The Heart Transcends Words

I just got back into town from a whirlwind four-day speaking gig in Guadalajara. I don’t know what I was thinking, but everybody speaks Spanish down there. With great humility I held my own during the conference thanks to the translator that instantly translated my messages from English to Spanish, and then backwards when others were speaking to me.  But, during the afternoon workshop, when an instructor asked us to turn and talk to the person next to us, I found myself looking into the eyes of a young woman from Venezuela who spoke only Spanish with no interpreter at either of our sides.

Like an elephant in the room, years of my attempts to become fluent in Spanish and the repeated anxiety it caused me in all previous situations I had been given to flex my second language’s linguistic muscles arose.  But, hearts do speak. And as I looked into Shirley’s eyes and studied the features of her face I could not help but feel her heart reaching out in an attempt to connect with me.  The desire in me to not disappoint her had me searching reams of Spanish curriculum tucked away in the recesses of my mind, without anxiety, for the words and phrases that could cross this divide. In finding even the most basic of words to begin conversation, I discovered her passion was teaching the children of Venezuela spiritual principle so they could go confidently through life.

By the time the process had come to a close, I couldn’t ever remember having so much fun attempting to speak Spanish.  I wasn’t too self-conscious because that silliness was overwritten by the joy I found in attempting to find words to convey my thoughts and feelings.  I don’t know how silly I may have sounded to Shirley but she was most gracious as her eyes twinkled in an attempt to understand what I was saying. I may never see Shirley again but I will always remember the heart’s desire to understand transcends all- even a language barrier.

Finding Your Inspiration

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover  is yourself." Alan Alda

Inspiration is everywhere you look. From the common to the incredible, everything can take your breath away and leave you astounded. 

When you remain leery and guarded, you are not available for the fantastic. It's up to you to explore and be curious. What you'll find is your creative voice. When you are comfortable in your own skin, no longer second-guessing, people will feel the essence of your being and your passion for life. You will be a radiant transparency of the Divine. 

While some may feel your reality comes from the realm of fantasy, don't allow their projections to become your creative blocks diminishing your glow. Everyone is entitled to their own perspectives, but it has nothing to do with your genius. 

Embrace your joy, it's right for you to shine right now. This is not the time to hold back your creative gifts. The world needs the beauty you've been entrusted to deliver. 

It's time to go full out for what you love so you can turn your fantasy into a fantastic reality. You do this by feeling the power of something greater coming through you.

Find yourself a super hero theme song that just makes you feel great when you hear it. Come up with an empowering phrase that inspires you when you repeat it. Create a power move or stance that triggers your confidence. Get yourself a talisman that will remind you of your fantastic power, and allow it to activate you every day. 

It Takes Guts To Follow Through

"I live a creative life and you can't live a creative life without being vulnerable. I believe creativity and fear are basically conjoined twins; they share all the same major organs, and cannot be separated, one from the other without killing them both. And, you don't want to murder creativity just to destroy fear!" Elizabeth Gilbert

What if it's terrible? What if I blow it? What if I waste valuable resources? What if I embarrass myself? It takes guts to get going and keep going in life when you hear all the reasons why it's not a good idea. Creativity isn't something you do, it's who you are. The creative life is a vulnerable way of being. Allow your concern to be the fuel to the furnace of your creative spirit that drives you beyond your limiting concepts. 

Those anxious images can become the same fodder to empower you to follow through with your vision. Ask yourself, what's the payoff of holding onto your fright? your medium of expression...whether it's paints, business, writing, music, or textiles...it's your doorway to the Infinite.

Are you able to wander through to the other side wide-eyed and open? Discover a new significance while paying attention and interpreting, through your individual lens. That bright-eyed creative kid you used to be was fearless, where is s/he? 

Unless you uncover yourself from the accumulating mounds of responsibilities and busyness, how will you ever find the energy to explore your creative self? It takes guts to get out from underneath all you've taken on, but unless you've got fresh energy, you'll never find what it takes to follow through on what is tantalizing your soul for expression. 

Try this. Go to a Farmers Market where all has not been homogenized but diversity of expression is the selling feature. Embrace how unique each vendor is with his/her creative offering. H

How different is each one's display in telling the story of who they are? Pay attention as you allow your sense to heighten to the smells, sounds, and sights. Become aware of how differently the produce is packaged.

Rebel Roar

"The real power of the Buddha was that he had so much love. He saw people trapped in their notions of their small separate self, feeling guilty or proud of that self. he offered revolutionary teachings that resounded like a lion's roar, like a great rising tide that helped people to wake up and break free from the prison of ignorance." Thich Nhat Hanh

How can you be a rebel if you are stuck, tired and worn out? Sitting all day is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Your body must be in motion sometime through the course of the day. If sitting in a car, behind a desk, at a dining room table, on a couch or in front of a screen constitutes most of your day, your body isn't happy. If your body isn't getting its daily dosage of exercise, it's tough for it to support the rebel in you. Your body is a divine conduit that gets recharged and activated by movement. 

There is great value in listening to the voice within, but if you lack the energy to deliver on the inner direction, how will you be the bringer of the new? The rebel in your wants to express and be heard. There is a creative part of your spirit that desires to express in its unique way, but if your delivery system lacks vibrancy, it gets tougher, over the years, to break the habit of focusing on the lack of vitality. The rebel is enthusiastic and excited to be the channel for what's fresh and possible. 

Where has your tiredness impacted your zest for life and stopped supporting the part of you who is enthused to roar out the new creative expression? 

Get out and get your body moving today. Get your heart pumping an dthat means more than just 15 minutes. Go for a bike ride, walk on the beach, get out on the tennis court, anything that gets your muscles moving and circulates fresh air through your body and provides oxygen-rich blood to your brain. 

You Came to Give Not Get

"The key to abundance is meeting limited circumstances with unlimited thoughts." Marianne Williamson

As a child, did you dream of some wonderful things you were going to do and be when you grew up? What happened to those dreams? You came to this world to allow Spirit an avenue to creatively give life to those expressions. That fearless dreamer is still alive in you, waiting to share its gifts in the world. 

Somewhere along the path, the purpose in life got switched from givign the gifts, talents and those things that turn you on and make time disappear to, "What can I get from this world, store and hoard?" The thinking shifted from "How much can I get paid," rather than "What can I contribute that brings me joy?"

Do what you love and life will support you. It doesn' t matter what turned that spark off. If you want it turned back on, step outside your normal behavior and disrupt your typical patterns of expression. You'll find that wellspring of abundant blessing again, right beyond where you've been operating. 

So, get curious and let that spark ignite and rekindle the latent passion, bypassing the rational mind while seeking the unexpected from within. Be like that child who was delighted in the surprise the dreams would bring. The heart reveals what you love in an affluent flow of limitless potential thorugh your dreams and visions when you are available. 

Here's something to try...Spend today writing with your non-dominant hand. go to a different grocery store and buy only food you don't typically purchase for a meal. 

Think Big and then Bigger!

"When I'm operating at my best, my work is my prayer. It comes out of the same place that prayer comes out of - the center, the heart." - Matthew Fox, PH.D. 

Why have you buried your creative talent? Where did you get discouraged? Was there someone who told you that you weren't capable? Life can intimidate the artist in you. The critical spirit becomes cruel when it starts comparing your gifts to others. Have you recently found the joy in actively seeking God's support in developing your gifts? 

Life tends to support you in greater ways when you bring greater value than the last time around. How can you develop your gifts that will make you more desirable? 

The beauty of the creative expression is that it calls for you to be unique in bringing what you've got to the next level. It's your spirit longing to emerge. 

Life loves a welcoming channel to move through. Your hgih expression is the activity that God is having through you. As you develop your ability to deliver your creative expression in a greater way, your joy and satisfaction increase while making your gifts naturally become more valuable. 

Think big and then think bigger, and do what it takes today to move your creative expression to the next level. 

Any Step Leads to the Next Step

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Lao Tzu

When it comes to taking the next step, you can struggle over it and be trapped in analysis and paralysis or you can move from worry to warrior mode. You don't always get the nice, neat directional map from Point A to Point B in life. What you do get to know is that your next step leads you to what's next. 

Your willingness to go for your creative expression and its next step in life will teach and make you better at delivering your gifts.

So, go explore, investigate and taste the new flavors of life. It's the empty canvas that will teach you to paint, it's the blank screen that will call forth your writings, it's sitting in the silence that you learn what the inner voice sounds like. All you venture into will lead you to where you are to go.

The old saying is, ' you have to start where you are'. You've got to get going if you want some exposure to experience, possibilities and Divine interaction. no matter where your creative urges take you, you must be willing to let go of the prospects of perfection and be present for what's next. Surrender to the joy of the process and your soul will be bursting with exuberance. 

What self-expression in your life have you been holding back on because you think you aren't quite good enough? Stop that and take that first step to its expression today.