Sunday, January 02, 2011

Release, Nourish, Celebrate!



One of my friends/coaches Tonya Leigh Williams has just posted a great write up on her Savoring Life blog about the Unresolution movement and what to do instead of setting the same old resolutions for the new year.

I particularly like her idea of beacon words that you use and post everywhere to inspire you to get to your end game. You can read more about Tonya’s perspective on beacon words, get her unresolution worksheet or sign up for her Slim, Chic and Savvy program by clicking here.

I’ve been having a hard time choosing just one word of the year so the idea of three beacon words really resonated with me. I didn’t have to think very hard when deciding mine – Release, Nourish, Celebrate!

Release – I need to release all the things holding me back from stepping fully into my power at work, as a writer, and to take control of my health. My new acupuncturist is a major player on the team that will help me do this.

Nourish – This one is more than just about stocking up on healthy foods although I’m excited to do that too after too many sweets over the holidays. In 2011 I plan on nourishing my creativity too, filling it with self care and inspirational adventures, deeper connections with other writers and my family. The photo is Islay Bear surrounding himself with things that serve him – like his best friend Larry the Lobster who never leaves him.

Celebrate – if I have to pick just one word to sum up where I’ll be in 2011, it’s celebrate. After all that release and nourishment, I’ll be able to more fully step up in every aspect of my life and can already feel what it feels like to celebrate that!!

I happened to glimpse the clock in the bedroom at 11:11:11 on 1:1:11 and am taking that as a sign from the universe that I’m on my way.

Releasing blockage
Surround with all that nourishes
Celebrate success!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!


It has been an absolute whirlwind since my last post! In a sales position, the 4th quarter is always the busiest - the final push to close deals in time to count them in the current year, before the clients leave for holiday vacations.

And in the background, important things have been happening. My guest post on SUCCESS, my word of the year for 2010 is up on Christine Kane's blog today. Writing it gave me a chance to reflect on this amazing year. The year I learned how successful and resilient I already am, the year I was pushed out of one job right into the job I always wanted on Wall Street, the year I got officially published as a haiku poet, the year I strengthened connections with people who nurtured me, the year I got rid of things that didn't serve my essential self.

It will also be the year my new White Dog Haiku website goes live (any moment now!) which will include my new blog called "write here, right now" where I will be talking about my passion for haiku, children's book writing, other authors/poets I've had the privilege of meeting, my tips on writing haiku with pointers to great resources like Berry Blue Haiku, and how I've used haiku with kids of all ages.

I am stepping up in a big way in all facets of my life and I thank you, faithful readers, for taking that journey with me and supporting me every step of the way. So if you haven't already done so, go read my post on SUCCESS and hang on for the ride because 2011 is almost here!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Gratitude this Thanksgiving

As I wait for my sisters and their families to arrive today, I am feeling so much gratitude! Gratitude that I have this wonderful home and husband and the means to host Thanksgiving, thankful for all the people in my life that make it so rich and fulfilling, grateful to my rescued Westie for opening me up to a whole new level of love and joy, grateful for feeling healthier than I've ever felt, and so much appreciation for being exactly where I'm supposed to be.

One of my friends and mentors, Christine Kane, has written an ezine article that says it all. With her permission, I have copied it here. Be grateful for all that you have and experience more happiness and wealth than you've ever known.

Why Gratitude Makes You Happy & Wealthy

by Christine Kane

Gratitude is more than being thankful one day a year. Gratitude is a practice. For some, it's a way of life.

Why do some people swear by the practice of gratitude? Why do these people have joy-filled and abundant lives?

In other words, why does gratitude make you happy and wealthy?

• Because gratitude is about presence.

It's about waking up in this moment and being here - really being here - and noticing what's around you. Most people are so busy thinking about the next thing, or about their horrid past, that they don't wake up and look around at their present moment - the only moment there is.

• Because gratitude is about honoring YOUR precious life.

Do you ever compare your life with someone else's? Do you ever wish your life were better and more like [insert famous person's name here]? Sometimes we can lose ourselves in wondering how we "measure up" to some standard set by our families or by the media. Comparison is the mind killer. The antidote is gratitude.

Gratitude requires that you validate your own life. (And you really don't have any other life, do you?) It forces you to say YES to the gift that is you. The choices you've made and the changes you've gone through -- they have brought you here. Even if here is a place that needs a little adjustment, that's okay. There are always gifts in any present moment.

• Because gratitude is about attracting.

It's difficult to attract abundance and joy if you are constantly saying "no" to what IS. You say "no" each time you focus on the future or past, or when you criticize something that is in your present moment.

Attraction is about saying Yes. When you say Yes, you shift.

Gratitude says, "Yes, I love this!" And then more of this is attracted, because the this is what you're focusing on.

• Because gratitude is about choice.

How you translate any situation is the situation. What you choose to see is the truth (for you).

This isn't proposing that you live in denial or phoniness. It's reminding you that your translation of any life situation is your choice. We've all heard stories of people who have ignored others' translations of their talent, their projects, their art, their looks, their lives. These people chose their own translations and succeeded. You always have a choice when it comes to how you look at things. Choose to choose gratitude.

• Because gratitude is about wisdom.

I think people believe they're being smart if they criticize, complain, and focus on the problems of the world around them.

Smart? Maybe.

Clever? Sure.

But not wise.

It is wise to look for and find the knowing place in your heart. It is wise to choose joy. It is wise to honor your riches. It is wise to focus on and grow the blessings of your life.

• Because gratitude is about recognition.

Use your power of focus to hone in on beauty and on what makes your heart sing. Recognize the spirit in your life. It's all around you waiting to be noticed. In the words of Franz Kafka, "It will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

• Because gratitude is about receptivity.

Gratitude makes you receptive. It makes you a vessel, waiting to be filled.

I carry a tiny notebook with me everywhere I go. In it, I write down song ideas. I write down quotes I hear. I write down ideas for stage stories. As I do that, I become more receptive, and more ideas and songs come to me. It's a tool that says to my subconscious, "Send more my way!" And the subconscious always responds.

Gratitude is the same way. It says, "I am receptive! Send more!" And more arrives.

• Because gratitude is about creativity.

Creativity is really all about attention. (So is genius.)

When I write a song, I build a relationship with that song. I spend time with it. I get to know it. I pay attention to it. Artists do the same thing with drawings. They spend time in rapt attention, and the drawing is born.

Gratitude is how we Live Creative. It is a creative act to notice and pay attention to the moments of your life. Some days it's an enormous act of creativity to find things for which to be thankful.

Start today.

And have a Thanksgiving of presence, creativity, and gratitude!


Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.