“If you could only love enough, you would be the most powerful person in the world.” — Emmet Fox
Let’s just sit with that one from Mr. Fox.
Love on.
But only always.
Illumination
When I’m on the right path I know it because I’m all lit up. I shine. There is no dimmer switch and everyone around me knows it because they see and feel my light, too.
I’m in love with every day.
When I’m heading in a direction that isn’t using all of my skills and strengths and serving a higher purpose I know it because I’m disengaged. I say I’m not motivated when it’s not really motivation I lack, but purpose.
I dread getting out of bed in the morning.
What ignites your light?
What purpose is waiting for you to pursue it?
Whose world (your own included) will be better because you’re illuminated?
Be in love with today every day.
No Parking
Are you comfortable?
The last time I checked, my comfort zone isn’t my production or my productive zone. Nor is it my creativity zone.
And I definitely tend to zone out when I’m comfortable.
Unpark yourself.
Shake up your zones.
Get uncomfortable.
What’s possible inside your uncomfortable zone?
Only anything.
Turn Up Your Glow
The dictionary defines a fiber as an essential character, quality, or strength, and fiber optics as the transparent vehicle through which light is transmitted.
What if WE were each a walking, talking bundle of fiber optics and the light we transmit was in direct proportion to the essential character, qualities, and strengths we possess on our insides?
And what if those character traits, qualities and strengths could be increased, enhanced and multiplied, thus creating more and more light?
What if your corner of the world is waiting for more of your unique light?
Stop.
Think, but don’t overthink.
Explore the possibilities.
What growth is possible inside of your personal essential fiber network?
What one thing will you do differently today to get your glow on?
Turn up your dial.
Shine brighter, my friends.
What if My Future Wasn’t That Great?
Walking through an old neighborhood recently I paused opposite the house where my college boyfriend lived. Staring at that southern front porch I smiled at the countless hours we spent sitting there, him playing his guitar while we laughed and dreamed up our futures.
That version of my future never happened.
And I’m so grateful it didn’t.
Don’t misunderstand me; I’ve had my (countless) episodes of frustration, anger, resentment, fear, and general not knowing when it comes to the way certain events have unfolded in my life. I’ve certainly been on the side of believing something different was somehow supposed to happen when things didn’t go the way I imagined and/or planned for them to go.
Until I didn’t feel that way.
What if I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be because it’s right where I am?
What if what I envisioned for my ideal future wouldn’t have been so ideal?
What if I’m happier now than I ever could have possibly imagined at a different time in my life?
And what if instead of being a victim when life turns things upside down I turn them around and own all of it, and ask myself how I can be empowered by the not knowing?
That’s a future I can smile about.
Houseguest
Negative thoughts are like unwanted house guests. A thought arrives unannounced and nestles itself into the corner, out of the way. But visible.You pass the thought regularly as you come and go and, not wanting to appear rude, you give it some space and time to sort out its reason for coming.
You see it unpacking its belongings and scattering them untidily on your floor.
You harbor feelings of resentment toward the thought for now occupying even more of your personal space.
Yet you say nothing because you fear what the thought might think of you should you ask it to leave.
All the while the thought grows bigger and occupies more head space and tells other thoughts about you so they come crowding in, too, and before long what once was your clarity and peace of mind is now teeming with uncomfortable thoughts.
The good news is this situation is temporary. Your unwanted thoughts will only stay as long as you permit them. If you’re done cleaning up the messes those thoughts have created, your choice is simple:
Ask, invite, insist and demand. . . they all leave at once.
Creativity is Contagious
I can’t scientifically prove it but I believe creativity is contagious.
Allow me to show you anecdotally what I mean.
Exhibit A
My colleague Alex was invited to an event to share his personal reinvention journey from collector of many things to Zen Buddhist monk. Alex decided he wanted to gift something to the event attendees to support them along their meditation journeys so he wrote a book AND published it. . . in TWO months’ time! And it’s marvelous!!
During a recent meeting, my business partner Elatia and I were mapping out our plan for world happiness when we inadvertently outlined an entire book. Happy day! Inspired by Alex’s short road to publication we decided to create our own masterpiece and it is now underway.
Exhibit B
While collaborating on said book, Elatia and I were in deep discussion around one of the chapter topics when we asked ourselves a simple question: “What if we get this book’s message to people before we’re finished writing it? What could that look like?”
And our What If Webinar series was born and in the world in less than two weeks.
Exhibit C
I keep a Happy List. I have thousands of items I’ve written down since starting my list at age 21. On December 29, 2014, I wanted to do something more with my list and so created my first Happy List Video.
On May 20, 2015, the remarkable scratch DJ Emma Short-E sent me a remix she created from her favorite Happy List video.
See how it spreads and grows and changes and becomes more?
Creation begets creativity.
Creativity is gorgeously personal to you.
What will you create today?
Spring Cleaning
Is it time for some internal spring cleaning?
I know when I clear out my own limiting beliefs and fears (all of which I invent) I have clarity of purpose and vision.
With clarity of purpose and vision comes a childlike enthusiasm for the adventure that is my life.
With enthusiasm and an adventure map the only thing I need is a sandwich because I’m going to want a snack for the road.
And with food in my belly, there’s literally nothing stopping me.
What adventure awaits you?
Let me know if you’d like to borrow my broom and dustpan.
Stop It!
Just stop.
Stop thinking about it.
Just do it. Or don’t do it.
But stop thinking it over.
All those thoughts swirling around in your head and spilling out of your mouth in conversations with co-workers or friends or family members or yourself in the mirror? They’re entirely made up.
And the more you talk about, or around, or instead of something else, you’re not in action. You’re just thinking out loud about a life you’re not creating.
Oh wait. You are creating a life: the one you’re not living.
Remember
Remember you are powerful.
Remember to breathe to create space between you and whatever information you receive.
Remember it’s all just information.
Remember you are not a noun, but a verb in action.
Remember you invent exactly who you want to be every single day.
Remember nothing about you is fixed; you are in constant flux.
Remember you are the one writing your own story.
I believe you’ve got this and I believe in you.