When my younger son was very little, his grandma told him to be sure "not to talk with strangers." She wanted to keep him safe, and in the process, she confused the heck out of him. With his already very logical and adventurous mind, her advice had puzzled him. He thought for a second, and then, truly wanting to understand how this worked, he asked: "But... how do I make new friends if I don't talk to strangers?" Which is an excellent point. Last night, my kitchen was filled with "strangers." Two groups of Airbnb guests whom I had never met and who had never met one another. Within minutes, we were all sitting around the small kitchen table sharing about our lives, laughing and learning from each other. As I went to bed, they stayed up talking, and I could hear their happy connecting for quite a bit longer. When they left, this morning, we had each gained three new friends. From strangers to friends. Strangers who did not know that they had new friends to meet, but who walk the world assuming that that's probably the case. I love that. And I love that my son got that, so very young. Richard Renaldi is another person who believes we are all connected, and goes about life with his camera, inviting that, and catching it. This morning, I am sharing with you this very short film that will help remind you how not alone you are, how many "strangers" are out there waiting to celebrate being your friends. I think you will like it. Good morning! Years ago, I learned about Parkinson's Law and it really lit a spark in me. I have been teaching it to my Lighten Up! students ever since. Lately, I have a renewed love affair with it. First of all, it has nothing to do with Parkinson's disease. So that's out of the way, and your Lizard can relax. What it has to do with, is time. Specifically our anticipated use of time, for any given task. The theory is that ... get ready ... "work swells - or shrinks - so as to fill the time available for its completion." In other word, a project or task will often match the time we have allotted it, whatever that is. If we say: "I am going to give one hour to writing this newsletter," chances are that we will come pretty close to that, especially if we use some great focusing no-distraction tools. On the other hand, if we say: "I am going to get this newsletter done today," there is a darn good chance that it will take all day, with all kinds of interruptions along the way. I have worked with this theory a lot, and have often been very impressed. To help you, here is a super nifty little tool. It's called e.ggtimer. It could not be any easier to use: you enter e.ggtimer.com in your address bar, followed by however long you want. Right now, I have mine set up at http://e.ggtimer.com/1hour because I want to be done with online work by that time. You can do 15 minutes, and give yourself that time to be on Facebook, or whatever you want to manage more closely (because hey, none of us are going to die wishing we had spent more time on Facebook) Ok, all yours. Parkinson's Law, and a great little tool. Let me know what you think? I am more and more aware that "all" we have to do is ask. Ask for a wake up call (my friend calls it "asking your angels"), ask to be left to sleep in a little more. Ask for clarity, ask for a prompt, ask for inspiration, ask for courage. Ask. And them make room for the answer. And know that it's coming. Today, these words, by Brené Brown. For us. ''I think midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: 'I’m not screwing around. It’s time. All of this pretending and performing – these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – has to go.' Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy of love and belonging, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever. Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through you. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen.'' May your day be real, may your day be yours, may your day be brave. XOXOX |
SCARED OF THE SACRED
HAPPINESS SCHOOL:
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