MaXIMIze - Changes

It has been a while - over two months - since I last posted to this blog. That has been two months of moving to a new town, a new state, a new job, a new agency. All in all, a very good move for me. It took a lot for me to actually make this move though. This move meant leaving behind the life I knew, the area I grew up in and raised my kids in, and the culture I was used to - both at work and in the community. It also meant purging my life of those things that were no longer supporting what and who I was striving to be. It meant looking into the great unknown and taking that leap of faith that everything will work out for the best. And it did!

I wold not be here if it were not for the journey I've taken with this blog to heal myself of old wounds, to truly look at my life's journey, to find the path with heart, and to find the strength and the courage to walk that path to this particular part of my life's journey.

And yes, my journey is far from over. This is but a stopping place in that journey. I am here to finish out one career and truly begin another. How that will all unfold is yet to be seen - and that's okay. Uncertainty is okay in life - in fact it should be welcomed rather than feared. Uncertainty, and the act of being still in that uncertainty and listening to that small voice of Self inside of us, can bring clarity and show us the next part of the heart-path to follow in our lives.

So, remember when life seems overwhelmingly crazy, to stop, breathe, and listen to your inner Self.

Until next time, Namaste!

MaXIMIze - How Are You Walking in the World?

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!