Transformative Moments Happen When You are Mindful

I just finished teaching a GREAT class in PA with 11 DAZZLING people.  We spent three days talking about, and carefully examining the constructs of what embodies a Culture of Service.  There were a lot of hard questions and thoughtful pauses as we explored WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN and still strive to be mindful of TRANSFORMATIVE MOMENTS, as they arise.  So what's a transformative moment?  It might be as simple as the realization that, you've been doing something the same way, over and over and over again, and yet you seem to be surprised each time you get the same results.  It might be an AH HA moment for someone else, that stems from something that you shared, that gets them thinking in different ways.  So much of what we do in our day to day lives is premised on mindless habit; repeatable processes; and patterns of  behavior that we have developed, or that have been handed down to us.  You see, being human comes with its blessings and its challenges.  The blessings embrace our ability to adapt, adjust, and reinvent.  Our challenges arise around our complex and often automatic way of moving through life.  The rub here, is that we rob from Peter to pay Paul: we stop being mindful of some things in order to be more mindful of others.  As an example, there are days that I arrive at work and realize that I have no real recollection of getting there.  I did it automatically.  I may have processed a lot, thought wise, however getting from home to work was not in the forefront of my mind during that time.  That doesn't mean I wasn't aware.  If, for some reason, something during the trip would have deviated from the norm, my mind would have brought me back to the present moment, however, when my mind registers that it is "trip to work as usual" I am able to divert the problem solving portion of my mind to some other idea that I am working on.  So, bottom line?  Bottom line is that TRANSFORMATIVE MOMENTS HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE MINDFUL.  Being mindful means being fully present, fully engaged, and fully in the moment.  That means having an open mind, taking in ALL relevant information, and considering possibilities from all angles.  It's not such an easy thing to do, and often times, the only way it happens is that we are caught off guard.  Finding the potential in the mundane and everyday is even more challenging, because we have the HABIT of viewing the mundane and everyday as lacking the qualities of being rich with opportunity.  So, what opportunities are you missing?  What richness are you passing up?  Every moment holds possibility, but you have to show up and be present to reap the rewards.

Love Comes Into Our Lives in Many Different Ways

Love comes into our lives in many different ways.  Twenty two years ago love came into my life wrapped in a 5lb 11oz bundle of bright eyed wonder.  Born under water, this little being didn't seem to be in any anguish or distress, but instead seemed amazed that this new world of light was still so wet and warm.  Like a small creature coming out of the primordial sea, the mid wife placed this Aquarian born child in my arms and it was love at first sight on my part.  I had spent nine months preparing for her arrival, and yet, once she was in my arms it was life by the seat of my pants for awhile.  Nothing has ever been the same, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Someone said to me once, "a child passes through your life and disappears into adulthood."  It is so true, and yet in that act of passing through my life there is a sparkling trail of memories that light up my heart, like diamonds of sunlight dancing on the wake of a boat.  To have had the opportunity to have loved so deeply, so purely, and so totally was truly a blessing.  At twenty two, she is beautiful, as she stands on the threshold of her adult life.  There is promise and optimism, there is life and enthusiasm, and most importantly there is love and laughter.  I am eternally grateful for this gift that has taken twenty two years to fully unwrap.  I love her for having blessed my life so completely, but I love her more for what she is becoming.  Celebrating Mother's Day helps me to stop, and pause, and reflect on the blessings that motherhood has brought to my life.

Does your LIFE have a THEME? (Want to find out?)

 This is from Alexandra Franzen, whose laser lucid blasts of neon brilliance continue to light up my life!

I believe every LIFE has a THEME -- like a novel, a symphony,  or a curated collection of art.

Your theme is an intricate composite of your family's themes, your ancestors' themes, your tribal-cave-man lineage, and your unique DNA. Stories, lessons, weaknesses + wishes.
Percolating through the generations. Uniquely embodied ... by YOU.

With every decision we make -- in this lifetime -- we're just playing variations on a theme.

We learn the same lessons -- over + over.
We teach the same lessons -- over + over.
Our obstacles, talents + final-breath messages -- they never (really) change. They just reveal themselves, in new + unexpected ways. Like I said -- variations on a theme.

It's fascinating to percolate through your life + hunt for themes.

It's a more than a playful exercise in self-discovery -- it's extremely practical. Because once you've discovered your theme, you can tell your story. Your real story. The big story. The story with universal resonance + impact. Not just what you've done + when, with whom -- but WHY.Some of my LifeThemes? Starry-eyed self-expression. Laser-lucid communication. Elastic resilience. Immersive devotion.

 

My biggest, most visceral theme? Supreme reinvention.

Want to discover your LifeTheme?

Your Cellular Obstacles

Your CELLULAR OBSTACLES are the troubles + challenges that keep promenading into your life, in different shapes + forms. Over + over + over.

Your worthy adversaries. Your all-too-familiar arch-nemesis. That fear you just can’t shake. The mistakes you can’t help but make. The merry-go-round loop in your head. Oh. THIS again.
QUESTION: What are the lessons you can’t help but keep learning (and quite likely, teaching — through living example?)

1.

2.

3.
 

Your Magnetic Talents

Your MAGNETIC TALENTS are the big-money skills, easy-as-breathing abilities, natural gifts + visceral magnetism that you exude, when you’re operating at full capacity.

The stuff you’re freakishly good at. Your borderline-prodigy abilities. When you’re using your MAGNETIC TALENTS, you’re actively in LOVE with your work. (In other words, you’re a GENIUS.)
QUESTION: What are you freakishly good at / completely in love with / frequently praised for / undeniably skilled at?

1.

2.

3.
 

Your Final-Breath Battle Cry

Your FINAL-BREATH BATTLE CRY is the message or mission that you’d HOLLER into the ether, if you had 25 seconds to live.
QUESTION: If you had the entire WORLD tuned into you — broadcasting live, from a top-secret location — what would you want the human race to know / remember / change / release / revive / believe?

1.

2.

3.
 

Your LifeTheme Statement…

My CELLULAR OBSTACLES are: ________________________,

 

________________________ + ________________________.

 

And the biggest, most vital lesson that I’m destined to learn + re-learn in this lifetime is: ________________________________________________.


My MAGNETIC TALENTS are: ________________________,

________________________ + ________________________.


I put them to use — every day — by: ________________________________________________.



I hide them whenever I: ________________________________________________.


But I’m ready to come out + tell the world that I’m in wildly in LOVE with my ability to: ________________________________________________.

My FINAL-BREATH BATTLE CRY is:

 

When Life SCREAMS!!

Life SCREAMED at me last night, and WOW, did that throw me off for a bit.  So let me unpack what happened.  First, I WON!!!  I love to win things!  I am, like UBBER happy and bubbly and delighted when I WIN THINGS!  It's like life reaches out, and taps me on the shoulder and says, "YO!  MAMA!  You are the BOMB"  Soooooooooooo, I was on cloud nine.

I won a FREE session with my Soul Friend from Canada, Jen, who is ready to ILLUMINATE my life with her gifts and talents in order to help me be better at engaging in the world, building my tribe, and realizing my dreams!  How PERFECT is that?

OK, can you feel it?  The excitement is palpable!  The anticipation is ELECTRIC!  The stage is set and a super star (me) waits in the wings, ready to make my grand entrance and DAZZLE the world with my brilliance.  Then, ENTER LIFE, STAGE LEFT.

OUCH!  OK, so challenge one: I was ready... set... and... no go!  The internet went down, DRATS!  So I whipped out my red cape and became THE MASKED WONDER WOMAN.  I fudged with the router, I restarted the computer, repeatedly, I reset everything... and... nothing.  So, challenge two: really?  really?  how could I not have a PLAN B?  I pulled up facebook on my cell and messaged Jen regarding my woes, and Jen (in her capacity to adjust and adapt) suggested we talk on the phone instead of Skype.  GREAT!!  I was all in.  So I shut down the computer, cursed at the router a couple of times (for good measure) and then prepared to receive the information I needed via the phone.  OK, so here's where I make a long story short, I didn't understand that I had inadvertently failed to provide my phone number (important!), and my phone service decided to take the slow boat to China, and didn't process key messages from Jen until 10PM, when we had agreed to connect at 8PM.

LEARNINGS:  1) Have a plan B; 2) Getting wrapped around the axle is counter productive to what I am creating (a great reminder!); 3) When shit happens, accept, regroup, own, breath, let go, and move forward; 4) When Life SCREAMS, step back, relax, watch, and learn.  VOILA, out the other side and moving forward.  It's not that there won't be pot holes in the road of life, it's that we can choose to bemoan their existence or we can observe the effects and understand how to better deal the next time.  YEAH LIFE!

Living a Life That is Expanding

This last week was FILLED to overflowing with learnings, and connecting with others; with meaningful conversations and thoughtful doing.  It was a great week, and it felt as if I was immersed in an amazingly rich river of events, people, places, thoughts, ideas and emptiness... floating... experiencing... enjoying... contemplating.  I started with a class in the Culture of Service in PA.  I was able to reconnect with a GREAT group of people that I hadn't spent time with in awhile.  Even as they were struggling with the challenges they face, they were thoughtful, gracious, welcoming and kind.  We spent time together, learning, laughing, sharing and, ultimately connecting in ways that enriched all of our lives over those three days.  I was reminded how challenging it can be to be removed from your "tribe".  Those who have to live away from their support group, their member base, their tribe, have unique challenges.  In a way, they are their own sub tribe, and as such sometimes don't operate in the collective.  There is so much that might be read into these behaviors, and yet, when I was with them I "got" what limited contact and connectivity can do to someone who simply wants to belong.  It was an honor and a privilege to spend time with them.  To hear their stories and to embrace their struggles.  Being marginalized and struggling with a sense of being connected and belonging is the challenge that many people face today.  To be able to hug someone, to look in their eyes and be able to say, "It is GOOD to see you" has so much more meaning and caring to it than anything you can deliver electronically.  Human contact is KEY to truly staying connected.  The rest seems like smoke and mirrors in the face of a hug and a kind word.

The weekend was spent at a seminar at a camp in Northern Wisconsin with yet another great group of people as we learned about DISC behaviors and how they played out in Biblical characters.  I sooo loved the stories, and parables and the depth of insight and understanding of relationships that the DISC brought to these stories.  I was able to, again, spend time with a group of people that were absolutely delightful and to have the opportunity to contemplate and absorb new ideas and concepts that enriched my understanding.

Finally, Jess and I went back to Madison to, once again, help at Deer Park in preparation for the arrival of the Dalai Lama.  It was a great chance to really get physical with moving wheel barrows of mulch up and down hills, bedding flowers and edging hedge rows.  There is something very rewarding about being able to stand back, after working so hard, and admire the progress that one has made.  All in all the week was a great mix of contemplative and physical.  If I measure the quality of my life in this week, I am sooooo blessed to be able to do what I do and to be with those who I was able to be with.  I am honored and grateful to have had this amazing week and these unique opportunities.