When a choice needs to be made…

When you face a choice and find yourself uncertain, confused or fearful, pause. Align your awareness with your gut, your core values, your intuitive knowing to discern the “rightness” of each possible option. Ask:

Which option is an expression of the deepest truth I know?

If you listen, you’ll hear the one which resonates and brings clarity.

Are there others in your life who will be impacted by this decision? If so, certainly consult with them; let their needs and desires inform you. But always, give yourself the gift of discovering your inner clarity first. Often, this is the option that serves everyone best!

When I pause …

… I listen within. Sometimes I listen to the teachings of others also. My current pause is filled with some rich, expansive awareness from the teacher, Adyashanti. His dharma talks at:

Dharma Cafe

are resonating deeply for me. I share this with you in the event that you are at a place where you desire input. If, on the other hand, you are currently called to listen to your heart and soul, please return to that very vital and sacred work.

Another Pause

It is March 9, 2015. I woke with a song in my heart space: May My Heart Break by Stowe and Karen of StoweGood.com. These powerful lyrics are guiding me in this moment:

As I lie here in the stillness of a brand new day
and imagine all the possibilities.
I am humbled by this life and by the part I play.
And my gratitude just brings me to my knees.

This is my prayer. This is my plea.
Would you blind me to all separation I might see.
Bring down the walls. Let judgment fall away.
May my heart break open today.

I am moved to connect, to see our oneness, to live fully my part in this life. And I know that I am meant to explore deeply inside myself and be with others in rich, inter-personal connection.

I am once again called to write less – and less. For each of you who find inspiration on-line, please soak it in and then live into it! For each of you who, like me, desire the human touch for your inspiration, give it, receive it, live it.

For this moment, not knowing when I will return, I say, farewell. May you treasure the life you have been given and live it authentically, fully, freely.

Bowling Alley Wisdom Part VII

In case you missed part VI, you’ll find it here:

Bowling Alley Wisdom Part VI: Let It Go!

Lesson #7: The Strike

The strike: knocking down all 10 pins with one ball. The strike is so exciting! Sometimes, we get lucky and score a sloppy strike. But other times, the strike happens because everything comes together and flows with ease. We have the right ball. We’ve used the arrows as our guide. Our approach to the foul line and ball release are smooth. The ball hits the head pin just right and this impact sets in motion pins hitting other pins until they all fall down. Years of practice followed by clear focus now, with this ball, pays off.

Here’s the interesting piece: Not only do we score more from a strike than from other balls, we get to throw less. When we bowl strikes, we don’t work as hard! A game of strikes requires 13 throws; a game of spares and misses? At least 20. It pays to practice and to be focused.

The same is true in life, isn’t it? Practicing our skills makes them easier to perform. Practicing results in better performance. Focus often means we “get it right the first time” and don’t need the “do over”.

In what ways are you throwing strikes?
Where is your focus scattered?
What practice would ease the journey?

How would a trip to the bowling alley serve you now?

Bowling Alley Wisdom Part VI

In case you missed part V, you’ll find it here:

Bowling Alley Wisdom Part V: The Foul Line

Lesson #6: Let It Go!

Here’s the thing: sometimes our attempt at knocking down ten pins results in a foul or a gutter ball (no pins knocked down!) or perhaps a ball so poorly thrown that we score but a few pins.

What do we do when that happens?

We might get angry, be embarrassed, give up and quit trying. And that would be a waste of the rest of the game, yes? How about this option instead:

Let it go and move on!
Look forward, not back.
Regroup and begin again.

Life asks the same of us. When we make a mistake, or take two steps backwards, or find ourselves wishing we hadn’t done “it”, we can give up or we can learn a lesson from the experience and move ahead stronger and more resilient.

What miss-steps or “failures” have you quitting?
What is the lesson?

What is possible if you “let it go and begin again”?