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.
Personal Writing
-
-
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…
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).
-
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…
-
Taking off…but to where?
The end of one thing is always the beginning of something else. And there's almost always good and less-than-good with each transition. Many of our "taking off" experiences are "both and" moments. I'm happy AND sad. I'm terrified AND excited.
-
It’s not the size of your Spark that matters
These conversations also got me thinking about my day-to-day Sparks. The little, seemingly insignificant ones that actually play an important role in my life. Am I talking enough about those to help others see how this work fits into their life? Do you see how Spark work fits into your life? Or have you read posts, watched livestreams and said, "Wow, that's amazing, but it's not for me." or "I don't have that kind of Spark." or "I'm afraid of what I'll discover (and maybe have to change) if I go 'there,' so I'll just stay in my ok life and miss the opportunity for more."?
-
Rainbows and ladders
The set up I had breakfast with a friend recently; she asked me how my new life was going, a question I’m getting a lot these days and one that’s forcing (allowing?) me to have hard conversations with myself because the answer isn’t what I want it to be…yet I paused to determine how honest I would be. I went for real and said, “Oh, it’s a complete bust.” She looked a bit askance, so I went on, “I naively thought that when I finally announced I was leaving my stable job to venture out, the Universe would send a rainbow through my office window and a unicorn would gracefully…
-
Resistance, messy journeys and mountaintops
After that conversation, I listened to a podcast with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Pressfield about his book, The War of Art. I've read the book multiple times and always find it valuable, but this conversation hit me differently. My internal force, aka Resistance, is rearing its ugly head because I've had the audacity to dare greatly. I've told the world I've left my comfort zone and have entered into the great unknown Resistance is working its hardest to stop me from taking the next step, from looking at the proverbial pie and saying, "I want a bigger piece of that." In the book, Pressfield says, "The more important a call…