Tag: inspiration

Stages of (Inner) Change

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Level 1: Not Listening

“You feel like you’re betraying yourself.”* This doesn’t feel right and you know it. Not following guidance, both inner and outer. Not pausing for stillness or reflection. Refusing to hear the truth.

Level 2: On Standby

This doesn’t feel right, but it doesn’t feel wrong either. State of confusion. Constantly asking yourself, “Am I missing something?” Honest reflection and prayer yield no guidance for change. Feeling stuck, yet knowing you’re doing your best. Waiting.

Level 3: Flow

In flow. “Yes!” In contact with soul. Joy. Sense of purpose and fulfillment. Certainty. Labors of love. Synchronicity. Truth that has followed you your whole life long.

*quote credit to Carolyn Myss

to the question of pain

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there is only one answer:

surrender.

do not try to outrun it—

you only waste your breath.

do not cover it up—

you only compound it.

there is only one answer:

feel it.

feel it in all its senselessness,

in all its depth and fury.

once you have surrendered

to your one and only master

you are slave to nothing else.

there is no final draft.

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it is okay if other people become who I wanted to be.

it is okay if they master my half-developed talents

or realize my half-begun dreams.

it is okay if they live the life I wanted to live.

I will visit them daily

at the altar of forgiveness.

it is okay if others outshine me.

it is okay if words spoken in bitterness become true

so long as I come to love the truth.

maybe I won’t try to be who I am anymore

because I don’t know who I am.

perhaps I will not mind if others misunderstand

because I do not understand either.

maybe losing is letting go

and letting go is becoming.

20 rules for dreamers

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  1. There is no right answer.
  2. Start with options.
  3. Choose flow over force….
  4. …but force if necessary with value-driven action.
  5. The first two hours are a warm up.
  6. Anything can be done ten minutes at a time.
  7. Accept the possibility of making no progress, or a mistake, or a shitty first draft.*
  8. One thing at a time.
  9. Even the greats don’t know what they’re doing half the time.
  10. If you’re not facing your fear, you’re not working.
  11. Limitations are opportunities for creative solutions.
  12. This isn’t about feeling good.
  13. It’s about getting on with your life.
  14. Negative thoughts can be written down, tape recorded, or otherwise set aside so that you can get back to work.
  15. Leave room for what you can’t imagine.
  16. It doesn’t have to make sense.
  17. You don’t have to achieve anything.
  18. Final grades are based 50% on effort and 50% on self-honesty.
  19. It’s okay to take it slow.
  20. Make your own rules.

* See Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

when the body speaks

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maybe there’s a difference between emotions that arise from thinking

and emotions that arise from the body.

in other words, the primary source is the body, not the mind.

they never passed through the mind before reaching you.

these emotions tell the truth, for the body does not lie.

allow yourself to feel them fully.

these are the moments that bring catharsis.

healing.

the message will arise if you can be still.

be patient.

the truth is neither good nor bad.

we do not have a word for it,

and that is for the best,

for we must learn to move beyond words

to define things.

allow yourself to feel

without words.

name the emotion, but be mindful of the thoughts

that arise.

are they adding to a story?

or are they bringing you closer

to the truth?

I’d like to express my gratitude to Eckhart Tolle, whose recent YouTube video inspired this post. His teachings have been life changing for me. I encourage you to check them out.

what waits within

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where is the grief
inside you living?

what waits within
like song inside a bird

what seizes your heart
in spasms of fear and glory
waiting, waiting
to be heard?

tell me, tell anyone, tell someone
even if only
in the faintest of whispers

until you touch the place inside
where grief melts into music.

it is what it is.

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Because it is.

That’s why.

This is the life you were given.

It has meaning simply because it exists.

Don’t run from it.

Face it.

Face the ugly parts,

the beautiful parts,

and especially the parts

that are beautiful and ugly at the same time.

Don’t try to reason with it.

Life does what it wants.

It won’t ask for your opinion,

and worrying won’t alter its course.

Life chooses us.

Our own choice lies in response, not in circumstance.

There is comfort in realizing you don’t have to orchestrate it all.

Given time, most things take care of themselves.

When we feel we have been denied something,

we miss what we have been given.

Honor:

the wound, not the victimhood;

the emotions, not the drama;

the pain, not the resistance to it.

Your coordinates in time and space are merely a starting point.

More important than what you make of it

is how you allow it to move you;

what you allow to bridge the gap

between form and possibility.

off to work (note to self)

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I will try not to think about the hours

or count down the minutes.

If I need a rest, I will take one, whether it’s an actual break, a deep breath, or a gesture of

self-compassion.

If I need stimulation, I will seek it in a healthy way in the moment.

If I get bored, I will remember that it is my responsibility to engage an element of

interest.

If I encounter a challenge, I will trust myself and have confidence that I can handle it,

step by step.

If I want the day to be over already, I will bring my attention deeply into acceptance of

the present moment.

If the present moment contains discomfort, I will hold it and be with it rather than

push it away.

what if

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what if

pain isn’t always wrong

tired isn’t always bad

boredom isn’t wasted time

what if

life isn’t about

feeling good

but about

finding meaning

what if

you create meaning

simply by

accepting discomfort

what if

no longer expecting

to feel good

is strangely liberating

what if

you can just rest

knowing that

who you are

where you are

exactly how you are

is just right.