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The Art of YOU!

TheArtOfYou

How would it feel to embrace your life as a work of art and you the artist … every color selection, every brush stroke, a mindful addition to your personal creation?

I’m curious how you receive that idea.  Does it fill you with warmth and desire to get to know who you are and how you want to live this precious life? Does it sound selfish?

Here’s something for you to ponder. You are unique. You alone can discover who you were meant to be, the talents that are yours to develop and share, the service that is yours to give, the ideas that you, and only you, can share with humanity in service of the greater good. There is nothing selfish about daring to discover passion and purpose then mindfully developing your “life art” and letting it be seen.

Bring to mind someone whose full embrace of their personal gifts has greatly impacted you – perhaps an amazing teacher, mentor, parent,  musician, artist, actor – maybe even your own child.

What would be missing in your life without this person?

What are you withholding …
from those in your circle of influence?

What will it feel like …
to embrace The Art of YOU?

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When there is nothing to say …

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What do you do when you have nothing of substance to say? Do you:

  • Talk anyway, saying anything that comes to mind?
  • Write the next blog post anyway?
  • Think hard about what to say when the other person is talking?

I ask, because I wanted to write a blog post this morning but no topics were calling to me. Then I realized that many of us need to learn when NOT to speak or write, when to be silent, to listen, simply to be present to the situation or the person in front of us. Imagine this for a moment: fewer surface conversations, a calm mind, fewer posts to read, more space to ponder, wonder, dream or be still.

Today, be present to the things you say just to fill the gap. Notice when you are in conversation and not really listening. If it helps in those moments, take a deep breath. Let that breath calm your busy mind, your anxious nervous system.

What do you notice when you remain silent?

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Why do periodic reviews?

I just completed my annual review on March 1, the beginning of my new year. I was amazed to look back and notice how often I had stepped into new ways of impacting the world. I was reminded of all the personal challenges in the midst of that expansion. I realized how much I had grown! My intention for the year had been to celebrate, play and receive and I had done that – and – I had positive impact on those around me.

What is the purpose of the periodic pause,
noticing where we are,
looking backward, forward, setting intentions?

My review, this intentional pause, served as a huge acknowledgment of what I have to offer our world as well as all that I am grateful for. Setting an intention for the year ahead from this awareness allows me to leap forward, expand, become more of who I am to be in this lifetime.

I invest the time in this annual pause for clarity, assurance and direction.

What would you discover in an annual review?
How would your actions shift with a powerful, focused intention?

(*) For some guidance on how to do a review, check out EOY Review.

 

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All in … and Unattached!

Today’s message is simple yet possibly life changing.

What does being all in mean to you?

For me, it’s about giving my all, investing 100% of my energy, full commitment, staying power. Often, I’ve been very careful about where I am all in. Why? Because I’ve been concerned with the outcome. If I am going to give it my all, it better succeed or be good. Also, at times I’ve hesitated to be all in out of fear that I’d be all spent. I chose to stay back and conserve my energy.

What is the impact of my effort when I’m not all in?
What is the impact when I stay back and conserve my energy?

Am I wishy-washy? Am I only half there, only giving some of what I could offer? Today, I want to offer you and me an alternative way to be in this life:

All in … and Unattached!

What does this mean? It means this: give our all. Be all in. Live fully. And … be unattached to the outcome. If we choose to participate, give fully and freely, be all in. Then let go of the outcome – remain unattached – and open.  I suppose this is similar to giving without any strings attached. When I apply this to my life as a whole, it means living forward, deeply, richly, freely. It means not holding on or holding back. It means not trying to control the outcome and not fearing the unknown.  I am reminded of this quotation:

DalaiLama

In what ways do you hold back?
In what ways will you arrive at death having not really lived?
How will you live today All in … and Unattached?

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From which perspective?

My morning journaling held a strong message for me about choosing from which direction or voice or perspective I am to be with “it” – whatever the current “it” is in life. While there are many perspectives, today I was aware of:

  • IN THE TRENCHES: Purely emotional perspective characterized by internal unrest, the pain body, focus on my needs, sometimes filled with blaming others for how they aren’t supporting me
  • TAKE CHARGE ATTITUDE: Physical or material perspective characterized by seeking a fix, wondering what “I” should do about “it”, often ignoring that inner emotional reaction to “it”
  • SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: Intellectual or calculated perspective characterized by evaluating societal rules or beliefs held by organizations I affiliate with and asking what the “right” thing to do is, regardless of my personal wants and needs
  • EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: Stepping beyond the body/mind/emotion of life and resting in the meta-view of soul or consciousness where we are one, where all of humanity is connected. Here, what I do, say and feel impacts the greater whole and that greater whole impacts me. What I am experiencing is reflective of what others are experiencing. Daring to take this perspective, I become willing to see and act upon what is best for the greater good. Actions from this perspective are resonant and intentional. They may be uncomfortable and difficult on the human level, but the energy of resonance with the greater good supports us. Those actions might look like:
  • Taking a day off to honor personal wellbeing in order to return to work, people and responsibilities rested, open and loving
  • Taking a deep breath and muscling through what lies ahead one more time
  • Having that difficult conversation with a spouse or co-worker and respectfully speaking personal truth that may be hard for them to hear and then staying with them as they respond
  • Dropping allegiance to an organization that seems to need you yet is not aligned with your deeper, perhaps evolving, beliefs

This is a lot! Perhaps take a moment to notice the perspective that you habitually operate from and how that is – or is not – working for you. Then:

What challenge am I facing?
What perspective would I like to try on?
What do I see from this perspective?
What support do I need?