Archive for September, 2009
Have you noticed it? Out of all of the pressure, miscommunication, discord, and disconnection we have perhaps been experiencing, has emerged a deeper internal connection…that is, if you have allowed it to be so. I have noticed how this deeper internal connection has forged inroads into my deepest passions and desires. It is as if creativity has roused itself from a hazy, lazy hibernation from somewhere deep inside of me. Perhaps you too have noticed this shift in awareness within yourself. With so much going on, perhaps you have experienced fear and concern that life somehow just is not working. However, if you have been listening (which has perhaps been the purpose of all this chaos), you have allowed yourself unprecedented stillness. So, now what? What do you do with all that you are hearing? It’s simple. Take action. Take some small step, right now, along the path of your most precious dreams.
You have had moments of clarity such as these before, however, somehow there was something missing that prevented you from going the distance. Somehow, you grew complacent, doubtful, or maybe simply so overwhelmed that it seemed easier not to even try. So this time, instead of going in a million directions all at once, devote a little time each day to bringing your dreams into reality. Consider altering your schedule so that you begin each day with 30-60 minutes in creation. Enroll a friend, someone who will hold you accountable, to assist you in bringing into sharper focus your creation. Consider making a vision board, drawing a sketch, and spending 15 minutes daily in meditative focus on your creation. In other words, get clear. Get your intentions clear. It bears repeating that the formula of accomplishment is 99% intention and 1% mechanism–and not the other way around.
All too often, we become so fixated on how (the mechanism) to accomplish our goals, that unfortunately we leave little to none of our precious life-energy where it is most needed, the intention. Please understand me, choosing the right tool for the job is important, however, it is not as important as you might think. The thing is, you already know that, you have just somehow forgotten, or grown distrustful. This chaotic period has come to remind us of the importance of trusting ourselves. Why? Because lately, trusting yourself was the only thing you could really do. You couldn’t stop what was happening. You couldn’t make it go faster. You couldn’t change what the people around you were doing? Most of the time, you couldn’t even make yourself feel anything different than what you were feeling. The only thing you could do, really, was trust yourself. Trust yourself. Trust your experiences. Trust the people around you. Trust that everything was happening the only way that it could happen. Trust that somehow, in the end, you were going to make it. And above all, trust that nothing was wrong, no matter how badly you were feeling.
“All I have seen teaches me
to trust the creator for all I have not seen.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Now, get busy! I can’t wait to learn about your creation!
Use this blog to post your insight about trust and what you intend to create. Read and discuss the insight of others. Go for it!!!
Isn’t it interesting? The time in which we are living seems rapt with educational nuggets on which to chew. Information, in our homes, the workplace, our relationships—in short, our lives in general—travels at the speed of light. Technology allows us to “break the fourth wall,” giving us a front-row seat to the human drama unfolding in far-flung destinations across the globe. Now, it’s not only possible to witness important events as they occur real-time around the globe, but we can also view them at leisure, register approval, and rally supporters. It’s all so immediate, so lightning fast. The fact that you are reading this discussion/blog/article right now proves my point…at any given moment, we are the audience, the performer, and the critic.
Who we are, what we say, and what we are experiencing (both individually and collectively) has universal implications. Literally, the entire planet is participating, watching, commenting, voting, judging…and hopefully, learning.
Lately, I’ve begun to question my own participation in our human drama. I’ve noticed a rising level of anger, manipulation, resentment, hostility, and intolerance in our human theatre. Whether you are a politician, a tennis star, a recording artist, or a (insert whomever you know yourself to be); perhaps the question to ask yourself is, “What kind of world is my “right now” thinking and behavior creating?” As we move through our day, our actions (or inactions) post permanent entries on the “universal blog.” Our past can be found, in detail, in the “universal blog archives.” Perhaps now might be the perfect time for each one of us to sit ourselves down and click through these “so-called archives,” in order to catch an honest glimpse of ourselves. Perhaps then we might begin to operate from our highest possibilities, or at least not be so quickly moved to criticize the performance (or archives) of others.
Imagine, for a moment, the society in which Aristotle lived that would lead him to offer, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Clearly, we have progressed in our ability to imagine, exchange or proffer ideas, and thrive in modern society since 332 BC—or have we? As the years stack one upon the other, in what ways have we evolved?
What is it, exactly, that we are so desperately trying to win? What is it, exactly, that we are so desperately afraid of losing? What is it, exactly, that we are so intently focused on protecting? And from whom? How aware are we of the “poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; [the] tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
It’s time to examine the politician, the tennis player, the recording artist, and the human being in everyone of us.
Use this discussion board to post insight about what your “right now” thinking is creating in the world around you. Read and discuss the insight of others. Go for it!!!
Love,
Jaimes.
Last week, we discussed the importance of having a life strategy that is your conscious design, instead of remaining unconscious about your reaction to/with the world around you. This challenge to live consciously simply required that you “get off automatic” and create your own system of living. You know, like when the expert guest shows up on a talk show with their list for how you should live your life. Now, you’re the expert who has a point-of-view that should be listened to, because, you’re the at-home viewer needing the information.
How was it creating your own life strategy? Did you find it difficult, or was it one of the most natural things in the world? Perhaps you fully intended to create a strategy, but somehow never got around to putting pen to paper, or more accurately, fingers to keyboard? So, if you haven’t created a strategy, I urge you to take a moment to do that now. If you have created your strategy, the question is, what now? What do you do now? How do you keep yourself on track in real-time? The answer? Just for now, focus on one thing you can do differently each day, and do just that.
So, right now, take a moment and think about how you start each day committed to play a bigger game…and then IT happens. That one thing that drives your crazy every time you see it, and all that commitment melts like ice cream on a summer day, and suddenly you can no longer see straight. Don’t make it hard, your one thing could be in response to any ol’ thing: a missed parking spot, being late for work, a co-worker, the unbalanced checkbook, or something as mundane as toilet paper. There it is. Just sitting there. The toilet paper on the rung the wrong way (and we all know which way is the wrong way, don’t we?) Your roommate, your spouse, your child, your houseguest–somebody, anybody–keeps putting the toilet paper on the rung the wrong way.
Now, instead of getting upset, simply decide the toilet paper’s direction doesn’t matter. Or, quietly, without fanfare, change the direction of the toilet paper. As you are doing it, breathe, and ask yourself why the toilet paper’s direction is important. Ask yourself if at the end of the day, does it really matter. The key here is to identify those little annoyances that add up in any given day, and choose an enlightened/empowered response. You’ll be surprised how quickly making the choice to live from your consciously life strategy becomes your natural point-of-view.
Use this blog to post MY ONE-THING and/or ask questions, or discuss with others what is working/not working, and how you intend to shift.
You’ll see how choosing to make today an empowered day, quickly adds up to a empowered week, month, year, life. What are you waiting for? Go for it!!!
Love,
Jaimes.
I have noticed how many of us (including myself) have been feeling as though something in our lives is not quite right. We notice little breakdowns in communication at home, at work, in our relationships…in short, everywhere. We search in vain for something to change or fix, which only makes the feeling worse. So, let’s just stop. Stop what you’re doing. Stop what you’re thinking. Now, listen.
Instead of trying to change what’s going on outside of you, perhaps this is the time to begin to work on what’s going on inside of you. So, this week’s challenge is to create a “life strategy” with the purpose of consciously choosing your orientation to the world. You ready? Let’s begin.
In designing your LIfe Strategy, it might help to focus on a 7-10 item list that will serve to remind you to let go of your fixed reactions, and consciously choose how you will respond.
JAIMES’ LIFE STRATEGY
- Stop taking things personally.