Vibrantly Alive Women » Sparkle

Winning despite…

Shawn — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:49:42 +0000

Hallelujah!

Had a great day today! WHOO HOOOOO! I delivered a presentation to a new group of people…not people who would typically be “my people.” Oh, the mistakes I made!! Some really big blunders like misreading the audience and the energy level I “should” have delivered from. But the point was I stepped out of my comfort zone, did the presentation and for the most part, HAD FUN! Using what I’ve learned through Speaking Circles, I felt a wonderful connection with some of the people in the group. I felt like I was very much myself – and some liked that, others didn’t and I realized (after some licking of my wounds) that was okay. I got some great feedback, including a couple of “ouches” that gave me great information for ways to improve. What a win!!

Perhaps the biggest win is that I did so much wrong and still had a good time being myself, sharing some of what I love and am learning about embracing change. I have a lot of room for improvement and I did okay (most of the feedback was positive).

Most importantly, I did my “job.” I sparkled. I couldn’t help it! Not everyone liked it or got it – and the ones who did, did. How perfect is that? This day has been a huge win and miracle. I feel like I’m saying ‘yes’ to life in a big way. I love it! This is what I want to share with other women – saying ‘yes’ to life!

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Feeling vibrant

Shawn — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:51:54 +0000

Feeling Vibrant. A gal in a yellow, sparkly dress, face aglow with a hearty laugh.

Yeah, that’s vibrant. I have that picture in my office, a part of a treasure map I did in one of Maria Nemeth’s courses. Next to the gal in the yellow sparkles and the belly laugh is the word vibrant. I’ve had this piece of the treasure map on my wall for several years now – it’s one of those “touchstones” that reminds me of who and how I want to be.

I’m pretty sure I was made to feel vibrant, because it just feels so good, so natural, so alive! Feeling like the Light of God is twinkling in every single cell. Actually, I think we were all made to feel vibrant! What would it be like if each of us was more aware of the Light of God in our beings, more of the time? What if we could wash off the dust that accumulates and begin to see/remember that Light within us? What if we could remember who we are and feel alive and vibrant more often?

Feeling the love and light of God coursing through your being, twinkling in every cell. I don’t think it gets much better than that.

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Love and Sparkles

Shawn — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:53:09 +0000

A dear friend forwarded this message from “The Universe” – great thought-provoking or inspiring tidbits from Mike Dooley. It’s a fun one! You can sign up to receive his musings up to five times a week.

Did you know that whenever you feel love, you literally begin to glow? You probably did.

But did you know that the glowing is actually made up of zillions of minute sparkles? And that these sparkles receive as much energy as they create? And that because of this energy exchange you completely stop aging and look younger? Abundance is immediately drawn to you? Healing powers fill you? Muscles are strengthened, pounds are shed, and your vision improves? Lingering questions are answered? New friends are summoned? Old friends are poked? Problems are solved? And maple syrup tastes more maple-y?

All when you feel love.

It’s true -
The Universe

Can you feel your sparkle? Just imagine what you’d feel like if you knew, really knew you were sparkling…even now!

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Water Sparkles

Shawn — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:03:41 +0000

sparkles on water

Sparkling is the glint of light on water or ice or the light of the Divine being reflected in the mirror of our hearts or souls.

When we clean or polish our mirrors and align them with the light of God, His Light sparkles our soul. We become more beautiful, more light.

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Delight

Shawn — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:59:07 +0000

Watching a YouTube video of Barack Obama on Ellen DeGeneres’ show made me realize, yet again, how impressed I am by this man who will be president of the United States. There is something about him that seems so genuine and so accessible. His election signals a major change for the country, and maybe for us as a people. What would our country be like if we all do step up more, dream more, work for our dreams more? This video of Mr. Obama dancing makes me smile. It makes me wonder what life would be like if more of us just started dancing more; if more of us could break free from our shoulds and have-tos and could just be ourselves. And appreciate who we are, just as we are. Not that we wouldn’t want to keep growing and keep improving, but that we could appreciate our own unique qualities and share them more fully with others. What if we could delight in being ourselves? I think of little children who are able to do that and think how wonderful life could be if we carried a lot more of that delight into adulthood, into our work, into our relationships.

I think I’m fortunate to have been built the way I’ve been and to have had opportunities to explore more of my own inner world. For the most part, I love being me…even if I do whine and gripe and cry about the state of my closets or desk tops. Yeah, I’d like to be more consistent with follow through, and yet there’s not a whole lot I’m desperate to change. I feel so blessed to be able to do the work I do – and in the vein of authenticity, to be able to offer a workshop like “Listening is Love.“ It’s just the best to be able to facilitate people connecting at a heart-to-heart level and share themselves more and more authentically!

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Living music

Shawn — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:33:34 +0000

The Music
For sixty years I have been forgetful,
every minute, but not for a second
has this flowing toward me stopped or slowed.
I deserve nothing. Today I recognize
that I am the guest the mystics talk about.
I play this living music for my host.
Everything today is for the host.
- Rumi
What if we lived our lives as though we were the Living Music? Would we be living differently? What would be different?

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well behaved women

Shawn — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:29:29 +0000

Well-behaved women rarely make history. – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote those (or very similar) words in an article, Vertuous Women Found: New England Ministerial Literature, 1668-1735 . American Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Spring, 1976), pp. 20-40
doi:10.2307/2712475

“Cotton Mather called them the “the hidden ones.” They never preached or sat in a deacon’s bench. Nor did they vote or attend Harvard. Neither, because they were virtuous women, did they question God or the magistrates. They prayed secretly, read the Bible through at least once a year, and went to hear the minister preach even when it snowed. Hoping for an eternal crown, they never asked to be remembered on earth. And they haven’t been. Well-behaved women seldom make history…”

I smile whenever I read those last words. Makes me feel like being sassy is okay. Or if not sassy, at least being able to stand up for what we believe. Although today being a virtuous woman is pretty much taking a stand against the “norm.” Living a life in hopes of that “eternal crown” may seem very out of tune with our culture.

March is Women’s History Month. What’s the history you’d like to make? Do you write it down? One of the reviewers of Ms. Ulrich’s recent book, “Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History” wrote that “history isn’t simply what happened in the past; it is what later generations choose to remember.” We can help future generations remember by telling our stories.

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What’s mine to do

Shawn — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:39:37 +0000

Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.
- Henry Ford

Have you ever found something you were really passionate about…a thought or idea that you knew was “yours” to build on, even though it might seem unlikely to others? I’ve come, grudgingly, to realize the idea of inner sparkle is “mine.” Being a fairly serious sort much of the time, this sparkle idea often seems unlikely to me, let alone others to whom this gift hasn’t been given. For months, I’ve really tried to put it aside, pretend it isn’t there, get on to more serious subjects…important subjects. Railing at God that He must have something more important for me to be working on than (aack!) sparkle. Yet the railing does little good, and for my own sanity, I work to investigate my negative thoughts and obstacles to seeing sparkle as something not only valid, but valuable to many people, perhaps even key to living a more joyous and productive life. Couldn’t that thought be just as true?

One of the hiccups is that the word sparkle has the connotation of “bling” but that’s not the kind of sparkle I’m talking about. I’m talking enthusiasm and joy, awe and wonder,204545936_fa331c0bb0_m.jpg appreciation and gratitude for this amazing life.Â Letting ourselves fill with those qualities. Fill to overflowing, so that they overflow and send sparkle on to the next person. I smile when I think of those people I’ve seen who are our natural sparklers. People can’t help but lightening up around those kinds of folks. Maybe it’s that they strike something within us that has been covered over and now gets a chance to shine. I think it’s time that more sparkle does happen. More light, more inner peace, more joy, more hope. With this inner sparkle, this enthusiasm, our hopes and dreams may shine to the stars. Do I want to live like that? Do I find that valuable? Do I want to be filled with awe and wonder and enthusiasm? Uhhhhh, yeah.

What would your life be like with more inner sparkle, more enthusiasm? What would you be up to? What makes your heart smile? Where and how can you find more of that?

photo: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/204545936_fa331c0bb0_m.jpg

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What is calling you out of hiding?

Shawn — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:56:06 +0000

As a part of starting a new year, I am in the process of changing many things. Over the last year, I’ve recognized that my work has been changing, taking on a slightly different theme from the one I’d originally started with. I noticed I hadn’t been using my old cards for some time because they no longer “felt right.” So, several months ago, I began working with a long-term friend of mine, Billy Hill , to remodel my logo. “Have you put it on anything besides stationery?” asked Kathy Mallary , somewhat bewildered by my “hiding out.” “Does it have some significance for you? Does it express you and your work is some meaningful way? If so, then let people know about it!” she said. So, here is my remodeled logo – which has tremendous significance for me! The dancer element was the one piece I didn’t want to lose, for a variety of reasons. First of all, even though I’ve not been trained as a dancer, my soul dances all the time, so a logo that expresses me and my work, would naturally include a dancer. This dancer, in particular, leaps with joy and abandon. Secondly, the body of the dancer is made up of a “J” (for Joyous) and an “L” (for Life) – for Joyous LifeWorks. The circle is significant, to me, because it represents being able to come out of one’s shell…sensing the opening and leaping for it…undaunted, and with joy!

Coming out of hiding, coming out from a shell. Exciting, invigorating, a little scary…just because it’s new. Does every new year hold this much hope? Probably, although, maybe because I am getting older, I’m wanting to make “sure” I live my life full out, so each day seems to hold more opportunity – or at least more opportunity that I’m willing to reach for.

Inquiry

What are you hoping to leap for this year? What is calling you out of “hiding?”

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Your unique expression

Shawn — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 01:44:52 +0000

The other night I woke up in the middle of the night and for whatever reason, flipped on the television to the local PBS station. Christiane Northrup was speaking and began to quote famed dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy , a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. … No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others“‘

from The Life and Work of Martha Graham

I’m not certain how Ms. Graham defined “artist,” but the “vitality” and unique expression she spoke of fits many of us – or could! Perhaps it’s because it’s the new year, or that I spent a good portion of my holidays with family members in their 70′s and 80′s, that I am so wanting to take action to bring my own vitality and unique expression into the world and encourage that in others as well.Â What happens if we shut our expression off? Are we somehow depriving the world of some very special gift (even if we don’t see that gift as special)? What if we are all pieces of a magnificent puzzle and our “job” here is to be fully ourselves so that we can fill in our part of the puzzle completely. And if we don’t fully blossom, the pieces of the puzzle just don’t fit together the way they were designed to. Or maybe if you shut off your flow of divine inspiration, the person you were meant to feed or nurture or inspire doesn’t get what they need to grow and flourish. Maybe if we don’t keep the channel open, our own inner sparkle doesn’t get what it needs to flourish. And that inner sparkle is, in my opinion, what gives us the joy, enthusiasm, and passion to live a rich, full, peace-filled life. I am excited and enthused about keeping my channel open, fully aware that my passion for promoting “sparkle” is not for everyone. But as my dear friend and coach extraordinaire, Molly Gordon , told me: “Sparkle is your gift and your responsibillity.” It’s a puzzle piece I want to make sure gets plumped up!

Inquiry

What are some of your unique expressions? Do you recognize a “need” to shut them down in the face of “disapproval” or comparisons? What might help you keep your channel open?

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