Focused Passion

Assume the position; the writing position, that is.  Couch cover placed smoothly back on the couch, pillows neatly arranged, Sponge Bob sleep pants on, seated with legs crossed and laptop on my lap.  I’m ready.  I’m typing.  I’m gonna share.  You (at least my Mom, if no one else) are going to read and, hopefully, chuckle once or twice.  Perhaps you will nod in understanding, or breath a sigh of relief when you realize that your days are much tamer than most of ours.  OR, perhaps you will feel envy, seeing that our days are much tamer than most of yours.  It could go either way.

Every once in a while, and a bit more often of late, I find myself feeling envious of folks with a more “mundane” lifestyle.  By “mundane”, I actually mean focused.  Focused in the sense of concentrating on fewer than five things at one time.  I’m not talking multi-tasking, I’m talking life experiences.  Perhaps an example would be best.  Let’s use Steve Jobs as an example.  He found out early in life that he was awesome with computers.  He focused on computer things.  We all know the rest.  

Or Stephen Hawking (I guess I’m into the “Steve’s” today) and his Physicist skills.  He focused on string theories and chaos and the like.  Focus....and it paid off for them, for sure!  Let’s even take the local garage mechanic, who, as a wee lass decided that she could fix anything with an engine, focused her skills and opened the best mechanic shop in town.  (I’d like to meet her, by the way....I bet she’s hot in her greasy jeans and t-shirt)  

These are focused people.  There is definitely something to be said of finding your passion and sticking with it.  I sometimes envy those folks because from my perspective, it seems like a Zen life - calm, focused, relaxing.

So what if your passion seems to span the cosmos?  (Some call it Attention Deficit Disorder; or, “Jack of all trades, Master of none”;  “Renaissance Man”; etc.)  

I tried sticking with one thing once.  A few times, actually.  I have stuck with many things many different times, but usually it is simultaneous.   I can trace it back many years, but I won’t.  I’ll stick with the now.  

My drawer of hats (baseball style caps, mostly) is nearly overflowing, and truth be told, it is a perfect representation of the “hats” that I choose to wear on a yearly, monthly, daily basis.  

My most important hat is, of course, that of Parent.  

I have a consistent, full time, paying job.  I love it.  Sometimes I don’t “like” it much, but I do love it and am filled with Gratitude for it.  (And I get to wear a cool hat with a shiny thing on it.) (If you’ve read other posts, you know I like shiny things.)

I practice and teach Martial Arts.

I practice Reiki.

I learn as much as I can as often as I can about Spirituality, different views, ways of learning and modes of Being in the world, and I tend to branch off in more directions than a Canadian Maple tree in this regard and I love every minute of it!  I’d love to study long enough to get a PhD in something involving the New Thought, Ancient Wisdom way of Being.

This summer I completed a Spirit Guide Coach Course with Deborah King.  Yes, I’m now (technically) a Spirit Guide Coach, but to actively coach, I really would need to spend time focusing on the practice and meditation aspect for more than 5 seconds a day.    

I LOVE fitness and athletic activities.  Movement is my thing, whether I’m moving, assisting someone else with their movement or directing them to someone who can adequately assist their movement needs.  

I have a passion for photography, writing and self-affirming guidance and creativity, hence the advent of SouL Musings.  (www.soul-musings.com)

I am passionate about my partner’s business and all of the folks who help to bring it to a point of thriving....we are still on our way, and I am confident that as Destiny unfolds, so too will the Art of thriving in business!

In a single day, I might dabble in each of the “things” listed above and more!  And, in that day, I also might find myself getting aggravated because I didn’t leave enough time to clean the house or reorganize the kids’ toys so that we can find our living room.  It is in these times of aggravation that I wish I was more like the local mechanic.  Passionate about engines from day one and focused from the start.  

This morning I had a sort of re-awakening moment as I sat down (I won’t say where I was sitting....some may consider that TMI) to write in my journal, meditate and check facebook while I brushed my teeth.  I read a post on Facebook that offered an explanation of “symptoms of the shift” or “Ascension” (the increase in the evolutionary process that we are said to be experiencing at this time.)  (BTW, I say “that we are said to be experiencing”, for those who are a bit more skeptical.  I firmly believe that this is happening, especially since I experience most of the symptoms and, heck, I am a Spirit Guide Coach!  I get messages.....I just don’t always “hear” them.)  Anyway, after reading this I got in the shower, still pondering what I had read.  During my meditative shower experience (which lasted all of about 3 minutes because we were running late for our morning Yoga class), I thought about the fears of future finances, sadness of past experiences, excitement of future prosperity, joy of past celebrations and it occurred to me (again), as the word NOW flashed across my mind, ALL I need IS within me NOW!  (That, btw, is an intenSati affirmation....another of my newfound passions.)  Truly, in one blink of an eye, I felt fearful, angry, sad, joyful, triumphant and blessed, and I hadn’t even finished shaving my armpits!  If all of that could happen in just one moment, then clearly the choice was/is mine to make - how do I CHOOSE to feel today?  What PASSION do I CHOOSE to pursue today?

My life is busy. 

My thoughts are quick little buggers.

It is My life, My thoughts, My experience, My CREATION and I LOVE IT!  The world truly is my Oyster, just as it is YOURS.  Through practice, focus and joyful bliss, we can create Pearls no matter what we do, simply by BEING present for each Moment as it comes.

Thank you for staying present in this moment.  Love and Blessings.  

A(n) iShake and a(n) iSentence

I made a commitment to myself (in the "cyber-presence" of a large group of amazing people) for three things to take place this month.  (This is part of an amazing program called Sati Life Warrior Training.  See satilife.com)
This month, I am peacefully meditating for 20 minutes each day;
I am creating, with joy and ease, 5 new cards each week for the SouL Musings "Today I am Willing...." series; and,
I am writing, with ease and grace, for 20 minutes daily in my Blog and/or in my journal.

Check off number 3 on the list for today.

Yesterday was a little rough.  The day was great, as days go, but the commitments were not as fluid as the day.  Plenty of excuses were available, but those are daily events, so really can't be excuses.  (There are three main excuse options and they are all under the age of 7.)  Mostly, I blamed my iPhone.  I woke up completely "Un-ACTUALIZED" (Hey, it happens).  (Oh, if you aren't sure what I'm talking about, see the post just prior to this one.)  I like to be the first one up in the house so that I can enjoy some moments of quiet before beginning the race.  I'm not even sure if I was the first one up or not yesterday, because I was so irritated by the fact that my phone was (is) still sitting in a bag of rice, completely useless.
The interesting part is that the day before, when it actually practiced its ability to dive into a small container (I have to say, it made very little splash and was quite graceful with the glide across the bottom of the dish pan), I laughed.  Not a, "Oh this is so funny" laugh, but a "Wow, look what the Universe offers when we need to WAKE UP" sort of laugh.
Yesterday, I was not laughing.  I was grumpy and agitated.  Completely in contrast to the previous day.  Again, interesting!  What does contrast offer?
It offers us an opportunity to step back, observe, and make a decision as to what FEELS better.  What FEELS better to me is the ability to laugh at the unexpected little things that come my way.  (Like the iPhone iDive)
Let me be clear in that I am not saying that we laugh at tragic events or giggle at a person's hardship.  I am saying that, when offered circumstances in our individual awareness that offer us a place to choose our attitude, we can collect into our memory banks the "feeling" associated with our chosen reaction.  Once placed into the bank, we can then choose which is best the next time we have an opportunity for reaction.  THIS IS CALLED PRACTICE!!!!!
Back to my original thoughts, my "blame" for not accomplishing my full 20 minutes of writing and meditating yesterday (I did create 2 new cards) began with the grumpies due to wet phone syndrome, followed by "needy" children, pets and then more procrastination later in the afternoon.  By the time evening rolled around and I opened my journal, my pen was sliding off the page and the legible words were forming sentences of gibberish because I was nodding off.  Maybe dreaming counts as meditation, but that's not quite what I meant in my "I AM" statement.
This morning, I re-committed.  TODAY, I AM easily completing my "I AM's"!  And the rush began....  quiet time for meditation? (not yet)
My internal OCV (Obsessive/Compulsive Voice) began to shout:
"MUST GET TO THE DRY CLEANER!!!!!!!!!  THEN TARGET!!!!!  THEN WORKOUT!!!!  CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS!!!!  GO TO THE DENTIST!!!! MAKE THE PHONE CALLS!!!!!!!"
("by the way, your phone still isn't working," it chided.)
"Good luck with your I AM statements!"  (also loaded with sarcasm....Thanks, OCV!)
So, I dove into the car with my dry cleaning, feeling a bit rushed and frustrated that I would be shifting my expectations once again.  I turned on the radio and the CD in the player began to sing to me in the sounds of the amazing Ricky Byars Beckwith:

"I AM the Radiant Light of God, 
I shine the Light of Love.
When I stumble, I live
by the Light of my Faith,
Shining both night and day.
I AM the Radiant Light of God
I shine the Light of Joy......"
(The song is "Radiant Light" from her Album "The Love Project")

And how true it is!  We ARE the Radiant Light of God, "actualized" in our full potential at a given moment or not, we ARE the Radiant Light!  Sometimes we dim our own light by "cramming" too much into one space, but mostly, it is our doubts and our needless worry that dims our light.
Thank you, Rickie.  As always, you have brought joy and insight to my awareness!

I returned from the dry cleaner and realized that I hadn't had breakfast.  I made a shake (Herbalife....email me for info if interested in a health shift), and I sat down with the computer to fulfill my writing Promise.  I AM Lovingly, Graciously and Joyfully writing for 20 minutes today!  (Actually, it was more like 40 and NO, that does not count double for tomorrow!)
Love and Blessings everyone!

(I'd love to read your comments....helps me to know if I'm on track with what I'm offering!)

♡

The Current "Climate" AND AAAs (Soul Side Assistance)

I had big plans and many words written here on this very page.  Big plans to finally create the "masterpiece" that I promised back in April - the "SOUL SIDE ASSISTANCE" (loud booming voice) aka "AAA(s)", which stands for "Awareness; Allowing; Actualization (of self).  I was going to tell you about this guy named Abraham Maslow who created this theory called the Hierarchy of Needs (which states (in essence) that when all basic needs are fulfilled, a human can then reach their full potential and become "self-actualized", aka, all that they can be.)  As written, this is a nearly insurmountable task.  I was going to go into detail about Maslow's Theory, tell you about the research that I did from old college textbooks, tell you about the amazing Spiritual events that I have attended (i.e. Revelation at Agape International Spiritual Center during which I got to listen to a talk by Jean Houston who is amazing and actually knew Abraham Maslow; and a Soul Sisters Retreat, also at Agape - talk about Women of Power - WOW!);  I was going to mention the political climate of the day and touch on the "plight of women" as our personal rights seem to be in question once again.  I was planning to go into some detail on all of this (and had written much of it) when one of my little dears came to tell me that dinner was ready.
I closed the computer and went downstairs to enjoy a tasty dinner, after which I graciously went to the kitchen to do the dishes.  While doing preparing to do the dishes, I checked in on the social network to see what important news I had missed in the last ten minutes. (Not much)  I came upon a lovely video that I wanted to watch - Abraham-Hicks, "Be Happy".  I propped the phone on the window sill and scrubbed and watched.  Down came the gals from their bath.  With everyone talking at once, there was no way to hear the video.  I, in my haste to finish the dishes so that I could get back upstairs to finish this post, quickly ushered everyone out of the kitchen, dried my hands, reached for my phone to back up the video and promptly dropped it right into the dish water where it slid as far away from my hands as possible. (I had no idea that iPhones were such good swimmers!)  I scrambled to grab it and rushed it to the EHD (Emergency Hair Dryer) where my lovely wife waved the whirring dryer as best she could.  The phone is now sitting on the counter in a bowl of rice, sim card airing out on top.  Fingers Crossed.

I say all of that in lieu of what I was going to write because in keeping with the theme of "Actualization of Self", I think I have actually actualized past the point of the previous post.  Why?  Because I laughed when the phone fell in the water.  Why?  Because of the irony!  I was hastily and gruffly telling the kids to pipe down and get moving so that I could watch a "Be Happy" video while I quickly did the dishes so that I could rush upstairs to finish a Blog post (which I do NOT get paid to do - though I will happily accept donations - just sayin') about Soul Side Assistance, Awareness, Allowing, and Actualization.
Kersplash!
Oh, how I do love the Universe and the silly little tricks that come along.

What happened was, the kersplash of the phone snapped my back to reality.  It brought me to a keen sense of Awareness of the present moment.  There was nothing I could do but Allow the moment to transpire.  The phone was in the water, I grabbed it, had it blown dry, plunked into a bowl of rice and now am continuing to Allow electronic nature to take its course.  (again, fingers crossed).  In those very moments, I was all that I could possibly be - no more, no less.  In those moments, I requested some Soul Side Assistance, it arrived with its gifts, and, having all of my other basic needs fulfilled, I became fully Actualized in that moment.
I keep saying in "that moment" because that is truly all that we can ever do.  Maslow's theory seems to indicate that once someone reaches the state of Self Actualization, they are there to stay.  At the same time, his theory indicates that getting to that point is nearly impossible.  But, if we break it down moment by moment, we afford ourselves much more opportunity to fully reach our Divine potential.  Each day there are a multitude of opportunities for us to be wake up, Allow the fullness of life to enter into our Awareness, and fully Actualize into that very moment.

Before I leave you to your own Actualization, I would like to share this:

I was in the shower the other day after having read a few posts on our beloved social network of Facebook that were controversial and divisive to say the least.  (I was showering because it was morning and that's what I do, not because I felt dirty from reading the posts.  Hey, with some of the stuff out there, the latter is certainly possible!)  As the water trickled over me, I suddenly felt a wave of sadness wash over as well.   The negativity was weighing so heavily at the moment that I threw the question out to the Universe (i.e. Angel Guides, Spirit Guides, Higher Self, etc): "What is the purpose of all of the negativity and what can I, one person, do to assist to bring in some light?"

In the blink of an eye (or the drip of a droplet), this is what came to me:

"Contrast.  We need it to see the contrast.  The contrast allows us to choose what we want to focus on.  The negative allows the good to shine that much brighter.  Depending where we are in our path, we may or may not have the awareness to step out of the negative and notice the good that is all around us.  By seeing and experiencing/observing the negative, we have the opportunity to capitalize on and share our Good.  By allowing our individual Light to shine through, we can help others to see their own good and assist each other in sharing our individual and collective gifts with the world."
AWARENESS of the "negative" ALLOWS us to see the contrast.  We are then free to fully ACTUALIZE in the fullness of our Divine Nature to embody and release the GOOD that is still within and all around us.


As we begin to wake up and become AWARE that we are more than THIS, we can then open our hearts to ALLOW the more (the Divine) to flow through us and AS us.  It is then, in that moment that we have ACTUALIZED our full potential.  It may be only for a moment, but the more we practice, the more often those moments will occur.
(and not always at the expense of an electronic gadget)