Many of you who follow the blog regularly or who know me personally know I"m a great fan/follower of TED Talks and TEDx. In fact, I find a lot of inspiration and motivation by listening to these talks, which are held in venues all over the world.
One recent talk in particular hit a chord with me for this month's blogging theme.
In the talk, titled Fool or Football Coach, Boyd White starts with a story of a young man Mr. White meets in the principal's office of the young man's high school. Mr. White asks the young man three questions.
Why are you in the principal's office?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
How do your classmates currently view you?
The young man wanted to be a football coach, however, his classmates viewed him as a fool due to the way he behaved.
In this talk, Mr. White reminds us that the journey is as important, if not more so, than the destination. It's the "how" question - how do we deal with the obstacles we encounter along the way, how do we move towards our dreams.
At one point in the talk, he hones in on the point that what you practice, you perform. You can't just "turn it on" in life - you have to practice being what it is you want to be in life - walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
So I ask you, where are your steps taking you today? Are they taking you toward your dreams, your goals, or away from them?
If they are not taking you where it is you want to go, you need to stop and redirect your path. You need to "walk in the world as you want it to be," as Mr. Boyd says in his talk.
And, as the immortal Led Zeppelin song Stairway to Heaven says, "there's still time to change the road you're on."
So, are you truly on the path you want to go down, or are you willing to do the work to reach your dream destination?
As you ponder on that, until next week, Namaste!
Monday, January 19, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
MaXIMIze - Reflections and the New Year
Hard to believe that this begins the 4th year of posting this blog for me. When I began the first iteration of this blog, I had a goal of helping others as I continued to grow myself. Less than a month after I started blogging, my life went into a tailspin - I got a promotion to a job I really wanted, but that in the end was much more challenging than I realized it would be, and my then-husband told me he wanted a divorce. Writing this blog and keeping focused on healing and growing myself kept me going through that first tumultuous year.
The process of writing the blog posts that y'all read - some of you on a very faithful basis! - continually proves that it is truly about progress not perfection. I look back over the past three years and see the progress I have made and it is amazing! I now have a great job that I love and a man in my life who truly accepts me as I am - two very rare gifts indeed! I am blessed with family who came together for the Christmas holiday and there was no drama - lots of noise with three grandchildren under the age of 7 of course, but no drama!
Are there still ripples from stones I've dropped in the pond in the past? Are there still weeds in the garden to be pulled? Of course there are! But the ripples are getting fewer and weaker and the weeds are becoming sparser. It took time to get to the point I was at and it takes time to get to the point I want to get to now. So I'm enjoying the learning and growth I'm experiencing along the journey as I make progress down my path.
The growth of this blog from a mere 25 entries that first year to the 49 entries in 2014 - and the compilation of some of those posts from 2012 and 2013 into my book titled Take Your Life in Your Arms and Kiss It! - is also proof of the progress I've made, particularly since becoming a Certified Professional Coach in 2013.
Organization helps too…I had themes for every month and topics for every week in 2014, and I have the same for 2015!
For the rest of January, we will be talking about Passion and Persistence.
In February, we will discuss Optimism versus Pessimism, Abundance versus Lack, and what truly is your motivation.
We'll start March off with the Seeds We Sow and Unintended Consequences, and review what our current satisfaction levels are in the areas of health, finances, career, relationships, spiritual well-being, and overall well-being.
For April through September, we will focus on each of those six areas, one per month, much like we did with last year's posts.
In October, we will look at what we have harvested this year, and why.
November is our month of Gratitude, and December ends our year with Celebration!
If you have been with me as a long-time loyal reader - Thank You for your support and welcome back for another year!
If you are a new reader, Welcome, and please read the previous years' posts to glean more goodness for your life!
Until next week then, Namaste!
The process of writing the blog posts that y'all read - some of you on a very faithful basis! - continually proves that it is truly about progress not perfection. I look back over the past three years and see the progress I have made and it is amazing! I now have a great job that I love and a man in my life who truly accepts me as I am - two very rare gifts indeed! I am blessed with family who came together for the Christmas holiday and there was no drama - lots of noise with three grandchildren under the age of 7 of course, but no drama!
Are there still ripples from stones I've dropped in the pond in the past? Are there still weeds in the garden to be pulled? Of course there are! But the ripples are getting fewer and weaker and the weeds are becoming sparser. It took time to get to the point I was at and it takes time to get to the point I want to get to now. So I'm enjoying the learning and growth I'm experiencing along the journey as I make progress down my path.
The growth of this blog from a mere 25 entries that first year to the 49 entries in 2014 - and the compilation of some of those posts from 2012 and 2013 into my book titled Take Your Life in Your Arms and Kiss It! - is also proof of the progress I've made, particularly since becoming a Certified Professional Coach in 2013.
Organization helps too…I had themes for every month and topics for every week in 2014, and I have the same for 2015!
For the rest of January, we will be talking about Passion and Persistence.
In February, we will discuss Optimism versus Pessimism, Abundance versus Lack, and what truly is your motivation.
We'll start March off with the Seeds We Sow and Unintended Consequences, and review what our current satisfaction levels are in the areas of health, finances, career, relationships, spiritual well-being, and overall well-being.
For April through September, we will focus on each of those six areas, one per month, much like we did with last year's posts.
In October, we will look at what we have harvested this year, and why.
November is our month of Gratitude, and December ends our year with Celebration!
If you have been with me as a long-time loyal reader - Thank You for your support and welcome back for another year!
If you are a new reader, Welcome, and please read the previous years' posts to glean more goodness for your life!
Until next week then, Namaste!
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