One. Small. Action.

Posted on May 25, 2011April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 26 Conversations

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am ‘I’? And if not now, when?” – Hillel the Elder

One day. Someday.

Wish I may, wish I might.

Good things come to those who wait.

WTF?

Good things come to those who take action on their wishes and dreams.

Even if it’s just one small action that nobody sees but you.

One. Small. Action.

Day after day those actions add up.

Day after day, action by action. Step by step.

The life you say you want, the dreams burning a hole in your chest – they depend on these small actions.

Over to you:

What dream have you put on hold?
What one action could you take today?

“Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

The Practice of NO

Posted on May 5, 2011March 19, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 21 Conversations

Ever notice how Italians say “No” with attitude?

It’s a big, decisive, full-bodied NO.

Curl your tongue to form a strong N.

Follow with a short punchy O.

Learning to say no with this kind of surety is the best way to say good-bye to overwhelm and resentment.

Because here’s the thing you’ve been avoiding. . .

How did you get to this point?

It’s not tough to figure out. I’ll bet you said yes quickly and without much thought. Yeah, I know. I’ve done it too.

You’re probably inundated every day. Requests, favours, tasks and a never-ending to-do list. It’s so damn easy to get caught up in saying yes.

(Which frequently sounds like, “sure, no problem, yup, any time” said with a weary smile on your face.)

I used to be a yes gal – an automatic “let me help you with your project/job search/relationship/fill-in-the-blank” frickin’ YES!

I admit it.

I love helping others, I’m easily inspired, and YES felt pretty damn good!

Until it didn’t.

Continue reading →

Today You Are You, That Is Truer Than True (or how I celebrated my birthday)

Posted on April 14, 2011April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 18 Conversations

48 years ago I burst into being.

It was Easter Sunday, I was two months early and took my mom by surprise. She says I’ve been impatient ever since. They say patience is a virtue, but it’s never been one of mine. Mostly, I’m not too upset about that.

I love birthdays. I always have and I always will.

What’s not to like?

Cake
Gifts
Parties
Surprises
Attention
Celebrations
Cards in the mail
Candles and wishes

I love. . .All. Of. It.

48 years.

And what I know without a doubt is I’m here to live out loud. I’m here to live authentically.

And I am here to help you shine.

Some days I feel like a supernova, burning so brightly I may explode before fading from view.

There’s an urgency I’m starting to feel. I’m on a mission to live as fully as George Bernard Shaw put forth in Man and Superman,

“I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations”.

Today I’m out celebrating a life well lived.

I’m not quite ready to hand over the torch, but I’m happy to share some things I’ve learned along the way.

Continue reading →

Her Name Was Lola

Posted on April 4, 2011April 16, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 66 Conversations

The time has come to unleash that part of yourself you’ve been holding back.

You know, that part of you that likes the spotlight, craves attention and is longing to shine like the gems on a showgirl’s. . .tiara!

YES! That part!

Let’s call this oh-so-sparkly part Lola!

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there

You might be thinking, “Hold on there! That’s crazy!”, what does Lola have to do with my life and business?

Everything!

And yes, I know Lola loses her mind at the end of the song, but let’s focus on the positive for now, ok?

So. . .what exactly is so appealing about Lola?

Two words – showgirl strut!

It’s a way of being that is unabashedly, unapologetically, out-there-in-the-limelight, shining like you really want to!

It’s a way of being that has you shine from the inside out, sharing yourself and your gifts in the way that would be most wildly fulfilling for you.

Look at this gorgeous showgirl in the photo!

For me, she’s the epitome of Lola, oozing confidence, radiance and presence. And her smile beams like a beacon!

That’s what I’m talking about, and if it takes feathers and high heels to get into character? Then so be it!

Mars Dorian said it this way, “If you want to have an exciting and incredible life, you must make your favourite personality traits 3 times more extreme.”

When I first read his post it reminded me of a leadership training I did many years ago. One assignment that we had to do for the duration of the 6 month program was to be 10 times more excited in life.

Can you imagine?!

I thought this would be a piece of cake! I mean really, I’m outgoing, an obvious extrovert and I’m usually pretty excited (and excitable) in life.

However, much to my surprise the assignment uncovered all the areas where I wasn’t fully myself, where I hid my light, suppressed what I wanted and played small. There were no sparkles and definitely no feather boas in sight!

Continue reading →

Relentless Got Me Here

Posted on March 22, 2011April 9, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 22 Conversations

re·lent·less

– showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace

Synonyms: determined, dogged, grim, implacable, unyielding, unflinching, unrepenting

Damn! Doesn’t sound very appealing does it?

But being relentless about something you want with your whole heart and soul?

Hell yeah, sign me up!

That’s what I’m talking about.

Being a force to be reckoned with, a dog-with-a-bone for something that burns from inside, keeping you up at night.

I have been called relentless.

Ugh. At first it made me cringe.

It triggered that primal “Will they like me? or Will they kick me out of the tribe?” fear.

But…then I got to thinking…and realized this relentless part of me has generated a lot of satisfaction and joy in my life.

This dogged-unflinching-unrelenting part has got me here, to my 100th blog post.

That may not sound like a big deal, but here’s the thing…

Continue reading →

Leaning Out

Posted on March 5, 2011April 9, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 15 Conversations

Juliet's balcony

I used to live in a loft in a hip part of town. Too hip for me I sometimes thought.

The loft had a European style balcony; not really a balcony at all but rather a railing just beyond the door with maybe a foot of standing room.

The year I lived there was one of the most challenging of my life.

My business which had started off strong was struggling; my confidence diminishing daily. And the root of it all was a story.

A story that, over time, became a touchstone worn smooth in my pocket. Sometimes I would finger it lovingly, speaking it aloud like a mantra. Other times I’d bring it out into the light, examining it from every angle.

Once in awhile, the story would keep me from sleep, and I would write. Pages and pages of story. With each telling it became more detailed, more real, more damaging to both my mind and my heart.

One part of me knew the story was a lie. But I hung onto it like a drowning man to a life preserver.

Why would I do that?

The story had ceased to be a story.

The story had become the truth.

Continue reading →

Crushing on Men With Pens

Posted on February 18, 2011April 9, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 12 Conversations

James Chartrand got my attention early on in my foray into social media. I was intrigued by her humour, wit and presence, whether on a Men With Pens blog post or in a 140 character tweet.

And yes, you read that right.

Her story is both shocking and inspiring, and like many who commented on this initial reveal, I was surprised that it’s still an issue in this century.

The tagline for this series is Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things, and James is a perfect example of what I mean by that.

She did what needed to be done – to raise a family, have a successful and fulfilling career, and thrive in a society that still takes issue with gender.

What’s uncommon is that she did it without fanfare. She simply did what it took.

The lesson in that IS extraordinary.

It’s easy to let circumstances stop you. At some point, you’ve probably thought, “It’s not the right time to…start a business, pursue your dream, commit to a relationship” etc.

Newsflash: It’s NEVER the right time. The circumstances and your reasons will always be there. That’s life. But you can choose to focus on what you want instead. Reasons or results. Choose.

That’s the part of James’ story that really inspires me. She had a lot of reasons – to play small, get a job and survive. But she didn’t. She took a bold, gauntlet-has-been-thrown stand for living life on her terms.

Continue reading →

Playing the Game of Love

Posted on February 14, 2011March 19, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 9 Conversations

What’s this talk of a game?

Call me crazy, but I think love is a game.

And like all games, how you play makes all the difference.

Before we get into the “rules”, let me share a bit of my story and what changed my thoughts on love.

You see, my heart was broken once, long ago.

So very broken.

It felt irreparable and I believed that life would never be the same.

And it wouldn’t be the same. Ever.

How could it be?

No matter how hard you try to repair something, it can never be what it once was.

That’s not to say it can’t be better, but I never thought of it that way all those years ago.

I simply felt damaged. Broken beyond repair.

Jasmine Lamb says, “Most of us long for love, look out for love, worry we are too late for love, but not enough of us live love.”

Jasmine is so very right.

Continue reading →

Explanations Be Damned

Posted on February 10, 2011March 19, 2014 by Sandi Amorim 13 Conversations

“A warrior of light knows what he wants. And he has no need to waste time on explanations.” – Paulo Coelho

How much time do you spend explaining yourself to others?

20 minutes? An hour? More?

Imagine for a moment, striding out into the world and offering your gift boldly, without hesitation, without concern.

Imagine drawing a line in the sand, a demarcation that announced for all to hear,

“This is my work damn it, and I’m going to shine like nothing you’ve ever seen before!”

Right now, go on, say it.

Let. It. Out.

From deep within your belly. Let the world know what you’re up to. It’s waiting for you to take that step.

And once you do, life transforms.

It’s time.

To get out of your own way.
To stop withholding your gifts.
To stop suppressing your joy and passion.
To stop playing small when you were meant to shine like that brilliant star Sirius!

“Your work is to discover your work, and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” ~ Buddha

You know what you want.

It’s time to get real about it, because this is all you’ve got. . .

Reasons or results.

Fuck the explanations and choose.

Igniting revolution from the inside out.

Coaching

One. Small. Action.

WTF?

One. Small. Action.

Over to you:

“Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

The Practice of NO

Today You Are You, That Is Truer Than True (or how I celebrated my birthday)

Continue reading →

Her Name Was Lola

Relentless Got Me Here

Leaning Out

Crushing on Men With Pens

Playing the Game of Love

What’s this talk of a game?

Explanations Be Damned

Inspired by Paulo Coelho’s The Manual of the Warrior of Light, the warrior is a metaphor for those in pursuit of their dreams.