Coaching

How Uncertainty Became My CEO

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 5 Conversations

 

The Aloha Guest Posts: While I’m away on vacation a few of my extraordinary friends will be keeping the fire stoked, sharing their wisdom and enthusiasm for living out loud. First up is Padma Maxwell of Get Your Thrive On who’s walking her talk, following her own dreams wherever they take her and as you’ll see she’s not always sure where that is!

 

Uncertainty consistently showed up at my door unexpected and uninvited. Yet, when I’d open the door, she didn’t say anything, she just stared at me. She was by far the most unsocial and unfriendly neighbor I had. I was always intimidated when I’d see her and unsure how to even hold a conversation with her.

She’d sit on her front porch watching the neighborhood go about their routines with a glare of “I told you so” in her eyes.

One afternoon, I was struggling with some heavy machinery in my garden and no one offered to help, except for Uncertainty. She came to my aid and devised an alternate solution to tilling my flowerbed. She was silent but offered her full attention and effort.

I had no idea how hard Uncertainty was willing to work to help out a stranger.

So, I invited her over for a home-cooked meal.  After a bottle of Cab Sauvignon, I shared with her my secret idea for a documentary project.

woman made of puzzle piecesI was a little embarrassed because it was after all, just an idea; a crazy one at that.

I knew nothing about films, cameras or managing a project.

She didn’t laugh or tell me how unrealistic it was going to be to pull it off.

Quite shockingly, her response were four words that changed my life. . .

“Let’s do this together.”

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Ruminating on Waves

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 9 Conversations

 

“The ocean takes care of each wave ’til it gets to shore.” – Rumi

I’ve always loved the ocean.

It soothes me when troubled.

Inspires me when open.

And calms me when in need.

Reliable as the tides.

“It is easy to believe we are each waves and forget we are also the ocean.” – Jon J. Muth

waves rolling in at dog beach, Kits Point, Vancouver, BC

“The wave is the same as the ocean, though it is not the whole ocean. The Ocean can exist without the waves, but the waves cannot exist without the Ocean.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

You are the same as the people you admire and respect.

They’re just riding a different wave.

It’s easy to forget you are part of something bigger than yourself.

Something as big as the ocean.

You’re afraid to believe that you are that big.

But believe it or not. . .

You are that big.

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Get Up, Stand Up

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 17 Conversations

 

“The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” – Paolo Coelho

black & white knock out at boxing match

How many times have you given up after 2 or 3 falls?

 

What stories did you tell yourself afterwards?

What did you decide about you?

I’m guessing if it weren’t you stopping you it’d be rather entertaining, possibly mystifying  but nowhere near as frustrating as it really is.

Am I right? (annoying aren’t I?)

“While you are building habits, it is 100% certain that you will be failing, not just a few times, but often.” – Julien Smith

Thing is, whether it’s starting a business, pursuing a dream or planning the next phase of your life, it’s tough to go it alone.

I know because I’ve got a pretty fierce dose of the Lone Ranger syndrome myself. It goes like this. . .

  • I don’t need any help.
  • I can do it myself.
  • Are you suggesting I can’t?
  • Watch me!

It’s a vicious cycle that can go on indefinitely and knock me out cold. Why? Because when I’m in that place, no one can contribute or offer support.

No one can make a difference and it’s painful.

“Would-be entrepreneurs who hold onto everything and try to do it all themselves usually sputter, then tumble.” – newenterprise

So the question is. . .

Who’s in your corner?

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21 Quotes To Crush Your Someday Thinking

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 29 Conversations

 

‎Today I am sharing my favourite someday crushing quotes; the ones I go to myself when I need a reminder that there is NO someday.

silver flying pig piggy bank

1.  “Make today worth remembering.” – Zig Ziglar

2.  “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

I’m with Steve on this one. Your heart really does know what you want and when you trust your intuition your someday thinking doesn’t stand a chance.

3.  “Someday is now.” – Gaddy Bergmann

4.  “Life’s greatest tragedy is not that it will someday end, but that most only live to follow directions and sometimes we end up totally lost.” – Alex Gaskarth

This one breaks my heart and it’s why I do the work I do.

5.  “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

You know how I feel about regrets right? Do what you need to do to NOT have them.

6.  “There are only 7 days in the week & “someday” is not one of them.” –Rita Chand

Rita is someone who lives life out loud, going after her dreams in a way that leaves someday thinking in the dust. Who do you have in your life that inspires and motivates you to action?

7.  “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

Whose life are you living? Parents, teachers, mentors – all can inspire but they can also pull you away from your calling. Start listening to your heart instead of the voices around you. It knows. Continue reading →

Where Your Heart Is, There You Will Find Your Treasure

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 9 Conversations

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

 

Whether he meant them to be or not, when my father-in-law threw these items into the box at the back of his closet they took on new meaning. Did he ever think that one day I would go through the box and wonder?

For I did wonder at these treasures.

Why had he kept them? What meaning did they hold? What did they tell me about this man I loved and admired?

And so I examined Malcolm’s treasures.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” – Paulo Coelho

They spoke to me of a life of curiousity and passion, a life of many and varied interests. They spoke to me of values.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 22 Conversations

 

When you look in the mirror what do you see?

Some days it’s not easy.

You look at your reflection in the mirror and feel an onslaught of thoughts, many of them negative as the lizard brain sings its song of seduction.

Maybe you barely look, glancing just long enough to comb your hair, brush your teeth or apply make-up.

Or maybe you use one of those scary magnifying mirrors so that all you can see are your parts.

eyes. . .brows. . .nose. . .ears. . .lips. . .teeth. . .skin. . . limbs

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?” – Rumi

And you are irritated by those parts; the ones you judge and assess, or compare against others.

 

Do you ever really see YOU?

Some days it’s not easy.

I know. I get it. But I have a different view.

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In Your Skin, On Fire from Within

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 27 Conversations

 

Once upon a time you were comfortable in your skin.

It may have been a long time ago, but you were.

You were born that way – fully, completely at home in your skin.

And then something happened.

Someone did something, someone said something. Self-consciousness was born and with it discomfort, as if your skin had become too tight.

What if you could go back to that time and remember the glorious feeling of “bien dans sa peau”?

Bien dans sa peau – literally translated means feeling well in your skin, at ease with yourself.

Well in your skin. 

I want that, don’t you?

“As if you were on fire from within. The moon lives in the lining of your skin.” – Pablo Neruda

seated nude

Well in my skin. . .I’m not sure I know what it means.

My curiousity aroused, I want to find out.

“it ain’t no sin, to take off your skin and dance around in your bones” – Tom Waits

If you’ve resolved to become more fully yourself, this is an invitation to explore and rewrite the story of who you are in your skin. For what gets in the way is most definitely a story you’ve listened to and repeated far too long.

Now is the time for a new story to emerge – a story of wholeness and being in your skin exactly the way you are.

And exactly the way you’re not.

You.

Fully yourself.

In your skin, on fire from within.

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brene Brown

 

Over to you:

  • Feel how your old story shows up in your body.
  • Now imagine wellness in your skin.

Which do you want more of?

I want to hear from you.

Tell me your thoughts in the comments below. 

 

 

Prompted by A Year With Myself, a year-long adventure in empowerment.

 

 

Replace Your Fear

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 20 Conversations

It’s time for a wake-up call.

Do you really need to have a health crisis or extreme emergency before pursuing what you want in life?

Many people live that way; it’s normal and common, but do you want to live that way?

Is it really that important to stay safe, look good, and maintain the status quo? None of those things are making you happy or fulfilling your dreams so why are they still getting so much air time?

If I could reach through the screen and give you a nudge I would. Because I’m passionate about living without regrets. And while this may seem like a rant, bear with me – I’m committed to something and I want to make sure you know it.

I’m committed to living out loud, as fully and as authentically as I can and sometimes that gets messy.

I’m OK with messy, and I’ll admit I even like to stir things up.

Occasionally someone will suggest I tone it down a bit (Do you really need to say those things, Sandi?) and sure, I could, but I don’t want to live that way.

I don’t want to live a toned down life, and I don’t think you do either.

Life gets messy. It’ll never be perfect. You’ll never get it all handled. And so what.

I’m not saying it’s easy. Some days I want to throw in the towel and take the easy path just as much if not more than you do.

But the truth is the easy path bores me to tears.

It’s not why we’re here.

I’m talking to you…the one who’s wasting your genius in that life-sucking job.

And you…the one oozing creativity in everything you do except for your work.

And you…the one who daydreams of living a life you love.

Someday. Maybe. Can you hear the death bell toll?

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Good News, Bad News

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 26 Conversations

 

The good news is

what you can be, you must be.

The bad news is

you can not change your roots.

 

An acorn must become an oak tree, 

and you must become you.

sunlight streaming through trees

Set aside your resolutions,

unleash your resolve and rest.

The space in between is patient,

the outcome is assured.

 

Then repeat after me. . .

“I resolve to become more fully myself.”

 

 

 

 

Prompted by A Year With Myself, a year-long adventure in empowerment.

 

 

 

The Space in Between

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 13 Conversations

 

Space. 

Vast and immeasurable, but not out there.

A space unlike any other.

A space not yet clear.

Not like the space that shows up reliably every January; a space that compels you to think of what you want for your life.

And not like the space of completion; an invitation to look back, reviewing and learning from what’s been.

This is the space in between – the unexamined field.

sitting on the beach in West VancouverAs often happens when I begin to explore an idea that’s been niggling at me, it seems to show up everywhere.

First, in my research on lightning, I learned there’s a word for the space between the moment you see lightning and when you hear the thunder -svaha – a word of mysterious origin, some say Native American, I say intriguing.

Then the space of anticipation, waiting for the first prompt of the year-long adventure A Year with Myself, and a question from Patti Digh that took me by surprise:

What spaces are you standing between?

When was the last time you thought about the space in between?

I let the question sink in until the hair on the back of my neck stood up, the magic of the prompt working its way through my consciousness.

The space in between.

Think of the times you’ve been uncertain or the moments of discomfort as you stretched way beyond what you know.

In between.

Did you rush to step into a more familiar, tried and true space or or pull back paralyzed by fear?

What is so terrifying about the space in between?

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