As you take a journey to wholeness and discovering your greatness there are many diversions along the way. You get to one milepost and think to yourself, yes, I have made it, only to see there are many more mileposts ahead in the distance. You are going along great for a while, and then hit a bump in the road and start to question, have I really done anything at all, only to dig deep and see that what is in your heart is larger and more powerful than what is in your head. So with this knowledge and belief you keep going, knowing that this is a journey and not a destination. You daily choose to see greatness, to filter life through your heart, to stay true to yourself and all you know, to carry on and live the best life you possibly can armed with the knowledge of who you truly are in your greatness. All this is done with a conscious decision on your own with no input from others, but what happens when people are added to the mix and you discover the decision you made to make the journey has an impact on others, what happens next?
I have recently been involved with a person that my life, my journey hit a chord of hope in them that life can be different. That there is hope, that there is greatness and a life that is amazing is possible. The impact my life had on this person hit me straight to the heart when they wrote to me the following...
"You never knew while going through your challenges that you would save an African American young woman from being shipwrecked. By being your strong resilient self you would give me hope. By being your brave warrior self you would give me someone to look up to. By not allowing yourself to be broken by your challenges and not taking your life, you would save mine."
As I read this again my heart is overwhelmed that my decision to change my life would someday have such a huge impact on another. But in reality, isn't that what greatness is all about? That as we make a journey to discover who we are with the greatness that we were born with that we can in some way touch the life of another. That we can make a heart to heart connection with others and that they too can discover what greatness is all about?
So it is with this resolve that I write that even though I may have a long way still to go on this journey and that each day I am discovering new areas in which I have to grow and learn that I will choose to live a life that makes a difference. That I will face each day fearlessly knowing that I have greatness and it is this greatness that is to be shared with others. I can do this, I have the courage, strength and ability within my heart to live this life. I will choose people to be in my life that will challenge me to keep growing, to keep learning and I will also choose people that believe in me and will come along side me in this journey.
Living a life of hope, of courage with fearlessness is an amazing, challenging way to live. However, when you see that your choice to live this life may also lead another to want it, every tear, every hard place, every challenge is worth it as you help someone else discover how to make the 18 inch journey into their heart.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
The Energy of Greatness - Being Centered
I am discovering this truth, no matter how far you have come, how much you have learned, or where you think you should be, there is always more to learn, more ways to grow. Your greatness is not measured by how far you think you should be. Who you are is not measured by what you feel is a setback, in fact it is not a setback but another opportunity to grow. To look into your heart and hear what it is saying. So stand tall in your greatness and listen to the whispers of your heart.
I have had to read this several times this week to remind myself of the truth. Words I have written and shared in a presentation this past summer, but had forgotten as this has been a week of questioning for me, which all started with a challenge I got from a friend last week.
Let me explain. I have an energy about me. Anybody who knows me, or has met me has probably figured this out. However, the energy I have is BRIGHT NEON and scattered all over the place. As I walked through this journey, my energy became more intense, but not centered and at times can be overwhelming. The times I focus and pull it into cohesion are powerful and draw others in to hear what I have to say about their greatness and how it can change their life. So as I went to my friend and shared with her how I was living with intention she challenged me to focus my energy. To take it from neon to a cool calm blue/green (my analogy) and to draw it in and channel it and then watch what happens as it becomes more powerful, but focused! So I thought about this and accepted the challenge thinking I can do this, easy! But I discovered this week it is actually easier said than done (she kinda warned me about this as well).
Here is what has happened that led me to the excerpt above...I tried to channel my energy from a logical standpoint and did not allow it to flow out from the heart, in the process I started to feed myself all sorts of negative self talk about why I have not already gotten here, why another growth process, shouldn't I be done with this yet?!? So where did I end up...anywhere but in my greatness!
I have stayed here for about a week and not allowed myself to move back to my heart. While it has been painful to stay here, it seemed even harder to fight through it to allow myself to feel these feelings. My friend said the "storm" would hit, she was right. I discovered that when I channel my energy into a cohesive, streamlined, calm state, you have to feel more deeply. When I allow it to be scattered, the feelings somethimes stay at a surface level, thus never reach to the depths of the heart, but when you "draw in" your energy, you feel deeply and completely which can be an intense place. I spent about a week "taming" my energy from a logical standpoint (my head) and it felt easy, but I soon realized I had to go deeper and that is when it started to hurt! But here it is, when you are looking to make a change that is truly from the heart, you cannot do it on a surface level...you will not get to where you are supposed to be! True change starts within the heart and works from the inside out. I cannot truly center my energy by just subduing my physical expression, or logically making a decsion to do so, but rather letting the calm settle into the deepest crevices of my heart and manifesting from there. It is in this place that the true calm, the energy in a positive way will flow with cohesion and cease to be scattered. It is also in this place that what starts out hurting, ends up as a new level of growth that I know will lead to new levels of greatness as well! Funny thing is I spent almost a week in a "funk" as I had one friend tell me and talked a massive amount of neagative self talk in the process and she was not shy in telling me so, but I needed to hear it!
So today, I will "reset" and allow myself to feel deeply, to hear the whispers of my heart and to settle into the familiar place of greatness that I know who I am and the truth. In this place, I will cease to strive for the calm and just listen to my heart instead, it this easy no, it is worth it definitely! While it is rough going at times, I am glad I have accepted this challenge and in the process the growth that will come with it. I know that this piece of the journey is going to lead to bigger, greater things, and in fact already has with the opportunity to share my journery with several others. Sometimes this journey to greatness is a love/hate relationship, but in the end greatness will always prevail if you allow it to.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Living Intentionally
A couple of weeks ago I made the decision to step in up a notch in my life and to live intentionally. I have been on the "18 inch journey" now since December 2011 and have seen dramatic changes in my life, both in how I approach life and how I look, but I questioned at times, was I applying all I have learned?
As I asked myself this question and pondered it in my heart for several days, some interesting things happened. Quite by chance the opportunity arose to share pieces of my journey with several people. As they listened what intrigued me most was their response that I seemed happy. While this was nice to hear, it was what they followed up with that hit home to my heart...they retracted the "happy statement" and instead said, that it was not happy, but more than that, it was a positive energy, one that could be felt, touched. This is when it hit home in my heart, that my life, my everyday living in my greatness, of filtering life through my heart versus my head was impacting others.
It was in this place of realization that I knew that all the work I have done has finally taken taken root and my life-normal day to day life (nothing dramatic) was an example of what living in your greatness, living intentionally was all about. At this time, I also came to understand that was time to pass the torch in a manner of speaking.
The passing of the torch has come about in that I have been approached by people who have watched me from afar via social media, some for quite some time and others more recently. They have seen what has taken place in me, and have now approached me ready to start their own journey. The same statement is made to me over and over, they "feel" the positive energy, see the changes and want it for their own life. It is in these conversations that I know that living my life intentionally is making the choice I have spoken about many times throughout the course of this blog to filter life through your heart-no matter what happens, and to know your greatness and who you are each day.
I like to say that through all of this that I have no setbacks and that each day is "perfect", but I would be lying! This way of life, of living is not some magic potion I take each morning, some magic words I say, but rather making the conscious decision to know who I am, in recognizing my own greatness, and then to recognize the same in others. Living intentionally is just that-having intention and following through with what you know to be true. That when you stumble and make a decision to react, to reset yourself and start over. Is it failure, no, not in any way, it is just part of the journey. The true joy comes when I get to share this with others who are seeking and to watch as they discover their greatness.
So what is next? This is the question that is now in my heart. I am sure that I am called to share my journey with others in several ways, a book, presenting in person, and maybe even in a one on one setting. I do not know the how or when, but I know that this is what I am supposed to do. The exciting part will be to watch as the next year unfolds and to see where this "18 inch journey" takes me next!
As I asked myself this question and pondered it in my heart for several days, some interesting things happened. Quite by chance the opportunity arose to share pieces of my journey with several people. As they listened what intrigued me most was their response that I seemed happy. While this was nice to hear, it was what they followed up with that hit home to my heart...they retracted the "happy statement" and instead said, that it was not happy, but more than that, it was a positive energy, one that could be felt, touched. This is when it hit home in my heart, that my life, my everyday living in my greatness, of filtering life through my heart versus my head was impacting others.
It was in this place of realization that I knew that all the work I have done has finally taken taken root and my life-normal day to day life (nothing dramatic) was an example of what living in your greatness, living intentionally was all about. At this time, I also came to understand that was time to pass the torch in a manner of speaking.
The passing of the torch has come about in that I have been approached by people who have watched me from afar via social media, some for quite some time and others more recently. They have seen what has taken place in me, and have now approached me ready to start their own journey. The same statement is made to me over and over, they "feel" the positive energy, see the changes and want it for their own life. It is in these conversations that I know that living my life intentionally is making the choice I have spoken about many times throughout the course of this blog to filter life through your heart-no matter what happens, and to know your greatness and who you are each day.
I like to say that through all of this that I have no setbacks and that each day is "perfect", but I would be lying! This way of life, of living is not some magic potion I take each morning, some magic words I say, but rather making the conscious decision to know who I am, in recognizing my own greatness, and then to recognize the same in others. Living intentionally is just that-having intention and following through with what you know to be true. That when you stumble and make a decision to react, to reset yourself and start over. Is it failure, no, not in any way, it is just part of the journey. The true joy comes when I get to share this with others who are seeking and to watch as they discover their greatness.
So what is next? This is the question that is now in my heart. I am sure that I am called to share my journey with others in several ways, a book, presenting in person, and maybe even in a one on one setting. I do not know the how or when, but I know that this is what I am supposed to do. The exciting part will be to watch as the next year unfolds and to see where this "18 inch journey" takes me next!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Owning and Defining Your Greatness
Greatness. This is really a term that is made up. What does it mean? Who has it? What does it look like? These are questions that are asked of me as I live my life and share my journey with others. These are also questions I ask myself as I look over the tapestry of my life and all the events that have woven together the events of my life and produced who I am today.
I used to think that who I was and what has happened to me throughout my life, the events, the people, the beliefs that were passed down and the ones I created about myself were what defined me. In fact, I lived my life this way, always looking over my shoulder making sure the "demons" that limited my ability to live were not too close. I did everything within my power to make sure that I was "okay", that what I said/did proved that I was worthy of love, friendship, acceptance...and in the end sat in a therapist's office stating I wanted to end it all regardless of the people in my life it would hurt.
It was at this point that the word "greatness" was introduced to me. Such a foreign concept...yet held with it an energy that made me yearn to hear more. It was here in my journey that I discovered that anything outside of the way I saw myself at that moment had to be better and made me determined to find out more.
As I have been on this path for almost two years and have written in this blog many times about the "18 inch" journey to greatness, you may ask why am I bringing this up again...well over the last several weeks something happened that brought me to a new level of self awareness.
I discovered that I do not need others in my life to validate me and tell me about how fearless I am, what positive thing I am doing, what growth is taking place, or what my greatness is that day, week, month. While all these things are okay, if you need them to be "fed" to you and cannot see them in yourself then what do you truly believe?
I have been used to over the past year of being told regularly about all the things mentioned above by a couple of people in my life. I loved it and it felt great, I believed it and used it to fuel myself each day towards growth. Then, life happened and my "providers" got busy and I watched this constant "feeding" drop off, and for a while questioned my worth. So I struggled, until a few days ago when I awoke as if from a dream and allowed myself to look in the mirror of my heart and what did I see but all the things I know to be true about me, determination, fearlessness, courage, greatness and I felt a haze lift and realized that if I rely on others to tell me these things do I really believe them about myself?
As I looked in the mirror I saw the person before my journey started and the one I am now. The difference...understanding greatness and how it defines you and your belief about the possibilities in your life and what you believe yourself to be capable of. What you OWN and not what another owns in their belief about you, but what you own in your belief about yourself.
So, what is greatness, and what does it mean? The definition is really one you write as you discover the person you are and have always been. How all those things that happened to you, the people in your life, the events both negative and positive are what make up your journey. You can filter them through your head or your heart, the result will be vastly different as greatness resides in your heart and truly defines who you are.
What filter are you using? What is your definition of greatness? do you own it or does another? these are now the questions I pose not only to you, but to myself. Let the next phase of the journey begin...
I used to think that who I was and what has happened to me throughout my life, the events, the people, the beliefs that were passed down and the ones I created about myself were what defined me. In fact, I lived my life this way, always looking over my shoulder making sure the "demons" that limited my ability to live were not too close. I did everything within my power to make sure that I was "okay", that what I said/did proved that I was worthy of love, friendship, acceptance...and in the end sat in a therapist's office stating I wanted to end it all regardless of the people in my life it would hurt.
It was at this point that the word "greatness" was introduced to me. Such a foreign concept...yet held with it an energy that made me yearn to hear more. It was here in my journey that I discovered that anything outside of the way I saw myself at that moment had to be better and made me determined to find out more.
As I have been on this path for almost two years and have written in this blog many times about the "18 inch" journey to greatness, you may ask why am I bringing this up again...well over the last several weeks something happened that brought me to a new level of self awareness.
I discovered that I do not need others in my life to validate me and tell me about how fearless I am, what positive thing I am doing, what growth is taking place, or what my greatness is that day, week, month. While all these things are okay, if you need them to be "fed" to you and cannot see them in yourself then what do you truly believe?
I have been used to over the past year of being told regularly about all the things mentioned above by a couple of people in my life. I loved it and it felt great, I believed it and used it to fuel myself each day towards growth. Then, life happened and my "providers" got busy and I watched this constant "feeding" drop off, and for a while questioned my worth. So I struggled, until a few days ago when I awoke as if from a dream and allowed myself to look in the mirror of my heart and what did I see but all the things I know to be true about me, determination, fearlessness, courage, greatness and I felt a haze lift and realized that if I rely on others to tell me these things do I really believe them about myself?
As I looked in the mirror I saw the person before my journey started and the one I am now. The difference...understanding greatness and how it defines you and your belief about the possibilities in your life and what you believe yourself to be capable of. What you OWN and not what another owns in their belief about you, but what you own in your belief about yourself.
So, what is greatness, and what does it mean? The definition is really one you write as you discover the person you are and have always been. How all those things that happened to you, the people in your life, the events both negative and positive are what make up your journey. You can filter them through your head or your heart, the result will be vastly different as greatness resides in your heart and truly defines who you are.
What filter are you using? What is your definition of greatness? do you own it or does another? these are now the questions I pose not only to you, but to myself. Let the next phase of the journey begin...
Sunday, September 1, 2013
When Greatness Leads the Way
Well, it has been about a year since I started this blog and along the way I have learned some great lessons but most of all I have discovered what being fearless and living in your greatness is all about! I think one of the things that surprised me most is when I was in New Mexico for the Nurtured Heart Approach Global Summit and several people walked up to me and said "you're the 18 inches lady!" I was so humbled that there are people who read this as I share my journey and are touched by it. Thank you all for your encouragement and for supporting me in this effort.
So last week I shared about the "art of seeing greatness" in everyday life and to live in greatness in the day in, day out of everyday life. So, taking my own advice, that is what I did this week! Let me preface first by telling you that the prior two weeks I was in and out of my head way to much and had to force myself to be fearless and see greatness in anything. The "elevator" that travels the 18 inches from head to heart got stuck in between floors several times and I at times doubted anything I have learned in the past year. But, before Sunday was over I made the decision to put the "elevator" back into full service and to park it in my heart, thus the blog last week about seeing greatness in everyday life.
As I awoke Monday morning with absolute clarity of who I was and chose to live the day in my heart, the day unfolded in a way that set the course for the rest of the week to follow. I had an amazing day at work, an unexpected meeting with a friend opened up and I made the decision to "breathe" greatness and peace into my household and set family rules. What took place throughout the rest of the week was nothing short of amazing! My home that had been in turmoil, became peaceful and calm and my relationship with my girls thrived all week and still is. At work, a confidence I have not had for a while manifested in full force and I had a fantastic week. The fears/doubts I was having about friendships dissipated as I was reacting out of fear versus listening to my heart.
What I once again realized is that what it comes down to really is this...CHOICE! I know this, and have been told this many times. We all have choices to make and choosing to be fearless and living in your greatness really is a decision you have to make on your own. You can choose to allow negativity to seep into your life/heart and soon it will take over. However, you can also choose to confront it and say NO! To choose to see greatness versus negativity and to breathe this into every situation, this is what I spent the week doing and the freedom and peace that followed was amazing.
Life...it is all about greatness, how you choose to love, to live, to see yourself, and to see others. Listen to the still voice of your heart, it speaks the language of greatness, of fearlessness, of courage. As you choose to live in your heart this still voice will become more and more prominent. Are you listening?
So last week I shared about the "art of seeing greatness" in everyday life and to live in greatness in the day in, day out of everyday life. So, taking my own advice, that is what I did this week! Let me preface first by telling you that the prior two weeks I was in and out of my head way to much and had to force myself to be fearless and see greatness in anything. The "elevator" that travels the 18 inches from head to heart got stuck in between floors several times and I at times doubted anything I have learned in the past year. But, before Sunday was over I made the decision to put the "elevator" back into full service and to park it in my heart, thus the blog last week about seeing greatness in everyday life.
As I awoke Monday morning with absolute clarity of who I was and chose to live the day in my heart, the day unfolded in a way that set the course for the rest of the week to follow. I had an amazing day at work, an unexpected meeting with a friend opened up and I made the decision to "breathe" greatness and peace into my household and set family rules. What took place throughout the rest of the week was nothing short of amazing! My home that had been in turmoil, became peaceful and calm and my relationship with my girls thrived all week and still is. At work, a confidence I have not had for a while manifested in full force and I had a fantastic week. The fears/doubts I was having about friendships dissipated as I was reacting out of fear versus listening to my heart.
What I once again realized is that what it comes down to really is this...CHOICE! I know this, and have been told this many times. We all have choices to make and choosing to be fearless and living in your greatness really is a decision you have to make on your own. You can choose to allow negativity to seep into your life/heart and soon it will take over. However, you can also choose to confront it and say NO! To choose to see greatness versus negativity and to breathe this into every situation, this is what I spent the week doing and the freedom and peace that followed was amazing.
Life...it is all about greatness, how you choose to love, to live, to see yourself, and to see others. Listen to the still voice of your heart, it speaks the language of greatness, of fearlessness, of courage. As you choose to live in your heart this still voice will become more and more prominent. Are you listening?
Sunday, August 25, 2013
The Art of Seeing Greatness
So what does it mean to see greatness daily? It is easy to see greatness when you are doing something big and accomplish it. Or, you set a goal and acheive it. But what about when it is just the daily stuff life is made up of, work, school, family, bills, friendships, chores, etc. How do you find greatness in just everyday ordinary life?
As I have been on an amazing journey the last year and a half or so it seems that all of life was BIG and constant change was taking place be it weight loss, a new discovery about myself as I learned to live from my heart, a period of building new friendships, and I was on all cylinders all the time, so greatness was easier to recognize. But, what about when you come to a place where you are "settled in?" Not to say that growth is not still taking place, as we never should stop learning or growing, but the intensity that was dominant for many months is not there, what do you do then?
This is where I find myself lately and to be honest it has been an adjustment. I know how to live in my heart now and when I find myself not doing so, how to get back. The friendships that were being formed over the last year are solid and secure. The intense period of growth is now not as instense so that "high" of constant learning is not always present. Through this I am learning I think more than ever to trust that everything that has taken place is real and was not just a phase, but is now a lifestyle. I have recognized over the last few weeks that I do not need someone to tell me about how fearless I am, that I have greatness because I know within my heart that I do and I just need to recognize it within myself.
I have a friend that notices things all around her and sees greatness where others may miss it. I have been with her many times and she has pointed out things going on around us and that I may have missed otherwise. This is what I call "the art of seeing greatness." What does this mean? Well to me it means noticing all the "small" things that go on around us each day. It can be a turtle warming in the sun, an act of kindness taking place, a word or phrase that was said in conversation with a friend, a sunrise/sunset while walking outside, a discovery you make about yourself, or an obstacle you encounter and get through, all these things remind us of the greatness within ourselves and others.
It is in the everyday living of life that you can be reminded of who you are, of the greatness within you, of how fearlessly you live your life if you allow yourself to see it. This is the phase I am now in, of learning to trust myself and all that I have leanred. To see, know, and be confident of the greatness in me. To know that I have made the "18 inch" journey from head to heart and do so daily. Is this challenging, sometimes more so than the period of intense growth, but is it worth it, more than I have words to express. It is here that I have truly discovered and am discovering what I am made of, that the greatness that has been in me all my life is an active part of my life and not based on what I am feeling, it just is. It is also here that I have realized that I do not need the reassurance from another to know I have greatness. Not to say that I do not have friends that recognize greatness in me and tell me because I do and it feeds my soul, and I still love being called "fearless warrior" now and then as well. However, it is not the constant "need" that it was as I can recognize greatness and fearlessness within myself.
So it is with this that I challenge you and myself to the "art of seeing greatness" within yourself and around you. Trust your heart and what you know within to be true that you are fealress and greatness prevails with you. It is here that another level of growth will take place.
As I have been on an amazing journey the last year and a half or so it seems that all of life was BIG and constant change was taking place be it weight loss, a new discovery about myself as I learned to live from my heart, a period of building new friendships, and I was on all cylinders all the time, so greatness was easier to recognize. But, what about when you come to a place where you are "settled in?" Not to say that growth is not still taking place, as we never should stop learning or growing, but the intensity that was dominant for many months is not there, what do you do then?
This is where I find myself lately and to be honest it has been an adjustment. I know how to live in my heart now and when I find myself not doing so, how to get back. The friendships that were being formed over the last year are solid and secure. The intense period of growth is now not as instense so that "high" of constant learning is not always present. Through this I am learning I think more than ever to trust that everything that has taken place is real and was not just a phase, but is now a lifestyle. I have recognized over the last few weeks that I do not need someone to tell me about how fearless I am, that I have greatness because I know within my heart that I do and I just need to recognize it within myself.
I have a friend that notices things all around her and sees greatness where others may miss it. I have been with her many times and she has pointed out things going on around us and that I may have missed otherwise. This is what I call "the art of seeing greatness." What does this mean? Well to me it means noticing all the "small" things that go on around us each day. It can be a turtle warming in the sun, an act of kindness taking place, a word or phrase that was said in conversation with a friend, a sunrise/sunset while walking outside, a discovery you make about yourself, or an obstacle you encounter and get through, all these things remind us of the greatness within ourselves and others.
It is in the everyday living of life that you can be reminded of who you are, of the greatness within you, of how fearlessly you live your life if you allow yourself to see it. This is the phase I am now in, of learning to trust myself and all that I have leanred. To see, know, and be confident of the greatness in me. To know that I have made the "18 inch" journey from head to heart and do so daily. Is this challenging, sometimes more so than the period of intense growth, but is it worth it, more than I have words to express. It is here that I have truly discovered and am discovering what I am made of, that the greatness that has been in me all my life is an active part of my life and not based on what I am feeling, it just is. It is also here that I have realized that I do not need the reassurance from another to know I have greatness. Not to say that I do not have friends that recognize greatness in me and tell me because I do and it feeds my soul, and I still love being called "fearless warrior" now and then as well. However, it is not the constant "need" that it was as I can recognize greatness and fearlessness within myself.
So it is with this that I challenge you and myself to the "art of seeing greatness" within yourself and around you. Trust your heart and what you know within to be true that you are fealress and greatness prevails with you. It is here that another level of growth will take place.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Choosing to Trust
I have discovered something new about myself lately, well maybe not new , but rather clarity about a part of me that I allow worry, misery and doubt to dwell...relationships. I do not like admitting this, as I feel that I should be past this in my life with all that has taken place in the last year or so, but alas I am not. It seems to have hit me with full force in the last month or so as after I presented my journey at a Nurtured Heart Approach Global Summit in June, but especially as I started writing a book on my journey from head to heart!
I recognize it as something that can consume me and if I allow it make me doubt who I am, and also read negatively onto what others are "thinking" if they do not respond to me in a certain way. The truth is, none of it is truth, but rather insecurity. Yes, I could blame my past with my upbringing and lack of relationship, or my failed marriage, or friendships that have come and then gone....but in reality I would just be making excuses to not move from my head to my heart and if I blame these things I am making myself a victim ( I hate this word) of my past versus a fearless warrior of my present and future.
So how do I deal with this? Honestly, it sometimes takes me a day or two to stop listening to the voice in my head saying to me "they are mad at you, they do not want to be your friend, they are "ditching" you, they have had enough, " and to move back into my heart to where I know the truth. This issue is a trust issue, not me not trusting my friends, but me not trusting myself to be worthy of true, long-lasting, healthy friendships. In so doing, I at times will try to sabotage these relationships to protect myself, and to prove to my head I was right all the while my heart is saying, relax, you know better, allow yourself to trust. Mind you, this is not with I just met you relationships, but ones that are developed and solid.
The good news in all of this is that I can hear my heart through this process and while my head is trying to drown it out to pull me into myself and doubt, my heart is saying remember you are fearless, you can trust yourself and others, relax! Ultimately, my heart wins through this process and a calm settles in. What I hate is all the feelings I allow to happen before I get to the calm, but I know how to get to the calm and the process of listening to my heart and shutting up my head is getting shorter each time I walk through this.
This is life my friends...we think we should be at a certain place and then "wham" we get pulled back into a place we do not want to be. However, the real strength, the real growth in this is that you get to choose to walk through it and move forward as a stronger person and more in tune with your heart and your greatness each time! I know from experience this to be true as I have just walked through this once again this week! While, I would like my friends to "coddle" me and reassure me, I know it is better when they do not because as I walk through the doubt and get to the truth by myself I OWN it, not them!
What is it in your life that you need to apply fearlessness and greatness to? It does not make you weak, or a failure, but instead one who is on a journey to greatness is all areas of life! Remember, life is not a destination, but a journey, there will be setbacks along the way, but who will you listen too the voice in your head that leads to worry, misery and doubt, or to your heat that leads you to greatness? The choice is yours, I choose the heart!
I recognize it as something that can consume me and if I allow it make me doubt who I am, and also read negatively onto what others are "thinking" if they do not respond to me in a certain way. The truth is, none of it is truth, but rather insecurity. Yes, I could blame my past with my upbringing and lack of relationship, or my failed marriage, or friendships that have come and then gone....but in reality I would just be making excuses to not move from my head to my heart and if I blame these things I am making myself a victim ( I hate this word) of my past versus a fearless warrior of my present and future.
So how do I deal with this? Honestly, it sometimes takes me a day or two to stop listening to the voice in my head saying to me "they are mad at you, they do not want to be your friend, they are "ditching" you, they have had enough, " and to move back into my heart to where I know the truth. This issue is a trust issue, not me not trusting my friends, but me not trusting myself to be worthy of true, long-lasting, healthy friendships. In so doing, I at times will try to sabotage these relationships to protect myself, and to prove to my head I was right all the while my heart is saying, relax, you know better, allow yourself to trust. Mind you, this is not with I just met you relationships, but ones that are developed and solid.
The good news in all of this is that I can hear my heart through this process and while my head is trying to drown it out to pull me into myself and doubt, my heart is saying remember you are fearless, you can trust yourself and others, relax! Ultimately, my heart wins through this process and a calm settles in. What I hate is all the feelings I allow to happen before I get to the calm, but I know how to get to the calm and the process of listening to my heart and shutting up my head is getting shorter each time I walk through this.
This is life my friends...we think we should be at a certain place and then "wham" we get pulled back into a place we do not want to be. However, the real strength, the real growth in this is that you get to choose to walk through it and move forward as a stronger person and more in tune with your heart and your greatness each time! I know from experience this to be true as I have just walked through this once again this week! While, I would like my friends to "coddle" me and reassure me, I know it is better when they do not because as I walk through the doubt and get to the truth by myself I OWN it, not them!
What is it in your life that you need to apply fearlessness and greatness to? It does not make you weak, or a failure, but instead one who is on a journey to greatness is all areas of life! Remember, life is not a destination, but a journey, there will be setbacks along the way, but who will you listen too the voice in your head that leads to worry, misery and doubt, or to your heat that leads you to greatness? The choice is yours, I choose the heart!
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Greatness - We All Have It
Greatness...this is a theme that I have talked about a lot since I started this blog. When you hear someone use the word greatness and that they have greatness you at first may think, wow what an ego! But the truth of the matter is that WE ALL have greatness and just haven't recognized it within ourselves!
When I was first told that I had greatness my response was yeah right...I did not believe it as this was a foreign concept to me. It took a while for me to understand that the greatness in me was not based on my belief on whether I thought it was true or not, it was just in me and had always been. As time went on and I was learning to live from my heart and would make decisions from the heart I it was pointed out to me that I was in my greatness. It was reinforced regularly and soon I began to understand and accept my greatness, what a freeing moment! I think that the comment that was said to me that hit home the most is when I recognized greatness in my friend and she said back to me "you cannot see in someone else what you do not already posess yourself."
Think about this...the greatness you see in another is what you already possess! Here I was letting my friend know how much I appreciated her and what I had learned from her, and how awesome it was and how it had touched my life, her encouragement, her patience, her never-ending belief in me, her consistent guiding me to my heart, her fearlessness in not giving up on me, her engagement in our conversations, her boldness in speaking the truth to me...and as I told her these things she said to me, "you only see these things because you possess them yourself." Powerful! It was then that I truly realized what greatness was and that it was present in me. Through this revelation and eventually acceptance is how I learned what greatness was and that yes, it was in me and a part of me and that I could choose to accept it and live in it each day. I could also start to see it in others and as a result encourage them to live fearlessly in their greatness as well!
So, it is now that I encourage you to see the greatness in you. To make that journey from your head to your heart and to listen. The message of greatness in your heart is there and it will not steer you in the wrong direction, it will instead guide you to where you should be. It will speak to you your greatness, your fearlessness and lead you to a life of fullness! As I have done this, it is truly amazing the things that have occurred in my life over the past year. Yes, I will be honest and tell you that there are days I doubt myself and have to dig deep and sometimes be reminded of what I already know, but those times are getting to be less frequent and the reset to greatness easier. It is when I allow myself to see and accept what is in me that I can be calm and move through life with confidence.
Listen...what is your heart saying?
When I was first told that I had greatness my response was yeah right...I did not believe it as this was a foreign concept to me. It took a while for me to understand that the greatness in me was not based on my belief on whether I thought it was true or not, it was just in me and had always been. As time went on and I was learning to live from my heart and would make decisions from the heart I it was pointed out to me that I was in my greatness. It was reinforced regularly and soon I began to understand and accept my greatness, what a freeing moment! I think that the comment that was said to me that hit home the most is when I recognized greatness in my friend and she said back to me "you cannot see in someone else what you do not already posess yourself."
Think about this...the greatness you see in another is what you already possess! Here I was letting my friend know how much I appreciated her and what I had learned from her, and how awesome it was and how it had touched my life, her encouragement, her patience, her never-ending belief in me, her consistent guiding me to my heart, her fearlessness in not giving up on me, her engagement in our conversations, her boldness in speaking the truth to me...and as I told her these things she said to me, "you only see these things because you possess them yourself." Powerful! It was then that I truly realized what greatness was and that it was present in me. Through this revelation and eventually acceptance is how I learned what greatness was and that yes, it was in me and a part of me and that I could choose to accept it and live in it each day. I could also start to see it in others and as a result encourage them to live fearlessly in their greatness as well!
So, it is now that I encourage you to see the greatness in you. To make that journey from your head to your heart and to listen. The message of greatness in your heart is there and it will not steer you in the wrong direction, it will instead guide you to where you should be. It will speak to you your greatness, your fearlessness and lead you to a life of fullness! As I have done this, it is truly amazing the things that have occurred in my life over the past year. Yes, I will be honest and tell you that there are days I doubt myself and have to dig deep and sometimes be reminded of what I already know, but those times are getting to be less frequent and the reset to greatness easier. It is when I allow myself to see and accept what is in me that I can be calm and move through life with confidence.
Listen...what is your heart saying?
Saturday, July 20, 2013
On Being Fearless..
So anyone who knows me at all knows that probably my favorite word this last year has been the word FEARLESS. When I started my journey, this is the word that was used most often as I learned to step out into my greatness and make life happen. As I was challenged to move from my head to my heart my friend would constantly tell me I was FEARLESS! In time, I began to believe it myself and it became the word I would go to when I doubted myself.
To further this belief in how fearless I was, I was given a "fearless gem" like the one above to carry in my pocket as a reminder that I was fearless when I was feeeling overwhelmed or that I could not do something. Soon, this gem was not needed as I let this notion of being fearless get into my heart! This belief that because of the greatness in me, I could do anything I set my heart too. I could move forward and make life happen, it was really my choice!
So you may ask, what does being fearless really mean?!? Well, here is the definition I love the most " to be bold, brave, unafraid" To me personally to be fearless means the following "that you have the courage to smile and hope on the darkest of days. That the WMD's (worry, misery, doubt) have no hold on your life that you can resolutely move through your day with courage that you can accomplish anything.I have fiound this to be true on many days that I thought I could not move one more step forward, but at the end of the day, realized I did
So where am I today? Well, I am still on the journey, I choose to live fearlessly each day (some days more than others) and allow myself to realize that this is a journey that allows for constant growth! When I think I have failed, I remind myself of my greatness, remember that I am fearless, and move on - not looking back, but moving forward.
Being fearless is not magic, it is a lifestyle of courage. Knowing that you are greater than anything that comes your way! How will you choose to be fearless today?
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Growth and Greatness
Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks to say the least as I have had a LOT of alone time as both my girls are out of town! I have been on a "high" for the last year. Yes, I have had my ups and downs, but so much has happened so fast that a day to day existance or "normalcy" has not really been a reality until now and it has proven itself to be a challenge.
In the past 18+ months I have lost 125lbs, made a whole new group of amazing friends, been writing this blog, started wrting a book, have discovered my job is not my identity, become as assistant Girl Scout leader and shared my journey at a Nurtured Heart Approach Global Summit in New Mexico...whew!
But, believe it or not...I have been struggling with myself and negativity regarding my life, feeling disconnected, what I look like (physically) and my worth. I have questioned whether I am good enough, what do I have to share, have I really changed, and a lot of self doubt. I have allowed the WMD's (worry, misery, and doubt) to set up camp in my heart, and road blocked the "18 inch path" from head to heart.
Yet, as I have been running that past couple of days (this at times is great therapy for me) and allowed myself to listen to the whispers of my heart I have come to a realization that I am enough! I have remembered that my greatness is not based on what I have done, or even what I am currently doing or not doing. It is not based on who I am in relationship with-I don't need any one person or persons to feed my greatness. My greatness, my worth, my identity come from within...and these things have always been there!
Yes, I admit, I have become side-tracked and even seen some old behaviors surface slightly, but that is what makes the power of the reset so amazing, and also what makes the three stands of the Nurtured Heart Approach ( Absolute Yes, Absolute No, and Absolute Clarity) so powerful! I have been able to reset and recognize who I am and the greatness that is in me and revitalize it within my heart. In my alone time I have recognized that allowing the three stands to operate in my life in regards of who I absolutely am and who I am absolutely am not and to gain clarity in both has cleared the road block from head to heart and allowed me to settle back into my heart where there is peace.
The most anazing thing about all of this is the growth that I have allowed to take place, the "cleansing" I have allowed to happen of my heart all in the doings of day to day life with no "high" occurring. This to me is perhaps the greatess growth I have had in a while. That I don't need the "high" of constantly doing and can just be.
It is with this clarity that day to day life can be amazing and does not have to be mundane as I allow my greatness to shine in all I do!
In the past 18+ months I have lost 125lbs, made a whole new group of amazing friends, been writing this blog, started wrting a book, have discovered my job is not my identity, become as assistant Girl Scout leader and shared my journey at a Nurtured Heart Approach Global Summit in New Mexico...whew!
But, believe it or not...I have been struggling with myself and negativity regarding my life, feeling disconnected, what I look like (physically) and my worth. I have questioned whether I am good enough, what do I have to share, have I really changed, and a lot of self doubt. I have allowed the WMD's (worry, misery, and doubt) to set up camp in my heart, and road blocked the "18 inch path" from head to heart.
Yet, as I have been running that past couple of days (this at times is great therapy for me) and allowed myself to listen to the whispers of my heart I have come to a realization that I am enough! I have remembered that my greatness is not based on what I have done, or even what I am currently doing or not doing. It is not based on who I am in relationship with-I don't need any one person or persons to feed my greatness. My greatness, my worth, my identity come from within...and these things have always been there!
Yes, I admit, I have become side-tracked and even seen some old behaviors surface slightly, but that is what makes the power of the reset so amazing, and also what makes the three stands of the Nurtured Heart Approach ( Absolute Yes, Absolute No, and Absolute Clarity) so powerful! I have been able to reset and recognize who I am and the greatness that is in me and revitalize it within my heart. In my alone time I have recognized that allowing the three stands to operate in my life in regards of who I absolutely am and who I am absolutely am not and to gain clarity in both has cleared the road block from head to heart and allowed me to settle back into my heart where there is peace.
The most anazing thing about all of this is the growth that I have allowed to take place, the "cleansing" I have allowed to happen of my heart all in the doings of day to day life with no "high" occurring. This to me is perhaps the greatess growth I have had in a while. That I don't need the "high" of constantly doing and can just be.
It is with this clarity that day to day life can be amazing and does not have to be mundane as I allow my greatness to shine in all I do!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Abounding Greatness
Well, I have come home full in heart after attending a conference on the Nurtured Heart Approach founded by Howard Glasser. I was given the great privilege of sharing my journey to greatness and making the 18 inch trip from head to heart in the process! I was overwhelmed with the amazing response I got and my heart was touched deeply.
I attended this conference at the urging of a friend and with even more coaxing presented as well. I did not think in any way I was qualified as I am not a therapist, a teacher, a social worker, or the like. In fact, I am not even formally trained in the Nutured Heart Approach. But, the fact of the matter is, I have received one-on-one training as I have applied the principles of greatness to my life over the last 18 months and as a result I am living life like never before!
I discovered in an even deeper way what greatness really is and how it can not be swayed by how you feel, what is going on at the moment, or by what others may say or do to you! Greatness just is...it has no qualifier and no one is exempt!
So, to be totally honest, even after being at such a conference for three days and allowing my heart to be full to the point of overflowing, I tried to derail myself on the way home. Go figure?!? I tried to convince myself that as I returned home to an empty house (my girls are both out of town) to a job I do not like that I had nothing to return to. Thankfully, I had three determined friends that would not give up and continued to energize me and in time the reset happened and I allowed myself to return from my head to my heart once again!
Here is what is interesting, I am still there in full force! I have been hit with some challenges at work, I am home alone in a VERY quiet house, but I have a calmness within and a deep-seeded knowing of who I am and the greatness that is within me. In fact, this is deeper than anything I have felt in the past year! The roots of knowing are deeper and more meaningful than ever before. I have vision, I know what I want to do and where I am going!
This is what living FEARLESSLY is really all about. It is knowing that your greatness is not something that comes and goes, it is in you from the day you were born! It cannot be taken away no matter what circumstance you are in. To know this, allow yourself to journey the 18 inches from head to heart. Will it be painful at times-possibly, but I can guarantee you without any doubt that the journey will change your life in ways you never thought possible.
At the end of your journey (which by the way never really ends) you will find abounding greatness that was always there. It was just waiting to be discovered and to lead you along a path of life that is one of hope, healing, grace, empowerment, courage and much more. You will find yourself living fearlessly and knowing your are "cape"able of all things. Yes there will be setbacks, but these just provide opportunity for more growth and more greatness!
So I challenge you my friend...what is your heart telling you? What are you holding on to that will detour you from the life you have always dreamed of? Listen to that voice deep within your heart and allow it to lead the way...only greatness awaits!
I attended this conference at the urging of a friend and with even more coaxing presented as well. I did not think in any way I was qualified as I am not a therapist, a teacher, a social worker, or the like. In fact, I am not even formally trained in the Nutured Heart Approach. But, the fact of the matter is, I have received one-on-one training as I have applied the principles of greatness to my life over the last 18 months and as a result I am living life like never before!
I discovered in an even deeper way what greatness really is and how it can not be swayed by how you feel, what is going on at the moment, or by what others may say or do to you! Greatness just is...it has no qualifier and no one is exempt!
So, to be totally honest, even after being at such a conference for three days and allowing my heart to be full to the point of overflowing, I tried to derail myself on the way home. Go figure?!? I tried to convince myself that as I returned home to an empty house (my girls are both out of town) to a job I do not like that I had nothing to return to. Thankfully, I had three determined friends that would not give up and continued to energize me and in time the reset happened and I allowed myself to return from my head to my heart once again!
Here is what is interesting, I am still there in full force! I have been hit with some challenges at work, I am home alone in a VERY quiet house, but I have a calmness within and a deep-seeded knowing of who I am and the greatness that is within me. In fact, this is deeper than anything I have felt in the past year! The roots of knowing are deeper and more meaningful than ever before. I have vision, I know what I want to do and where I am going!
This is what living FEARLESSLY is really all about. It is knowing that your greatness is not something that comes and goes, it is in you from the day you were born! It cannot be taken away no matter what circumstance you are in. To know this, allow yourself to journey the 18 inches from head to heart. Will it be painful at times-possibly, but I can guarantee you without any doubt that the journey will change your life in ways you never thought possible.
At the end of your journey (which by the way never really ends) you will find abounding greatness that was always there. It was just waiting to be discovered and to lead you along a path of life that is one of hope, healing, grace, empowerment, courage and much more. You will find yourself living fearlessly and knowing your are "cape"able of all things. Yes there will be setbacks, but these just provide opportunity for more growth and more greatness!
So I challenge you my friend...what is your heart telling you? What are you holding on to that will detour you from the life you have always dreamed of? Listen to that voice deep within your heart and allow it to lead the way...only greatness awaits!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Mud Pit or Mud Spa
So I recently have let myself get bogged down in mud! My head has had a heyday with me(I let it) telling me I am not capable of presenting at a summit I am attending at the end of this month. I also have allowed myself to feed the fear of all I have accomplished this past year is going to diminish and I will end up back where I was. Now I know in my heart that none of this is true, but I tried to silence my head and wade in the mud for a few days-becuase we all know it made me feel better-NOT! I even went as far as to make a list of all the things I felt I was not worhty or capable of so I could wallow a little deeper! I was sure that everything I had written down was true and felt I could prove it-I even had pictures.
So as I sat in my friend's offcie with the purpose of working on my presentation I brought out the list like a kid with a painting they want hung on the fridge! There was no way I thought she could dispute it, I had back up statements, and like I said pictures! So I read it to her and you know what happened next-she laughed and said you know better! One by one she disputed everything I had written-and I argued back-determined to win! She went as far as to call it my s&*t list! So she asked for it, I brought out the big guns and asked her with certainty what would so & so do! (I was asking her about the founder of the Nurtured Heart Approach ). Here was her reply, he would say "get out of the mud!" Not the answer I expected, after all everything I listed I had irrefutable evidence on-or did I?!?
I had allowed myself to became mired in the mud of negativity, of I can't, I am not, I will not... versus I am capable, I have worth, I am greatness. She then took my list and rewrote all the negative into positive and had me read it in 1st person-very hard to do! But as I did-not willingly mind you, I started to feel a shift take place. As I started to see, hear, recognize my greatness once again out loud, my head could not dispute what was being said and my heart was energized.
I discovered once again it really os that simple. All I neeeded to do in reality was hot the RESET button of my heart and remeber what is true about me that what I do is not my greatness but who i am is! I have since read the rewrite of that list several times and each time I am energized even more into my heart and mu greatness!
Here is the best part of all of this...the circumstances did not change-but I did. I went back deep into my heart, into my gratness and with determination made the mud pit a mud spa! What a difference, I was able to feel amazing the entire day and even share with others what it means to live in your greatness!
So I challenge you...mud pit or mud spa...it really is your choice and the outcome when you choose the spa is amazing!
So as I sat in my friend's offcie with the purpose of working on my presentation I brought out the list like a kid with a painting they want hung on the fridge! There was no way I thought she could dispute it, I had back up statements, and like I said pictures! So I read it to her and you know what happened next-she laughed and said you know better! One by one she disputed everything I had written-and I argued back-determined to win! She went as far as to call it my s&*t list! So she asked for it, I brought out the big guns and asked her with certainty what would so & so do! (I was asking her about the founder of the Nurtured Heart Approach ). Here was her reply, he would say "get out of the mud!" Not the answer I expected, after all everything I listed I had irrefutable evidence on-or did I?!?
I had allowed myself to became mired in the mud of negativity, of I can't, I am not, I will not... versus I am capable, I have worth, I am greatness. She then took my list and rewrote all the negative into positive and had me read it in 1st person-very hard to do! But as I did-not willingly mind you, I started to feel a shift take place. As I started to see, hear, recognize my greatness once again out loud, my head could not dispute what was being said and my heart was energized.
I discovered once again it really os that simple. All I neeeded to do in reality was hot the RESET button of my heart and remeber what is true about me that what I do is not my greatness but who i am is! I have since read the rewrite of that list several times and each time I am energized even more into my heart and mu greatness!
Here is the best part of all of this...the circumstances did not change-but I did. I went back deep into my heart, into my gratness and with determination made the mud pit a mud spa! What a difference, I was able to feel amazing the entire day and even share with others what it means to live in your greatness!
So I challenge you...mud pit or mud spa...it really is your choice and the outcome when you choose the spa is amazing!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Living...Or Just Not Dying?
I saw the movie The Croods this week. I normally do not go see animated movies as my children are teenagers, but was invited to go with the girl scout troop I will be a part of in the Fall. It was a good movie about a family, but what is amazing is this, the family moved from fear to fearlessness by the end of the story.
There was a line in the movie that has resonated with me for the past several days, "that wasn't really living, that was just not dying." What does this mean really? We all go through the motions of day to day life almost effortlessly and without thinking. But, what if we were to stop and notice the life that is happening around us each day, what impact would it have on us? What if when life throws us curve balls that we intentionally learned how to hit them versus dodging them?
I spent many years just not dying. Life went on around me and I did not participate. As a result of this I ended up in a place of self loathing, anxiety, fear, hopelessness. I was not living, I was not noticing life, I dodged all the curved balls I could. There were times that I tried to live, only to sink back into the pit of despair. In the movie, the father figure said throughout, "always be afraid" "fear is good" "fear keeps you alive." But does it really?
I discovered in the past 18 months that fear does not lead to living life, however being fearless does! Living in fear really is no more than letting the thoughts in your head have control over you. Believing the thoughts of hopelessness, fear, worthlesness is what keeps you in the pit. However, as you choose to make the journey to your heart and start to listen to what it has to say the fear begins to subside and true life happens. When the family in the movie met a person who lived life with hope, with courage, with no fear, they at first resisted, but soon discovered all that life had to offer. They moved from their heads to their hearts and as a result they started living.
I would love to be able to say to you that I live each day fearlessly...but I cannot. I allow at times my head to lead me in my day and the result is always the same, I end the day with hopelessness. But, the good news is that this is a journey! A bad day does not mean it is over, it means that you are still learning, growing, living. Being able to recognize this and make the choice to go back to your heart is fearlessness! We are all on this journey together of learning to live fearlessly in our hearts and to shut down the voice in our head that can be stress, tiredness, fear, negativity. What makes the journey so amazing is when we are able to tap into the positive aspects of our hearts such as courage, fearlessness, hope, passion, this when when the dying stops and the lving begins!
So I challenge you, are you living? Are you each day choosing to shut down the neagative in your head and start listening to the positive in your heart? Take this journey with me and start living a life you onlu dreamed possible!
There was a line in the movie that has resonated with me for the past several days, "that wasn't really living, that was just not dying." What does this mean really? We all go through the motions of day to day life almost effortlessly and without thinking. But, what if we were to stop and notice the life that is happening around us each day, what impact would it have on us? What if when life throws us curve balls that we intentionally learned how to hit them versus dodging them?
I spent many years just not dying. Life went on around me and I did not participate. As a result of this I ended up in a place of self loathing, anxiety, fear, hopelessness. I was not living, I was not noticing life, I dodged all the curved balls I could. There were times that I tried to live, only to sink back into the pit of despair. In the movie, the father figure said throughout, "always be afraid" "fear is good" "fear keeps you alive." But does it really?
I discovered in the past 18 months that fear does not lead to living life, however being fearless does! Living in fear really is no more than letting the thoughts in your head have control over you. Believing the thoughts of hopelessness, fear, worthlesness is what keeps you in the pit. However, as you choose to make the journey to your heart and start to listen to what it has to say the fear begins to subside and true life happens. When the family in the movie met a person who lived life with hope, with courage, with no fear, they at first resisted, but soon discovered all that life had to offer. They moved from their heads to their hearts and as a result they started living.
I would love to be able to say to you that I live each day fearlessly...but I cannot. I allow at times my head to lead me in my day and the result is always the same, I end the day with hopelessness. But, the good news is that this is a journey! A bad day does not mean it is over, it means that you are still learning, growing, living. Being able to recognize this and make the choice to go back to your heart is fearlessness! We are all on this journey together of learning to live fearlessly in our hearts and to shut down the voice in our head that can be stress, tiredness, fear, negativity. What makes the journey so amazing is when we are able to tap into the positive aspects of our hearts such as courage, fearlessness, hope, passion, this when when the dying stops and the lving begins!
So I challenge you, are you living? Are you each day choosing to shut down the neagative in your head and start listening to the positive in your heart? Take this journey with me and start living a life you onlu dreamed possible!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
What In Your Heart? Make It Happen!
When I woke up this morning I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with life! So I went on my morning run to clear my head and to move back into my heart. An hour later a calmness had settled in and my heart was back in control of my day.
As a result of this happening, something started to take place in me I haven't felt in a while! I don't know if it is because I am thinking about and preparing for a presentation I make in June on my journey over the last 18 months, or if I am in tune today more than usual in what my heart is staying leading me to do. Today my heart is "talking" to me more than anything about my vision, my calling, what I KNOW I am supposed to be doing.
I am in the process of wrting a book based on this blog. I have stopped/started several times over the past couple of months and let my head tell me that I have nothing to say, but I do. You see, I made a decision about 18 months ago to take back my life. To stop letting life happen to me, to stop going through the motions and to make life hapen, to pursue with everything in me the the person I am meant to be, to allow the GREATNESS in me to be awakened and to live life like never before. This will be the theme of my book. I believe that there are others who need to be awakened to the GREATNESS that is in them and I know that what has happened in my life others can experience as well!
This is also what I am going to get the privilege to share at a summit in June. How going from wanting to end my life to living a life I never though was possible. This happened as I allowed myself to listen to my heart and to "turn off" the voice in my head that said I was not good enough, not worthy, incapable.
The other dream I have is to be able to share my story with others as a personal trainer! As a result of my heart journey, I was able to lose 150 lbs in the past 18 months. This is a direct result of listening to my heart that I had GREATNESS in me and was fearless and could do anything I set my heart to do! I know that others can start a journey to physical wellness, but it has to start in the heart. I am just a regular person who followed her heart and made it happen!
So as a result of my heart "chattering" away today, I am going to make these two things happen within the next six months to a year. I am excited for the new journey I am embarking upon and look forward to sharing with all of you who read this blog the process and steps along the way.
But now, I challenge you! What is in your heart? What dream, vision have you had for a while that burns deep within you? What is stopping you from making it happen? Stop and listen...what is your heart telling you? Do not listen to the head that says you can't because of time, finances, or any other hinderence. What is in your heart it meant to happen...listen. It can happen, I believe it, let's go on this journey together!
As a result of this happening, something started to take place in me I haven't felt in a while! I don't know if it is because I am thinking about and preparing for a presentation I make in June on my journey over the last 18 months, or if I am in tune today more than usual in what my heart is staying leading me to do. Today my heart is "talking" to me more than anything about my vision, my calling, what I KNOW I am supposed to be doing.
I am in the process of wrting a book based on this blog. I have stopped/started several times over the past couple of months and let my head tell me that I have nothing to say, but I do. You see, I made a decision about 18 months ago to take back my life. To stop letting life happen to me, to stop going through the motions and to make life hapen, to pursue with everything in me the the person I am meant to be, to allow the GREATNESS in me to be awakened and to live life like never before. This will be the theme of my book. I believe that there are others who need to be awakened to the GREATNESS that is in them and I know that what has happened in my life others can experience as well!
This is also what I am going to get the privilege to share at a summit in June. How going from wanting to end my life to living a life I never though was possible. This happened as I allowed myself to listen to my heart and to "turn off" the voice in my head that said I was not good enough, not worthy, incapable.
The other dream I have is to be able to share my story with others as a personal trainer! As a result of my heart journey, I was able to lose 150 lbs in the past 18 months. This is a direct result of listening to my heart that I had GREATNESS in me and was fearless and could do anything I set my heart to do! I know that others can start a journey to physical wellness, but it has to start in the heart. I am just a regular person who followed her heart and made it happen!
So as a result of my heart "chattering" away today, I am going to make these two things happen within the next six months to a year. I am excited for the new journey I am embarking upon and look forward to sharing with all of you who read this blog the process and steps along the way.
But now, I challenge you! What is in your heart? What dream, vision have you had for a while that burns deep within you? What is stopping you from making it happen? Stop and listen...what is your heart telling you? Do not listen to the head that says you can't because of time, finances, or any other hinderence. What is in your heart it meant to happen...listen. It can happen, I believe it, let's go on this journey together!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Do You See Your Greatness
Where do you see greatness? Think about this question for a moment. Do you see it in your family, your friends, coworkers? The real question is do you see it in yourself?
I have a friend that the word "greatness" is a normal part of her vocabulary. She uses it in everyday conversation about herself and others. It is not presumptious when she tells you she sees your greatness, or she recognizes her greatness, because it is her way of life. When I spend time with this person I feel empowered, that I can accomplish anything! She consistently recognizes my victories in life-no matter how small. Even when I try to undermine myself, she brings it back to my greatness and what I have done and what I will do. She often says that what you see in others, you already possess, that is why I know she sees and lives in her greatness daily because of what she so easily recognizes in others.
So I ask you (and myself) do you see the greatness in you and can you recognize it in others? Truth of the matter is, if you see it in others, you see it in yourself! Sounds simple doesn't it. But, not only do you need to see it in yourself, you need to accept it. Let me demonstrate...
I recently received a note of greatness from an 11 year old girl. In her note she told me how much fun I was to be around, how kind, how positive and how I inspire her. When I read the note my heart was overwhelmed and full as I was truly humbled that I could touch the heart of a child in this way. Her greatness recognized my greatness and an amazing interaction took place. But it is what happened next that is truly profound.
The following week, I hit a wall of negative emotion. I was tired, overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, and saw not one ounce of greatness in myself!! You would think after getting such a note the week before that I would remember who I was and be able to shake the negativity off, but I wasn't.
I met with my counselor and shared all my frustration. In the course of our discussion, I pulled out the note and shared it with her and she had me do something that was ackward and difficult, read it in first person. I struggled, I cannot say these words about myself! But she persisted, so I did and boy was it difficult. So, got through it, but then she said for the next week I want you to read this aloud in the first person everyday. Internally I groaned, but agreed. Over the days that followed I was amazed at how energized Ifelt! How the cares of earlier that week semed to dissipate. How I was able to hear my heart so much better and what it was saying versus my head and what it was saying. In addition, I was able to recognize not only my greatness but see it in others as well. I came to understand more fully the statement that what you see in others you also see in yourself, these words now took hold in my heart!
Here is what is truly incredible that I was was reminded-by an amazing 11 year old, that greatness is a part of my life and how I live, I just needed to see it for myself and not just go through the motions. What she saw in me was greatness, I just needed to see it for myself! So I ask you again...do you see your own greatness? Trust me, once you do and accept it, a new perspective will come into play and you will look at yourself differently, I know I do.
I have a friend that the word "greatness" is a normal part of her vocabulary. She uses it in everyday conversation about herself and others. It is not presumptious when she tells you she sees your greatness, or she recognizes her greatness, because it is her way of life. When I spend time with this person I feel empowered, that I can accomplish anything! She consistently recognizes my victories in life-no matter how small. Even when I try to undermine myself, she brings it back to my greatness and what I have done and what I will do. She often says that what you see in others, you already possess, that is why I know she sees and lives in her greatness daily because of what she so easily recognizes in others.
So I ask you (and myself) do you see the greatness in you and can you recognize it in others? Truth of the matter is, if you see it in others, you see it in yourself! Sounds simple doesn't it. But, not only do you need to see it in yourself, you need to accept it. Let me demonstrate...
I recently received a note of greatness from an 11 year old girl. In her note she told me how much fun I was to be around, how kind, how positive and how I inspire her. When I read the note my heart was overwhelmed and full as I was truly humbled that I could touch the heart of a child in this way. Her greatness recognized my greatness and an amazing interaction took place. But it is what happened next that is truly profound.
The following week, I hit a wall of negative emotion. I was tired, overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, and saw not one ounce of greatness in myself!! You would think after getting such a note the week before that I would remember who I was and be able to shake the negativity off, but I wasn't.
I met with my counselor and shared all my frustration. In the course of our discussion, I pulled out the note and shared it with her and she had me do something that was ackward and difficult, read it in first person. I struggled, I cannot say these words about myself! But she persisted, so I did and boy was it difficult. So, got through it, but then she said for the next week I want you to read this aloud in the first person everyday. Internally I groaned, but agreed. Over the days that followed I was amazed at how energized Ifelt! How the cares of earlier that week semed to dissipate. How I was able to hear my heart so much better and what it was saying versus my head and what it was saying. In addition, I was able to recognize not only my greatness but see it in others as well. I came to understand more fully the statement that what you see in others you also see in yourself, these words now took hold in my heart!
Here is what is truly incredible that I was was reminded-by an amazing 11 year old, that greatness is a part of my life and how I live, I just needed to see it for myself and not just go through the motions. What she saw in me was greatness, I just needed to see it for myself! So I ask you again...do you see your own greatness? Trust me, once you do and accept it, a new perspective will come into play and you will look at yourself differently, I know I do.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Living on the Edge of Your Heart - Revisited
NOTE: I posted this on Thursday 1/17/13 but was challenged to rewrite with some details of what has been going on to give a clearer picture of what I leanred and why it was so impactful. So fearlessly here I go.
I HAVE BEEN DATING!!!! Okay now that that is out in the open let me proceed.
I recently made the discovery while I make it a daily choice to live in my greatness and stay in my heart that instead I have been lving on the outer edges of my heart. What does this mean exactly? For me this means that I know all the right things to do, I exercise, I eat right, I stay away from neagativity, I keep a strong support system of positive people, but yet I struggled with errant emotions that would leave me feeling like I would take one step forward and two steps back.
I have had challenges at work, at home, in my personal life lately that seem to at times overwhelm me or cause me to question my growth and what I really believe. I would always come full circle, know the truth about my greatness, about who I am and then be fine for a day or two to only end up back in what I call the 'in-between" place. It is here in this place halfway between head and heart that I would begin to question and the WMD's (worry, misery, doubt) would take hold. It would leave me questioning, have I really come as far as I thought?
As I was in this "in-between" place I started to look for what was truly putting me there and how to overcome it and be fully in my heart. Let's just say that over the past six weeks there have been some adventures in my personal life that have left me with questions of who I am. I have after 16 years started to date. This is a big step for me as I am for the first time dating with my heart not my head and allowing myself to feel emotions I haven't felt before. I have not dated at all since I divorced 16 years ago and through this process I have discovered some things about myself that were quite surprising. As I have learned to live in my greatenss, be confident in who I am and finally lost weight I have become attractive to men once again.(just a side note, while being fit and healthy is important, knowing who you are and living your life with confidence is what I really believe attracts men-just saying ) There have been some interesting encounters that surprised even me and awakened emotions and feelings that I have not had to face since I started on my journey to greatness. Beside all the struggles with accepting my femininity, there are the challenges of the physical aspect of the relationship as well. Not having dated or been involved with anybody for so long has presented challenges that at 50 years of age I would not think I would be facing! These things left me with questions, at times confusion and put me in that half way place between head and heart as I waded through figuring out what my boundaries are, how far to go, how fast to "dive in", what is my worth, what I have to offer, and the list could go on.
As I had a short-lived realtionship, and have gone on dates I began to question myself and what I was doing wrong, who I was, and what did I really believe in. I resorted to name-calling (me calling myself unsavory names), thinking of myself as "lost", thinking that I "should be farther than this" and believing that I had no boundaries and attaching shame to decisions I was making.
I was challenged by a friend to give myself time to gain hindsight so I did. This is an exercise that used to take days, but now as I try to live with clarity it only took hours as I listed out all I did versus all I learned and what I discovered about myself in the process. It was here that I discovered that I was not disappointed in myself but rather what I thought others would think and that reaction if they knew made me question myself. In a nutshell, I allowed the WMD's to have a prominent place in my heart and as a result there wasn't room for me!
I was so worried about, what if they only knew, or the person or two that did know what were they really thinking, that I did not allow myself to see my life, my actions, my growth process through my heart but rather my head, and at times from the "in-between" area between the two. So with this realization I could either allow the WMD's to stay or serve an eviction notice!
I chose the eviction notice immediately. All of a sudden, I kid you not, the haze was lifted and I settled back into my heart. In this simple eviction act I made the discovery that the WMD's are only powerful if you give them power! Once I took back the power I had surrendered the perspective of the past six weeks the decisions I was making came into focus and I was able to see where I had grown and the next steps I would take. I realized my limitations, that I was not a bad person, and nothing is wrong with me. Through this process I realized that every decision I make be it good or bad still needs to be filtered through my heart in order for me to see what I need to learn from it and to provide clarity and perspective. That this is a process and that as I enter the world of dating with the hopes of finding a soul mate there are going to be many opportunities for growth and that each person who crosses my path is an opportunity for me to learn, to set boundaries, to accept who I am and to see and accept what I have to offer them not just what they offer me.
I was living on the edges of my heart, not really in my head, but not fully in my heart either. I was afraid-there I said it, to fully allow my heart to engage so I was making decisions based on emotions, and what felt good and at times pushing away what my heart was telling me. Once the shift took place, I ended up with one of the best days I have had in a while, and not just emotionally but with my whole being and with a certainty of who I am. I started to hear what my heart was saying once again and to see and accept my greatness! You see once you settle into your heart does not mean you will not be challenged, but when you discover your greatness you never lose it, it is ALWAYS there. You have the tools to step back, evaluate, and in a short period of time get back to the place of peace, clarity, and growth.
So I challenge you. What is it you are struggling with that has caused you to move from your heart? What new journey are you on that may be causing you to question your greatness? Have the WMD's taken up space in your heart, are you in that "in-between" place? Take a moment to step back and learn from hindsight and be reminded of who you really are. It is only there, in your heart, your greatness that you can truly be content.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Living on the Edge of Your Heart
I recently made the discovery while I make it a daily choice to live in my greatness and stay in my heart that instead I have been lving on the outer edges of my heart. What does this mean exactly? For me this means that I know all the right things to do, I exercise, I eat right, I stay away from neagativity, I keep a strong support system of positive people, but yet I struggled with errant emotions that would leave me feeling like I would take one step forward and two steps back.
I have had challenges at work, at home, in my personal life lately that seem to at times overwhelm me or cause me to question my growth and what I really believe. I would always come full circle, know the truth about my greatness, about who I am and then be fine for a day or two to only end up back in what I call the 'in-between" place. It is here in this place halfway between head and heart that I would begin to question and the WMD's (worry, misery, doubt) would take hold. It would leave me questioning, have I really come as far as I thought?
As I was in this "in-between" place I started to look for what was putting me there and how to overcome it and be fully in my heart. Let's just say that over the past six weeks I have had some adventures in my personal life that has left me with questions of who I am. There have been some interesting encounters that surprised even me and awakened emotions and feelings that I have not had to face since I started on my journey to greatness. These things left me with questions, at times confusion and put me in that half way place between head and heart.
I was challenged by a friend to give myself time to gain hindsight so I did. This is an exercise that used to take days, but now as I try to live with clarity it only took hours as I listed out all I did versus all I learned and what I discovered about myself in the process. It was here that I discovered that I was not disappointed in myself but rather what I thought others would think. In a nutshell, I allowed the WMD's to have a prominent place in my heart and as a result there wasn't room for me!
I was so worried about, what if they only knew, or the person or two that did know what were they really thinking, that I did not allow myself to see my life, my actions, my growth process through my heart but rather my head, and at times from the "in-between" area between the two. So with this realization I could either allow the WMD's to stay or serve an eviction notice!
I chose the eviction notice immediately. All of a sudden, I kid you not, the haze was lifted and I settled back into my heart. In this simple eviction act I made the discovery that the WMD's are only powerful if you give them power! Once I took back the power I had surrendered the perspective of the past six weeks came into focus and I was able to see where I had grown and the next steps I would take.
I was living on the edges of my heart, not really in my head, but not fully in my heart either. Once the shift took place, I ended up with one of the best days I have had in a while, and not just emotionally but with my whole being and with a certainty of who I am. You see once you settle into your heart does not mean you will not be challenged, but when you discover your greatness you never lose it, it is ALWAYS there. You have the tools to step back, evaluate, and in a short period of time get back to the place of peace, clarity, and growth.
So I challenge you. Have the WMD's taken up space in your heart, are you in that "in-between" place? Take a moment to step back and learn from hindsight and be reminded of who you really are. It is only there, in your heart, your gretaness that you can truly be content.
I have had challenges at work, at home, in my personal life lately that seem to at times overwhelm me or cause me to question my growth and what I really believe. I would always come full circle, know the truth about my greatness, about who I am and then be fine for a day or two to only end up back in what I call the 'in-between" place. It is here in this place halfway between head and heart that I would begin to question and the WMD's (worry, misery, doubt) would take hold. It would leave me questioning, have I really come as far as I thought?
As I was in this "in-between" place I started to look for what was putting me there and how to overcome it and be fully in my heart. Let's just say that over the past six weeks I have had some adventures in my personal life that has left me with questions of who I am. There have been some interesting encounters that surprised even me and awakened emotions and feelings that I have not had to face since I started on my journey to greatness. These things left me with questions, at times confusion and put me in that half way place between head and heart.
I was challenged by a friend to give myself time to gain hindsight so I did. This is an exercise that used to take days, but now as I try to live with clarity it only took hours as I listed out all I did versus all I learned and what I discovered about myself in the process. It was here that I discovered that I was not disappointed in myself but rather what I thought others would think. In a nutshell, I allowed the WMD's to have a prominent place in my heart and as a result there wasn't room for me!
I was so worried about, what if they only knew, or the person or two that did know what were they really thinking, that I did not allow myself to see my life, my actions, my growth process through my heart but rather my head, and at times from the "in-between" area between the two. So with this realization I could either allow the WMD's to stay or serve an eviction notice!
I chose the eviction notice immediately. All of a sudden, I kid you not, the haze was lifted and I settled back into my heart. In this simple eviction act I made the discovery that the WMD's are only powerful if you give them power! Once I took back the power I had surrendered the perspective of the past six weeks came into focus and I was able to see where I had grown and the next steps I would take.
I was living on the edges of my heart, not really in my head, but not fully in my heart either. Once the shift took place, I ended up with one of the best days I have had in a while, and not just emotionally but with my whole being and with a certainty of who I am. You see once you settle into your heart does not mean you will not be challenged, but when you discover your greatness you never lose it, it is ALWAYS there. You have the tools to step back, evaluate, and in a short period of time get back to the place of peace, clarity, and growth.
So I challenge you. Have the WMD's taken up space in your heart, are you in that "in-between" place? Take a moment to step back and learn from hindsight and be reminded of who you really are. It is only there, in your heart, your gretaness that you can truly be content.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
When Tried by the Heart
Anything tried by the heart can happen! This is a statement that has been said to me often by a friend is the past year. What does this mean? Are you to follow the whim of your emotions? No, instead what is your heart telling you to do, how is it leading? Your heart is where your greatness lies. It is where that dream, that goal, that vision you have dwells.
I have learned that when you filter life through your heart you are much braver, have much more confidence, are willing to take a chance. Things may not always end up exactly how you thought they should, but just stepping out, allowing your heart to lead makes you stronger, makes you better and prepares you for the next challenge.
Over the past year my heart has come to life in a way I never thought possible. I have learned how to accept and love myself, to rise up to challenges that seemed impossible, to be brave and most of all to discover the greatness that has been in me all my life just waiting to be tapped into.
In addition, I now take risks that allow me to stretch, to grow and in the process discover things about me that I didn't know were there. You see living in your greatness is all about listening to your heart and using your heart as the filter for what you do.
When you allow your heart to be your guide there is no goal, no dream, no vision that cannot be accomplished! Others may say to you that it can't be done, but when you filter those statements through your heart you discover they are wrong and anything tried by the heart can happen!
So I set this challenge before you. What do you want to accomplish? What is the dream, the vision that has been tucked away that needs to brought out and accomplished. Everytime you set your heart to do somehting you will discover that what you set out to do and more will happen. I kid you not, this is true! I have accomplished more in my life in the past 12 months than I did in the previous 12 years!
What is you heart leading you to so? Are you listening? You were born with greatness! You are brave, courageous, fearless! Step out, listen to your heart, let it be your filter for life and discover a new way of living.
I have learned that when you filter life through your heart you are much braver, have much more confidence, are willing to take a chance. Things may not always end up exactly how you thought they should, but just stepping out, allowing your heart to lead makes you stronger, makes you better and prepares you for the next challenge.
Over the past year my heart has come to life in a way I never thought possible. I have learned how to accept and love myself, to rise up to challenges that seemed impossible, to be brave and most of all to discover the greatness that has been in me all my life just waiting to be tapped into.
In addition, I now take risks that allow me to stretch, to grow and in the process discover things about me that I didn't know were there. You see living in your greatness is all about listening to your heart and using your heart as the filter for what you do.
When you allow your heart to be your guide there is no goal, no dream, no vision that cannot be accomplished! Others may say to you that it can't be done, but when you filter those statements through your heart you discover they are wrong and anything tried by the heart can happen!
So I set this challenge before you. What do you want to accomplish? What is the dream, the vision that has been tucked away that needs to brought out and accomplished. Everytime you set your heart to do somehting you will discover that what you set out to do and more will happen. I kid you not, this is true! I have accomplished more in my life in the past 12 months than I did in the previous 12 years!
What is you heart leading you to so? Are you listening? You were born with greatness! You are brave, courageous, fearless! Step out, listen to your heart, let it be your filter for life and discover a new way of living.
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