On the quest for a better understanding of the word, I looked it up in the dictionary. Here's what I found:
vitality: 1) a. the peculiarity that distinguishes the living from the non living b. the capacity to live and develop; also: physical or intellectual vigor, energy 2) a. power of enduring b. lively and animated character. 3) the capacity to live, grow, or develop. Synonyms: life, stability, strength.
I just love that what makes us alive is characterized as a "peculiarity". How perfectly splendid.
“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is
translated through you into action, and because there is only one
of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block
it, it will never exist through any other medium and (will) be
lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to
determine how good it is; nor how valuable it is; nor how it
compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it
yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” Martha Graham
So here you are, already possessed of one of the greatest gifts life has to offer: vitality. It is your birthright, and it is up to each and every one of us to safeguard it, to nurture it and cultivate its employ in our day to day lives, lest we be reduced to merely existing.
The daily practice of Purpose driven living encourages you to expand your present relationship with the peculiar quality of vitality that is yours alone. Through the discovery and use of your unique Life Purpose, your experience and expression of vitality is enhanced and deepened. You’ll find this increases your satisfaction in every aspect of your life, from your work to your love relationships to your spirituality to your playtime.
You’ll also become more keenly aware of all the things in your life that you have to be grateful for, and you’ll become better able to express that gratitude with ease and joy. This effectively engages the Law of Attraction on your behalf, creating ever expanding opportunities to be grateful.
You'lll notice that one of the synonyms for vitality is strength. I posit that this is because vitality bespeaks a kind of inner resilience and solidity borne of an acute awareness of one's own Life Force. Further, it is this solidity that translates into the other synonym for vitality, stability. To possess an abundance of vitality naturally implies the stability that is indeed synonymous with reliable strength, both with vigor of body as well as of spirit.
An increase in vitality is one of the effects of knowing your Life Purpose, and of living it. When you do what you’re meant to be doing, you’ll experience an increase in overall happiness, satisfaction, and vitality just by doing it.
Abundant vitality, now that’s MY kind of peculiar.
==================================================
HOMEWORK CORNER: How’d you do last week with the 100% enquiries?
For this week: Create a superhero costume for Halloween that reflects your Life Purpose or Grand Passions. For example: Captain Happiness or The Eye Opener.
Get gruesome or silly, have fun, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Only the mediocre are always at their best
So here it is, another blog Tuesday and I am once again sitting at my desk waiting for the muse to tickle my fancy.
I've started and erased and started this entry again and again. First one okay idea, then another that is only alright. Nothing thrilling, nothing profound or earth shattering in its glorious genius has come.
What's an author to do? Moreover, what's a Life Purpose coach and author supposed to do when the creativity stream seems dry and a deadline looms?
Well, I'm gonna try telling the truth, just because it's the obvious place to start.
I'm stumped. Sometimes I've not got a great idea pounding away inside my head demanding to get out. Yet, I've committed myself to writing this blog every Tuesday, come what may. Or today, no matter what does NOT come.
So, for today, I'm letting myself off the idea hook. At least I am right now. No telling where this entry will end up, though I suspect there is homework waiting at the bottom of the page for you to do....heh.
Sometimes it's enough just to keep my word. No heroics are needed. Profound truths can come another day. Clever witticisms will shine another time. Sometimes it's enough just to do what I said I'd do, without great fanfare or an over-the-top effort.
Every day, my giving 100% varies. Some days 100% means that I can save the world, inspire and delight one and all with my writing plus cook and clean and be a great friend and dutiful daughter and romp the Moose with no effort whatsoever. Some days 100% means that I am on top of everything.
And then there are the 100% days where I am off my feed, as it were. On those days, it becomes far too easy to make myself wrong for not accomplishing the same amount of stuff I did yesterday when I was in crack form.
Sometimes my best ain't.
I guess that's my point today. Some days 100% is impressive and amazing. Sometimes 100% is not. Some days I can't even face -attempting- 100%, though those days are blessedly rare. We all have days when we're in top form, and some where we're just draggin'. Nonetheless, if we show up no matter what that looks like from day to day, if we just agree within ourselves that sometimes just making a genuine effort or admitting to ourselves that we can't save the world today is all that is really needed, then there is no need to assign blame.
Do what you can with what you've got. Treat yourself and others with loving kindness. Forgive yourself for expecting too much of yourself sometimes, and for letting yourself slide other times when you had more to give but held back.
The word integrity is a favorite of mine. It means, amongst other things, a cohesive whole. When you accept the natural waxing and waning of inspiration and energy, you are in integrity.
Do not resist the ebb and flow of life's energies and gifts. Do not resist where you are, even if it seems at odds with your goals and dreams. To resist only keeps you stuck.
Before you know it, something wonderfully ordinary or unexpectedly extraordinary makes itself known. The energy shifts, and things start to feel like they're moving again.
So, take it from me, not having a clue or being tired or uninspired is not a bad thing, it's only a thing. Like eveything else, it passes. Like everything else, your seemingly low 100% has the potential to make a positive difference. Don't worry that your 100% today is not the 100% you gave yesterday. It's still 100%, yes?
And on those days when there is nothing at all left to give? Save yourself.
After all, only the mediocre are always at their best.
=================================================================
HOMEWORK FOR THE WEEK:
Observe yourself in your day to day life for a few days, and then answer these questions:
Where do you give 100%?
When do you give 100%? Who do you give it to?
What holds you back from giving 100% in your life?
Who do you know who gives 100%, and where do they give it?
Where would you like to experience 100% in your life?
What would it take to allow yourself to give 100% to your one precious life?
======================================================
....and I thought I had nothing to say. What was I thinking???
I've started and erased and started this entry again and again. First one okay idea, then another that is only alright. Nothing thrilling, nothing profound or earth shattering in its glorious genius has come.
What's an author to do? Moreover, what's a Life Purpose coach and author supposed to do when the creativity stream seems dry and a deadline looms?
Well, I'm gonna try telling the truth, just because it's the obvious place to start.
I'm stumped. Sometimes I've not got a great idea pounding away inside my head demanding to get out. Yet, I've committed myself to writing this blog every Tuesday, come what may. Or today, no matter what does NOT come.
So, for today, I'm letting myself off the idea hook. At least I am right now. No telling where this entry will end up, though I suspect there is homework waiting at the bottom of the page for you to do....heh.
Sometimes it's enough just to keep my word. No heroics are needed. Profound truths can come another day. Clever witticisms will shine another time. Sometimes it's enough just to do what I said I'd do, without great fanfare or an over-the-top effort.
Every day, my giving 100% varies. Some days 100% means that I can save the world, inspire and delight one and all with my writing plus cook and clean and be a great friend and dutiful daughter and romp the Moose with no effort whatsoever. Some days 100% means that I am on top of everything.
And then there are the 100% days where I am off my feed, as it were. On those days, it becomes far too easy to make myself wrong for not accomplishing the same amount of stuff I did yesterday when I was in crack form.
Sometimes my best ain't.
I guess that's my point today. Some days 100% is impressive and amazing. Sometimes 100% is not. Some days I can't even face -attempting- 100%, though those days are blessedly rare. We all have days when we're in top form, and some where we're just draggin'. Nonetheless, if we show up no matter what that looks like from day to day, if we just agree within ourselves that sometimes just making a genuine effort or admitting to ourselves that we can't save the world today is all that is really needed, then there is no need to assign blame.
Do what you can with what you've got. Treat yourself and others with loving kindness. Forgive yourself for expecting too much of yourself sometimes, and for letting yourself slide other times when you had more to give but held back.
The word integrity is a favorite of mine. It means, amongst other things, a cohesive whole. When you accept the natural waxing and waning of inspiration and energy, you are in integrity.
Do not resist the ebb and flow of life's energies and gifts. Do not resist where you are, even if it seems at odds with your goals and dreams. To resist only keeps you stuck.
Before you know it, something wonderfully ordinary or unexpectedly extraordinary makes itself known. The energy shifts, and things start to feel like they're moving again.
So, take it from me, not having a clue or being tired or uninspired is not a bad thing, it's only a thing. Like eveything else, it passes. Like everything else, your seemingly low 100% has the potential to make a positive difference. Don't worry that your 100% today is not the 100% you gave yesterday. It's still 100%, yes?
And on those days when there is nothing at all left to give? Save yourself.
After all, only the mediocre are always at their best.
=================================================================
HOMEWORK FOR THE WEEK:
Observe yourself in your day to day life for a few days, and then answer these questions:
Where do you give 100%?
When do you give 100%? Who do you give it to?
What holds you back from giving 100% in your life?
Who do you know who gives 100%, and where do they give it?
Where would you like to experience 100% in your life?
What would it take to allow yourself to give 100% to your one precious life?
======================================================
....and I thought I had nothing to say. What was I thinking???
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Curveballs
I firmly belive that, if we are indeed judged in the afterlife, we are primarily graded on how well we handle Plan B.
Last night one of my Queens fell and broke his leg in 3 places, the talented git. He's in the hospital, and I am picking up the slack as he was the caregiver for his slightly disabled partner.
Curveballs. You think you know what's coming next, and then WHAMMO!
Here's a quotation that I love....
---------------------------------------------------
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. “ --George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, from the Epistle Dedicatory
---------------------------------------------------
Even when curveballs occur, living according to your unique Life Purpose is the best way to handle whatever Life throws at you. Try it and see.
What's that you say? You don't KNOW your Life Purpose? How fortunate that you're here, then.
www.lifepurposeworks.com
This work will change your life.
Last night one of my Queens fell and broke his leg in 3 places, the talented git. He's in the hospital, and I am picking up the slack as he was the caregiver for his slightly disabled partner.
Curveballs. You think you know what's coming next, and then WHAMMO!
Here's a quotation that I love....
---------------------------------------------------
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. “ --George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, from the Epistle Dedicatory
---------------------------------------------------
Even when curveballs occur, living according to your unique Life Purpose is the best way to handle whatever Life throws at you. Try it and see.
What's that you say? You don't KNOW your Life Purpose? How fortunate that you're here, then.
www.lifepurposeworks.com
This work will change your life.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Musing on Acts of Faith
I'm being groomed for success from within and without.
The Queens who are keeping me are scathingly honest about what needs to change. New make up, new hairdo, new clothes, and a renewed committment to looking good when I go out in public is arising like a kraken from the sea. A force of Nature unleashed?
Erm.....
So, now my hair is shorter and redder than the photo in this blog, my makeup -does- look much better, and my new clothes fit better and I look better as a result. Getting ready for the book cover and the book tour, I call all this.
These are some of my acts of faith. Along with writing, editing, formatting and such I am performing acts of faith daily in service of my Life's Purpose. It's not religious, it's scientific. The Law of Attraction states quite clearly that what we focus on expands. Deliberate, purposeful action produces positive results. And we all know how much I am fond of positivity.
What I know about consistent acts of faith is that they demonstrate to the Universe at large that I am sincere in my desires. My acts of faith put into play the Law of Attraction on my behalf, with my best interests at heart. The exact same is true for you.
Now for many years my dominant thought patterns were those of challenge, scarcity and struggle. Life was much harder than it is now. Granted, it was more predictable. LOTS more predictable. But it was small and shallow, like a pale watercolor take on a life intended for Technicolor vibrance. Sweet sometimes but ultimately unsatisfying. Purposeful living seems so risky, but is so rich by comparison that there really IS no other good choice for me.
I have sacrificed my need for predictability for the adventure I'm living now. I cast it upon the altar of my dreams, and offered it up as proof of my committment to those dreams. And the Universe has answered with such an extravagance of love and practical support that I can no longer deny acting in faith as a viable life strategy.
So now my life is filled with act of faith. You know, it's funny. I never realized that washing clothes, paying bills, exercise, and doing guerilla marketing were acts of faith. But they are. Paying attention and acting upon my intuition and Purpose based urges are acts of faith, too. Blessedly, they are precisely the things that I need to do to demonstrate my willingness to have what I say I want. It's walking the talk.
This has meant that I have had to let go of some significant control. I closed a business that was only okay. I narrowed my focus to one little niche called Life Purpose when it seemed safer to generalize in my coaching practice (boy, was I ever wrong about THAT!, as it turns out). Someone else pays my bills now. I never thought I'd be a writer being kept by two gay men who believe in me and my work so much that they've invested their capital (talk about a sobering and humbling act of faith).
(Just an aside: being grateful as a spiritual practice really DOES increase the things one needs to be grateful for. Be careful what you wish for)
What is CRAZY COOL is that what I most love to do is exactly what I need to be doing as my acts of faith.
That's what acts of faith are, really. They are demonstrations that tangibly prove you're actually willing to have what you say you want. They're not BIG HUGE SIGNIFICANT actions, most of them. What all acts of faith have in common is that they relate in a positive fashion to the subject at hand, whatever that is. They materially contribute to the overall integrity of the participant and the object of faith.
Moreover, acts of faith build strong bridges to dreams and goals faster and better than anything else. Consistency is key.
Let's face it, purposeful living is a perpetual, radical act of faith. Deliberately taking conscious tangible action toward a better world (that starts with you, by the way) redirects the energies of the Universe toward greater affirmation of the richness of Life.
In these trying times which seem filled with uncertainty, it is still possible to live Purposefully. Indeed, it is even more necessary that greater numbers of Purposeful people of goodwill act in accordance with their Life Purpose.
Only by acting harmoniously in Purpose with one another can we achieve real, substantive, meaningful change in our world. By affirming our separate and mutual Highest Truths we can more easily make our way out of whatever challenges we face with grace. At their heart, all Life Purposes are in harmony with one another. Within the context of Purpose, great change is not only possible, it's inevitable.
"We can change the world" -CSN&Y
Talk about acts of faith....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS TO PONDER FOR THE WEEK: What is my Life Purpose? What are my acts of faith? Where in my daily life can I increase acting in faith?
ACTION PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK: Pick one area of your life that you want to change. Identify 3 very small things that you can do to shift the situation. Do them. Note what happens, and please feel free to send me some email telling me about your results.
Example: If you want to be more organized, an easy way to start is to put an empty box in your closet and when you go there for anything, put at least one thing for Goodwill in the box. As soon as you've put the box in place, call Goodwill and make an appointment for them to come take stuff later that week. At the end of that time, no matter if you're done with the whole closet or not, take the box out of the house for charity to pick up. Ta Da, progress! Small things/actions count, see?. P.S. Don't forget to get a tax credit receipt for all your charitable donations.
The Queens who are keeping me are scathingly honest about what needs to change. New make up, new hairdo, new clothes, and a renewed committment to looking good when I go out in public is arising like a kraken from the sea. A force of Nature unleashed?
Erm.....
So, now my hair is shorter and redder than the photo in this blog, my makeup -does- look much better, and my new clothes fit better and I look better as a result. Getting ready for the book cover and the book tour, I call all this.
These are some of my acts of faith. Along with writing, editing, formatting and such I am performing acts of faith daily in service of my Life's Purpose. It's not religious, it's scientific. The Law of Attraction states quite clearly that what we focus on expands. Deliberate, purposeful action produces positive results. And we all know how much I am fond of positivity.
What I know about consistent acts of faith is that they demonstrate to the Universe at large that I am sincere in my desires. My acts of faith put into play the Law of Attraction on my behalf, with my best interests at heart. The exact same is true for you.
Now for many years my dominant thought patterns were those of challenge, scarcity and struggle. Life was much harder than it is now. Granted, it was more predictable. LOTS more predictable. But it was small and shallow, like a pale watercolor take on a life intended for Technicolor vibrance. Sweet sometimes but ultimately unsatisfying. Purposeful living seems so risky, but is so rich by comparison that there really IS no other good choice for me.
I have sacrificed my need for predictability for the adventure I'm living now. I cast it upon the altar of my dreams, and offered it up as proof of my committment to those dreams. And the Universe has answered with such an extravagance of love and practical support that I can no longer deny acting in faith as a viable life strategy.
So now my life is filled with act of faith. You know, it's funny. I never realized that washing clothes, paying bills, exercise, and doing guerilla marketing were acts of faith. But they are. Paying attention and acting upon my intuition and Purpose based urges are acts of faith, too. Blessedly, they are precisely the things that I need to do to demonstrate my willingness to have what I say I want. It's walking the talk.
This has meant that I have had to let go of some significant control. I closed a business that was only okay. I narrowed my focus to one little niche called Life Purpose when it seemed safer to generalize in my coaching practice (boy, was I ever wrong about THAT!, as it turns out). Someone else pays my bills now. I never thought I'd be a writer being kept by two gay men who believe in me and my work so much that they've invested their capital (talk about a sobering and humbling act of faith).
(Just an aside: being grateful as a spiritual practice really DOES increase the things one needs to be grateful for. Be careful what you wish for)
What is CRAZY COOL is that what I most love to do is exactly what I need to be doing as my acts of faith.
That's what acts of faith are, really. They are demonstrations that tangibly prove you're actually willing to have what you say you want. They're not BIG HUGE SIGNIFICANT actions, most of them. What all acts of faith have in common is that they relate in a positive fashion to the subject at hand, whatever that is. They materially contribute to the overall integrity of the participant and the object of faith.
Moreover, acts of faith build strong bridges to dreams and goals faster and better than anything else. Consistency is key.
Let's face it, purposeful living is a perpetual, radical act of faith. Deliberately taking conscious tangible action toward a better world (that starts with you, by the way) redirects the energies of the Universe toward greater affirmation of the richness of Life.
In these trying times which seem filled with uncertainty, it is still possible to live Purposefully. Indeed, it is even more necessary that greater numbers of Purposeful people of goodwill act in accordance with their Life Purpose.
Only by acting harmoniously in Purpose with one another can we achieve real, substantive, meaningful change in our world. By affirming our separate and mutual Highest Truths we can more easily make our way out of whatever challenges we face with grace. At their heart, all Life Purposes are in harmony with one another. Within the context of Purpose, great change is not only possible, it's inevitable.
"We can change the world" -CSN&Y
Talk about acts of faith....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS TO PONDER FOR THE WEEK: What is my Life Purpose? What are my acts of faith? Where in my daily life can I increase acting in faith?
ACTION PRACTICE FOR THE WEEK: Pick one area of your life that you want to change. Identify 3 very small things that you can do to shift the situation. Do them. Note what happens, and please feel free to send me some email telling me about your results.
Example: If you want to be more organized, an easy way to start is to put an empty box in your closet and when you go there for anything, put at least one thing for Goodwill in the box. As soon as you've put the box in place, call Goodwill and make an appointment for them to come take stuff later that week. At the end of that time, no matter if you're done with the whole closet or not, take the box out of the house for charity to pick up. Ta Da, progress! Small things/actions count, see?. P.S. Don't forget to get a tax credit receipt for all your charitable donations.
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