trauma
Posted: November 8, 2011 Filed under: Confidence, Courage, Fear, Inspiration Leave a comment »
Today’s NaBloPoMo writing prompt revolves around the experience of a traumatic event.
If you were in New York on September 11th, I’m sure you’ve offered your own story. For most, I find, there is a sense of urgency to share their experience of this day. For me, I was walking on air. I had been cast in a Broadway play and it was the second day of rehearsal. I was elated to walk down 42nd street towards the studio, having no clue what had happened. The cast was filled with celebrities. As we heard about the events unfolding, these “stars” quickly turned into real people, all of us feeling real emotions and none of us more secure than the next.
Days and weeks after the attacks, I was met with a powerful sense of presence. My whole body tingled. I was not thinking about the past nor was I worried about the future. I was completely in the moment, seeing people on the street and in the subway as being a part of the universal experience of life. And I felt as though I was also being seen by these strangers in passing. We were all individuals but our energy was one.
When this sense of presence passed, a whoosh of fear leapt into my heart. That sense of security that I had taken for granted dropped out of me. I was still in a Broadway show, but everything around me seemed to be changing so rapidly. I danced with spirited freedom on one arm and fear of survival on the other. My dreamer self was overtaken by the staunch realist. Now, ten years later, I can see my trajectory as I slowly moved away from my artistic passionate self in favor of a “survival job.” And it is now with all of that experience that I see myself stepping out into this new life to get back in touch with my creative, present, enthusiastic self. Only this time my steps are much more timid.
See also: the challenge.
balance
Posted: November 7, 2011 Filed under: Balance, Goals, Inspiration Leave a comment »
“It’s all about balance.”
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard –or said–that very phrase. I’m always striving to bring my life into balance, so that my energy is concentrated in equal amounts on work, friends, play, creativity, love, etc.
We’re always going out of balance, but the idea is to keep redirecting our course of energy.
When I was taking a goal-setting class for artists at Capes Coaching, we spent some time focusing on life balance. For me, the first step was to visualize and write down what my life would look like if everything was in balance. The second was then to ask myself a series of questions, such as, “Do I feel satisfied with my work?” or “Are there any friends I need to see?” or “Are my finances in order?” Based on these answers I then knew where I needed to focus my energy. What this meant was that week to week was never equally balanced. One week I realized I needed to spend more time and energy cooking meals and making my home cozy, and the next week I needed to focus more on social outings and adventure.
As I sit here and write this, what I’ve realized is that life is happening and running and things are getting done that need to get done. It’s the element of self-awareness and reflection that I believe helps the most, whatever system you might use. While I don’t adhere so strictly to my question and answer system as I once did, I learned that figuring out just one step to make towards greater balance is enough to let a little air in.
the challenge
Posted: November 7, 2011 Filed under: Blogging, Goals, Inspiration 7 Comments »There are certain blogs that I visit like clockwork, just like email, or, yes, even Facebook. Each time I open the site, I get excited when I discover a new post. There’s just something about getting a dose of inspiration or reading a story that you can nod your head at because you relate to so well. It somehow makes you feel not so alone in your own story.
Of course, writing everyday isn’t the easiest thing to do–first you need inspiration, and second you need the time and the quiet concentration.
With that said, I’ve decided to take the NaBloPoMo challenge. November is National Blog Posting Month (yes, that exists apparently!) and I am going to challenge myself to write everyday for the rest of November. To make it a bit easier, the inspiration for the challenge comes in the form of a daily writing prompt.
So, let’s get started!
simple joys: an inspired quote, #3
Posted: November 3, 2011 Filed under: Inspiration, Quotes 1 Comment »George Lucas:
“You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you.
If you don’t have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you’ll stop at the first giant hurdle.”
Quote found on this lovely site: http://www.rootsofshe.com/
the things that scare you
Posted: November 1, 2011 Filed under: Confidence, Courage, Fear 2 Comments »
In honor of Halloween I decided to focus on FEAR. We’re all afraid of something, right?
Some things are concrete, like:
- Fear of heights
- Fear of spiders
- Fear of the dark
But what about the things that aren’t so obvious?
Here are some things that scare me:
- Fear of making the wrong decision, as in, what if going back to grad school for teaching was the wrong decision, and I was actually meant to go to design school, or culinary school, or….
- Fear that I won’t be a good teacher…or worse, that I won’t actually enjoy being a teacher
- Fear of not making enough money if I decide to go into a creative career
In a way, these are all linked to the fear of failure. About a year ago I decided that this was “my year to fail.” Not so optimistic a picture, you might think! But what I realized was that fear of failure was holding me back so much that I was nearly paralyzed. If I made failing an adventure–and a real goal–then I couldn’t be held back in that way.
Fear can actually be a good thing. It gives us information about where we’re putting our mental energy. When we face the things we’re most afraid of, we usually get the biggest boost of confidence. Getting out of our comfort zone sets us up for growth and helps us learn more about ourselves.
So, what is something that scares you?
And, what small step can you take to face it?
mission: possible
Posted: October 27, 2011 Filed under: Inspiration Leave a comment »
If you’ve been reading this blog on a regular basis, you know by now that I love finding things I’ve written down in the past–like goals, wishes, and secret desires. It’s a way of reminding me to respect the journey that I’m on, that all things happen in due time.
Even though I’ve made some exciting life decisions in the past 3 months, like leaving my job and going back to school, it’s all still a little bit scary. Sometimes I feel like I’m flailing with no grounding whatsoever. Or, even worse, consumed by paralysis. I recently came across a “personal mission statement” or vision statement I had created for myself about a year and a half ago. It helped me get some much-needed perspective.
As I was reading it, a question popped into my head and I knew that by answering it, I would be one step closer to feeling grounded and excited about what the future holds:
In the end, what is most important?
My answer was immediate: I want to inspire and bring joy to people, and, somehow, make their lives better and easier.
I knew I was making progress about getting closer (and clearer) to what I want by being able to answer this question without hesitation. And, surprisingly, I knew it was a step in the right direction when I was able to answer it in a very general sense. I didn’t feel the need to get bogged down in what specific job or career I wanted.
There is a lot of information out there about creating a vision statement for your life, but I find this one (which takes its lead from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) to be the easiest and most fun:
http://www.franklincovey.com/msb/
It takes you through a series of questions and then creates a mission statement based on your answers. Your vision of your life is constantly changing as you grow, learn new things, make mistakes, etc. But the key is to keep moving forward and keep what is most important in the forefront of your mind, always serving your true values.
simple joys: an inspired quote, #2
Posted: October 24, 2011 Filed under: Inspiration Leave a comment »Harold Thurman:
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
how do you start your day?
Posted: October 17, 2011 Filed under: Inspiration Leave a comment »
One of the things that has been on my “to-do” list recently is to create a daily meditation practice. It’s pretty much always been on my list, but especially so since I’ve been going through a big transition. For years I meditated on a regular basis, but it never became a steadfast habit, and it quickly went from something I did to something I should do. This weekend I went to a meditation workshop in the hopes of getting some tips on setting up a meditation practice and getting back into a routine.
Here are some things that stuck with me:
- Meditation can be about setting an intention to start your day, whether it be with an open heart, calm, quiet centeredness, or anything in between
- If it’s hard to just sit down and start meditating, spend a few moments writing down what you are grateful for before you begin
- For the process and effects to stay with you, spend a minute after meditating to reflect on what you noticed or any feelings or thoughts that came up for you
You don’t have to be in the midst of major changes to benefit from meditation, or any grounding ritual. Do you have a morning routine or ritual that sets you for your day? I’d love to hear them so please share in the comments!
trust and rest
Posted: October 12, 2011 Filed under: Inspiration 3 Comments »
In March I took an online class called Mondo Beyondo with Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen. It was all about dreaming big. I think this class indirectly influenced so many of the big changes in my life right now.
One of the activities we were asked to do was set a theme for our upcoming year and write it in a secret place. I’m a sucker for things like this. I love finding secret wishes months later. There’s something easy on the soul about writing something down and then forgetting about it.
My themes were (because I can never be satisfied with just one): trust and rest. These are quiet themes, nothing like adventure or joy or passion. But, digging deep, I knew these were the themes I needed to meditate most on.
And now that I’m in transition, moving in with the boyfriend, quitting my job and freelancing from home, and soon going back to school to teach theatre, so many worried thoughts have a way of popping up. It’s so easy sometimes to get caught up in the fear. Fear of making the wrong decision, fear of change, and fear of not being able to do something the way you want. And when these little anxious thoughts pop up, I’ve tried to remember my theme. Trust that it’s all unfolding exactly as it should be. Not necessarily perfectly.
And rest.
I’ve mentioned before that I have a hard time slowing down. With all the changes, I’ve barely had a chance to take a breath. Or, maybe, I haven’t given myself permission to take a rest. This weekend I found myself with SO MUCH TIME and nothing planned. I felt a bit of panic set in. All of my feelings about slowing down or resting came out in full force. “But I don’t want to look like I’m being lazy,” and “What will I tell people I did this weekend?” and “Now’s the time to get to some of those things on my long to-do list.” So what did I do this weekend? I went on a long search for a basil plant, I fell asleep reading a book and took a long nap, I took up residence in a Starbucks for an afternoon, ran into a friend and we had a lovely magical afternoon talking, and I had a picnic with Dave with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline.
Sometimes adventures, joy, and passion can simply come out of taking a breath and trusting it’s all happening as it should be.
blogroll, please
Posted: October 10, 2011 Filed under: Inspiration Leave a comment »
I added a few new blogs to my blogroll that I’m particularly excited about.
Check them out:
Brene Brown’s Ordinary Courage blog. She’s most known for her TED talk on vulnerability.
Betsy Capes of Capes Coaching is a major inspiration for me and she’s started a new blog that I am devouring.
I’ve been jumping through this blog for quick spurts of inspiration about how to stay calm, create nurturing habits, and make creative changes.
Are there any blogs you visit daily? Share them in the comments. I’m always on the lookout for a quick bite of inspiration!
A blog about passion, courage and a journey deep into your heart's desires. 
