Archive for the ‘Social Stories’ Category
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Everyone needs to write their money story. The economy and the factors around using money are so volatile that we all need to be deeply grounded in our beliefs about money. So here is my latest reflection:
Since my first sincere reflection about money in my life, when I had a financial identity crisis in 1995, I have believed that not having money would make it easier to stay connected to spirit. In my Running to Heal story published in Fearless Voices: True Stories by Courageous Women, I offer the many threads of my life leading up to and beyond this money identity crisis but didn’t speak to it. In part because I had 2,000 words and had already covered so much; and in part because I hadn’t quite processed my new money story emerging.
Putting a spiritual lens on the loss of my lucrative career, a loss I personally needed to experience in order to attentively raise my children, seemed the only sanity saving option. And honestly, this choice was made for me. I had had a series of oversights at work so when I chose to leave my well-paying job, my boss was slightly more relieved than upset. || Read more
A few days ago at a Girl’s Night Out event, I was reminded that the word yoga means unity. It was described a unity of body, mind and spirit. Striving for this unity within ourselves is a supremely worthy ambition, and in the process of achieving such unity—for a moment or beautifully strung series of moments—we are led to an even deeper understanding of unity: Unity with All That Is.
I firmly believe that arriving at this understanding, and courageously exploring the path that unites one’s individual body/mind/spirit with All That Is, is the ultimate purpose of human existence. || Read more
Laying in a warm bed on a wintery morning when the kids have to get off to school and the driveway is slick with snow can be a real conflict. The warmth under blankets is so heavenly and the cold harsh chore of snow removal … isn’t.
Before my husband and I even said good morning he was up and getting dressed to run the snow blower. I thought about how responsible he is and chewed on the concept of response-ability in terms of responding to what shows up in life day to day.
Here’s what I came up with: || Read more
What words, in our over- and hyper-communicated world, are actually worth writing?
There are cycles of creativity that motivate a writer to write just to get the inspirations out of our hearts and minds and into the world.
And there is an Internal Saboteur that thwarts our creativity with the question: What IS the Point?!
In an effort to reconcile this felt conflict, I share a recent inspiration. Yesterday, at the 16th monthly Women & Spirit in Business gathering in Hadley, Massachusetts, I experienced such a deep resonance with the dozen of us there that my Inner Saboteur, who has thwarted my queue of posts to be published, was herself overruled. || Read more
It is around 3am on Christmas day. I woke a little while ago filled with regret that I didn’t take the opportunity to say grace at dinner yesterday when Uncle Manny noticed we hadn’t said grace. My husband Paul has long been the keeper of this tradition and since most of the 30-ish of us had already started eating decided to say grace to himself.
I had the urge to say grace but repressed the urge.
Realizing that it is never too late to say grace and to give thanks, I would like to share what has come to my heart. What I would have liked to have said yesterday with my husband’s family. || Read more
No matter what you do in life and work, understanding the sales process can give you insight and, in many cases, an advantage. Developing that special skill set, allowing you to both participate in and orchestrate a conversation, is worthwhile … and dicey.
So the other day I was reflecting on the hundreds of sales calls and meetings I have participated in; along with the trainings and gobs of tips and tricks crowbarred into my mind in order to make me more effective at bringing in revenue. I soaked it all up and cranked out great numbers. But was I a great salesperson? || Read more
The coaching process is very personal and, for the person curious about what it can offer, I share this reflection that I had recently about why coaching is important. If this helps satisfy your curiosity, I welcome a call to discuss potential next steps of working with you.
The offering:
Together we look deeply into life experiences—into the triggers that stir up emotions and to the process for maintaining peace and calm amidst the storms of chaos. We begin by reflecting on how and why it is good to look deeply.
• Where do I receive support and resonance with my efforts to see below the surface?
• Who helps me to explore the roots, the causes and conditions of dis-ease?
• In which relationships or areas of my life do I find obstacles to trudge through, over and over with each new situation?
The process of looking deeply fills us with a mixture of hope and dread. Hope for resolution, for progress, for growth, for mutual understanding and respect, for gentleness … for love and inner peace—which is strong and able to weather any storm. Sustained hope is the core of a strong community and a global family. The dread we feel is based on past experiences, painful memories of our hope and good intentions being shattered. Dread that our difficult circumstances may never improve. Sadly, it can seem as if each of these past experiences leaves a layer of fine yet heavy sediment inside us that doesn’t ever fully clear away with even the freshest warm breeze. || Read more
I have been looking forward to this day for 36 days (I’ll blame the time extension on the New England storm and power outage!) because I have wanted to post this particular picture:
There is irony in waiting to post a picture about “arriving” given the message reminding us to arrive with the breath each moment right within the body!
It took me 24 hours to feel like I had truly arrived at last month’s retreat with Thich Naht Hanh. When I did fully settle in and release all the mental energy I’d had, I felt “home” in both my body and the retreat space. The collective energy of 1,000 people attending to their breath, their thoughts and feelings, and the environment was pure joy that I hope everyone can experience. This collective conscious effort is what the world needs now.
This last mindfulness post is bittersweet. Sweet because I’m typically a once a week or so blogger and I look forward to getting back on that schedule; bitter because the added effort I have put into mindfulness over the past month has had a specific purpose and I, like all of us, need sufficient motivation in order to attend to the subtle essences of life–like the breath!
My practice has certainly deepened and I have formally announced my intent to be ordained in the Order of Interbeing. It simply feels like the next step in a succession of over 12 years of steps toward greater mindfulness. But what has also unfolded is a richer awareness of why I am a life and business coach; appreciation for what I have to offer that is unique, profound and important. For that, for the continued mindfulness practice, and for being part of the large community of us reflecting on what it means to be alive, I am grateful.
Here are the words to a song I learned many years ago. Contact me and I will be happy to sing it to you!
I have arrived, I am home
In the here and in the now (repeat)
I am solid, I am free (repeat)
In the ultimate I dwell (repeat)
The 27th post in this mindfulness series is about looking deeply and seeing the cosmos (or everything) inside ourselves. This is one of the most essential teachings of Thich Naht Hanh and warrants further exploration. Every time I have heard Thay (beloved teacher) talk about drinking tea, the 14th post in this series, he has discussed the science of interbeing in a way that is deeply profound and sweetly simple.
If we imagine the process of water-oceans, rivers, and seas-evaporating and lifting up into the sky with the help of the sun, we understand the formation of the clouds. Very simple, right? Now when we imagine the water in our bodies, or in our beverages, as the same cloud essence just in yet another form we begin to understand the nature of interbeing.
This is so simple to understand, yet so challenging to remember! Particularly when we take the concept of interbeing even further. To reflect on the fact that my DNA and your DNA are 99-point-something percent the same (and the DNA of a banana isn’t that far off either), we can either say, “wow, we are all in this together” like the 99% of us represented by the valiant, generous and dedicated people in the Occupy Wall Street movement, or we can say, “wow, that less than 1% is really powerful”. Personally, I like thinking about the 99% that we all share in common. It makes me feel happy.
The past couple of days have blessed me with opportunities to give and receive feedback on a very personal level with my sister and a few friends. I have also received suggestions from a spiritual teacher I met at the retreat where this 30-day mindfulness post idea was born.
Alongside this collaborative feedback process I have prepared for a presentation I am giving on Thursday. And the theme that ties all of this together is the phrase “I see you.” This phrase, the greeting of the Na’vi and Zulu peoples in Africa and featured in the movie Avatar, is how I would like to begin my presentation Thursday.
To have a heart-felt feedback exchange with someone, let alone many people, is so joyful. Even when–or perhaps especially when–we are triggered to be a bit defensive, as in “I have already thought of that” or “I’ve been doing that for years”, this type of genuine advice is a blessing.
One piece of advice I received was a practice by Thich Naht Hanh so naturally I would like to share it here as he has inspired this whole series! My teacher, who is just getting to know me, heard my “make it work” tenacity come through loud and clear so she advised me to adopt his practice of turning things over to spirit with the specific phrase, “Buddha! Take over!”
It works. In addition to feeling lighter and clearer about a big decision, I am again connected to that sweet energy of mindfulness that I re-membered at the retreat. I feel seen.
Try it out!
