Posts Tagged "inspired action"

Appetite For Distraction?

Posted by LisaYoung in Big Ideas | 0 comments

The title of today’s post comes from something I heard in an audio book by Father Richard Rohr (@RichardRohrOFM) called “The Art of Letting Go“. In it, Richard talked about how we, as a collective society have fared more along the lines of Huxley’s “Brave New World” than we have Orwell’s “1984″. His thoughts circle around how we’ve done ourselves in by our chasing of pleasure, versus being controlled by Orwellian “pain”. Granted, Rohr is a Franciscan, so I expected him to speak to our materialist natures, but this particular part of the audio book hit me hard.

An “appetite for distraction” implies that the more we chase these pleasurable distractions, the less we focus on what really matters – on being our true selves and being able to be present to what life is about in the here and now.

The other morning I was immersed in part of a 40 day & night transformational process I’m developing.  In response to a writing prompt about what I believe about my business, I wrote down the following:

Jump, And The Net Will Appear

Posted by LisaYoung in Big Ideas, Faith, videos | 1 comment

This 4th grader has more intestinal fortitude than many adults I know. She is a great example of what we all do before taking the leap.

We try to talk ourselves into it. We obsess, we interrogate, we obsess some more.

We feel our nerves, sometimes we shy away from the edge, and we generally believe we’re not capable.

Then, with the encouragement of a guide, a mentor, a friend, someone around us, we give it a go.

When we come to the bottom of our 20 meter jump, we realize that it was the anxiety at the top of the hill that made it feel so crazy. We confidently say that a 60 meter jump is nothing now. We can do it because we’ve got experience with the smaller jump.

But that first jump… it’s a doozy!

Your Old Testament

Posted by LisaYoung in Big Ideas, Faith | 7 comments

I have an incredibly good friend that did me a huge favor this week.

It’s Spring break around these parts, and that meant BOTH my boys would be home all week long, bored to tears as Mom and Dad are both working. Granted, I work from home, but we’ve been very clear with the boys about the boundaries I’ve set about work time and non-work time. Besides, I’ve got blog posts to write, a screenplay in development, and a few other writing projects going on. Not to mention coaching calls for both myself and my clients.

So it’s not a vacation for Mom.

In light of this, my friend Mike volunteered to whisk my kids away for a few days, and then another friend volunteered to host my teenager. This gave me plenty of time to complete projects at record speed around the house and in my business.

It also gave me a lot of time to marinate in the silence of my home.

The Power of Slow

Posted by LisaYoung in Big Ideas | 8 comments

My five year old came up to me the other day and asked if he could have a motorcycle.

“Um, let’s see if you can figure out how to work the scooter you got for Christmas first, honey.”

Seems logical, right? But in the moment of watching his mini-tirade about wanting to “go fast” and “sit up high” I was reminded of my own tirades against “paying my dues” in the various professions and industries I’ve served over the years.

Wishes

Posted by LisaYoung in Faith | 2 comments

So my birthday is coming up fast… and for some reason, over the past few years, I didn’t enjoy my birthday like I used to.

It’s not because I’m getting older.

It’s because somewhere along the line, I’d given over my power to someone else.

I’ve been waiting for someone else to “make me happy” on my birthday.

Holding my breath in the days before my birthday to see what my husband was going to do to celebrate.

Waiting with baited breath as I unwrapped a gift hoping it would be something I was wanting.

Instead of taking charge of my own celebration.

See, I had always wished that someone would do up a big ol’ surprise party with balloons, a pretty cake, fun music and lots of smiles. I wished I would open presents galore, be surrounded by family and friends, and generally just feel a whole lotta love in the room.

But for all the wishing, there was no action.

Some years, husband manages to get me a card, sometimes not. Sometimes there’s a gift, sometimes “it’s in the mail.” Last year, I got so excite when my facebook wall was filled with birthday greetings. I spent most of the day replying, saying thanks. Somehow, I felt “loved” because so many people (most likely prompted by facebook’s birthday application) took a minute to give me birthday greetings.

It got me to thinking about where I had given up my power in my own life…

And I’ve been a fool to leave celebrating my life in the hands of others.

This isn’t about trust. It’s about valuing myself enough to ask for what I want and enjoy life my way.

Why in God’s name am I wishing for someone else to do something that I could easily make happen myself?

I can pick up a phone, invite my friends and family to come together and celebrate my birthday. I can select a gift for myself that I really enjoy. I can play wonderful music and I certainly know a friend or two that can craft an exceptional cake.

In my coaching practice, I talk about “the magic bullet” that clients come looking for – that panacea that will cure all their ills – the ruby slippers that make all the pain and effort go away.

In life, we can fall prey to this same concept in insidious ways: giving our power over to other people in our lives – or other people we want in our lives. Instead of taking charge of our own happenings, we “step back” and hope that someone will step in to handle something for us, when we’re completely qualified and capable of doing it ourselves.

“But it’s my birthday… I shouldn’t be in charge of my own party! That’s kind of selfish, isn’t it?”

Well, I’d rather be a little self indulgent and enjoy myself, than be a miserable “martyr” – wouldn’t you?

Plus, I’ve made a commitment to be more intentional about not living in the “shoulds”, thankyouverymuch!

2012 has a lot to live up to. I expect some amazing things to happen – and I plan on making as much of it happen as possible, instead of waiting around for someone else do “handle it” for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still asking for help, making more friends, and doing my utmost to practice self-care. At the same time, I’m stepping back into that person I was years ago when I learned how to record and produce two full-length albums all on my own.

I’m ready to celebrate. What about you?