days, it becomes a habit.
If you start something and keep at it for 10 days and then accidentally forget to do it for a day, simply start again from day one and continue until you get to the 30th day. By then it will be a habit.
I decided to try this out with this blog. I originally committed to writing a post each day for 30 days. I looked forward to building up my own self-trust and knowing without a doubt that when I said I would do something, I would do it.
And I did! I’ve now written one post per day for over four months!
I love writing and sharing and inspiring and connecting and growing with all of you!
And I really feel much better about myself and know that I will continue keeping my word with new commitments.
One of the last parts of our book occurs at the end of the 30 days. You get to re-evaluate your commitment and see if you want to continue doing it. You also get to decide if you want to revise it in any way.
I have given this a lot of thought and have decided to revise my original commitment.
Instead of posting each day, I have decided to post 6 days a week and take Sunday off.
Dan and I have committed to each other that we are going to designate every Sunday as a day for self care and a day to fill up our tanks however we see fit. For me, this means no work, no checklists, no “have tos,” no email, no cleaning, no chores. And I am so excited about this!
This blog focuses on remembering to put ourselves back on our own priority list, which is absolutely essential for a balanced, happy life. So I am taking my own advice and creating some balance in my own life.
So this will be my last Sunday post.I hope you all take a look at each commitment you have made and be open to re-evaluating them to see if they need to be revised in any way. You’re in the driver’s seat – you get to decide. This is your life, and you are the only one who knows what feels right.
So yay for making commitments, yay for keeping them, and yay for tweaking them until they feel just right!
