Tag: inspiration

anxiety, friendship, humor, inspiration, life lessons, mindfulness, motivation

Have I Said Thank You Lately?

mimijk

I want to thank David @ davidkanigan.com (Lead.Learn.Live), Renee @ positiveboomer.net and Ivon @ ivonprefontaine.wordpress.com (Teacher As Transformer) for according me the Blog of 2012 award.

Blog of the Year Award 6 star jpeg

David wrote me this morning and suggested I read the rules, because I wanted to nominate him.  Apparently I can’t do that.  This is yet another clue to my personality – I live within the spirit and intent of the law, though I can’t confirm that I always follow it to the letter.  Call it petulance, a throwback to my pseudo-hippie years, or just a desire to expand the lovely opportunities in the day as widely as possible.

This is my way of telling you that I am bending the rules slightly, and I hope you’re all cool with that.  In January, I will write a post about how I have been impacted by a year’s worth of experience in this community.  For now though I’d like to just quickly mention that it has given far more to me than I have arguably given.  Were it not for David and Lori (donnaanddiablo@wordpress.com), I would probably have not continued.  I’m not in their league –  I know it and  I’m ok with it too.  I’m not a writer, I will never publish…I’m just a woman trying to figure stuff out.  David and Lori, in their personal and unique ways have somehow managed to keep me going each time I wanted to stop.  I’m not kidding you – each time.  Call it karmic connection, intuitiveness, generosity of spirit – it nonetheless continues to amaze and humble me.  Perhaps we truly are connected by some thin red thread that quivers every time one feels like falling.

To me, this award is for those who have such talent, perspective, humor, aesthetic sensitivity, etc that I return to their blogs with eagerness and curiosity.  What is Anake going to show me today, what pearls will Susan string together while forming her poetic necklace,  has Bonnie been prompted by some life experience that resulted in a posting both thoughtful and intuitive?  How will Misifusa lift me up today?  Will I feel the need to opine about John’s perspective on leadership?  You catch my drift.  There is so much talent out there, I’m still a neophyte.  At best I am a wondering soul with a decent vocabulary.

So without further comment, I nominate the following people for this award.  They inspire, amuse, delight, challenge and do so with such consistency that they truly are the bloggers of 2012.  The bad news, which I am fretting over, is that I’m sure I’m going to miss someone who I admire equally.  I am hopeful you know that this is an error of oversight, not intention.

Cathy @ largeself.wordpress.com

John @ johnrchildress.com

Misifusa@wordpress.com

Paula @ stuffitellmysister.wordpress.com

Kristin @ letlifeinpractices.com

Bonnie @ paperkeeper.wordpress.com

Anake @ anakegoodal.com

Laurie @ passionateperformance.om

Deanna @ deannaohara.com (Redemption’s Heart)

Susan @ susandanielseden.wordpress.com

Elizabeth @ almostspring.com

Russ @ russtowne.com (A Grateful Man)

Bill @ drbillwooten.com

There are more…and this is where I am feeling the most anxiety – for I have been more enriched by this august cyber community than I ever could have imagined.  I promise you this, I will have the opportunity to acknowledge all of you before the karma truck finally parks.

 

 

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discretion, friendship, humor, inspiration, love

Acceptance Speeches

mimijk

When I was a teenager, I fully expected to win a Grammy, Tony, Oscar and an Emmy at some point or another.  I used to practice my acceptance speeches in the shower (typically after singing for the shower tiles, who as I have mentioned in the past, were always so appreciative they would sweat with enthusiasm).  Certainly I would look fabulous (proof enough that this was fantasy) and make sure to gracefully acknowledge everyone who contributed to the moment.  And I’d be witty and brief (further proof that this was self-indulgent make-believe), ensuring that I wouldn’t get cut off by music or a commercial.

And though I still tune in when an award show airs, I now find them to be almost as good as an Ambien.  I fall asleep after the first “Thank you so much!  I can’t believe it!!”  I’m sure some speeches are sincere, others may be funny – most are simply disingenuous.  And most of the recipients can’t move their faces any longer,  which makes it difficult to determine whether or not they are feeling anything at all.

I on the other hand have the joy of accepting awards that are given with far more generosity and sincerity.  This virtual community supports its members with acknowledgements that come from a lovely, honest place and I get pretty ferklempt (look it up in a Yiddish dictionary – ‘very emotional’ is probably close) when I am graced with one and permitted to pay it forward.

Renee@positiveboomer.net was kind enough to nominate me for two awards earlier this week.  I am very appreciative and grateful and a little embarrassed.  The embarrassed part is just me – you can just ignore that – it doesn’t diminish my thank you.  Renee and I share a slower, longer learning curve than most of you when it comes to anything technical.  And we both love Twinkies.  I love the joy in her posts – from the simple advice to the thoughtful expositions, the title of her blog suits her perfectly.

I’ve never been part of a Sisterhood before – though I have been asked to join the Sisterhood at our temple.  I have a sister who just rocks my universe, but in a family of  two sisters, I don’t think we had the numbers to qualify.  And I have a sister-in-law who I love very much..hmm..Anyway, I am now part of a larger Sisterhood and that is very cool.  I do wish though that the name of  this award could be changed so that it included men – for some of my favorite bloggers are men.  “Personhood” doesn’t sound very inviting … Something to think on..

Anyway, I believe the following bloggers are definitely Sisterhood material..

Deanna@deanaohara.com – her blog is titled ‘Redemption’s Heart’…

Paula@paulaacton.wordpress.coom

Laurie@passionateperformance.com

Amber@wordsaresuperfluous.com

Joanna@momentumofjoy.com

Jill@universalmusings.com

Susan@susandanielseden.wordpress.com

Maureen@magnoliabeginnings.org

As for Inspirational?  I don’t see myself that way, and it is incredibly humbling to be so considered.  If something I write gives you a smile, or provokes a thought, a nod – I’m beyond happy.  To me the real inspiration is found in the friendships and conversations that seem to uniquely define the special group of people who I’ve met through this blog.  And I am to list seven…

David@davidkanigan.com – one of these days he is going to acknowledge an award from me.  Well, he may not, but he was the first person I started to follow when I began this little journey, so he’s just going to have to deal with it.

Rhoni@help-me-rhonda.com

Anake@anakegoodal.com

Cathy@largeself.com

Bill@drbillwooten.com

Bonnie@paperkeeper.wordpress.com

Elizabeth@almostspring.com

Simon@simonmarsh.com

Andrea@thehandwrittenlife.com

Please give yourself the treat of reading these wonderful blogs – and then you will know why I can’t seem to step away from my laptop.  I guess I went on longer than the two minutes accorded most acceptance speeches – thanks for not giving me the hook..

 

inspiration, leadership, life lessons, mindfulness

I Dare You Tuesday

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Ok my friends, it’s time..today is the perfect day to consider what you would do if you weren’t so darn comfortable in your comfort zone.  I know there are some who challenge us to do one thing each day that makes us uncomfortable, to test the shackles in which we have secured ourselves.  I don’t know about you, but that makes me too anxious and overwhelmed,  the thought exposes my insecurity before I even begin.  So how about this – one new effort per week.  What are you going to do to touch where the magic happens?  The allure alone is an incentive;  is it strong enough to entice you to re-evaluate your choices?  Can you feel the exhilaration and fear that accompanies the first steps in a new direction?  Can you imagine how freeing it will be to just try one thing you’ve never done before?  Whether it is at work – with your employees and colleagues, or the care and attention you give yourself,  or the upending of a routine that has gotten tired – it can be anything that moves you closer to the magic of being in your life.  So tell me, what are you going to do?  I can’t wait to hear…

friendship, humor, inspiration, life lessons, mindfulness

Thoughtful Thursday

mimijk

Before I head off for the last of the current Thursday training classes, I wanted to send you a “Happy Thursday” and a thought for the day…Personally?  I’ve met my share of people who I wished would go climb the nearest tree – but it wasn’t because of their mental acuity.  Excel in your realm;  at the least have a good day.

life lessons, mindfulness, motivation

Basic Inspiration

mimijk

“Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness.  If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most.  It is not complicated but it takes courage.  It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it.” – Pablo Casals

You can probably tell by now that Machiavelli and I wouldn’t get along.  I have a very firm belief in the fundamental goodness of people.  For the most part, I don’t believe people intend to be hurtful, mean spirited or relish opportunities to display their most unpleasant qualities.  This in no way runs counter to my earlier post about the abhorrent (and aberrant) bullying behavior that is evident in schoolyards and offices.  On the contrary, I believe that such aggressiveness is more environmental than innate, more learned than inherited (with a nod to the studies that support a heritability factor associated with aggressiveness).

What I love about Casals’ quote is the implication that honoring one’s goodness takes courage.  Doing the right thing isn’t easy.  Opening one’s eyes to the wonder that passes throughout the course of a single day requires a conscious shift in focus from all that we rarely notice – or worse still – all that we see that disappoints us.  So I introduce you now to one of my constant sources of inspiration – Archie.  This picture captures him in a moment of brief repose – or exhaustion – resulting from his relentless pursuit of happiness.  Archie approaches our driveway and yard as a constant source of amazement and surprise regardless of his thousands of explorations.  Today, the cherry blossoms are falling from the trees, and Archie pursues each falling blossom with limitless unbridled excitement and delight.  Of course, the wind blows them into multiple directions and he loses them before they hit the ground.  Nonetheless, he forgets any other reasons why he’s out there – he is on a mission fueled by sheer joy  (and a sizeable absence of grey matter, but none of our dogs have ever ranked high on the intelligence scale – except for Bubba the Wonder Dog – a story for another day).  Archie makes me pause and look around – I stop and notice that the buds on the Japanese maple are beginning to slowly swell under the warmth of the sun, hear the neighbors’ kids laughing hysterically as they try and double jump on their trampoline.  I sit on the porch realizing that I’ve been touched by more good karma than one person could ever take for granted.  I sip my tea and giggle as Archie is outpaced by his older, smaller and more dignified partner-in-crime Teddy (he didn’t want his picture taken today).  And in this moment, I am inspired to find the time in each day to pause and look around me.  To consider it an honor to be able to share my ideas with an increasing number of fantastically gifted people.  To make a conscious effort to make one person’s day a little better through word or deed (I have no illusions of heroics here –  just take the time to be slightly kinder than the day before).  Now Archie, Teddy and I are going to take a walk and see how many of their friends we can track down, kibbitz, sniff and play with, see how many blooms are opening on the magnolias and pause for a moment to experience the indescribable  inspiration that begins with gratitude.