Here is a wonderful excercise to help you discover - and remember - who you are.
Write down five things about yourself. BUT they cannot include anything regarding your work status - your job title, if you're a student, full time parent, etc.
Here are some hints for things to include:
Hobbies
Favorite things
Something unusual about yourself
That dream deep in yourself, the one you don't usually talk about
Here are mine:
I love science fiction movies / TV shows, like Star Trek TNG, Firefly, Doctor Who.
I am the oldest of four and the only girl.
I love pizza, especially spinach Alfredo.
I have lived abroad for a time and visited England for three weeks during college.
I want to have some experience of extended travel, maybe for 3-6 months out of the year and then have a home base to return to.
What is the purpose of this exercise?
To remind us that we are unique and special. We are not our jobs or the amount of money we make, the degree we have, "just" a parent or "just" a spouse or significant other. We were created to love pizza, science fiction, new experiences and cultures.
Honor these things about yourself. Take some time every day and do something that is uniquely you. Honor your authentic self.
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Resting, Resting
Even with everything that I have learned over the last year about LOA and about myself and all the changes that have been happening, there are still difficulties in life. There are still frustration. There is still disappointment. There are still issues to overcome. The difference, though, is that I am different. I am recognizing patterns in myself that have been formed over the past 40 years, patterns formed at home with family, at school with teachers and classmates, patterns formed with co-workers, patterns formed with my husband and my son. Some patterns can be good and helpful, like a routine. But other patterns can be harmful, and I'm having to face my own limited beliefs and my own behavior within those patterns because that is all that I can control.
There are a lot of techniques learned in the study of LOA-- meditation, vision boards, journaling, affirmations, and probably more that I just haven't learned about yet. But there has to come a time when you just have to stop and believe. Dreams are coming true. Changes are being made. Looking back over time it's easier to see them. Living through the changes, day after day, we are too close to them. We aren't seeing the forest because we're only seeing the trees right in front of us.
During the church service on Mother's Day there was a song that touched this part of me, the part of me that is still trying so hard to do this right, even as I know there is no "right" way to do anything. These are all just tools, all just ways to feel good, to feel better. But sometimes we just need to be in the moment, right now, and stop trying to "make" something happen. Sometimes we just need to believe. Our blessings are here, right now, and more are coming.
The song is Jesus, I am Resting, Resting. The verse follows:
Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus, I behold the as thou art.
And thy love so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart.
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need.
Compasseth me round with blessings, thine is love indeed.
There are a lot of techniques learned in the study of LOA-- meditation, vision boards, journaling, affirmations, and probably more that I just haven't learned about yet. But there has to come a time when you just have to stop and believe. Dreams are coming true. Changes are being made. Looking back over time it's easier to see them. Living through the changes, day after day, we are too close to them. We aren't seeing the forest because we're only seeing the trees right in front of us.
During the church service on Mother's Day there was a song that touched this part of me, the part of me that is still trying so hard to do this right, even as I know there is no "right" way to do anything. These are all just tools, all just ways to feel good, to feel better. But sometimes we just need to be in the moment, right now, and stop trying to "make" something happen. Sometimes we just need to believe. Our blessings are here, right now, and more are coming.
The song is Jesus, I am Resting, Resting. The verse follows:
Simply trusting thee, Lord Jesus, I behold the as thou art.
And thy love so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart.
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need.
Compasseth me round with blessings, thine is love indeed.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thinking About The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
You may have read The Metamorphosis by Kafka in high school or college. I don't know why but something made me think about the story today. Specifically the ending, although the beginning means something too.
If you're not familiar with the story, here is a link so you can read it:
http://www.kafka-franz.com/metamorphosis.htm">
The basic story is that Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to discover he is now a large bug. He's worried because he's the sole support in the family. It's been causing him a lot of stress. Now he's worried because hey, he's a bug. How is he going to care for his parents and his sister?
How many of us do this to ourselves? We burn out, possibly even getting sick (although hopefully not turning into bugs) because we don't give ourselves the time we need to recharge our batteries. We all need some respite, some vacation, sometimes.
Yes, sometimes things are for a season. Children won't be small forever. Puppies will eventually be house trained and they will stop chewing the furniture.
People will come and go at work, creating their own challenges. But we still need that respite at times. Moms, you need to take advantage of Mother's Day Out programs and weekly babysitters. We need to sometimes put the puppy in its crate while we cry over our chewed shoes. We need to focus on the good things at work, but nothing is wrong with using your vacation days and not checking in at the office.
It's okay to love yourself.
Back into the story now. Gregor's family discovers what happened. They begin taking care of him but they are concerned about money too. What are they going to do? Well, some changes have to take place. The three of them got jobs and they took in two boarders to help pay the bills. While things were a struggle at first - figuring out how to do things they'd always depended on Gregor to do - they eventually started doing well.
While it seemed at first Gregor's change was a bad thing - I'm sure it was to him - the rest of the family finally had to make some changes in themselves. Once Gregor got out of the way and stopped taking responsibility for them, they had to take responsibility for themselves.
There has to come a point in life when we finally say, okay, enough. Some may say it's selfish of us to do this, but we have to say I'm going to live my dream. I'm going to make a choice. That may mean changing in a radical way - moving, quitting a job, getting a divorce, getting married, starting a business, writing a novel during lunch breaks and after dinner. It means doing whatever it takes to live your dreams. That may mean telling someone, no, I'm sorry, I can't do that. And that feels wrong to so many of us. Aren't we supposed to be helpful?
But if we don't love ourselves, if we don't take the time to recharge our own batteries, if we don't do something to love ourselves, what will we become? Do we want to be the dead bug in the storage room or do we want to take the morning off work, enjoy a spring day and find the good in our lives?
If you're not familiar with the story, here is a link so you can read it:
http://www.kafka-franz.com/metamorphosis.htm">
The basic story is that Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to discover he is now a large bug. He's worried because he's the sole support in the family. It's been causing him a lot of stress. Now he's worried because hey, he's a bug. How is he going to care for his parents and his sister?
How many of us do this to ourselves? We burn out, possibly even getting sick (although hopefully not turning into bugs) because we don't give ourselves the time we need to recharge our batteries. We all need some respite, some vacation, sometimes.
Yes, sometimes things are for a season. Children won't be small forever. Puppies will eventually be house trained and they will stop chewing the furniture.
People will come and go at work, creating their own challenges. But we still need that respite at times. Moms, you need to take advantage of Mother's Day Out programs and weekly babysitters. We need to sometimes put the puppy in its crate while we cry over our chewed shoes. We need to focus on the good things at work, but nothing is wrong with using your vacation days and not checking in at the office.
It's okay to love yourself.
Back into the story now. Gregor's family discovers what happened. They begin taking care of him but they are concerned about money too. What are they going to do? Well, some changes have to take place. The three of them got jobs and they took in two boarders to help pay the bills. While things were a struggle at first - figuring out how to do things they'd always depended on Gregor to do - they eventually started doing well.
While it seemed at first Gregor's change was a bad thing - I'm sure it was to him - the rest of the family finally had to make some changes in themselves. Once Gregor got out of the way and stopped taking responsibility for them, they had to take responsibility for themselves.
There has to come a point in life when we finally say, okay, enough. Some may say it's selfish of us to do this, but we have to say I'm going to live my dream. I'm going to make a choice. That may mean changing in a radical way - moving, quitting a job, getting a divorce, getting married, starting a business, writing a novel during lunch breaks and after dinner. It means doing whatever it takes to live your dreams. That may mean telling someone, no, I'm sorry, I can't do that. And that feels wrong to so many of us. Aren't we supposed to be helpful?
But if we don't love ourselves, if we don't take the time to recharge our own batteries, if we don't do something to love ourselves, what will we become? Do we want to be the dead bug in the storage room or do we want to take the morning off work, enjoy a spring day and find the good in our lives?
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