2014 Week 21: Wise Words from Maya Angelou

This week I'd like to defer the floor to a woman of grace, dignity, and brilliance.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes of Maya Angelou in honor of the light she shone in this world.  Though she is gone, may her words continue to inspire!

• I believe that each of us comes from the creator trailing wisps of glory.

• You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. 

• If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.

• Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.  
  

•  Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
  I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
  But when I start to tell them,
  They think I’m telling lies.
  I say,
  It’s in the reach of my arms
  The span of my hips,
  The stride of my step,
  The curl of my lips.
  I’m a woman
  Phenomenally.
  Phenomenal woman,
  That’s me.

• When you know better, you do better. 

• I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

2014 Week 20: Locking in the Fantastic!

I’ve gotta say, these last few weeks have been phenomenal!  From reconnecting with old friends, to meeting new friends, making some deep self-discoveries, positive political rulings, soccer games to watch, still not missing tv—I mean life is grand!  Now it’s true, there is a chance I have reverse S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and I’m just ridiculously happy when the sun is out.  Regardless—I’ll Take It!  So I know I’ve had a few posts related to powering through the low points in life.  I’d love to know from you all—how do you lock in those amazing high points? 

When I asked myself this question, here are a few of the answers that came to mind:

• Share it—There’s no use keeping the joy to yourself, spread the love!  Share a win, pass along praise, point out the sunshine, compliment your neighbor—you get the point.  Just be sure to be sensitive to those who may not be in the reverse SAD spot you are. :)  

• Wear it—have you ever noticed that smiles are contagious?  I paid particular attention to this while jogging in Europe.  I’d play this little game where I’d smile at the people I passed to see who I could get to smile back at me.  My word, the beauty in the smiles I received amazed me!  I really should try that here more often.

• There it—Ok, I know this one is a bit of a stretch, but I’m trying to keep up with the cheesy rhyming theme I somehow cornered myself into here.  As we’ve discussed in the past, an attitude of gratitude goes a long ways in good times as well as bad.  The more intentionally we point out what we’re grateful for, the easier it gets and the more we’ll see.  Keep a gratitude journal, a gratitude log, a mental list—whatever, just do it!  What do I have to be grateful for—there it is!

• Dare it—When life is going swimmingly, I dare it to be even better.  I find myself expecting good things to happen, and looking around in anticipation.  When I do this, the things I may have looked over or dismissed as mundane become glorious!  The smile of a child standing next to you, the waddle of the dog passing you on the street, the incredible flavors in a bite of sushi, the crazy lightning display we had a few days back—all awesome reminders of how beautiful this life is!

Well, I’m out of rhyming words so that’s my list.  What’s yours?  Only 32 weeks left people.  Lock it in!

2014 Week 19: I don't miss it!

Ok, I truly thought that once I cut TV out that I’d be bored....or at very least rely on Netflix.  Let me tell you,  I don’t miss it at all.  IN FACT—I feel like I’ve found so many things to do I’ve been running behind all week!  What can I say, I’ve had space to be inspired, to process, to dream, to hang with friends, to contemplate—it’s been lovely!

Annnnnnd because of that, I don’t really have time to write deep thoughts from Lynn Morrow this week.  Perhaps next week I will have recalibrated to this refreshing new pace. 

Have a great week everyone!  Only 33 to go!

2014 Week 18: Mind the Gap

Although “Keep calm and ____ (insert just about anything here)” is perhaps the most touted Brit phrase these days, the one I’ve been thinking about lately is the ever famous Mind the Gap.

Specifically I’ve been pondering the gap between who I am, and who I want to be.  What resides here in this gap—the things that keep me from being exactly who I was designed to be at my fullest potential?  After some honest introspection here are a few of my answers:

• Distractions—it could be Facebook, reading, television, texting, surfing the web....  None of these are bad in and of themselves, but how often do these keep me from progressing towards bigger goals that matter?  I’ll be the first to admit—for me it’s TV.  (More to come on that later.)

• Perfectionism—how often do I wait for the “perfect” next step, as opposed to a possible next step? Sometimes I get frozen in analysis paralysis as I try to decipher EXACTLY how to move forward. 

• Laziness—who are we kidding, growth and change take work and sometimes I just don’t feel like putting forth the effort.

• Fear—behind every goal worth dreaming lies the fear that it will never be realized.  Sometimes it’s tough to actually take the risk, and move towards that which I desire.

• Discouragement—whereas fear may be based only in imagined failure, discouragement can arise directly from fact.  Perhaps I've tried and failed and tried and failed ad nauseam.   Sometimes getting off the mat is exhausting.

So can you relate to any of these gap dwellers?  I've battled them before, and undoubtedly I will face them again.  I did triumph over one of these this past week, I completely cancelled my tv, no basic channels or anything.  Yep, my biggest distraction yields only a blank screen these days—and to be honest, it’s been lovely. 

So to my gap dwellers I say this: 

• “I’m here to build something for the long term. Anything else is a distraction.” ~Mark Zuckerberg

• “Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.” ~Tony Bombacino

• “Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.” ~Jules Renard

• "There are always two voices sounding in our ears: the voice of fear and the voice of confidence.  One is the clamor of the senses, the other is the whispering of the higher self.” ~Charles B. Newcomb

• “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly....” ~Theodore Roosevelt  (LOVE that one!)

Sometimes it just takes one step and this week I took one!  #Winning!  

34 Weeks left to Mind the Gap!