Taking stock of a year is no easy feat. Twelve months, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes...sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Shouldn't we easily be able to accomplish all we need and want to in all those minutes, hours, days and months? Turns out, often not so much.
Personal Writing
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You’re being audited (and that’s a very good thing!)
I was primed to do this work from a lifetime of dreaming about, practicing and doing various tasks and jobs that I thought were for other reasons so that in this moment, I was ready to step into this opportunity and say, "YES."
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What’s in your rear view mirror?
Last year, I joined a paid online group called Oprah Daily. It was low priced and included a number of things I was interested in. I read many of the emails I got throughout the year and enjoyed the quarterly magazines. But when I got the notice to renew, I was in a pretty serious slump about the stalled building of my Spark Empire. I considered letting the subscription go. As with nearly everything related to my professional life over the summer, my first thought was, “What has this subscription done for me this year anyway? I’m no better off for having said yes to it.” But for some reason,…
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When networking feels transactional, what’s next?
I’ve been doing a tremendous amount of networking since leaving my previous job in the spring and going full time as the Founder & CEO of Dayna Del Val. Many of the conversations have been fantastic, but the worst ones, the ones that made me want to give up entirely, are the ones that are purely transactional. Let me “re-enact” one of those openings for you: New Person: “Hi. I’m Bill. What can I do for you? Who in my network do you want to meet?” DDV: “Ummmm, I’m not sure yet.” New Person: “Well, I have a very robust network, so you look through it and let me know…
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How big is your glass?
The point is, the great majority of us are doing the best we can in the time of life we're in. Could I be doing more to be intentional and manifesting and letting go? Could I be stretching more? Could I stop eating mindless treats at 2:30 every afternoon? Probably.
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Moving fast to slow down
I grew up with a mother who valued speed and quickness above almost all else. We needed to move quickly, as in, “I’m in the car—get out here NOW!” We needed to quickly catch a clever story. And it was expected that we be clever, speedy deliverers ourselves. We needed to not get caught up in too many details. My mother (and I often) almost loses her mind to watch my son, who feels little to none of this urgency, butter his toast. He literally covers the entire surface in a measured, level way regardless the time it takes. My mother slaps butter on in a kind of haphazard fashion…
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What scares you?
Whatever Sparks you discover, there are easy ways to get started now. Ways that don't have to be time or money intensive; don't ask you to leave your job; don't expect you to upend your life. But, and this is important: YOU have to do the work to Discover Your Sparks. They will rarely demand your attention. The pilot light in the stove never flares unless it's turned on; rather, it burns steadily and out of sight until it's asked to do more.
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Survive and thrive: A parable of two plants
Maybe you've never felt supported, never felt like you're a "bloom where you are planted" kind of person. Maybe you believe you're not all that remarkable but are filled to the brim with so, so ordinary. Perhaps you're certain there's a finite pie of success, and there's clearly no slice for you.
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It only takes a spark
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The start of the next leg of the journey
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What’s your role in the fire?
[Steven Pressfield] notes, “Artists have invoked the Muse since time immemorial. There is great wisdom to this. There is magic to effacing our human arrogance and humbly entreating help from a source we cannot see, hear, touch, or smell” (119).
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What’s your origin story?
Origin stories are all over our media landscape today. Everything from (practically) every Marvel and DC character to the Bridgerton, Star Trek and Star Wars series to the musical Wicked are taking us backwards in time to where the characters we first met at one stage of their lives began. It’s an interesting concept to consider for yourself, too. How in the world did you end up…here? Just consider one aspect of your life. For instance, how did you end up with your current/last partner? Example A (for love) Here’s the quick origin story of how I got to Dr Marry: To avoid teaching after completing an English secondary education…
