Arminda Lindsay

Being On Purpose

True Colors

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trees

If you are so fortunate to live in or have visited a part of the world that is home to deciduos trees, then each autumn when the leaves start changing color and the mountainous roads are busy with onlookers toting cameras and multiple stops just to stare at their splendor will be familiar to you.

Did you ever wonder aloud, “Why do the leaves change color?”

Ask instead, “Why do the leaves cover up in green?”

Photosynthesis 101: the trees use clorophyll (the green stuff) to absorb the sunshine, which sunshine (energy) + water produces oxygen for you and for me. (Thanks, Amazing Planet!)

Fall is simply the time of the year when the trees take off their makeup as they prepare to go to sleep for the winter.

But wait! That means the vibrant and gorgeous and uniquely amazing colors we see dotting our deciduous landscape are the trees’ TRUE colors! The green they parade around wearing during the spring and summer is simply a cover up of their true inner beauty: an attempt to be just like everyone else.

Oxygen-giving necessities aside, what green pigments are you hiding behind? Are you willing to step away from your mask and stop comparing yourself to everyone around you?

What are your true colors?

How can you show off the splendor that is you?

DISCLAIMER: I am not a scientist. That awesome interpretation of photosynthesis is my own.

The Sky is Falling!

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acorn

An acorn fell on my head today.

The exact same thing happened once upon a time to Chicken Little (from the classic children’s book of the same name) and she immediately told herself that the sky was falling and then proceeded to run around telling the same (made up) story to anyone who would listen!

WARNING: spoiler alert if you keep reading past this point!

Long before they reached their destination, Chicken Little & her friends believed another made up story (which was missing a few subtle plot points) and ended up as Foxy Loxy’s permanent dinner guests.

Because Chicken Little dramatically overreacted to an upsetting incident that was out of her control she got herself and all of her friends killed.

The sky was never falling.

Upsetting and out-of-our control incidents happen all the time. How many of us make up stories when we get hit on the head with an acorn? Other than a temporary insult to your noggin, that acorn doesn’t impede your progress for long.

Unless you choose to stop everything and claim a falling sky.

Choose to tell a different story.

Your sky is never falling.

Ignite Your Adventure

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adventure

“At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.“  – Salvador Dali

What do you want? Or perhaps the question is: What did you forget to remember that you want?

Do you control your own outcome? Or do you live holding back, never giving yourself permission to create, to pursue, to ignite?
Create an adventure, which by definition is an exciting or unexpected event or course of events.

Push your control button. Go. Get out of your own way.

Star Light, Star Bright

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starlight
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.

We’re accustomed from childhood to make wishes and throw them into the universe, hoping without believing we’ll see a return on that coin tossed into the fountain, the dandelion fluff blown against the wind, the first or even the shooting stars we see in the night sky.It’s habit. Habit to throw out our words without truly meaning or believing them to be true.What if instead of casually throwing about out our wishes, we create a dream.

What if instead of tossing coins into a fountain and hoping without believing, we deliberately choose action over hope.

Hoping leads to wasted wishes, and wishes are nothing more than passive and passing thoughts.

Be the maker of your dreams rather than the wisher leaning over the edge of an empty (yet thought-filled) well.

Be and become instead.

Do Not Feed the Pigeons

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IMG_4921

The park pigeons are fat and dependent.

You are emotionally and psychologically “fat” and dependent on the thoughts you continue to feed to yourself about your story. Whatever your story is, I promise you it’s made up. It’s not true. It’s only true as long as you keep feeding it.

Whether the economy is bad, or the customers aren’t buying like they used to, or you can’t get and/or keep good help, or your team is suffering from low morale, or you had a rough childhood, or you have commitment issues, or it’s because of your relationship with your mother, or the competition is spending more than you. . . just stop.

Stop feeding the pigeons.

Feed the Birds

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St Paul's Cathedral

On a recent trip to London I stood on the steps of the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, featured in the popular Disney film Mary Poppins. It was on these steps that the fictional children, Jane and Michael, discovered the bird woman as she invited passersby for tuppence to purchase her bags of crumbs to feed the birds.

So compelling is the bird lady’s vision that Jane and Michael are entranced sufficiently to forgo all decorum and family connections (their behavior in the very proper bank and their father’s position in said bank) to seek her out. They wish to participate in her purpose, which they see as a higher calling than investing their money in the safety and tradition of the banking institution.

Have you experienced a similar pull toward something “higher” than your current safety? Something that compels you toward an unknown, but the vision of which excites and challenges you? Does the thought of that something frighten you a little bit? Jane and Michael were certainly frightened, but they leaned in to their fear and so can you.

I believe a little bit of fear and a lot of unknown are the perfect combination for moving ourselves away from emotional safety and into creation.

What will you create today?

The Power of Words

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Isn’t it remarkable the difference a few words can make? While the implication can be the same, the way in which we say it can make all the difference. How will you use your words today?

Creating Dreams

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Are you guilty of “disguising your fear as practicality” as Jim Carrey so eloquently accuses his audience?

Why do we allow our fears to cripple us instead of creating our tomorrows today? (I’ve written more about how to create tomorrow today over on my allarminda blog.)

For now, just focus for the next minute on the words of comedian Jim Carrey, whose recent commencement comments are anything but funny.

Focus

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We all like to hear about success and to see others succeed. But what about ourselves? What does it actually take to succeed? Is there a magic bullet? Super coach Steve Chandler said, “Success comes from focus. Winners focus.”

And Richard St. John corroborates that statement in this brief TED Talk on the power of focus.

A Thesis on “Thank You”

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Gratitude is an interesting thing. We talk about it. We notice its absence. And there are sermons delivered about it. But how often do we internalize gratitude’s significance for ourselves: the direct impact on those who express thanks?

Enjoy.

allarminda.com | 2024