authenticity

On Plans, Winging It, and Flexibility

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 6 Conversations

 

“Before you cross the street take my hand. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

It’s said John Lennon wrote these words about his experiences with his young son. At that point in his life, he was in his second marriage to Yoko Ono, fame had struck, and it would have been so very easy to get caught up in making plans.

It happens all the time.

Life gets busy, overwhelm and stress show up, and you bypass doing the right thing in favour of the fast or convenient thing.

You put off saying I love you, thinking you have all the time in the world.

Until you don’t.

Sometimes you’re given a moment of grace, and time slows down.

Sometimes, you embrace that moment and change all your plans.

For love,

family,

presence…

those parts of your life that make you whole.

You make room for flexibility.

You make requests.

You change your mind.

You choose what serves the moment, rather than the plans.

Just. Like. That.

Circumstances align, people show up, and your heart expands.

Life supports flexibility.

“No matter how many plans you make or how much in control you are, life is always winging it.” – Carroll Bryant

Life is always winging it.

Adapting, and evolving; that’s how we got here.

Which doesn’t mean never make plans.

Life isn’t an all or nothing game.

It means embrace what comes your way.

And trust you have everything you need.

 

8 Truths to Getting Unstuck and Reclaiming Your Freedom

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 40 Conversations

 

Then.

On the eve of her 49th birthday, she lay in bed wondering what had happened to her drive and enthusiasm for life. The tears kept her awake, as did the heightened awareness that she wasn’t happy, her experience of life one of feeling trapped.

Suffering doesn't make us weak; only an avoidance of suffering makes us weak. Sometimes the only way to get around it is to burn through it. - Marianne Williamson

She lay awake for hours shocked by this realization.

Some time in the middle of the night, she whispered to herself that she would do whatever it took to feel better; to cause a breakthrough for herself. She was so very good at doing it for others, and it was time to turn that attention and care to her Self.

This was hard for her to admit, given that her work was all about helping people enjoy a greater experience of life. She’d been using all the techniques and tools she’d learned over the years, but nothing had made a lasting difference.

That was me, April 14, 2012.

I had entered my own personal hell.

A year passed, and I turned 50.

365 days had gone by since that dark night of the soul, and while I’d made some changes, things were still looking pretty bleak. So much so that I was actually considering therapy and/or drugs to help me get through this phase, which seemed to have become my life.

That’s when I asked myself one very important question:

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get through?

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Telling the Truth About Love and Freedom

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 5 Conversations

 

“Freedom and love go together.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

Yes, they do, and this belief has caused a shift recently. . .

a seismic shift away from traditional coaching towards a more freedom-oriented way of working that focuses on harmony and integration rather than goals, productivity, and the usual suspects of the coaching world. That doesn’t mean you won’t get those results, but that you’ll get them with more ease and alignment with your values than you’ve ever experienced before.

And since I’m telling the truth here, this shift feels more like 6.3 on the Richter scale in the magnitude it’s had on my life and business.

Because as I’ve been mastering this new way of working with you, I’ve been going through it myself and the word that comes to mind is transformative; like those imaginal cells that have been at work for so long have finally completed their role.

What does that mean?

It means I really don’t give a crap about:

  • fine-tuning my niche
  • developing SEO practices
  • following traditional coaching guidelines
  • and other sundry tips from the experts on how to succeed online!

It means I’m trusting my gut and my soul’s whispers.

It means you get more of the depth and breadth of fifteen years of my own personal development and coaching journey.

“In the Freedom Sessions, Sandi brings knowledge, humor and genuine compassion to the process.  Everything is done in relationship, in an atmosphere of non-judgement.” – Ellen Berg

It means my deepest yearning is to cherish life in such a way that it exposes its tender heart.

It means I’m in service to that desire by focusing on love and freedom in every interaction.

It means my primary interest – and yes, I do have an agenda – is to help you expand into love and freedom in any area of your life where you currently experience struggle and constraints.

Love & Freedom collage by Sandi Amorim

This my friends, might be bad for SEO, but it’s right in every other way.

Especially in my heart.

Especially in my heart.

This Most Amazing Day

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 7 Conversations

 

e.e. cummings quote on image taken at Ruby Lake Resort, BC

Some days I don’t feel grateful.

I feel sullen and resentful, and a bit let down by this thing called Life.

Some days the pull towards the negative is like a strong undercurrent doing its best to pull me under.

I hear it often in my work, but I do my best not to go there; not to talk about it myself.

But the truth is, we all have those days, and moments in life that frustrate the hell out of us.

We all consider giving up at some point.

Until the choice becomes clear.

We can relax and let ourselves be pulled down into the deep, dark waters or. . .

We can refuse to succumb.

We can choose to find some small way to feel better, and reverse the flow of energy.

It’s not as difficult as we think:

  • a walk in nature
  • your toes in the ocean
  • acknowledging your yearnings
  • time with yourself and your journal
  • connecting with a loved one

Feeding your soul in any way that feels good to you.

Start there, and each small step or action will lead you slowly but surely back into resourcefulness.

 

There is No Finish Line

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 23 Conversations

 

“There is no finish line. There is no prize. There is no path, no schedule, no time line. There is no right direction, right choice, right way. All of that would imply there was something out there that is not here now. It would imply that there is something you could be that you are not now. You are the energy you are looking for. Right here. Right now.” – Jeddah Mali

These words by Jedda Mali have been on my mind lately. They speak to me of truth, and the duality of life.

No Finish Line

There is no finish line. No prize. No right way.

The little voice in my head hollers, “What’s the point then?” 

You see, I like getting to the end, reaching out for the prize, and feeling the satisfaction of completion.

I’ve learned that life doesn’t always deliver the prize the way we want it. When we don’t get what we want the ability to respond creates the future, while reaction takes us back to the past.

There is no finish line and there is no shortcut, but you’ll always come to know yourself better, and that in itself is a prize worth the angst.

No Right Way

How do you know which way to go if there’s no right way? What tells you you’re making the right choice?

All you can do is follow your heart, and if you listen it will show you the way. Some days it’s not that easy, the head is so good at distracting us with its obsessive need to control and understand.

Too often, the head wins out, and leads us down the path of survival.

The compulsion to understand is a powerful motivator, but when it gets in the way of what feels good, you’ve got to take a step back because understanding is almost always the booby prize.

Out There vs. Here Now

It’s easy to forget, to look outside yourself for comfort, validation, and love.

But no matter how much you get from others, it will never be enough if you don’t give it and get it from yourself.

"Stop looking outside yourself. You are the one you've been waiting for." - image taken at Ruby Lake, BC, Canada

You are the one you’ve been waiting for.

You, and only you, can give yourself what you need.

When you really get that, you and everyone else will be taken care of and the finish line?

Will disappear for good.

 

A Credo for Living Your Best Life

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 25 Conversations

definition of credo against burning background

Fight FOR something, not against.

Own who you are without apology.

Trust feelings over logic.

Take the first step even though it’s the hardest.

Change the world by looking inward.

Don’t just keep your word, honour it.

Ignite revolution from the inside out.

Be curious, experiment, question everything.

Do what you know to do.

Respect and live your values.

Believe. . .even when it’s most challenging.

Belong because you say so.

Embrace change, but don’t rush it.

Stand your ground for what’s important.

Crush your someday thinking.

Rock the boat, fiercely and often.

Speak your truth for there lies your essence.

Be, do and have what you’re here for.

Shine bright and shrink less.

Be brilliant, talented, fabulous.

Let silence nourish you.

Choose to open, especially when things feel tight.

Forgive yourself for losing your way.

Rattle the cage, speak up.

Choose love over fear every time.

 

Speak Up (the Universe is ready for you now)

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 14 Conversations

 

Speak Up – Pay Attention
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

These are the first two lines of a poem written by Geoffrey X Lane, a master speaker and trainer I recently had the privilege of working with. But more than a poem, for me it was a call to step more fully onto the path I’m being called to walk.

Have Your Say and Make Your Voice Heard. Sign at University of Essex, March 2011

Speak up.

Truth teller, cage rattler, warrior for you breaking through what stops you. I’m not interested in reasons or excuses, from myself or anyone else. I want us both to remember who we really are and why we’re here, and that takes speaking up.

Speak up in volume. Speak up and share what’s most important to you. Speak up and express what’s burning inside you.

And here’s the thing. . .

The more you speak up, the more natural it will feel, until that day when not speaking becomes uncomfortable. When that day comes, we all win.

Pay attention.

We get messages all the time through our senses and beyond, but are you tuned in to their frequency? And I don’t mean in some woo woo way, although there’s nothing wrong with that either.

I’m talking about taking care of yourself so that you’ve got the resourcefulness to show up and notice what’s going on all around you. The kind of self-care that goes deep, taking care of all of you, mind, body, and spirit.

When you are resourceful, paying attention becomes second nature.

Tell the truth.

People are judging and assessing you all the time, and guess what? You’re doing the same thing in return. Doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do, someone’s always got an opinion. Which kind levels the playing field, don’t you think? So stop worrying about it.

Tell the truth – about what you want but are afraid to admit.

Tell the truth – about what you’ve always wanted to say but kept silent.

Tell the truth – you will survive. You’ll also liberate yourself from the bullshit that keeps you stuck.

Celebrate your sound.

Your sound includes your actual speaking voice, as well as how you write and express yourself, and it’s time to own this baby!

Sing in the shower, yell in a forest, hear what you actually sound like.

And then embrace it fully, without judgment.

Since the workshop with Geoffrey I’ve found myself saying these words and feeling the power of them. Some days I hear which of the words need more energy, and it grounds me in the present moment. Other days I sing them to myself as a chant.

Speak Up – Pay Attention
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

These words are working on me from the inside out, and that’s where all transformation begins.

 

Here is the full poem:

Speak Up – Pay Attention
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

The universe is ready for you now
Speaking up doesn’t have to hurt
Just follow your heart – speak up

Speak Up – Pay Attention
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

All you have to do is grow
You have the courage inside you
Feel the power of speaking up

Speak Up – Pay Attention
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

Speak up for the warrior inside you
Tell the truth without judgment or fear
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

Speak Up – Pay Attention
Tell The Truth – Celebrate Your Sound

 

Speak Up – poem written by Geoffrey X Lane© 03/24/09

 

Rebel Requirements (the truth about what it takes)

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 8 Conversations

 

Trust is the first requirement if you want to be a rebel.

You’ve got to trust yourself, even when it goes against the flow.

painting of fish

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently…”

You may be judged, but here’s the thing. . .

They’re already judging you for something or other, why not have it be for doing something you love, something you believe in?

Free from judgement and liberated from your fears, what would you be, do and have in your life? 

And I’m not talking about fighting against things, although that’s what we mostly think about a rebel. I’m talking about fighting FOR something; that thing that is important to you, and makes your heart sing.

That kind of fight takes heart and soul, and the courage of a true rebel spirit.

 

If you want to be a rebel…

Say what you want to say, and fuck the ‘right’ thing.

Trust your intuition, it’s more reliable than the masses.

“It’s pure instinct that makes me rebel every time someone tries to control my life and hand out more rules.” – Simone Elkeles

Put yourself first, for the good of all.

Wear your heart on your sleeve, and tell folks you love ’em.

Do what gives you pleasure.

Open up, share, be vulnerable. Let people in and they might surprise you by taking a stand right next to you.

Make the first move, tell the truth, be the last to let go of a hug.

Ask more questions. Question authority. Do it without apology.

“What you want can be yours. But you must first know what it is you want.” – Libby Bray

Own your desires, and ask for what you want.