Victorian lingerie and giving thanks

On the weekends Thanksgiving through Christmas I sing and dance on stage for money. I do this in Victorian costume, which includes the requisite corset, bloomers and camisole.

You can't go to Target or Macy's and get this stuff, ya gotta make it. So this week I am making underwear. Big green and purple underwear. This stuff is comprehensive. And warm.

I have to spend the holiday away from my family in order to be on time for my gig. This makes me so sad I could cry, as any time I can spend with my aging parents is very precious to me, and the loss of any opportunity to be with them is like a knife in my heart. The consolation is that I'll be with them for Christmas, and they're only a phone call away, anyway. I'm just so blessed to still have them both.

Here is this week's homily:

In this time of uncertainty, when folks are losing their jobs and homes and sense of security, it is even more important to give thanks for everything that is good in our lives. It is when things seem tough that we -most- need to cultivate and hone our appreciation skills. Focusing on what we lack is the road to ruin, both financial and spiritual.

Give thanks.

Perhaps this country's economic downturn will create a sharper appreciation of everything we DO have.

If you're reading this blog, you have access to a computer, access to electricity, and the ability to read. Your brain is able to process the information you read. You're probably indoors, have enough food to eat, and clothes on your back.

Give thanks.

Take this week to ponder and renew your appreciation for all the abundance in your life. You have so much, and yet, if you're like so many of us, you complain regularly about what's not right, about what you -dont- have.

You are rich.

Really.

You have so much, are so much, get so much, and most of all, have so much to give.

This Thanksgiving, please share the wealth...

Hold the door for strangers.

Smile at the guy who cut you off in traffic, he probably didn't mean it personally, after all.

Rake your neighbor's yard.

Call everyone you love and tell them so. If they're not there, leave a message of love. Write a short note to those you can't call, they're worth the stamp.

Give anonymously to a charity. Time is as precious as money.

Remember to say "please" and "thank you".

The blessing of Thanksgiving lies in the reminder to be grateful, and to share what we have.

After all, it costs nothing to be kind.

Give thanks.

Quitting before the miracle

Wednesday morning. Uh oh.
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Yesterday I was talking to my one of my best friends, who was expressing dismay at my dogged determination to try try again, to put myself out there and risk my home and security in the process. Impassioned, I exclaimed, "I don't want to live a safe little life. I HAD a safe little life, it damn near killed me. I don't want to quit before the miracle. All around me people quit before their miracles and end up wondering, 'what if?'. Not me, not me. I just can't live like that anymore. I just can't." Tears poured down my face.

It's true. I just can't give up on my dreams for me, and for you all. A lit up world full of purpose-filled people is my dream, and I know that, despite how things look right now, it's all gonna work out better than fine for all of us. I know it in my bones.

It's that "in the bones" knowing that spurs me on, that prods me off the couch and into the office, that gets me on the phone making the formerly tough calls (it gets easier). The knowing makes me edit this book I'm trying to finish, to stretch myself, to be uncomfortable but wildly fulfilled.

A Purpose driven life is not for the faint of heart. It takes courage and clarity and faith in oneself.

Now how the hell do you get those, fercrissakes? Courage and faith and clarity, that is. I get mine every day from knowing my own personal Life Purpose. It may sound corny (and I frankly don't care if it does, corny suits me), but knowing why I'm here and what I'm about makes all the difference for me. It's given me access to inner resources I didn't know I had.

HERE'S THE COOL PART:

This self awareness is not peculiar to me. Over and over I see confused, uncertain people leave their Life Purpose session or one of my Life Purpose Discovery seminars lit up, transformed by the natural clarity of Purpose.

Some are awe-struck by the scope and splendor of their unique Life Purpose. Some get giddy. Some grow thoughtful and deeply introspective. Others express a sense of "I always suspected it was something like this, but now I know for sure".

It's this inner knowing that confers for some people the first feelings of true courage they've ever really felt. And I dare anyone to witness these realizations in person without being deeply moved. When I see what this knowing does for people, I want to bring that level of confidence and surety to everyone. It's one of the best things ever.

It takes courage to be true to yourself and to what you know is right. it takes courage to claim one's birthright. It takes courage to admit when you're wrong, when you've erred, when you've failed to do as you said. It takes great courage to stay your course when those around you doubt. Confidence is born of adherence to one's own inner clarity and sense of direction. This kind of confidence is born of Purpose.

Well, maybe that's just me that feels that way. Probably not, but it IS in perfect sync with my Life Purpose, so it feels really really good and intrinsically right to me. That's why I do this work, am writing these books, and continue to look for ways to light people up in these tough times.

I am so grateful for this work. It comes at a time when we as a people need a sense of inner clarity and Purpose. So grateful.

So, dear readers, the moral of this rambling tale is this: You (me, you, him, her) are all meant to live fulfilling lives, to know and live according to your own unique Life Purpose. Do not fear to know or fear to act upon your Purpose. The people who really love you will still love you. The folks who loved only their notion of you will fade away. This is a GOOD THING. Do not resist it. Whatever gap is created at their leaving will be filled with those who celebrate you, love you, respect you. Love, let go, and continue to live Purposefully.

After all is said and done, when you honor your truest and most authentic Self, you automatically render yourself courageous.

In conclusion I'd like to admit that I'm not perfect (if only for the sweet relief such a declaration brings), but I AM Purposeful. A day late, but Purposeful.

How about you?

Incessant noise

I work from home. On both sides of me, my neighbors are doing major construction on their properties, and we all live close by one another. The noise all day has been deafening.

My head is pounding. My mood is dreadful. All I want is some quiet.

What I am reminded of is all the incessant internal noise I used to think was normal.

The damning voices, the constant chatter, the lack of internal peace before I got clear about what it was I was here for, was deafening. I could barely hear others for the din.

It's a wonder I survived.

As I allowed myself to listen to the sure, steady voice of Purpose, the cacophany quieted. From that place I could hear not only myself, but truly hear others for the first time. During the time when the internal noise was strong, I heard outside voices only through the filters of my constant interior commentary.

Now, when others speak, I have much more time, attention and internal space to listen.

This phenomenon of quiet listening is common amongst those whose life paths are internally Purpose generated, I've observed.

Since all Life Purposes are in harmony with one another on the meta level, it becomes simpler and simpler to put aside past agendas or present concerns and just listen from a place of cooperation. When we realize that there really IS enough happiness to go around, we stop seeking to "get ours before it's all gone" and instead focus on increasing the aggregate experience of joy on this big blue planet.

Sometimes still I am mightily distracted by the noise, both from within and today, from without right next door. I get Purpose amnesia, and forget myself.

All it takes is a bit of quiet, a tiny break from the incessant noise to remind me that something else is possible. That all this head-splitting din is avoidable through taking a breath and in that breath choosing to living a simple, deliberately joyous life. A Purposeful life.

I took a walk.

When the incessant noise is gone, you can hear the birdsong.

What an amazing blessing.

And like that, my mood is lifted. I love my job.

Responsibility, participation, and the vote

During the Life Purpose Discovery process we examine the subject of responsibilities. It's one of the Foundation Lists that make up the core of this work.

One of the things I have noticed over the years is that, by and large, we as a society had become apathetic and complacent about voting and our personal stake in the democratic process.

When I started to do this work, I expected more people to mention their civic duties: voting, jury duty, that sort of thing. Very few mentioned these things without being prompted. They just didn't seem to care.

I was surprised. Now granted, I was raised in a multi-generational military family, so we took our civic duties very seriously. I still do. And, even though I have been a noted political and socail dissident in my family to some degree or another since my teens, I have always been a sentimental patriot at heart.

My Dad, the career Navy man, says, "If you don't vote, you can't bitch". He's of the opinion that by failing to vote you forfeit your right to have a voice in what happens in this country. He's got a point. Participation in the system makes a difference.

Whatever your ideology, your beliefs, your party affiliations or lack thereof, your participation is critical. We rob ourselves, our local communities and the nation when we fail to exercise our right to vote. Our responsible voice is lost, our wishes are not taken into account when we fail to speak.

When we do not vote, we abdicate our basic responsibility to our democracy: to make our voice heard. It is only by casting our votes and making our wishes known that we can begin to own our country once more, and go from beleaguered subjects to empowered citizens again.

The unprecedented numbers of early voting ballots and the extraordinary turnout in my local polling place gives me renewed hope for our nation. We are rejecting our previously endured disenfranchisement, and are galvanzed to action. We are voting in record numbers today.

Hooray for us. When we take responsibility for our own individual voices and participate in the election process, we send a powerful message of involvement and concern along with our opinions.

To live Purposefully means to act in accordance with your own best enlightened interests. It means being true, and being a player in the Big Games. Voting is a Big Game, with big stakes.

Please vote. Whatever your opinions, vote. Honor the covenant between ourselves and our government, and vote.

Because if you don't vote, you can't bitch.

Thanks, Dad.