All posts by Joy

Jan 22
1
We are all teachers

We Are All Teachers

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

We are all teachers on this earth. We help reflect to one another what is on the inside. When we interact with one another, it is important to notice what we are teaching one another. We teach others how to treat us, we teach others where our heart is residing, and most importantly we teach each other that which we choose to see.

A few years ago I had the privilege of teaching. The first lesson I learned and continue to learn is that to teach is also to realize you are the biggest student. To teach you are constantly learning. It can also be difficult to notice who really is the teacher and who is the student. Sharing our knowledge and expertise may give us the title of a teacher, but everyone is learning from the experience. When we separate ourselves and feel superior, we really aren’t helping anyone outside our ego. We are halting the learning of not only the student, but also our very own.

We grow by helping and sharing. We evolve from learning not only from our own experiences, but from our students as well. Not only are we in this field of life learning together, we are learning from one another. Regardless of what I shared, showed, or tried to teach in the curriculum, I realized that each student makes their learning their own. And how very differently we all learn.

You can take a group of students within the same curriculum and when it comes to applying the knowledge, they will all perform the tasks in their own rhythm and way. That is the beauty of life. We design, create, and produce from our own perspective and flair.

I’ve also learned from business coaching that I was always learning from every client I worked with. Most often clients needed more encouragement than they needed business advice. You could share ideas, help them to brainstorm, and occasionally point them into a helpful direction, but mostly they needed support. Once I realized this, I could be a better consultant. The key was acknowledging they were as much my teacher as I was theirs.

You can help others so much further when you can slide your ego over and approach the other as a teacher as well. I’ve found not only do you explain things better, you figure out better ways to help them understand the information. When you have the compassion to understand their perspective better, you can inspire, motivate, and instruct better.

Often we can forget why we teach. I do not believe it’s to separate us hierarchically, but to help another rise to a higher level. As you help another rise, you rise as well. We can catch ourselves in a slump when we forget we are students as well. We never stop learning and we never stop teaching. I find great peace in knowing that it’s impossible to know everything. It kind of sucks the fun right out of the mysteries in life when we think we have all of the answers.

Pay attention to what you teach and how you teach. We are either helping each other rise or fall. You always have a choice. I encourage you in your daily life to teach love, teach patience, teach understanding, teach respect, teach encouragement, and teach peace in all you do.

Jan 16
1
Celebrating diversity

Celebrating Diversity

By | Encouragement, positive thoughts | No Comments

I find many times our differences can get in the way of our respect for one another. Instead of appreciating variances, we criticize that which we may not understand. Sometimes we aren’t taught how to celebrate our diversity. When we interact with those of different backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems, we may compare theirs with our own. When we condemn another’s way of life, we are revealing our misunderstandings, judgments, and fears.

We can learn to embrace, honor, or simply be open to dissimilarities of our own. The desire and freedom to express who we are seems to apply to a wide range of situations in life. Many times people are not trying to convince you or convert you to their way of living; they just want the privilege of making their choices without feeling defensive.

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Jan 09
0

New Year New Opportunities

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As we find ourselves in the New Year, we often see it as a new start with new opportunities. Many people take this time to create new goals, discover improved ways of living, or set their minds to accomplish better intentions. Some of the top changes that many intend to make are to lose weight, eat healthier, go to the gym, quit smoking, and reorganize their homes.

All these goals can be beneficial goals if they’re the changes you desire, but some helpful tips can make it easier for you to accomplish these changes. Many times we start out with some strong momentum and find ourselves falling off the wagon or not seeing our goals through. It feels like a crushing defeat when you accomplish your goals only to return to the old ways before the end of the year.

To truly change our habits requires retraining and rewiring in the brain. We are often taught it’s action oriented, but if you do not successfully retrain those subconscious habits, our brain is setup to return to our old default patterns simply because we have practiced them for so long. We trained them that way to begin with. The more we can understand how our minds work and are designed, the more we can use it to our advantage. It takes some cleaning up of the mind’s habits to reach our goals.

It really is changing our mindsets first. And they take practice to see the manifestations. Think of it like cleaning out and organizing your closet. We get rid of things we don’t use anymore and organize our belongings to be more functional. The same goes for our minds as well. If we can recognize the patterns that aren’t serving us well, we can catch them before we act on them.

It takes awareness and practice. As we are aware of the habits we would like to change, we can then notice how we sabotage ourselves with our own thinking. To turn it around we have to slow the momentum of those habits and continue practicing the new changes repeatedly. Over time we can see and feel the improvements. It may be a slower process, but in the long haul it is how we permanently make the changes that are often temporary. It is a bit more than just reading inspirational quotes that make those changes.

The inspiration can certainly help get us going, but it’s the repeated practice in our thinking that aligns us with our goals. Often we do not take the time to identify why we are doing the habits we want to change to begin with.

It starts with our emotions. Many times we overeat, smoke, or live more in chaos in response to stress. Until we tackle the emotions behind the stress, our brains fall back into those subconscious habits. It helps to start slowly and gently. Be aware of how you are feeling when you are performing the habit you want to change. Are you present during these moments? Start to break down what relief you get when you do the habit. When you can become aware of your triggers, you can either replace or create a different way of responding.

Setting intentions is only the beginning of change. It takes the daily practice to receive the turn around. The good news is that your brain is capable of rewiring anything. Really! There is much research and scientific evidence now that proves anything is possible. There are reports and studies of people healing diseases and disabilities and attracting their dreams into their lives, all using their minds. The healing starts in the mind first.

I’m not saying actions never produce results, but when you get down to retraining and rewiring your habits from your mind, you leverage much more power than trying to hammer them out like a drill sergeant. It is the difference in trying to force things to happen versus allowing the flow to sail you.

We are usually very motivated and excited in the beginning, but when it seems to get challenging, I encourage you to work with your mind and emotions. If it’s worth it, it helps to understand it’s worth the time to change it. You are also more powerful when you can love yourself more during the process. When you are negative towards yourself and your emotions, you are struggling uphill against them. When you are loving towards yourself, you get a periscope look into what you’re trying to heal or avoid.

This takes time, patience, and love. You most likely developed the habits over time and replacing these ways of thinking takes time as well. Remind yourself of that, and of how powerful and capable your brain really is. Talk to yourself like you are your friend on this journey. Your body and mind need your support to perform their miraculous new changes!

Jan 01
0
Shine your soul

Shine Your Soul

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My friend, have you forgotten the magnificence of your soul? Do you allow your soul to shine daily? I invite you to wake up each day and intend to be more aligned with your soul. To move through your day using your highest gifts. You are a gift to the world and you have things to share. We all have majestic offerings to share with others.

Our skills and talents are our nature. We often dim our lights to fit into the expected norms of our cultures. We can forget that our differences are what we bring to the table. The more we can be authentically aligned, the more we have to offer another. Rather than trying to fit into expectations, we can choose to notice our unique qualities as strengths given to us to shine and share. We may think of our differences as disabilities, but they may have been given to us to help uplift or connect to another. You can inspire others by embracing all of your qualities. What appears to us as flaws may be exactly what others need to see.

Instead of spending so much energy on fixing ourselves, we can empower ourselves by accepting that we are already capable and beautiful just the way we are. Our souls are designed to shine through, not be hidden. When we focus less on micromanaging our flaws, we have much more energy to shine. We are all made wonderfully and beautifully different. We were not born in a doll factory. What you may see as imperfect may be what another sees as our alluring quality. In other words, what stands us apart can be a strength, not a weakness.

When you can embrace all of yourself, you give courage to others about the important qualities in life. We also can shine our light to help them to be less embarrassed about their insecurities. We when are able to show up and fully be ourselves, we empower others to do the same. The more we appreciate all of our qualities, the more ability our cells have in healing and improving our bodies. I have found appreciation for our bodies enables our nervous system and criticizing deteriorates it. Your nervous system and body responds to the thoughts you think. In a sense you are not only helping others when you operate more from the soul, but you are in turn truly helping yourself as well.

As often as you can, I invite your soul to speak.
Allow your heart to sing.
Let your spirit shine.
Leave your judgments behind.
Let your soul soar.
Spread your wings and fly.
Engage in the things that move you.

We are living art. Each of us our own artist. Embrace your rhythms and share your authenticity! Allow your magnificence to move through you. This is your gift to the world.

Dec 19
0
Intuition

How To Hear Your Intution

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My clients (and recently a few of you readers) frequently ask me about how they can hear their intuition. In a busy and often daily life full of noise, it can be tricky to recognize your intuition. It is often subtle and takes time and practice at tuning in. At times during danger and in crisis, we can feel those instincts and vibes loud and clear, but in our daily life they may not appear as obvious.

Another reason they are not so easy to identify is because we may not be very used to tuning in and listening to our inner selves. When we get caught up in our busy lifestyles and do not take the time to be quiet and tune in, we can be rusty at acknowledging when our intuition is giving us clues. It is important to take some time for ourselves to listen and develop ways to recognize those messages.

Receiving our intuitions and gifts feels different for everyone. There is no recipe that works exactly the same. There are many paths to tune in, but what resonates with one may not work as well with another. It’s also a good idea to explore and try many avenues to see what helps you the best. Be gentle and easy with yourself. This is a fun way to do things that feel good to your soul. The more you pay attention to the little feelings, the more you are able to connect within.

Meditation is a practice that helps you tune into the messages from your intuition. (I know I start often with this one, but it really is a good tool if you give it the time, space, and practice.) It is called a practice because the more you do it, the more you can allow those feelings to flow through. You can take it slow and work your way into a longer practice and utilize it when and how it fits into your life. Meditation is clearly not the only avenue, but it can be a strong ally to those that develop a habit. If the thought of meditation is really intimidating to you, you can always think of it as sitting in the quiet for a few minutes to concentrate on your breath and calm yourself. Sometimes that is all you need to recognize the next step or simply feel a little better.

Another wonderful way to connect is by using your creative energy. For some this may be though painting, sewing, knitting, writing, drawing, dancing, praying, practicing tai chi or yoga, playing an instrument, gardening, hiking, or doing anything that brings your soul joy or relief. It is through these practices that you move out of your head and more into the flow of the activity. These are also other forms of meditation. To understand meditation a little better, I like to think of it as an act that helps you slow down the 10 million fast-moving thoughts that occupy much of your mind daily.

The more you can get lost in an activity that you love and that brings you peace, the more you allow space for your intuition to come through loud and clear. It can communicate in a variety of ways. It may be as simple as knowing of which direction to move next. You may feel or hear a “yes” or “no” come through to a question or situation you have been pondering. Many times when we struggle to hear an answer, it doesn’t come through immediately. I’ve learned if you put the question out there, you can receive some guidance through these acts of meditation.

I once heard a Buddhist lama speak on a walking meditation. The emphasis was focusing on an act to clear your mind through a moving meditation. You can accomplish this not only while taking a walk, but while performing simple acts like doing the dishes, folding laundry, sweeping, or any repetitive chore you do often. The idea is to learn to be present in the moment of what you’re doing. Many times when we are doing these activities our minds are also simultaneously thinking of many other things. We aren’t being in the moment and our minds are elsewhere. If you can take an activity where you actually focus or perhaps even try to enjoy what you’re doing, you are changing the flow and energy to open up more toward your intuition.

I think this is a good avenue to point out, because we often use the excuse that we are too busy to be quiet. This is a way you can tune in while getting some things accomplished that you feel you need to. It’s about being creative and present with your time and actions. I find when I bring myself more to the present moment I enjoy chores more. It’s not a dreadful thing I need to get done. I am more calm and peaceful rather than rushed and stressed trying to get my to do list done.

Whether you are taking some time to be present in your activities or enjoying activities you love, you are opening and allowing your connection to your intuition and your inner self. The more you practice, the more you deepen relationship. If you don’t have many hobbies and don’t feel you know how your creative energy flows, just follow any activities you enjoy. You can also explore some things you have been drawn to or always wanted to try. The key to know how you channel your creative energy is when you can get lost in what you’re doing, or anything that simply brings you joy. You don’t have to be good or a master at anything to enjoy what you’re doing. The point is to open yourself to the flow of your creative energy. The more time you spend in this flow, the more you can pick up on your intuition.

Dec 12
0
Your outlook

Your Outlook

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Your outlook in life is your compass. Often the results you get depend on how you project it to go. When I worked in surgery I started with patients in the holding area before their surgery and frequently took care of them in recovery. Through the years, I observed that when they declared their surgery would go well, it did. Those patients that were more fearful or worried about pain or being sick in the recovery room, sure enough those patients woke up sick and in a lot of pain.

Through my years of being a nurse, I found it fascinating to observe how often this played out. It was surprising to me how often their intentions were followed by their experience. It wasn’t always easy to try to ease a patient’s mind before surgery, but it was a big part of my job then. I felt the more calm I could help them be, the better their experience would be in the recovery room. When I focused on educating them and easing their worries as much as possible, I then found smoother results in the recovery room. I also noticed that I gave less pain medication in turn as well. We were very lucky in those years of having successful turnouts and very few emergencies.

In my position at a surgery center, I had the opportunity to be involved in their entire process. It started out that I would call the patient at home to schedule their surgery and answer their questions about taking care of them before and after their surgery. At the end of the process I called them at home to check on them. I got to experience their full circle of their outpatient surgery. I also did quality and assurance reports that helped me verify my observations. I had a really awesome privilege of working with some of the best nurses, technicians, and office staff out there. I believe it led to the patients doing so well.

I also had the opportunity to work in hospitals that weren’t so well-oiled. I was pulled to many floors working with crews that I wasn’t used to and in less operative conditions. Even though these environments had many differences in how things worked, I was still able to conclude many similarities. At one particular hospital, I floated and was assigned to a variety of floors/departments. A few floors were “known” to be very difficult floors because of the severity of illnesses in those patients and often a less smooth running system. In my attempts to balance out these situations, one advantage I used was knowing that if I could assist my patients in their outlook, I could survive my shift and take care of them better.

At one hospital, I often observed many of my co-workers starting the day with a big list of orders and being forced to “hit the floor running,” so to speak. I noticed that they struggled to keep up with their charting (mandatory legal documents that recorded all their actions ). When I worked these floors/situations, I was able to use my experience of my observations to assist me many times. I tried a different path to help navigate my experience with these challenging situations. For example, rather than jump right into my list of duties and responsibilities (as I noticed many nurses do), I took about ten extra minutes with each patient on my initial rounds to practice my skills of communication and calmness. When I felt they knew my intentions I headed towards my orders.

At first glance, it looked like I was way behind the other nurses on our duties, but i found it to be an investment of time that rewarded me greatly later on in the shift/day. I only did a few simple things that paved a smoother day. I took the time to sit down, look the patient in the eyes, and simply explained my intentions for the shift. I wanted them to feel secure that I was there for them and would do my best to address their pain, illness, and needs during my shift. It sounds so superficial, but made a great impact later in the day when I had time to sit down and chart while I observed many co-workers struggling to keep up. They seemed to have many patients calling out at the same time and they couldn’t find time to sit down, eat, chart, or even visit the restroom.

I’m also not saying we didn’t have our emergencies from time to time and everything was always smooth sailing… I did work in a hospital, but I am convinced that if it were not for that extra little time to assist in my patient’s outlook, I would have also been struggling so much more to keep up with my responsibilites and neglecting what in my heart I felt was a good job. I certainly wasn’t the best nurse working on that floor. Nor am I comparing my capabilities to my co-workers. I’ve worked with so many amazing people. I just wanted to point out that I was able to use what I learned to benefit me in difficult situations.

I found when my patients felt safe and secure, they needed me less. They were less sick and in less pain. I felt I gave much less medication when the patients felt some confidence over fear. When you can meet patients’ emotional needs, you address the bigger ones easier. When someone is sick, in the hospital or facing a procedure, you don’t always understand the stress and fear happening on their inside. If you can assist with this aspect, the care and outcome can be more optimal. Patients tend to do better when they are less stressed. I’ve learned half the battle is in the communication and their outlook. A positive report and outlook you can establish with people seems to in turn greatly affect the experience.

Just as I had opportunities with the outlooks to help my patients, your outlook in whatever you do in life can help you leverage your experiences. To steer it better can depend on your outlook. We can often get in the habit of starting our day running and busy without intention. To help you have a better day, you have an opportunity in how you choose your outlook. We often get exactly what we expect. In my experience I can definitely say it’s worth the extra time to focus on your outlook daily. It’s like preparing the way for your day to be smoother.

Dec 05
0
Follow your intincts

Follow Your Instincts

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One of your biggest assets is following your instincts. No matter how much knowledge or background you have in what you’re doing, you can always count on your instincts. It is a gift that helps you navigate through life. So often our instincts are right while our minds may not understand it at the time.

So often our intuition has a feel for how things are going, or a feeling about a person you may be interacting with that your mind hasn’t been presented with evidence on. Have you ever given someone the benefit of the doubt even though your instincts gave you a funny feeling? Because your mind had no proof, you may have ignored that feeling… then later figured out your instinct was right. It’s like a little hunch you get and cannot explain. It is your internal guidance system.

Though we have choices in life of what we believe and which direction we take, our instincts give us clues about the world around us. Our brains are actually complicated in how they process and give us information. Our instincts pick up and work on frequencies that our brain may not process and download for us. I like to think of it as helpful nudges that serve you well. Sometimes it’s even not what we want to feel, but I have always found it to be true. We like the idea of believing the best in situations and people, but if your instincts tell you to go a different way, it is a blessing trying to assist you. Even though it may not make sense at the time.

This is where your trust in yourself comes in. We can let our mind talk us out of our instincts, but if we can have faith that it knows best, you may save yourself some heartache and trouble. If you can believe that your instincts are very smart, you can leverage your experience more powerfully. Possibly even more positively along your journeys.

Over the years in talking with clients, I can see many have lost their trust in their intuition. Perhaps because of a hurtful experience. Sometimes we tend to listen to others over ourselves. Many times we can get so caught up in stress and busyness that we drown out those little hunches and feelings.

A good way to tune in before making decisions or facing a situation is to give yourself some time and space to sit with it. When you can allow some silence and slow down your mind, you can receive guidance of what is your next best step from your intuition. It just takes a little patience with yourself. Just as you would take some patience teaching a child to learn, you can assist the growth of tuning into your intuition more. The more you tune in and practice listening to your inner self, the easier it gets to hear when things are hectic and busy. In those moments that a situation or circumstance arises quickly, you can trust those first instincts.

It won’t always give you all the answers in the instant, but you can get the feeling of a direction to follow. Sometimes you have to keep your instincts to yourself until you can understand the big picture better, but it really is your biggest ally. Think of it as your best friend—always cheering you on and attempting to guide you safely.

Nov 28
1
Everything happens for a reason

Everything Happens For A Reason

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I was reminded today that everything happens for a reason. So many times in my life I have been on a new journey or course when life hijacked the journey and changed the course. Like your gps taking a different route that you did not intend to go, you still can arrive at your destination.

We can get so caught up in our egos and refuse to see that there’s a better course laid out ahead. Often it doesn’t make sense and we may initially think it’s either a no or isn’t going to work out. What I have come to learn after time and time again is that it is just a reroute for a better direction. Sometimes we intend on walking in a direction and it often doesn’t turn out the way we may have pictured it.

The journey is always unfolding ahead. If we can let go of the reins of how our brain thinks it has to go, we open up this marvelous space for beautiful opportunities to show up. The people we need to assist us on our journeys show up when they are needed. Often not before. We can stop ourselves from forward progress because our “game plan” isn’t unfolding the way we think it should go. Or I find often we delay beginning the journey because all the people and pieces aren’t yet in place. We can start and say yes to move forward without truly knowing how it will all unfold. Scary maybe, but it is the starting point.

That is where the beauty, excitement, and surprises get to come in. If I always knew what I was doing when I started any new project or journey, it would have probably lost its inspiration. If I had waited until I was sure I knew what I was doing, I could just bet you I probably never would have started. Many things I have accomplished or journeyed through in life started with an idea or an inspiration. Although I was sure my intuition was onto something, I truly did not know what I was doing. That is where the excitement came in for me.

It’s the unfolding and yearning to learn. I get to open up like a sponge and see where it takes me. Even with an end goal in mind per se, it always unfolds different than expected. Usually better than I could have planned. When I had my child, I certainly did not know what I was doing. Ask many parents how much trial and error they experience along the way. When I decided to leave my stable career in nursing and start a business, I certainly was not fully prepared. If I waited until I was sure it was all in place, I’m sure I would not have taken the leaps. Even mustering the courage to start publishing my writing to the public was extremely scary, but if I didn’t start somewhere unsure and knees knocking, I would still be torturing myself with my ideas and dreams.

It’s okay when your journey takes you down new halls or corners unplanned. Rather than seeing them as obstacles or failures, try to see them as opportunities and blessings to enable those dreams. The energy set forth with intention needs space for leverage to work on your behalf. When you can ask yourself what is happening for you rather than what is happening to you, you change your resistance into allowing. That allowing is the invisible creative energy opening doors for you. Hold your visions and be in anticipation for good things working in your favor. It takes some trust, but it’s worth the reward of your patience. Sometimes the biggest thing you can tell yourself in the meantime when things are taking a turn is that everything happens for a reason. Over time, you can see what those reasons are. I find often pleasantly things always happen for a reason. They are happening for you.

Nov 21
0
Critics

Critics

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I’ve learned over time, there are always some critics that will show up to critique you. This can stumble your momentum or stop you altogether. I think it is important to keep in mind that your movements and work in life will often open doors to misunderstanding. It takes courage to move forward. When we are criticized we may take it too personally. It can be beneficial to understand that someone else’s criticism generally reflects what they think inside, so why wage a war in your own mind when they show up?

If you frequently use your precious energy to beat up on yourself and internalize critiques, you can hold yourself back rather than launch yourself forwards. Most of us are looking for that momentum and we don’t realize how much we can slow our progress down by mulling over the critiques or embodying them in our minds. Repeating our critiques creates a negative effect.

When we can encourage ourselves from the inside, we gain confidence and positive momentum that can carry us further than you can imagine. It helps to be your own cheerleader. There will be times we need to be there for ourselves and if you have a positive foundation built within yourself, it can certainly help you through the tougher times.

It takes practice and repeating to really get in that space more often. Encouraging ourselves is how we have the opportunity to gain experience in anything we set out to do. In short: Practice! I see my writing, my art, my work, and my kindness as a practice. It’s not something I have automatically obtained or arrived at. Just like happiness our work, crafts, and art are a practice, not a final destination. We keep choosing it.

Choosing to encourage ourselves rather than criticize ourselves changes the energy we vibrate and operate from. Think about how it feels when you or someone else is constantly criticizing you. Now, think about how it feels when you or someone you know constantly encourages you.

Encouraging and cheering yourself on as you go helps you maneuver through the critiques. Also, it is important to recognize when the art of criticism is good and useful as well as when criticism needs to be ignored. You do not have to accept every criticism as truth. Much criticizing is done from the place of doubt and uncertainty from others. It is a reflection of some doubts on the inside of them. Especially when it is mean and hurtful.

It’s about what you tune into. There is a difference in constructive criticism that may help you reach higher levels. Knowing the difference can help your perspectives.

For example, my beautiful writing coach has the tough job to point out mistakes and offer constructive criticism. This is our agreement with each other. This is how I learn deeper in my writing practice for publishing and so on. I have practiced the art of encouraging myself for some time now. I think if I hadn’t, it would be very difficult to receive my mistakes and feedback. Not that she doesn’t continuously give me encouraging feedback, but we often hear our critiques amplified.

The positive criticism comes from a place of help and love. We can take it the unintended way if we haven’t practiced speaking kindly to ourselves. It takes a bit of learning to stop beating up on yourself so easily and practice encouraging thoughts instead.

It’s baby steps in turning some of your inner dialog around. Perhaps a plan or idea came to a bust. You could give yourself a hard time on all the things you can find and focus solely on what went wrong, or… You could give yourself some encouragement for trying. See the opportunities and solutions. Open the door and give yourself some room for perspective. It may be the stepping stone you needed to reach the levels you’re striving for.

Things will happen in life. And the critics are plentiful out there. You don’t have to allow it steal your focus or joys. It helps to practice your inner dialogue and thoughts to a higher place regularly. Think of it like passing trees and cars as you travel down the road, you can let happenings, life, and criticism pass on by as well. Allow it to move through you more than becoming it. Just don’t let it sow a seed on the inside. Let the things that help you, help you. Let the things that don’t,go. We have to often let go of criticisms so we can fly.

Nov 14
1
Your work

Your Work

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What’s your work? Some think of it as how you earn money. What you do for a living. Many struggle to know their work. As if we have one purpose. To be a doctor, an artist, a singer, or perhaps a writer.

My advice: Relax. Even if we are blessed to “know” some of our greatest gifts and talents, it doesn’t encompass all you do. Or what you are. It is also not limited to one art or study. It’s the many things we do and experience in life.

Your work is to shine your light. Your work is to watch for the paths towards excitement and joy. Your work is to follow passions and what you love. Your work is to experience the journey. One becomes a doctor from many years of studying and being mentored along the journey. One becomes an artist over the hours and years practicing his or her craft. One becomes a writer from much contemplation, learning, and outpour. They are all journeys. Would you want a doctor who never studied or practiced to perform your surgery?

We can appreciate ourselves and each other by recognizing we are all on a journey. We are all at different places and infused with many journeys simultaneously. Your work is not getting caught up in end goals because the experience is in the journey. Besides, even when you meet a goal, there will be something next. Life doesn’t stop moving because of your accomplishments. I’m not here to say you can’t be appreciative and proud of your goals. Just a reminder that the experience is in the journey.

I have clients who feel there is something next and don’t know what that journey is. Or maybe you have gotten into a habit of not believing in yourself or your work. Your work is to notice what lights you up and share your light with others. The world needs you. Your talents and your gifts can only come from you. You never know who needs you somewhere out there or who may be waiting for your gift.

Your work is to focus on your passions and intentions. Your work and yourself can be held back if you worry about being good enough, comparing your progress with others, or maybe just doubting yourself and your work.

Do you worry if you’re good enough? Do you compare your work to others? This holds your work back. You can be in the same profession as others, but they can’t do their work the way you do. You will practice the art (any art) with your own style and fashion. Rather than comparing, you can empower yourself and your work better by realizing that each journey is individualized with its own rewards and remembering that there are people who need you and your work.

Maybe someone has already written on the topic you’re sharing. Maybe someone out there needed to read it the way you wrote it. Maybe someone else has spoken about the topic you’re sharing. Maybe someone out there needed to hear it the way you said it. Maybe someone else out there is also styling hair, teaching, selling, practicing law, but maybe someone out there needs the way you style hair, teach, sell, or practice law. You won’t often find yourself in your field alone, but you will be the only one executing your craft and gifts the way you do.

We are all needed somewhere. It can be uplifting and life giving to know your work is needed and has a place in the world. Your work is of you. Embrace your journey. For it can’t look like anyone else’s anyway. Your work is your creation.