Reflections

I need help! & Being Bold enough to ask!

2010-06-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal. With YOUR help.

I will:

Launch a workbook with an interactive gallery installation. July 2 - invites coming soon!

Launch a Blog and website that tells the story!

& Launch a Global Book Tour. YUP have the nerve to say that one out loud! Already in conversations with buds in Birmingham, Boston & Chicago.

The results:

More people will ask for help with:

Depression

Creativity

Suicidal Thoughts

Relationships

Addictions

Personal Growth

Finances

& Spiritual Evolution.

I decided long ago that, if I were to write about the cycle of giving and receiving help, I best be able to walk my talk. I could not do this book alone, it has been a massively collaborative effort. Literally hundreds of people from all over the world have helped me create the stories, supported me financially, spiritually, emotionally and most importantly, helped me garner the courage to bring this work to life.

I initially created the workbook several years ago and then became seriously ill, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It was put on the shelf and what I realized is that I had to learn the next level of asking for help. Literally had to ask for help to stay alive. I tell ya, it makes the kind of asking I am about to do, seem like a piece of cake.

So this is the beginning of a a few months of bold faced asking for help. I know these things happen in phases and really want to collaborate with my posse to bring it to life. The bestest and funnest things in my life have been done with others, so naturally this biggest event of my life should be done with you!

If you would like to collaborate on bringing the dream of "Who's Helping Who?" to life here are a few things I need help with over the next weeks and months. There will be more asks, I promise!!

1. Look in your junk drawers. Need small objects the size of a marble/quarter for the installation. Anything, buttons, machine pieces, toys, etc...They will be part of the interaction during the month long installation. Please call me and I will come pick up objects if you are local or mail to me by June 25th.

Florence Haridan

247 Lobelia Road

St. Augustine, FL 32086

2. Write a short passage about how you helped me and or how I helped you. OR Raise your hand to be interviewed and taped for pod casting.

This passage will be added to the blog as part of the back stories of the the book. Many of you have been formally interviewed for the book and others have contributed in other ways in my life. Please share. I need you once again... Or I have helped you in some way. Big or small, each exchange of help changes our lives...email it to me at florence@gathernow.com or post it here.

3. Help me find locations to install the interactive experience.

If you are part of a club, organization or church and would love to bring a fun experience to them, I have created the installation to be movable. I have a formal description of the installation that I can share with you, so you have something to speak to your connections about. Call me, 904-612-3934

4. Sponsor the installation of the interactive experience. Estimated cost to take it on the road locally is about $200. To take it to your city... $300 + the cost of a flight and a hotel. A great way for your business to gain exposure. Bringing the message of the cycle of help is a message any business/organization can be part of. Your company/Org name will be recognized as a sponsor!

5. Open a door to a publisher. I have initially self published with all the confidence that a publisher is waiting for this ground breaking topic! I have the book out for first reads and will have some great quotes from other authors soon!! Call 904-612-3934 to share...

And last, but surly not least...

6. Prayer...That I continue to have the courage to talk about this important and potentially life saving topic. Over the coming months, I shall share my personal challenges with asking for help, as well as interview others. I pray that we are able to share of ourselves so our victories may inspire others. Please also pray that I stay focused and have the self love to care for myself fully through this adventure. Please email me florence@gathernow.com or share here...

Blessings all!

Who's Helping Who?

Take Yourself Seriously?

2010-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Do you? Really??

For most of my life, I did not either. I spent my life trying to prove myself, trying to get others to love me, trying to prove to myself I was worthy.

I was busy helping others so they would love me, yet I was not able or willing to receive help. When I was able to reach out and receive help my entire world changed. I was able to give selflessly and with love, instead of want.

As I began to take my life seriously, I began to take actions that helped me see, feel experience my worthiness. As I sit writing this, I am taking my life seriously. I am sharing my experiences and opening the door of my failures and successes, so they might inspire others.

Over the past years I have overcome some pretty intense situations. I have been willing to put the work into healing and allow myself to become whole and complete...ya even though some crazy stuff happened to me. I am letting go of the past and allowing myself to be here right here and now.

I am proud of myself for taking myself seriously and doing the work necessary to bring my gifts and skills to full blossom. It is hard work that I gotta tell ya, feels amazingly great. I face my stuff, hang with it to learn and move forward. I try not to allow the hard stuff paralyze me any more like it used to. These days, I am smart enough to reach out to others to help me through those hard spots.

I take my life seriously enough to know, I not not have all the answers nor should I. Oh right, that is why there are all these amazing people in my life...hee hee

We are all blessed with amazing people in our lives. By virtue of being in relationship with these people it is our responsibility to tap into their greatness! When we ask for help we get to make them feel like thay matter. That we respect them and love them, and are willing to be helped by them. WOW! Win! Win! We all get to feel good. Quite the miracle...

So the question is...Are you willing to take your life seriously and ask someone for the help you need??

Maybe it is hard to reach out to someone you know because you think they will judge you, been there. I started by asking professionals and eventually I created the right blend of professionals, friends, family and even strangers that turned into friends...

Your life, your dreams, YOU, ARE worth taking seriously! I know it you know it!!

If ya really ready...contact me...I am patient and a heck of a lot of fun to grow with...

gathernow.com

THINK Different! BE Different! ACT Different!

2010-05-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

I had an experience recently that ruffled my feathers a bit and then I realized that they were being ruffled because they needed to be.

I was not accepted into a networking group. The feedback they gave me was, "You are too un-traditional." Oh wow, it reminded me of some feedback I had received from someone saying, "You are too enthusiastic."

I remember the few times I interacted in the group feeling uneasy. I experienced a structure that is formulated to create a special result they desire to create, yet not one that I believe builds meaningful relationships.

Now, I have to admit, I was miffed for a moment. I then realized that God was asking me to rejoice in my self and accept my unique approach to life. I am different and I am glad for that...

The different kind of life I have led as an artist, designer, writer and spiritual seeker has made many people uncomfortable. I know that I am here on this earth to affect it. I push. I probe. I seek the truth.

I ask questions that disrupt the current way of thinking. I ask WHY? I ask, Why NOT??

As this world shifts and evolves, we must be willing to THINK Different, BE Different, and ACT Different.

We know that the way things are going right now is not bringing the results we as a world need. We need to be willing to step away from the pack and step into our unique gifts.

A week or so ago a friend forwarded a link to a great little video about being different to me. It is a promo piece for Youngme Moon's Different

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PVrm4iLA0

Youngme Moon is a professor at the Harvard School of Business. Her book discusses the power of being different and helps us see the idea from a new point of view.

I remembered this link, while I sat thinking about the group who did not want me. I decided that I would bring together people who celebrate being different and know that being different in these times is exactly what needs to happen.

I have set up a lunch time call for us to read spend time discussing the ideas she presents and to discuss how these ideas inspire us to action...

Here the information about the call,

Friday, May 21, 2010
12-1pm - bring your lunch and break bread with people from around the world!

Conference line number
1-213-289-0500
Participant Access Code
498649

and the Link to reserve your spot...

http://guestlistapp.com/events/21324

And to purchase the book....

living a dream come true...Installment ONE

2010-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

It has been over a week since my opening at the Butterfield Too Gallery. It has taken me a while to reflect on what this huge step as an artist, coach and seeker means to me.

Two years ago I started to create the prayer bead sculptures as a way to express my pain, fear and the power of hope that my prayer life was beginning to bring me. I began sharing the stories behind them with friends as part of the creative process and what I realized was my prayer process.

As I shared the stories, I realized that the prayers they represented were universal in theme. The pieces were my way of visually expressing my challenges, needs and desires. The work brought me through very hard times in my life and allowed me to express complicated thoughts in a way that blessed me with a sense of peace, joy and acceptance.

I used the work to live through a divorce, a life threatening illness, the death of my mom, financial ruin and the loss of my life and dreams as I knew them.

As I created the pieces, I tuned into my greatest pains, fears, joys, hopes and desires as creative fuel. The prayerful creative process helped me not only create a body of work that documents my journey, but also helped me to literally recreate a life full of meaning and joy. My relationship with myself, others and God evolved with such grace.

The whole experience of bringing the work to the gallery space was an adventure that I could not have predicted, yet as I lived it felt so right. I had been talking to Jan Miller, the owner of the gallery, about my sculptures since I began working on them. We would have casual conversations and I began to imagine them in Butterfiled.

Butterfield is the best gallery here in Saint Augustine. The work is authentic, conceptually sophisticated and well executed. I knew the work needed to continue to evolve if I were to be asked to show...I continued to refine the work and create pieces, I felt were at the level of Butterfield.

Last year, Butterfield expanded and opened Butterfield Too, which is a space that provides smaller spaces for artists to show. Perfect, I thought, my way to inch myself in. Finally I gained the courage to ask Jan if there were any openings, with a huge smile, she said. "YES, as a matter of fact. We would love for you to apply."

Well my heart went wild with excitement. I had envisioned the work there and had imagined what it would be like to bring the prayers out into the world. She described the application process and told me the date I was to present my artist's statement and statement of intent. I smiled and walked away, with a giddiness that I can still feel as I write this...I was on my way to a dream becoming a reality.

stay tuned...

to my knees - my art of prayer

2010-03-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

HOW THE WORK BEGAN...

Hard for me to express how happy I am to send the invitation to this show out. I have imagined the work in a gallery since the day it began.

Two and a half years ago I began to become ill. I really did not know how ill I would become, I just kept working to stay on top of things. I had begun using a spiritual coach to help me cope.

One Friday morning, we were having a session and I was in a major funk. Part of my illness, pernicious anemia, is depression. At that time I had not been diagnosed, I was just tired, depressed & beginning to fall down. I was frustrated that I was not accomplishing all I desired. I was working on my book, trying to launch my business and creating a new life after ending my abusive marriage, I had lots to do!! Yet I did not have the energy, focus or ability to do them all. I felt like a failure. I was spinning my wheels trying to achieve things and yet little did I know the illness had begun.

So as I shared the pain of failure with my coach, he was trying to get me to see all I had accomplished so far. The loss of over 200 pounds, leaving the marriage, speaking in front of thousands of people, the first draft of the book…and yet through all of that, I was unable to see those as accompishments, I had my eyes on what I could not accomplish.

He suddenly blurted out “Seems like you need a visual rosary.” I said, “What is that?” “Beats me.” He exclaimed…well my mind went a pondering. We hung up and back to bed I went. Those days I was spending huge amounts of time in bed, just lying there. My mind started exploring…my mom and I had prayed the rosary a few weeks before that, during a visit up north. One evening as we were falling to sleep, I noticed her fingers and lips moving. When I asked what she was doing she said praying the rosary. She admitted she had been too lazy to get up out of bed to get it, so she used her fingers to keep count. We then began to pray together, and both drifted off to sleep with prayer upon our lips. It is one of my fondest memories of my mom. She died just about a year later.

As I lay there, I began to pray the rosary and fell asleep praying. I slept the whole day I remember. When I woke up the next morning I headed to the studio and begun to putter around with the visions of rosaries in my head. I began pulling elements together and found myself praying as I constructed it. Element by element it began to form.

I knew the rosary would symbolize all the things I was grateful for. I had decided that the flat surfaces would hold little homages to people, events, accomplishments that were meaningful to me.

I knew it needed a cross. I had begun to wear a cross again and decided to use the cross that had been gifted to me by my personal trainer that had helped me relearn how to take care of my body through exercise, prayer and commitment.

As I created and prayed, I began to feel a peacefulness wash over me. I began to create the little collages to honor parts of my life. A cutout from my book, a shell from the day I was divorced, a sunset from a delightful date. I began to see the richness of my life in a whole new way. I still add to this very first piece and will I image for a very long time.

What are you grateful for??

Reflection and the Creative Process

2009-11-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

Recently I was preparing a meal for some friends. I brought myself to the moment. I took time to ponder what it had taken to get to that moment. What had I done to get here and what energy had been expended? What emotions had fueled the investment of such energy?

Quite a simple answer to the emotion question, love! Pure and simple. Love for my friends, love of food, love of my skills, love of history and most importantly, love of the creative process!

I had invited my friends, prepared the menu, made the list for shopping, went to several stores to collect the ingredients and now here I was in the kitchen, enjoying all the effort I had already focused.

For me the creative process feeds my soul. When I jump into it fully, I feel my greatest skills and talents coming to the fore. I am at my best and highest self.

As I continued to prepare the meal, I was in sheer joy. Smelling the food, tasting the nuances and touching creations of God. The zestiness of the limes transported me to Key West, the smokiness of the bacon reminded me of my grandmother cooking breakfast and the sweetness of mangos, brought my every sense alive, recalling sharing a mango on the beach under a hot sun.

Continuing to enjoy the entire transformation of ingredients into a meal, that I knew my friends and I would savor, I rested into the skills I have. The cooking skills I possess have been honed and evolved over many years. What I think I really enjoy about cooking, it that there are physical skills like chopping, intellectual skills governing the laws of chemistry and the spiritual skills that help me tune into the nuances of the flavors and combinations of textures and tastes.

In the romantic comedy, Kate and Leopold, Leopold states, as he is serving a lovely meal to his beloved, "Food is a product of reflection." What a delightful thought! It states what we often times forget. Creation requires reflection. We tap into our memories and combine experiences and knowledge to create anew.

Resting into the creative process is about honoring the past while creating the future.

A passage in The Book of Unholy Mischief: A Novel by Elle Newmark expresses how I feel about cooking in a delicious way.

"He picked up the onion and his voice turned brusque. "Inhale the aroma, the soul, but take your time. The art of cooking like the art of living, must be savored for its own sake." He wafted the onion under his nose and inhaled deeply. "No matter that the food we prepare will be eaten in minutes; the act of creation is everything."

I read this and immediately I felt my heart leap. Yes, the creative process is everything! Each of us knows this feeling! Whether we are creating a meal, a solution, a garden or a work of art, we know what it feels like to use our skills and gifts to create. We know that surge of energy that takes over and guides our minds and then hands. As we create from this place our sense of purpose and connection is heightened. We feel we are doing what we are supposed to do.

As I sit here creating this entry, I am in the flow of creativity. I am feeling the energy and the passion that I feel for creative expression expanding. I am immersed in the passion of inspiration, knowing that potentially I might inspire someone else to be creative, someone else to feel connected, or someone else to feel joy. In essence I am living the creation of my vision.

My vision is to inspire creativity and joy by helping people to find their own answers by sharing my story and skills.

Several years ago after I left Citibank to create Gathering, I read Laurie Beth Jones's, The Path.

In it she expresses the importance of creating a vision. She clarifies how a vision is the result of a mission. It is emotional payoff to the hard work. Jones outlines the steps to creating a vision and mission, both she explains, are informed by reflection.

She writes, "A Sufi poet wrote, The Universe surrenders to a mind that is still." And in order to truly find The Path, each of us must loosen our minds, and begin from a point of wonder and openness–of being willing to not know. We must receive before we can give."

This profoundly shifted how I approached the creative process. Reflection is a part of my process now without exception. I know that when I am able to tune into the creative force within me, I will allow the greatest things to flow with the greatest joy in the experience of it.

Within the creative process there are so many subtle elements. Making myself conscious to be aware of those nuances and opening myself to the wonder of it is such a blessing.

May your creative experiences be inspired by reflection, fueled by passion and appreciated with joy!

When are you taking time to reflect??

How do you get back in the Light?

2009-10-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

There are two kinds of light--the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.
James Thurber (1894 - 1961)

Stepping back into the light after being in the dark for a long time, can be painful. Our eyes just want to close, they strain to adjust and suddenly can see! Eyes adjust naturally to the light, just as they did in the dark. Our eyes are capable of seeing the tiniest shard of light in the dark and will instinctively close when the glare hurts. We know intuitively what the right light is and can feel the power of it when we do.

Our physical coming into the light is evocative of our spiritual journey. Coming back into the light takes a bit of patience and a lot of faith. Trusting the process and knowing that the light you find will be the one that illuminates the way to joy is the blessing of the adventure.

I had been in the dark for a while and now have stepped fully into the light. This lovely place of hope, of possibility and God's grace. My dark place was an illness that robbed me physically and emotionally, yet spiritually blessed me beyond belief. I have become grateful for my courage to explore the dark in a way that allows truth and brings me to a deeper love of self, of God and others.

These days when the dark calls, I know there is wisdom there for me. If I am smart enough to be there, explore and move through it with grace, the riches will bubble forth. I have learned that there is a time for me to be alone with God in the dark and then there is a time for me to reach out and seek a hand to explore it and move through.

Debbie Ford, released a movie recently called the Shadow Effect. It features spiritual journeymen like Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson to name a few. They discuss the necessity to adventure into the dark with the faith that if explored with honesty, it will bear riches. We live in a society that is focused on running from the dark or we wallow in it. We avoid "feeling" bad. We seek escape and fantasy and end up numb. The movie compels us to bravely go into the dark and face the sides of ourselves that are craving the light of day. It is by going into the dark that the light can find a way there.

Elizabeth Lesser, one of the founders of the renowned Omega Institute, wrote a book called Broken Open. In it she explores what is available to us in times of brokenness. She shares her own hurts and exposes her frailties to herself and others in order to grow. Her honesty and willingness to be vulnerable inspired me greatly. I learned that through a willingness to be vulnerable with myself and the right people, I would be able to excavate the gold in the dark places.

And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
—Anaïs Nin

Lesser opened her book with Nin's quote. It makes a powerful statement. I am inspired by this quote to be honest with my own fear to blossom. I am evolving my business and finally launching my book. I am finding myself in the wonderfully incredible process of creative chaos, joy and fear rumbling around together.

We all have times of self doubt, fear, and weariness. It is how we respond to these feelings that makes a life or breaks it. This morning, I was having the dreary Monday blues. Feeling overwhelmed and confused, I reached out to my best friend. He reminded me of my strengths and brought a smile to my face by reminding me that he felt good cause I called him for help out of the dark. He got to be my light for a moment, while mine became stronger with a dose of his love.

We laughed at the nuttiness of the moment. Here I am the girl who wrote Who's Helping Who? A book all about reaching out for help and the grace that ensues because of it. There I sat feeling ashamed that I needed a bit of TLC, while he sat feeling blessed to be a beacon. OH right he reminded me, I am human...

It is hard to admit we're having a bad day or a bad spell in our lives. They come. Sometimes, you can go within and seek the strength to move through it, other times reaching out for a hand is what is necessary. What I know for sure, is getting out of the dark is so much easier with the loving hand of a trusted friend.

Which friend of yours sheds light in the dark? Give them a call and say thanks for being a light!!

Jovial

2009-07-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

jo·vial
Pronunciation:
\ˈjō-vē-əl, -vyəl\
Function: adjective
Date:1592
1capitalized : of or relating to Jove (Zeus)
2: markedly good-humored especially as evidenced by jollity and conviviality

Last week I started attending a new visioning class based on the work of Michael Beckwith. Quite powerful stuff!!

We were given a structure for our morning meditation practice that includs a series of questions. One of which is, “Who do you need to be to suport your vision coming to life?”

Today the word that popped into my mind was jovial. I began to giggle and enjoy the moment of discovering a word that many have used to describe me.

Jovial. Hmm... For me I began to think about the funny stories I tell about all the adventures I have. It is about funding the humor in things and being willing to bring it forth. I know that when I am in this frame of mind, I attract people, energy, and experieces that create and support joy.

Being jovial to me is about seeing the bright side. Bringing levity to a situation and keeping it all in perspective.

So today I will continue to remember the jollity within my heart and know that as I step into who my heart calls me to be, I shall feel the presence of the Divine.

Who are you called to be?

How did I get here?

2009-06-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning a friend asked me a simple question, "How did you get here?"

The here she is speaking of is a place of possibilities on many levels, with looming reality ever present.

As I shared, she insightfully expressed that she felt it was important for those around to greater understand where I have been, so they might help me move forward.

What became clear as I told her the story of the past year and a half, was her surprise at the evolution of my self image.

As I sit here and try to recreate what I was able to express to her verbally, I am filled with hesitation. Trying to express in the written word is now a challenge for me. The affects of the pernicious anemia on my whole life has been greater than I or those around me have understood.

Yesterday as I told of the journey, I was able to see how the puzzle pieces of my life have shifted and have created a new version of Florence. A version, I know that is stronger and more connected to God, myself and others.

I will continue to try to tell of where I am and how I am working to understand the affects and create anew from there.

Many people in my life right now are helping me to see this evolved version of myself is here, because I have been willing to do the hard work of facing the pain and moving through it with deep faith.

Hope Gathering

2009-06-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hope - Huge word even though it is four letters...

As I jump back into evolving the world of Gathering after my illness and the death of my mom, all is NEW. So many possibilities...

I have committed to using this space to create the right energy and momentum that I know is needed to bring Gathering to the next right incarnation.

SO stay tuned and please contribute, your ideas on what you know of me, Gathering and what you think, I can bring to life...

Exciting times.

How do you spend your spiritual cash?

2009-02-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

'Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.'

Bob Proctor

How do you make your selections from the catalog of infinite possibilities?

If Bob Proctor is correct in surmising that "Thoughts become things", one could consider a person's thoughts as a sort of cosmic cash, bringing into your life whatever you place your attention on.

We live in a Universe that is so full of unconditional adoration for each and every one of us that She unquestioningly provides us with every thing we desire, under the assumption that what we think about is what we desire. And why wouldn't it be? Certainly, you feel better when you envision yourself driving that brand new car than you do when you think about the faults of your current one. But the effects are more far-reaching than just instantaneous warm-fuzzies... Positive thinking is an investment into your future!

Whether you choose to or not, you are setting events into motion, on physical, energetic, and sub-atomic levels, based on what you think, what you say, and how you spend your time. Pause for a moment, now, and observe your current mental and emotional states. Would you be content to feel this way for ever?

It is an important question to consider because NOW is all you have, and an eternity is encased within it. Stop putting off your own happiness, and making it dependent upon certain conditions that may or may not be met. Start focusing on what you want this moment.

The kingdom of heaven is within you, and the Universe holds infinite possibilities, all for you. In an existence such as this, with so many experiences at your feet, all you need is faith and focus to purchase what you truly desire.

You cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought.
-Peter McWilliams

What makes you enthusiastic about your business?

2009-01-08T03:35:00.001-08:00

“The greeks gave us one of the most beautiful words of our language, “enthusiasm”. The word enthusiasm translates to “a God within”. Within you is an infinite passionate soul that wishes to express itself.”

Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention

Each of us has created within our minds, a vision for what we see for our business, we create wonderfully detailed images of what success and fulfillment look like. We create wonderfully detailed images in our minds consciously and unconsciously. We "see" happy customers, new products and services and financial success. Ultimately we feel happy when we think these thoughts.

Our minds naturally create plans that are possible. We create the story of success with each daydream, each conversation, each list of to do's.

The mind cannot create a vision that is not in someway possible. The mind consciously and unconsciously pieces together ideas, facts, and experiences to design a new reality based on your history.In essence it creates history, waiting to be created.

It is then up to us to get the story of the of the new history expressed. It is called your business plan. It is your vision wanting to be created.

It is up to us to get those unconscious thought out into your conscious mind, so you can bring it to life, It is in this expression, the conscious mind can accept it and apply logic and reason to create tactical plans for its realization.

Speaking about the ideas allows for the written word to be created. The connection between the verbalization of an idea opens the pathway to the written word, the visualization elements and the emotional connections. The act of storytelling allows us to connect to our experiences in a organic way. Our brains naturally connect ideas as we access our experiences, our knowledge and passions.

Brenda Laurel in her book, "Utopian Entrepreneur" states, "Story telling is a nurturing act. It is not simply the transmission of narrative material. It is a purposeful action that is intended to communicate, to teach, to heal. Stories are content, storytelling is relationship."

The stories we create around our goals, be them personal or business, respectfully, recreate from our past experiences, failings and successes. They gently blend all these into a healing salve. They take the lessons, insights and wisdom that were deposited over time and weaves them together into a new version of reality.

The sheer act of telling these new stories, allows healing, forgiveness and an honoring of the past. As it is expressed, we open the door to be able to use it to plan the future, tactically and tangibly. It moves from our mind to reality.

Tom Peters, business guru, his book RE-IMAGINE, calls us to re-look at everything we know about business. He asks us to face, "It is not your... father's world" He compels us to see anew and re-imagine the business we know are possible. One where design, planning, strategy and fulfillment are possible.

We must he says be willing to do the work. We must take time to flesh out our visions and share them. It is in this act he states that a new way of doing business will come to life.

What is the story you are creating?

Who can you tell your new story to?

Have you seen the vision of your life’s purpose?

2009-01-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

Life is a promise; fulfill it.
Mother Theresa

Imagine being in a new town on vacation and leaving from your hotel to go to the grocery store. You’ve got your shopping list in hand and your eco-friendly cloth bags in the trunk. You set out on your mission with goal in mind, and as you drive out of the parking lot, you realize – you have no idea how to get to the store!

Life visioning is like having spiritual GPS. You may have a fuzzy idea of your mission in life… some things you would like to have or to accomplish. But do you know what it looks, smells, and feels like? How much time do you spend allowing yourself to feel what you’re hoping to create? Once you have a clear vision you can set your life on auto-pilot and let the Divinity within you take over from there. The name of the game is trust.

As Mike Dooley put it, “The secret to living the life of your dreams is to start living the life of your dreams, at once, to any degree that you possibly can.”

Life visioning is going within to find exactly who you were born to be. This is like finding out which store carries the right brand of soymilk before you get in the car to go there. You want to head straight to the source, without having to waste time hopping from destination to destination finding the right fit. You want specifics, and the beauty is that it’s all within you already. (Silk brand is great organic soymilk, by the way)

When it comes to discovering our individual purpose or mission, the most profound and effective way to begin is by consciously catching the Spirit’s vision for our life. But unfortunately, it takes some time and work to open our heart’s eye enough to see.

There are a few different ways of ‘programming our internal GPS’, so to speak. First, we have to come to know ourselves on a profound level. Unless you know who you are from every angle, even the scary or less-than-flattering ones, you won’t know how you and the qualities you posess are vital to your life’s purpose.

A few avenues for self-exploration that I’ve found to be extremely helpful in my own life are: astrology, numerology, fasting, dreamwork, breathwork, yoga, and meditation. (for more information on these topics, check out the links on the right hand side of the page or e-mail me with questions at anandi@gathernow.com)

When you come to know and love yourself, your calling will make itself known as you take more notice of what that motivates you (past and present), what attracts you, what you resist, and what frustrates you.

The important part is just opening up to it. Being active in a conscious search for purpose signals to your subconscious mind that you’re serious about finding it. No book, guru, or class will tell you what your purpose is (wouldn’t it be nice if things were that easy! Like room service, forget about going out for soymilk.) The answers are within you. All that is required to receive them is to call them forth. Be open to receive. Openness invites the subconscious open up to you. Judging what you receive, or think you receive no matter how little sense it may make to you in your current life and mindset, scares off any insights that may come through. The inner eye is like a muscle, and it takes a lot of exercise to get it to see clearly!

Often, once you open yourself to it, your purpose may become clear through synchronicities. Carl Jung coined the term "synchronicity" to describe events that were more than coincidental and could have significant implications on your life path. Paying attention to synchronicities can be very important to discovering your path. Synchronicities can show up in a fragment of an overheard conversation, a song on the radio, an article in the newspaper, or a sign on the road. A repeated word or phrase could be a key to your path. It may not be the end-goal, but it can be significant step or a turning point on your path, if you stay alert.

Remember,
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you”
Matther 7:7

Usually, we use our eyes to guide us and take us in the direction we want to go. In the same way, Spirit, whatever you conceive of Universal Power to be, has given us "spiritual eyes" to help guide us in the realm of the Spirit. Paul spoke of this....

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”

Ephesians 1:18-19

Visioning enables the "eyes of our hearts" to see clearly in order that we may know the Divine Intelligence's perfect plan for our lives and the "incomparably great power" of God. This was God's intention for us when It created mankind.
As Michael Beckwith put it, "Through Life Visioning, we become the living condition through which divine ideas express themselves. These ideas can be anything from solutions to problems to a new business model to direction in your spiritual development. With Life Visioning, you place yourself in position to "catch and articulate" the eternal broadcast of that which is seeking to manifest through you, for the benefit of all.

Remember, your highest dreams and greatest aspirations are Spirit’s vision for your life. Gos works in, as, and through you to manifest greatness in form. Allowing that to flow does not imply giving anything up. Generally we think of the term surrender as having a negative connotation. But because God lives through you, he wants only the most blissful, peaceful, successful, and healthful experiences possible for human beings.

“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Don’t think that you have to get “there”, wherever “there” is for you, with what you have now. In terms of money, confidence, talent, connections, whatever. It doesn’t work like that. And thank goodness, because that’s a scary thought. Once you set yourself in motion, the necessary resources - money, confidence, talent, connections, etc. – will be drawn to you! YES, it’s that easy!

Your destiny is divine. Your destination is certain. And your intuitive GPS is accesible. There is nothing in the way of your spiritual success, you precious spark of God’s light!

Namaste
Anandi D.

“Relax. Contrary to popular belief, figuring out your life’s purpose is easy.
Living it is even easier; you were made for it!
You deserve a clear, precise vision of what you incarnated to do on Earth, and you deserve to start feeling the effects of that confidence immediately.

Let’s program your spiritual GPS and get you on the road to your destiny.”

These websites provide the most accurate and in-depth astrological charts and readings available on the web.
Astro.com
Chaosastrology.com

Numerology:
Affinitynumerology.com

Dreamwork:
http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

Yoga and breathwork:
http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/pranayama/

Meditation
http://www.how-to-meditate.org/

fasting
http://www.new-life.net/fasting.htm

For more information and an in-depth process for discovering your purpose, I recommend the audio series, “life visioning” by Rev. Michael Beckwith, available on amazon.com

Do you believe in your plan?

2008-12-17T22:00:00.000-08:00

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.
Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

Do you have a plan?

For your business? For your life?

I love this quote by Edison, it teaches me to come back to plans, to ponder, analyze, appreciate and revise. So often we create plans and because they do not work out we leave them by the way side and miss out of all the wisdom they hold for us.

When we are diligent, we continually re-look at plans and adjust actions and forecasts. I recently met with a very successful accounting firm partner. He described the quarterly review of their business plan and ongoing adjustment to marketing, staffing and resource strategies. He was able to speak with authority on where the company had been, where they are now, as well as where they want to go.

He had insights into trends and was able to speak intimately about the business with confidence and ease. As I reflected on the meeting, I was struck at the ease with which he spoke about the numbers. It was of course typical for an accountant t be able to spew out numbers with confidence. What I was struck by for myself is my lack of confidence as a business owner to talk with such confidence about the numbers, about the forecasts, the trends in my numbers. I was humbled, as I am sure most of us would be.

It really gave me deeper insight into the many facets of business and how we as responsible business owners need people around us and on our teams who can speak to the many facets of a business. Finance, marketing, business development, etc.

Is there a part of your business plan that needs a re-look, a readjust?

Marketing?
What are your three key brand values?

Sales?
What are your three key competitive differentiators?

Strategy?
What are your three key business drivers?

So take some time to analyze and possibly even bring in a pro to help!!

How does your current schedule support your growth?

2008-12-11T02:45:00.000-08:00

The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.
George Eliot (1819 - 1880)

Each choice we make has a result. Not choosing is a choice.

For me each day is full of choices how I best spend my time ad energy. I work to prioritize my choices and know which ones will give me the desired outcomes I am looking for.

Choosing to grow and expand is a choice we are all called to do. Whether we choose to grow or not grow consciously is where the opportunity presents itself.

Making choices to spend time looking at our choices, lives, dreams, relationships, etc, is critical to our growth and evolution in these areas. Oftentimes we set out upon a course of action only to find it is not yielding the results we are looking for, yet continue to make the efforts.

An ongoing review of strategy, plans and results will give us the best use of our precious time and resources. Looking at and making choices will energize and focus the investments and potentially ignite new growth.

What do you need more time for? Why?

How would you describe your scheduling Philosophy?

What choice is next?

What routines keep you aligned to your values?

2008-12-04T01:21:00.000-08:00

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values.
Ayn Rand (1905 - 1982)

WOW, this quote has always blown me away. The clarity and the precision of the thought is so in line with so many of my beliefs and experiences with my own journey and those of my clients.

Each day we are given 24 hours to make the most of. We sleep, we eat, we play, we work, we grow, we pray... the list is endless.

We have choices that ultimately affect our happiness, our relationships, and our sense of self. What we accomplish each day is the result of our ability to make the right choices that inspire action, creativity and results. The old adage, "Time is money", so under states the value of routine and planning.

As a business owner the adage helps me see clear as to the physical value of time, it does not however inform the way I feel when I fritter away time and do not bring my ideas and dreams to life. This for me is element of inspiration to drive me to action.

Living to my values...now that fires me up and inspires me to get busy with the calender and do to list. Lately, I have become acutely aware of how routines serve me.

For instance, when I am not routinely spending time with my coach and giving voice to planning and strategizing, I loose momentum and often direction. Similarly when I am not investing in my spiritual path, I become disillusioned and lost. If exercise and eating well are not committed to, sluggish and tired is the result.

Now, think about it...we create these amazing visions, and then struggle to bring them to reality because we as big thinkers and free spirits buck routines because we think they will rob us of freedom or something???

Well I have experienced that it is the total opposite. Routine brings freedom. Routine brings results, Routine brings happiness... woo hooo.

So I have decided that id I want the happiness of living to my values. I surrender to the routines that will help me to achieve them. Planning. Exercise. Meditation. Sleep. Play. Sales calls...you know the drill.

So..

What investment of time does your business need to move to the next level?

What routines need to be committed to?
Financially?
Physically?
Spiritually?

What are you curious about?

2008-11-25T04:14:00.000-08:00

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. ~Clay P. Bedford

Are you trying to make a decision?

What are you doubtful about?

Each day we make scores of decisions effortlessly. It is because we are able to trust ourselves and the knowledge we have at our fingertips to reason through options.

When we avoid making a decision, we have often come to a place in the decision road that keeps us from taking action. It is a lack of information that keeps us from stepping in faith.

As I watch people make decisions, it is the research process that brings them to action with assuredness.
Taking actions that are based in reality vs blind faith allows us to have faith in our selves and the decision making process.

Research. Even the word itself connotes that we are searching again. Re-looking for more information, validating an idea, a belief, a process, etc...

Each time we spend time to validate and enrich our ideas, we are making decisions easier and more connected to our visions and mission. It is the commitment and the due dilligence that brings confidence and ability to step in faith in our selves and our beliefs.

What needs a dose of faith?

What needs more information?

Are you alive?

2008-10-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable.
Madeleine L'Engle (1918 - ), "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art", 1980

Who do you allow yourself to be vulnerable with?

What are you missing out on by keeping yourself closed?

Who do you feel drawn to open yourself up to?

Each and every day we have choices to open ourselves to possibilities, to others, and most importantly to love. Taking chances with our minds, requires one sort of risk, while chances of the heart are unquantifiable. I know each and every time I choose to open my heart and mind, I choose to be open to God's love that flows through others.

I know as I open my heart, the wounds that have happened in the past are exposed. I also know that by opening, they are healed too.

When I open my mind, new ideas and energy flows from places that often surprise me and very often astound me.

This notion of vulnerability has me thinking about truly being seen. Allowing myself to seen by those around me and trusting that I will be loved and accepted is a leap of faith. I know that it is the trust I have in myself and my intuition empowers me to open myself to the people who are worthy of my trust.

As I open my self, I see others around me open up. It is a rare thing to be able to be in that space of trust and faith with another person. Be it a friend, a colleague, or a lover, each requires a willingness to be vulnerable to achieve the highest levels of intimacy. Intimacy on all levels, be it Intellectual, emotional, physical or spiritual demands faith in oneself and the other.

My experience has shown me the depths of intimacy takes time to develop. There are relationships that evolve quickly and others slowly. The pace of true intimacy developing is directly proportional to the amount of vulnerability each person is willing to expose.

In my life, I feel as if I develop deep relationships with people pretty quickly because of my willingness to be vulnerable. I have decided for myself that I desire deep relationships and that I have enough faith in myself and God to open myself. I trust that I am opening myself to the right people and I will learn and grow from every relationship I have.

Intimacy scares many people. I thrive in it. I love the space of it and open myself to all that it has to offer. I know that the risks I take and the hurts I experience are far out weighed by the gifts and blessings I receive. I have deep faith in bliss. I believe in a world that creates relationships and experiences that are full of love. Yes there are relationships that are hurtful and impure. I just refuse to believe that if I keep myself shut down, I will find the right relationships.

Yes, I have opened myself up and been hurt. I have also learned and grown immensely from them. I look back on each relationship and take the lessons and put them into play as I create the next ones. I am fascinated by the correlations between personal and business relationships and how they potentially can inform and inspire each other.

I am currently developing several business alliances, that I believe have great potential. As we work to solidify the agreements, we have been required to expose ourselves. I believe we have been able to do that because we each desire to be in alliance with people who share values and dreams. With out the willingness to open up, it would be impossible to create together.

We have been sharing elements of ourselves professionally and personally that have allowed us to see each other fully and hence make decisions to develop alliance or not. I believe my willingness to open, has allowed them to open. A colleague, shared that he had never so easily come to consensus on goals as easily as we did.

As we expose ourselves, be it intellectually, emotionally or spiritually we take chances that we will be hurt, judged, and maybe even be asked to do something that we do not want to do. Fear of these potential risks often close us to down to seeing the possibilities.

We know, we are all looking to be loved and accepted as we are. We desire relationships that respect our hopes and dreams. We seek support of them in every way. As we expose those dreams, we take the risk that the other person will not support it or worse disrespect them.

With each step in faith, I know I am able to create meaningful and impact full relationships. I believe in the power of love, non-judgement and faith. If I have faith, all things are possible...

Do you trust yourself to open up to the right people?

Are you willing to step in faith?

GO FOR IT!!!

Where are you focusing your energy?

2008-08-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

Are you focusing on the right things?

Have you spent time deciding where you put your energy or are you caught up in habits? In putting out fires? In old routines?

When was the last time you decided where you spend your energy, instead of being pulled by the current of life?

I often find myself doing activities and tasks that do not inspire me. I have realized that I want to be more mindful of where I spend my energy, passion and focus. We all fall into ruts that at one time were new and inspiring. Are you in ruts accomplishing little or routines that support your well being and vision?

For many years I wasted energy and allowed myself to squander it. After making decisions as to where I placed my energy and focus, amazing things happened. I look back over the past few years and sit amazed at the power of focus to create results.

The word persistence, inspires me to look at the value of commitment and dedication to my vision. Keeping to a routine or a practice that will yield me the results desired over time, has taught me to trust myself and has brought me an understanding of the word patience. Sitting back after time has passed and being able to see and feel the results has been a critical element for me to keep up with my practices. It teaches me to allow myself the time to comprehend the power of persistence. It shows me each effort adds up and brings me closer to the vision I desire.

What needs a focusing of your attention?

What action will get the energy moving?

What is your journey telling you?

2008-08-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

What do you need to pause to notice?

What insights have you had recently?

What has the twist in the road taught you?

Has your destination changed?

My journey this past year has been full of twists and turns.

Each has brought an insight and lesson. Some were fun to learn others painful. Yet each has its place.

Through these adventures I have learned about myself, others and most importantly my relationship with God.

Lately I have become clear that my journey is trying to teach me to slow down and enjoy the trip. A friend asked me so pointedly. "Where are you rushing to?" WOW it made me really pause to think. Right after that I became very ill and my body told me the same thing. Slow down, actually my body stopped me outright, took me down and forced me to pause and reflect in the slowness of healing.

I learned about patience in a way I never imagined possible. I had to accept my body healing in God's time.

In the slowness, I experienced myself in a new way, I saw that I could be patient. I was able to take it slow and one step at a time. I actually enjoy the pace of it. It helped me to see, feel and experience my world in a whole new light. I have learned the power of being in the moment. I know the joy of a breeze, the yumminess of a luscious peach, the vibration in my heart from a riff of jazz and the inspiring touch of a friend's loving hand.

I have begun to look at those around me in a whole new light as well. Many friends have shown up as the hand of God in some of my darkest moments. I have seen hope, faith and strength in their eyes, and felt it through their prayers.

So what is journey telling you these days?

What lesson do you not want to miss???

Who needs some love?

2007-05-31T05:48:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to reflect...

Love is something we all need. It is the most basic need we all share. It is the essence of our existence.

Who came to mind? Is it another, is it you? Either answer is ok.

What expression of love is needed?

Expressions of love come in many shapes. A smile, a kind word, a simple card, a kiss, be it a real one or Hershey’s.

Was the answer you? What do you need to show you, how much you love you? Take a break? Get busy on a project? Work out? Ask to spend some time with a friend?

Showing love makes us feel good too. It pays back quickly and often sets off a chain reaction of love moving.

Be it an expression of self love or love for another, it is worth the investment! Take the action and feel the love!

Are you crazy enough to change the world?

2007-05-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
Steve Jobs (1955 - )

What needs to change in the world? Your world?

For so many years I dreamed of changing my world. I imagined being able to leap out of bed and love the life that awaited me. When reading about others affecting the world in a positive way, I could hardly imagine doing anything beyond just getting out of bed and dragging myself to the office.

I can finally imagine changing the world beyond my own little sphere, now that I have got that in order. Seeing the correlation between my world being changed and then changing the rest of the world is a big thought for me. Realizing that in order for me to affect others, I must be healthy and happy, Taking care of myself in a way that is balanced and respectful.

Love this notion of being crazy. It is that frame of mind, that I know I create the best and bravest solutions. When I am able to step outside of my notion of convention and rules, I am able to see beyond those constraints. Think out of the Box. How many times have we heard this, but what does it really take for us to do this is my question. Allowing myself to forget what I believe, fear, have experienced and move beyond. Clearly requires a bit of craziness. to forget, ignore, tune out, my sense of history and knowledge??? Ya feels crazy, and yet I know deeply it is what I must do in order to move forward to create anew.

Several moths ago a friend shared a prayer with me. It is called the Set it Aside Prayer. Quite powerful actually. It has helped me to see how much of the past I carry with me and how it

God, help me set aside my beliefs, prejudices, and fears of this person, or situation and help me to experience it differently.

I have to admit, this prayer has helped me see how I hold myself and others bak from creating anew. So many of our fears, are based on history. Being crazy enough to step forward and see things in a new and fresh way, requires us to step in faith. To step with the voice of our intuition speaking louder than our fears.

These days, each time I am feeling crazy, I celebrate, because I know God is asking me to step into the unknown and most often the place of grace.

So I ask you, what is your next crazy step?

What crazy thought do you need to think, so you may take the next crazy action?

Be crazy, live in faith!

What needs a jumpstart?

2007-04-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

What is needing an influx of energy? Of focus?

What idea or relationship has been just waiting to be brought to life?

As a creative person, you know how many ideas you have that are just waiting for you to take action on. Those bright ideas that you just keep fantasizing. The ideas that you find yourself daydreaming about, and making a smile come to your face…

They are the same bright ideas that make ya feel sort of like a looser cause you are not doing anything to bring them to life.

That’s ok! We all have them! We all are spreading ourselves thin sometimes. We all forget sometimes what our priorities are when the day to day nonsense takes hold of us!!
It’s ok!

So in this moment, let’s pause…breathe…breathe again…

So what needs a jumpstart?

Yesterday, I had the most amazing energy infusion into my book. I have been working on my book for the past several months and have found myself on a journey that has taught me so much about my creative process. It has shown n me how much my personal process depends on energy infusions that include other people.

My process is about allowing myself to simmer and stew and then it wants to bring it to a boil with the energy of other people. Then back to the simmer…I have been able to explore, understand and accept my creative process, with a surrender that feels like such a blessing.

So, what is your creative process like?

What allows for you to move?

Is it alone time?

Is it people time?

What action will you take today to bring energy and focus to your ideas?

Who?

2007-03-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Who are you missing?

Who do you need to call?

Who needs a letter or card from you?

Who is your heart asking you to reach out to?

Each day passes filled with tasks, errands, and the routine of everyday life. Days become weeks, weeks become months, months become years. Recently a friend shared a regret with me with tears in her eyes. She had been thinking about an old friend for several months. Each day passed and she would say to her, “I’ll call him tomorrow.” Each day passed and she overlooked what her heart was calling her to do. Finally after months of putting off a call, for no other reason than busyness, she picked up the phone. After a brief conversation with the wife of her friend, she learned that he had died several weeks prior.

She sat weeping, vowing she would never ignore the call of her heart again.

Last week, a friend who I had not seen or heard from in over 5 years, sent me an email. He followed the call of his heart. He said he had been searching for me for months. He and I had been overweight together and had always talked about trying to do something about it. Several years ago he had lost a huge amount of weight, almost the exact same amount as I had…in almost the same time frame. He had run the NYC marathon and wanted to share the accomplishment. At some level deep in my heart, I know it was his way of reaching out to inspire me.

He received a bounce back from an old email address of mine, and used several online search services to search me. He came up blank…after several weeks and spending many dollars searching the web for me he came up blank. Still his mind was on me…he ran into a friend who did have my contact info. He jumped onto my website and saw that I too had lost my weight. He saw I was looking for help producing my book and immediately responded with an offer to help!

WOW! The call of his heart produced such an abundance of goodness. We both had a chance to see we had both finally tackled a life struggle, and we were both busy out there helping others overcome it too!

Do not pause! Call or email that person who has been on your mind.

Do not let days turn into years!!

What needs noticing?

2007-03-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

What does noticing give you?

When was the last time you noticed what is blooming in your yard?

When was the last time you noticed the beauty of your lover?

When was the last time you noticed the crunch of your salad or the creaminess of the cheese

This morning as I walked with a new business partner, we took time to notice the beauty of where we were walking, we noticed the shape of trees and spoke of how they related to the business we are creating.

We spoke of the stability of an oak tree and it’s majestic stance, while we paused at clover patches looking for a four-leaf bit of luck. As we slowed and allowed ourselves to be in the moment, my friend found not one, but two four leaf clovers. right there waiting to be noticed and claimed.

When we allow ourselves time to slow down and notice, we are given a chance to claim things that are waiting for us. We can claim beauty, joy, a sense of the divine, gratitude balance, and peace, the list goes on and on. It is in the quiet moments, that we allow ourselves the opportunity to absorb what is and appreciate it for what its gifts are.

When can you spend time noticing?

What can you claim for yourself?

Where do you need to be courageous?

2007-03-13T08:01:00.000-07:00

Is it in a relationship?

Is it about your job?

Is it starting a new routine?

Is it something you need to leave behind?

Whatever the details, I know you have the courage to do what it takes. I know that within each of is the courage to do what it takes.

Think back to a time when you did something that you never thought you would. The courage that allowed you to do that is there for you right now. It is within you waiting to be tapped into.

Each day we step out into the world, taking for granted the courage that takes. How much easier it would be to just stay in bed.

We face cold dark mornings on the way to work, we face endless meetings and unruly bosses. Each of these things we face are testament to the courage within us. Allowing ourselves the wisdom to know that have the courage it takes to face a new journey is what is called for right now.

We take for granted how much courage we really have within us. Somewhere we came to believe that all this stuff we do is no big deal. Well I am here to tell you it is. Each day we show up and do what is needed, is courageous. We step in front of our fears, our doubts and do what we need to do.

Today courage is speaking to a friend about a tough situation in our lives. Another day courage finds its face in putting your last dollar in the basket at church. While other days it is showing up for a work out when all you want to do is go to bed.

Each of us is faced with looking within us and to find courage. To find courage within ourselves or within the relationship we have with God and others, firstly requires knowing it is there to begin with.

Know you have courage and you will find it. Know that you have used it before and it lies waiting for you. It is waiting to help you move forward, to fly and to soar!

What needs questioning?

2007-02-28T01:37:00.000-08:00

Big question!

Where are you afraid of being questioned?

What part of your life cannot be questioned?

Questioning...always hard, most often fruitful. Recently I was questioned on an approach I was taking. I responded with defensiveness, fear, and anger. My response really surprised me, made me ashamed and filled me with a sense of self-doubt. In this moment, it is not so much the exact issue I was question on it is more the sense of needing to defend, who I am and what I believe. It is the response to being questioned that needs looking at.

I had become emotional and slightly aggressive. I placed myself in the victim role and found myself in a place I had not been in a long time. It was everything I had worked so hard to step away from.

Being questioned was uncomfortable and even painful, yet I know the result of that for me has allowed e to dive deeper into my emotions and sense of self-love and acceptance.

It has allowed me to look at a part of myself I though had healed, moved on, and grown. As I look at it, I know there is more to heal, more to explore, and more to accept.

For most of my life, when I expressed my views it come from a defensiveness, from a place of self-loathing, and a place of fear. I was obese, full of shame and working to prove I was worth something. It was a scary place to be.

When I responded the other day in that same way of defensiveness, it brought up so many issues for me to look at. What a blessing, someone questioning me. Such a simple catalyst, for what in this moment feels defining.

I know my willingness to face this right now feels brave, feels right, feels blessed. My willingness to share the lessons and the journey, I know, is what I am called to do.

In this place of self-examination I am forced to face my humanness, my frailty, my deep desire to make myself a better person, all combined with my desire to love myself more deeply exactly where I am. Strange dichotomy of thought. A desire to improve, yet love myself exactly as I am. How do those two thought live together? How do I come to terms with that?

Loving and accepting self is what we are all looking to do. Yet what I have come to learn is that I need to be able to love all of myself, the good, the bad, and the ugly. As a result of the love, I am able to look at what needs to change through the eyes of compassion and acceptance.
So as I continue to ponder and reflect on this huge topic, I leave you with the idea of self-love.

I leave you with a few questions.

What can your love help you question?

What loving questions need to be asked?

What do you need to face?

2007-01-22T00:43:00.000-08:00

Is there something that you have been avoiding?

What are you afraid to take a look at?

What is the growing cost of running?

Is facing it alone scary?

Each of has something in our lives we put off, avoid, and often wish would just go away. What I have learned the hard way, is the longer you put it off, the harder it gets to face. I know in my life, my food addiction was what I avaoided talking about like the plague. I went for years just running from it, I spent years allowing myself to make believe it just was not that bad, until one day I found myself 320 pounds. Crazy, I must have been pretty out of it as I look back. I know that each day I ran from it the harder it got to deal with and the fatter I got.

What I have been learning recently in working on research for my upcoming book, Who's Helping Who?, is that most of us are unable to face our problems and ask help until the situation becomes unbearable, or worse, desperate. What a sad thing. We find ourselves alone with our pain, shame, and the longer we try to face it alone the harder it is to ask for help.

I know with my eating disorder that the idea of asking for help was so hard. I kept thinking I could do it by myself. When I finally realized that if I could do it alone I surly would, I began to realize that my own efforts had gotten me to 320 pounds. That asking for help was the only way out.

As I speak with more and more people about this topic of help, I am amazed and saddened by the notions we have embedded in our society about the stigma of asking for help. We look at ourselves as weak, stupid, lazy, and worse yet unworthy, when the realization we need to ask for help dawns upon us.

What I have learned these past few years is that asking for help is so much easier when I just begin to get that pit of anxiousness in my stomach. When that little queezy feeling comes and the worry begins…ya know the feeling… When that first night of tossing and turning makes ya think, “Man, I need to take care of this!”

These days, I run less and less, and I find myself turning to ask for help so much easier.
I turn to my coach, my spiritual advisor, my sponsor…my people…

Though I admit there are still one or two areas that are so much harder…money is my Archilles heal that I am working on these days. As I continue to build my business and continue to invest in my dream, I am faced with tough decisions and tough realities to face. I know each time I am asked to face things head on it is tough, yet, I always feel so much better when I have spent some time discussing it and assessing it with my financial advisor.

So each day, I ask myself, what do I need to face today? Some days, I have the bravery to get right to it and other days, I say, maybe tomorrow. What I have vowed, is that I do not need to get myself to a place of pain or shame or anguish any more about asking for and reaching out for help. I know that I can get the help I need, whenever I decide the discomfort is taking away from my happiness and wellbeing.

Today, I am pretty unwilling to let anything get in the way of my happiness, so asking for help is a skill I have honed. Thank you God, that I have found the willingness and the courage to know my limits and to know I want to be happy and contented. So today, I find myself saying, fairly often, “ I need help. Do you think you might be able to help me?”

I know that the people who are able to help will say yes, and the people who cannot will say no. My part is the asking and God’s part is bringing the right person to my side to help me and allow me the pleasure of being helped.

Face what needs to be faced!

Know that there are people who can help you and want to help you!

Know you are worthy!

Know you can!

What's the next right thing?

2006-12-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

What is your head saying?

What is your heart saying?

Is it based on a plan?

Is it based on your gut?

As we move along in our lives, knowing what to do next is often a puzzle. We pause, consider, sometimes moving with confidence, sometimes being moved to paralysis.

Looking at where we put our attention and energy is critical if we are looking to live a life that is intentional and purposeful. Achieving what we want requires we make decisions about how we spend our time and energy.

I have learned that knowing what to do next is fueled by having a vision of what I want to achieve and a plan on how to do it. Pretty simple. When I allow the vision to get out of focus, or the plan to stagnate, I loose momentum, clarity, desire and worst of all faith.

Keeping an eye on the vision and actively planning, keep me moving. I see this to be true with my clients and myself. I continue to play with what is the right amount of planning, what is the right amount of free flow to allow me to play and actually enjoy the moment. For each of it is a different balance to achieve the best results in the most enjoyable way.

Determining what the next right thing is up to you!

What allows you to move with confidence?

How do you know what is the next right thing?

What role does planning play in your life?

What role does spontaneity play?

Wht's next?

What are you ignoring?

2006-11-29T02:01:00.000-08:00

Is there a part of your life that you are just not wanting to pay attention to , look at?

Is it just easier to ignore than put any attention to it?

Why are you ignoring it?

What are you afraid of??

For many years I just wanted to ignore money. I hate the whole concept of it. That it even exists. Yet we all know that you can only ignore something for so long before something bad happens. It lashes out, it shrivels up and dies, something will result from the neglect.

Through this divorce, I have wanted to ignore the money thing, make it less important, allow it to do what it wants. Because of this fear of facing the issue, I have allowed myself to be victimized by myself, my husband, the reality of the situation.

I have recently begun to pay attention, not easy, but I am doing it. A few weeks ago I tuned into an conference call that was focused on facing your financial fears. It spoke about the notion of stewardship. It taught me a concept that has been pretty profound for me not only in the area of money but in relationship to everything I want more of in my life.

The teaching was about the notion that, Why would you receive more of something, if you were not paying attention, to what you already had.

Think about it. It is a pretty simple concept to understand. Why would God, the Universe send you more of something that you are not doing a good job with? Makes perfect sense to me, seems so beautifully simple to understand...

I know deeply that God does not want me to ignore money, nor does he want me to go with less than I need. Through this work recently, I have begun to understand my relationship with this issue and have begun to look at how my beliefs have formed and how they affect me day to day.

Like any issue in my life, I know this is not an overnight turnaround thing, yet even with the smallest amount of focus, I know that things will begin to change, if I continue to pay attention.

So what needs your attention?

What small action can stop the ignoring?

What do you need to say?

2006-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Why does it need to be said?

To who do you need to say it?

Last week I got to meet one of my life heroes, Kevin Carroll. He was the Catalyst at Nike for several years. He recently wrote a book called The Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. A fabulous read!!

Anyway, I mutual friend arranged for us to meet for coffee during a conference we were at. I had a chance to tell him the affect he has had on my life and to share that his work is important to changing the world. I felt like I was in a dream or something. I had wanted to meet him for many years, and sitting there in living color was this wonderfully humble man who just wants to make a difference in the world with his life and actions. I felt the power of God so tangibly!

As I shared my journey and he his, we started talking about coming to the place that you know what your life mission is. We spoke about using the gifts that God gave us and how w were meant to use them to improve the world at large, beyond our own lives.

As we spoke I expressed frustration about getting my book going. I spoke about how I was going in circles and not being able to get it going, not knowing what the focus should be. He simply said," What do you need to say? "

It was that statement that shifted me greatly. For several days I sat and prayed, meditated, wrote and prayed some more. The confusion slowly lifted and I was able to become clear about my voice and the power of the message.

What he told me was that we all have something to say; we all have something that needs to be heard. I know what I need to say, do you?

So I ask you?

What do you need to say?

What needs to be heard?

Go ahead say it!! The world will be a better place because your voice has been heard!!

What are your gifts?

2006-10-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

What comes easy to you?

What is supposed to be work, but feels like fun?

Take a moment, savor enjoy these gifts.

Each of us is bless with some talent, some skill, some special gift we have been given. So often we focus on our shortcomings, so often we take thes gifts for granated and never fully realize their potential in our lives or the lives of those around us.

I want us to celebrate what we have been given and step into it fully. Go head show me your gift, tell me of your gift, allow me to feel it and experience all the grandure of it!!

Have fun, play with it, push it, nurture it. Take it to the limit! See how far it can bring you. I know when I am able to do this I am fueld by the awe I feel. I am fueled by the gratitude and the abundance of goodness I feel. I am able to me my best self. I am able to be the woman I know I am.

So who are you?

What holds your life together?

2006-09-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Pause, one or two words, let’s keep it simple. Reflect.

For all of us it is different. What is the thing that keeps you moving along? Getting up out of bed and doing the next right thing.?

When we are able to identify it and articulate our beliefs and values, we are able to use it to fuel actions and yield results. Make Things Happen!

We do not often take the time to check in with what is holding us together, so we feel like we are not together. We feel like we are not moving in the direction we want to or meant to.

As I think about this for myself, I know that it is the simple idea of hope. It is at the center of my belief system. It is the essence of how I run my life. Many people call it faith, spirituality, God even. Hope for me is about having the faith that if I work, show up, something will happen. It is a natural law that I ascribe whole heartledly to. I have seen the results of work in my life and in my clients. I see results happen when we are able to flesh out a vision, plan the steps it takes to get there, and then get busy taking action. It really is not that complicated. We like to make it complicated. That keeps us from taking action. That is the easy place.

Hope comes in the form of a potential client sitting next to me in a coffee shop, a potential friend standing in line at the post office, hope for me is people and making the most of each moment. When I am able to integrate my basic beliefs in to my life each day, I feel happy, content, connected to the world around me.

A client answered this question with the word light. She spoke about how God comes to her in light and it is in this light that She is a color consultant. When you see her work it reverberates with this notion. The mix of of colors and how she creates palettes for homes is in response to the light in the space. She sees the light in people around her. She tunes into peoples light, their finest qualities. When she is able to tune into the light in even the darkest situations, she is transformed and able to move on and take action. It is amazing to be able to use these linkages to values and beliefs move through life in a peaceful and mindful way.

What is holding your life together? How may you use this information to shift your views on a challenge you are facing?

Are you surviving or thriving?

2006-09-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Each day I wake up and spend time in prayer and meditation. I allow it to set the tone for my day. I allow it to give me the nutrients and the love I need. Often times I am sitting out on my patio watching the sunrise. I can hear the pounding of the ocean and the cars heading off to places unknown. It is a world coming to life after slumber.

This morning in my readings I came across the word flourish. I have been meditating on thrive and was struck by the juxtaposition of the words in my life.

Flourish is to come to life and thrive to to continue to grow and develop. Love it!!

Several months ago I met a new friend down on the beach. A beautiful, wise woman, full of life and serenity. As we shared the basics of our lives, divorce, retirement, careers, kids, I felt so at ease. I was so happy to meet a new friend in my new home. I could see she was a dedicated beach. Her skin, her eyes were full of the sun, the ocean, of love.

As we shared our lives, our friendship began. Several evenings later, as I was telling her about how hard it was for me to recreate my whole life she made a powerful statement that has deeply affected me these past months since she said it. She stated, "I know you have always been this full of life, what I see for you now Florence is that now you get to thrive, instead of just survive."

I share this story with you because I want you to thrive too. Not just survive! I want you to have the hope, the joy, that comes with loving yourself exactly the way you are right now. While allowing yourself to grow and evolve.

Yesterday a friend forwarded me a powerful Rosh Hashanah reflection. It reminded me to remember “we are not here to be good people, we are here to be better people” WOW. Just love the thought. It speaks to me of the ongoing evolution of our lives and the willingness to grow in mind body and spirit.

I ask you, what are you surviving?

What do you need to thrive?

What is tethering you?

2006-09-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day for me. I signed the final papers for my divorce. As I reflect on where I want my life to go at this turning point I find myself contemplating the possibilities of my life.

The negative energy of the past is done tethering me. Over the past months while waiting for all of the technicalities to be taken care of, I have felt weighted down. Today I am choosing to move forward with a new sense of freedom. Lightness to my step feels good.

Often times we find ourselves tethered to ideas, people, places that hinder us form moving forward from achieving the things we dream of. Each of us has a choice to loosen and move away from unnecessary ties. Finding the courage can happen one step at a time, one small action at a time. I did not loose 140 pounds overnight, nor did I start a business, or get a divorce overnight. Each big change took many small changes to make happen.

I have found that the gradual steps are easier to maintain. It is the small steps that allow for assuredness of path as well as stability in the doing. Each step I made allowed me to know that I was doing the right thing and following the right path.

What tie needs to be loosed? What step needs to be taken?

What needs to be completed?

2006-08-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

What have you been putting off?

What have you been dragging your feet on?

WHY??

So many ideas and not enough time to do them all. I find myself starting projects and getting real interested in a thought. I put all kinds of passion into it and allow it to take on a life. Then suddenly I find myself with a new idea, a new interest, and that old one goes on the pile never to be completed, to be brought to its full potential. URGH...

I end up feel guilty, lazy, unfocused. resentful that I must sleep and rest. What a crazy cycle...These days I am pausing before I step into a new idea and ask myself, how does this fit in? Is this more important, better, easier, than the last idea? Am I just drawn to the new, the birthing, the developing of ideas and less interested in making them happen. I have finally realized that the energy of developing a concept is pretty useless unless I am to bring it to life. What is the point of all these half baked ideas just sitting in a pile!!

It is when something comes to life, we are able to fully enjoy and be awed by the process of creation. When I am able to commit to starting and completing a work, is when I am truly fulfilled. I get to stretch myself in areas of creation that are hard for me. The implementation phase is always hard for me. I often view it as less fun, less challanging. Yet what I am finding myself having to do is to stretch into finding new ways to look at this phase.

When I am able to look at implementation as needing my creative skills and full passion, I am moved to action in new and more enjoyable ways. I have been working on bringing my creativity into all places of my life, even the production process...

It requires thinking, analyzing, and revision, that is so akin to the creation of a idea to begin with. It is clearly just a point of view that I can choose to shift into if I truly want my ideas to come to life.

So today I will keep the commitments I have made to several current projects and allow the new ideas to sit and wait their turn.

So what needs to be completed? And what needs to wait in your life?

Knowing When to Push

2006-08-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

So how do you know when to push yourself, when to give yourself a break?

Where is the line? What are the limits you set? What are the barriers you push?

Physically, mentally, spiritually?

These days I feel like I really need to be conscious of how and when I push myself. I am making so many changes happen in my life, yet I need to be able to say when!!

I often find myself pushing beyond my limits and finding myself, wiped out, on all levels. So many people I speak to are talking about the same thing. Not good! So much of the conversation is about not even enjoying things they usually do, on all levels. Walking through life on autopilot.

Keeping a realistic gauge is critical to my sense of well being and happiness. I know when I have a balance of work; play, rest, and prayer times, life is good. Setting realistic goals and times to achieve them is imperative to me.

It is in the checking in with myself in a routine and conscious way, that I am able to keep it all in alignment and perspective. Setting some time to take a look at, where I have been, where I am and where I want to go, is critical. When I think I can skip it, I often find myself with too much to do and not enough time. I find myself cranky, unmotivated and worse, going in circles.

I clearly benefit from this check in and achieve my goals in a more intentional and joyful way. I get to be at choice, instead of swayed by this crisis or that fire. I get to set my limits and feel satisfied that I am doing the things I want to do. I get to choose when I would like to stretch myself and when I rest.

When can you find some time regular time to take time to reflect and plan?

Ebb and Flow

2006-07-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

What is ebbing in your life? What is flowing?

Living by the beach I have many opportuitues to witness ebb and flow. Recently I hade the chance to experience a powerful evening storm. It came quick and I found myself stranded on a covered pavillion on the ocean. It was such a gift. I witnessed the sky, the water, the air, the rain, the sand, shift and move in unison with each other. It was hard to comprehend what was the driving force, as each was affected and shifted in a different and beautiful way.

The darkness came. I stood and watched, wrapped in my towel as the wind blew and the rain fell. The ocean moved with the wind and the rain. It responded with pounding waves and shimmering foam. The color shifted from blue to green to grey, as the sky became filled with with black and grey and powerful bolts of lightning. The storm shrouded the horizon in a haze that hid several shrimp boats that had been there for hours.

As quickly as the storm came up it, it passed. Sunlight filled the sky as the clouds moved out to sea. Small patches of rain continued for a while, as the air became still and clear. The boats suddenly appeared as if a fogged window had been wiped. The light became bright and the air cool. The storm had taken its course.

The power of this experience has been with me for days. I am so struck by the deep meaning it holds for me, for us. Storms come and go. Things are moved, shifted, damaged. Things are different, most times in ways we could not predict.

Ebbs and flows happen. Storms Come. Sunny days appear. These are a few things we can count on. When and if they come and go, that we have no control over. All I know is that if I am able to respond to the storm with a clear head, I will be fine.

For me keeping a clear head is about awareness of what is happenign around me. It is getting out of my own head and being observant and responsive to my surroundngs. It is about living in the moment and experienceing the ebbs and flows for all thier gifts...

Where is your mind wandering?

2006-07-20T14:21:00.003-07:00

Allow your mind to wander.

Where does it go? Does it go to the beach, to a piece of art, a book you have been reading? It can go a million places...Does it give you pleasure? Guilt?

I've been using my wandering to fuel me. Just this morning, I had paused to take a break from task i was doing and let my my mind wander. It brought me to a person I needed to call. Instead of just letting the thought flash through my head, I took action. Made the call, spoke for a few minutes, set and appointment and moved on. I knew that i did not have alot of time to chat, so I stated I had a few minutes and wanted to set some to time to spend together. Done, Three minutes later, I was back t the task at hand. No longer did this needed call bug me. I was able to take care of a call I had been wanted to make for days.

How much energy do we waste on not listening to the wanderings. I thnk that when we initially have the thought about the person and want to call them it is pleasure. it is the idea that it would be fun to do. When we do not listen to the thought, after a few times it turns to guilt. We start feeling bad because we did not make it happen. Who needs that. So the next time you have a thought to do something. Just Do It, to borrow a phrase. Start turning your ideas into joys, and stop allowing inaction to turn them into guilt!!

Vacation Musings

2006-07-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

What is vacation to you? What does it give you?

Having just returned from a fun, restful, inspiring vacation, I am working to allow the affects to flow into my life today.

I have been using the experience of getting away and relaxing to fuel me this week, as I get back up to speed. I have become very reflective and in the place of getting clear where my focus needs to be for the greatest return.

So interesting that any effort that is not about relaxing now has more meaning. Sort of cool. It feels like each of my actions are more valuable and that I should consider the effort and not waste any energy that is not producing the precise results I am looking to achieve.

Distance such an amazing thing. I am working to allow it to give me perspective and clarity. Things that often get so muddled in the everyday grind.

Distance from the everyday has given me such a new view on my routines. I have the usual tactical things to deal with and find myself moving through those with such peace. Clearing the suitcase and laundry is usually such a chore. Today I gave myself the gift of taking my time to unpack and enjoy the goodies I found in the suitcase.

The bag of stones I had gathered from the tiny stream, talk to me of the time spent around the campfire, watching the stream trickle and meander through the campsite. The calmness and the peacefulness that time brought to was a gift. I had a chance to reflect on what great friends and family I am blessed with. I am reminded of the tears shed while singing a song that reminded me of a spent relationship. I am blessed with friends who were able to hold a safe space, so I could cry with healing thoughts.

Ooo look, a make it yourself mobile from the Museum of Modern Art. It is so full of possibilities. As I clip on a postcard of the Bruce Neuman neon sculpture, Human/Need/Desire, my mind wanders to the wonderful afternoon with my sisters and nieces at the museum. We were moved that afternoon to discuss the presence of good and evil in art. We spoke of how the power of art reveals truths within society and ourselves. Such richness of conversation and thought, such a blessing.

An envelope of hand drawn stamps, made with a friend's 4 year old daughter, by the pool in East Hampton, brings back memories of laughter and play. Such wonderful images rainbows, hydrangeas, shells, and doggies. I get to read, I like Florence, written from the loving hand of a child. The colors, shapes, and images are pure. They were created with out any fear of judgment, just honest expression. I so wish each of my creative adventures was full of such freedom.

A bag of white ash tree bark, brings me to the love of my family. A reunion in the welcoming home of my sister in New Hope, Pennsylvania, brings all kinds of pleasures. Great food, love, gratitude, laughter, tenderness, and of course competition can all be counted on. We are a family of game players. We bring the notion of winning to all we do. It is fun, it is exciting, it is maddening!! We push each other and bring each other to hysterical laughter and frustration. I live for this energy, this pushing, this confidence, this acceptance. Enjoying my mother soaking up all the love she helped to create from often tumultuous times brings a gratitude beyond words.

A menu from the Lobster Roll in Riverhead, New York brings back the joy of sharing high school memories with girlfriends. We gathered to share our memories, our lives and our dreams. We spoke of the crazy antics of high school girls and wondered how we are still alive with the risks that youth allowed us to take. We witnessed girls who had become strong, wise woman. We rejoiced in overcoming trials and laughed at the boys we had chased. It was an evening of looking at where we came from and knowing that where we are going is full of hope and surprise.

Each adventure of this vacation often brought gifts beyond expression. As I sit here completing this passage, I have many lessons to bring to the next few weeks and even my life. I know that as my life transitions from marriage to single living, from working in a corporation to starting a business, from being obese to being healthy, I am forced to look within and around for as much support, gratitude and wisdom as I can. I know that my journey has been made richer by sharing the path with others, my friends, family, you. Thank you!

Curve balls

2006-06-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

So ya never know when one will come at ya. They take yoy by suprise, they take you off center. Just when you think you know what is going on, or a plan is moving along flawlessly, one comes in at a staggering speed. Sometimes they even pop ya one right in the head, and knock ya down.

That's what happened to me last week. I had a series of speaches all set with what I thought was a perfect partner. Well suddenly my contact at the organization, resigns and the programs are off. We had done publicity, newspaper articles were written, registrations taken. Suddenly they are off. The remaining staf cannot support the work in her absence. Man was I dumbstruck!!

That does not happen often to me. I work through it in my mind, first denial, oh it will work out. Someone will be willng to work the details....nope, not how it ended, they are cancelled, registration monies refunded, me disappointed. I stewed in my frustration for a day or two, not being willing to let it go. This cannot be happening!!

So here I sit a few days later, able to move on, able to divert the energy to a new project and accept that everything works out for a reason. The reason has not revealed itself to me yet, thought I know if I keep my eyes and heart open it will. So I move forward knowing something will bring me the fun and joy I want.

I will rest knowing God has a lan, and it is up to me to accept that the univese is unflding as it should!!

Rest

2006-06-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

Knowing when to rest is a skill I now know I the value of. For so many years I ran myself into the ground before I would rest. Actually it was more like collapse. What I now know is that I am so much more affective day to day as I give myself the gift of rest and rejuvenation.

These days the rest time is healing time. When I think of what it takes for the body to heal, I am reminded that rest is a huge part of the healing process, physically. It makes sense that rest would be required for emotional and spiritual healing too. Rest is also part of a good training regime for athletes. As you work to strengthen muscles the rest time is actually the building time for muscles. It is the rest that allows the muscles to heal and build, become stronger.

I like these thoughts as I think of my heart healing. It helps me to know that I am becoming stronger and that the pain will become less and less. Each time I take a rest from the work of healing, I feel good knowing it is all part of the process. It feels good to rest. I know that God does his work in those times too. He is gently healing me in each nap and each day dream. It feels good!

What holds you back from getting the rest you need?

Perfection

2006-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

"My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents, and I lay them both at His
feet."

Mahatma Gandhi

Love this quote. For me, it is about facing all of who I am and loving it all. It is being able to look at myself honestly, it required if I am to expect that I will continue to grow. Spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, physically.

Success and failure live in the same place. It is being able to see the whole picture, just not the good, just not the bad. How can we possibly think that we are just good? How could we think we are just bad. We are whole living, growing, evolving creatures that face trials and tribulations each day. We are all doing the best we can.

As I end a marriage and begin a new life, I am forced to face my part of things. Where have I failed, where could have I done better, been more patient? I know that if I am to grow from this I must be willing to face it all, and accept that tomorrow I will strive to do better with the knowledge of my part.

So how can an honest view of yourself help you move forward?

What is quiet?

2006-05-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Taking time to be in silence, has given me gifts of many flavors. I have been able to hear differently, see differently, feel differently, and be differently. By allowing myself time in the morning to sit in observation, I have been able to understand nuances, details, and depths, that I had not been able to explore before.

My life has always been full of busyness. I knew how to keep myself moving, seemingly achieving things. In the quiet I have been able to understand what I really want to be busy with. It has helped me to find a place within myself that is driven by my heart, instead of just what petty thing comes in my path.

Quiet has allowed my mind to slow down and hear what is important, really pressing vs trivial nonsense.

What is the quiet saying to you?

What are you creating?

2006-05-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Each day I spend time praying and meditating. These days my mind is focused on creating a new life. One full of peace, creativity, dreams!!

I have stepped away from a marriage, that did not support my dream of building a business dedicated to nurturing others and their dreams.

I am consciously using the words create, form, design in my everyday language. It reminds me that it is a process. That I am responsible for reshaping my life and business goals to be inline with the joy of creation, vs just letting it happen or worse yet, allowing other forces to get off track.

I have decided that part of the life I am creating is about living on a vacation. Being here by the beach, it is easy to remember and to forget. I vowed that I would not allow myself to forget be grateful for this life and that I will not grow complacent to my dream of living by the ocean being fulfilled.

I create day to day, a life that I know God is happy I am enjoying and take pride in.

What do you take pride in?

Tenderness

2006-04-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. - Chogyam Trungpa

Today is a hard day. Today I feel tender. Full of emotion, fear, anticpation, hope. As the range of emotions shift, I am moved by the fullness of them. I am quieted by the knowledge of them. Being with these emotions brings me gifts beyond reason.

I am aware of the knowledge that I am strong. I have been strengthend by my willingness to be honest with the range of my emotions. I have been rewarded for my willingness with deeper, greater, more scary emotions. What is up with that? All kidding aside. I rest in the knowledge that today I will grow stronger, more fearless, as I look to my emotions with the openess to their gifts.

What are the emotions you are experiencing today. What is the knowledge they hold?

Intuition

2006-04-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

The connection to faith in God and faith in myself are clearly linked They go hand in hand, linked beyond my comprehension most times. When I am able to step into my faith, it is necessary for me to trust my intuition. When I am able to listen to my intuition, with clarity and faith, all kinds of crazy things happen.

I call a friend who has been on my mind and inevitably they need a loving ear to talk to. When I follow up on a businesss lead, that feels right, they oftentimes want to know more about what I do. These small examples of following my gut, remind me to slow down and listen to myself. When I am running crazy and not feeling very centered, it is almost impossible to have a sense of my intuition. My time to slow down each day, pray, meditate, take a walk, enjoy a quite lunch, each activity allows me to listen to myself in a deep and respectful way. It is in these times of quiet that I am able to hear my wisdom, hear what needs my attention.

So take a breath...what is your gut telling you these days? Pause, listen...you will know how to respond!!

Choices - Insights

2006-04-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

What have you learned about yourself as you look into the choices you have made in your life? How has this shifted your view of your dreams? Your life?

Choices-Commitment

2006-04-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Each time we make a choice, to ensure we follow through, a commitment is necessary.
Without commitment and action, a choice is just a choice.

What action needs to happen? What commitment would you like to make?

Stepping out in Faith

2006-04-20T13:27:00.000-07:00

What does this mean to you? What is required for you to do it? What is the process your mind and heart, go throught to allow you to take the risk you have always wanted to take?

For me, stepping out in faith is what my life has been all about, especially the past three years. I have had gastric bypass, and lost 140 pounds, I have left a six-figure job to start a business, and I have ended a marriage that brought no joy to my life. Talk about stepping out in faith, yet at a deep level I know deep down I will be fine. Yes, I am scared stiff. Afraid of loosing everything I have worked so hard for, afraid of being alone, afraid of failure.

I know God has always been there, when I recognized I needed him and especially when I didn't. I have recently found a prayer and meditation practice that serves me well. It allows me to tap into what matters most to me. It gives me insights and serenity that often alludes me on a busy day. I know that without my prayer and meditation, I would not have had the bravery to recreate my life these past years. It is dedicated time with God, that brings strength, courage and conviction to follow your path.

What are you doing today to connect to what God has for you?? What can you do to improve that? What commitment will you make to yourself and your dreams??

Story Time

2006-03-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was in Barnes and Noble. I happened upon a story telling hour with a bunch of pre-choolers and their moms. What I noticed is that the moms were as enthralled by the story as the little ones. The moms were smiling and enjoying the tale of a trouble making mouse. We all have one of those in our lives right? We all want ot hear stories, we all want to relate the things around us to our selves, we all want to know we are not alone.

So pause today to listen to a story. What are you hearing in that story? What are you connecting to? How can you use that conection to deepen your relationship with the other person and yourself?

What stories have you heard lately that you connected to??

Living in the Moment

2006-02-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

Each day presents us with opportunities to be here in the here and now. We spend so much time planning and plotting, we often do not enjoy just being here! Right now. The pleasure I derive from writing and sharing my thoughts, insights learnings, is something I enjoy and value. At this moment I am grateful I have a comfy chair to sit in, my petunias are blooming outside the window, I know how to read and write and do a halfway decent job typing.

This for me is about the moment. Being present and able to see the beauty in this moment. I know the rest of the day is in front of me, and it will bring gifts as it comes. My worrying about later meetings, that I have already prepared for, letting my mind wander while I am speaking with a client, so diminishes the grandness of it all. I am in the here and now and enjoying the moment. I have missed a great deal of moments, when I was not willing to let go of the past or was busy trying to control the future. So I commit to the hear and now...

Design Saves Lives

2006-01-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

I know this sounds sort of over the top, yet I know it to be true. From a well designed heart valve to a clear concise instruction sheet for a fire alarm, to a beautiful greeting card. I know and feel the power of design around me every day.

Being able to emply those same ideas, princiles, disciplines to my own life and to help others is exactly why God created me a designer. These days I am a designer of lives, a colloborator in dreams, a builder of new realities. Life is Good!

Sharing this excitment, clarity of purpose, is why I am compelled to share it. Why as we start journies, we are meant at times to be alone, at times we are meant to be with others. I hope this space is a place that can be come to to seek support, give support for creating your dreams, your new reality.

I look forward to hearing your adventures, successes, and failures. Each has a role, and each will give us continued learning. I am glad you have decided to take the journey, I am honored to be on it with you!

What are you trying to balance these days?

2006-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

For me, Balance is about the right proportion, at the right time. These days, I am working toward having the right balance of planning and action. I am a big planner. Making sure I am bringing the right amount of action to make those plans come to life is critical. I love to plan...it is the fun time for me. Learning to have fun and enjoy the tasks it takes to see something come to life is where I am working.

So it has become about enjoying the process as well as the planning. Enjoying the time on a spreadsheet, means great background music, a clean office, a warm cup of tea. All of these things help me to see the beauty of a spread sheet...never thought I would say that. Enjoying the fact that I can do a calculation in Excel now, woo, woo.

Enjoying these tasks knowing they will help the bigger ideas come to life, has been great. This look at balance has helped me to enjoy more of my day to day life, vs just the fun planning, dreaming time.

So what are you working to balance??

The year of...

2006-01-05T20:02:00.002-08:00

As we begin this new year, I have been thinking for myself, what is the new year really about. When I think of where I have been the past few days in my mind, iit is very much about rebirth. So much is new yet, so much is still shifting. Lots of repurposing old habits that worked well in the pst, and mixing them in with some new habits that I want to see as part of my day to day life.

Having the willingness to look at my life as a rebirth is scary. Was it not good before, well it was, yet when I thnk of where I am now and where I want to go. Things still need shifting.

Working on those shifts consciously is the kicker. What's it take to shift life long habits like impatience, or even harder perfection. Isn't that was being a designer mean, striving for perfection...HMM...so am I going to change how deesign influences my striving for it, or maybe changing how i do it would be a bit more sensible. Ya, I like that...Progress not Perfection...I can live with that.

Reflections

2005-12-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

As I look back at the the past few years, I have made some big moves. I have lost over 140 lbs, I have gone back to school to learn new skills. I have left a job to start a new business. I have deepened my relationship with my God. I have created a a whole new life for myself. As I consider these changes, I am compelled to share my experience and help others see the possibilites of their lives.

When I think about waht could have gone better...well the a bit more work on my book, more work on creating my business case for my business, some relationship issues...more yoga!!

Total bust. hmm...some car accidents, allowing myself to rush and not think...

What do I want to change? Allowing myself to live in the moment. Allowing myself to dream BIG, and to not limit myself to what is possible.

I know that as I create my business, if I am focused on helping others realize what is in their dreams, the trials and tribulations of my life will be worth more.

It is with this intention that I set off into 2006. To create a business focused on helping others to live to their potential and realize their dreams.