authenticity

Her Name Was Lola

Posted on 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!

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Breathe Deep, Step Back, Give Thanks

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 15 Conversations

 

“A warrior of light knows that he has much to be grateful for.” – Paulo Coelho

A few days ago I was feeling a wee bit sorry for myself. You see, the past two weeks had brought death, sickness and a general feeling of malaise.

ma·laise

1. a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort

2. a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lethargy or discomfort

That’s a bit more than this warrior/deva is used to dealing with and life felt heavy.

It felt like all my energy was being sucked into a vortex of lethargy and I could barely focus.

It’d be easy to stay in this state for awhile. People are understanding and caring, life would go on while I stayed in my PJ’s a little while longer.

Except?

That is not how I want to live my life.

Why am I telling you this?

Here’s the thing we don’t often acknowledge: It takes something to pull yourself out of this kind of foggy, complacent, low-energy state.

It takes breathing deep and stepping back.

Pulling the blinders off and taking a good long look at life.

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The Warrior Emerges

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 16 Conversations

 

“Every warrior of light has, at least once, believed that he was not a warrior of light.” – Paulo Coelho

You are a warrior of light.

You probably didn’t ask for it. You might even try to ignore and avoid it at all costs.

And still, the light keeps shining, mesmerizing you with its brilliance.

Sometimes, you stumble towards it, unable to help yourself.

You catch yourself and step back from what your whole being longs for.

Who are you to step into the light so boldly?

You are a warrior of light.

Maybe you struggle to understand, questioning this path, looking desperately for an easier way.

Like other light bearers, you suffer, beset by the endless swirl of doubts in your mind.

Who are you to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Who are you really, to think you could shine so brightly?

Maybe you withhold yourself, misguidedly thinking this will keep you safe, unaware that this is an important phase of the journey.

You are a warrior of light.

Dreaming of what’s possible, you make mistakes and learn.

You risk, and survive.

Listen.

Your heart is beating. It has a gift to offer the world.

Not some day.

NOW.

This piece was inspired by Paulo Coelho’s The Manual of the Warrior of Light and is the beginning of a series. The warrior is a metaphor for those in pursuit of their dreams.

 

Nothing But the Facts

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 18 Conversations

 

Coaching – 57,800,000 results according to Google.

Welcome to the world of coaching in 2011.

Ten years ago? I’d get the blank stare, followed by a hesitant, “What sport do you coach?”

Now? Coaches are everywhere. The Internet is full of them. It’s the newest, most all encompassing trend there is and if you spend any amount of time online you’ll discover quickly that every Tom, Dick and Harry is now calling themselves a a coach.

But what exactly does that mean?

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What You and Harry Potter Have in Common

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 5 Conversations

 

“Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him.”

Dumbledore says this in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Right before he died.

Last breath.

Words of wisdom.

Well, this isn’t Hogwarts and I’m not Dumbledore, but listen up…

You are the best hope you have. Trust you.

Let’s be honest; like Harry, you’ve probably had issues trusting yourself in the past.

I’ve been thinking about this so damn much that it turned into a blog post and week-long experiment.

Remember the definition of trust?

trust: ability to rely on another person’s integrity, strength, sureness etc. i.e. You can trust someone to do the right thing.

At the beginning of the week I felt like I had no connection to this definition.

But I love experiments, and suddenly? Space for something new to show up.

The word itself – experiment – magically makes room in my grey cells that few other words provide. As soon as I begin to think in terms of an experiment, I become intrigued, curious and fully engaged.

The past week was a perfect example of this.

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Experiment in Trust

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 23 Conversations

 

Trust has been on my mind a lot lately.

You might think after so many years of personal development and almost a decade of coaching I’d be a very trusting person.

Not so much.

My lil’ lizard brain is suspicious and cynical, and you’d be amazed at the skepticism that rears its head almost every time I read or try something new. Why do you think it took me so long to start a blog and get on Twitter?

I’ve been lied to and cheated on in the game of love.

I’ve been burned by business agreements gone wrong, promises broken.

I’ve been hard done by, strung along and…

I know. This is starting to sound like a dramatic, movie-of-the-week. The result is this,

Not. So. Trusting.

You’ve got your own story of disillusionment and disappointment, so, we’re in this together.

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That’s How the Light Gets In

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 12 Conversations

 

“And I listen and I think. Time doesn’t seem to pass here; it just is.” – Bilbo Baggins

Rivendell retreat centre sign, Bowen Island, BC

Silence called to me from a special place. A place, that like its name, conjures up images of forest and faeries.

Like Bilbo, it is at Rivendell I find myself most able to think, to hear the thoughts and ideas bubbling up as though from a wellspring deep inside.

The sacred space, the silence, allow me to turn off the busyness of my life. My heart expands and I breathe deeply.

New thoughts emerge effortlessly as old thoughts play themselves out. It is easy to be at Rivendell; it offers itself up, a gift to unwrap slowly. An opportunity to treasure each moment, each thought that arises.

  • What is it that I am truly offering?
  • What is authentically, gloriously mine?

These are the questions I hear as I walk the labyrinth.

centre of the Rivendell labyrinth, Bowen Island, BC

I remember a line from a Leonard Cohen song,

“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

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We Are All Meant to Shine

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 29 Conversations

 

Ever notice how quickly you can shift from feeling inspired to feeling attached?

A sudden, intense drive to make things happen a particular way takes over and inspiration is nowhere to be found; gone like the breath you took 10 seconds ago.

You fixate on a goal and suffer when it’s taking longer than you wanted or expected.

Pretty funny if you can get back to the realization that you made it all up to begin with!

Maybe you. . .

  • Obsess about your progress until you give yourself a headache
  • Try forcing the outcome thereby pissing off everyone involved
  • Refuse to quit, even though everything in you is saying “let it go”
  • Exhibit a dog-with-a-bone-like determination. Grrrrr, get out of my way!

So what’s a results oriented, bottom-line human doing supposed to do when it’s not about the doing? Continue reading →

If I Could Say Anything

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 85 Conversations

 

We need to talk.

If we were dating, it’d be time to fess up (I’m on a roll, this is my second confession this week) and that scares me.

Since we started seeing each other four months ago (has it really only been 4 months?) I’ve been wanting to make a good impression, wanting to show you my best.

Except…

What I thought was my best was not.

Likable, nice, funny, smart – check.

My best? Not so much.

I’m saying this because I’ve had moments of:

  • biting my tongue
  • suppressing myself
  • ignoring my instincts
  • sweeping a thought under the rug

I have stopped myself in so many ways from saying what I wanted to say. But enough is enough; this can’t go on.

If I could say anything, I’d say what I wanted to say, straight up.

I’ve been afraid.

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My-12-year-Self and I

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 59 Conversations

 

Today was one of those days; an emotional roller coaster kind of day. Yes, coaches have those days too and yes, I still beat myself up about it.

I’m human you see. And truth be told, I’m a wee bit arrogant (I can’t help it I’m an Aries) and this lead to buying into my own story.

After years of education and training, personal development work, numerous courses, programs, CDs, books and thousands of dollars, I really believed. . .

wait for it. . .

that my life should be handled by now.  The roller coaster should have morphed into a journey of smooth sailing.

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