A Credo for Living Your Best Life

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.

 

The Transformation of You

 

a new beginning and
all possibilities exist.

imaginal cells resting
inside their cocoon.

cocoon hanging from a branch

resolve is not needed
in this primordial goo.

just rest, trust,
and patience.

one cell,

two,

then many.

a you unlike any other.

the imaginals know
what to do and…

what

not

to do.

the newness of you will
emerge when ready.

a chrysalis falling away…
exposing, releasing.

imaginal you,
the end result assured.

more you than ever before.

Butterfly hanging from a branch

more fully your Self

more fully alive.

this you, not you,

yet perfectly you.

the past is done.
your cocoon, self-imposed,
no longer needed.

take flight.

 

Words That Touch the Soul

 

Words matter. 

The ones you choose create your reality.

Does your reality energize or drain you?

Which words touch your soul? And why?

“It is important that you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak the words that matter.” ― Kate DiCamillo

 

Words inspire me as I begin this year of living 50, some more than others. . .

words that touch the soul inspired by Moorea Seal

Words matter.

They can lift you up or bring you down in a heartbeat.

Breathe. . .a word that puts me in the present moment without judgment.

Silence. . .a word that creates the space that nourishes me deeply and reliably.

Too. . .a small word; only three letters but it can do so much damage.

Too much, too intense, too loud, too passionate (really? how is that even possible?)

 

Other words reach out and touch my soul.

Spirit. Radiance. Strength. Depth. Om.

They resonate, like a Tibetan bowl, leaving an impact long after they’re gone.

I don’t know how that happens; I’m just so grateful that it does.

 

Words matter.

They create your world.

A world that nourishes and supports your dreams.

Or. . .

A world that can weigh you down with its heaviness.

 

Your words matter.

The words you choose create a story that then becomes your future.

They create your life.

So choose wisely.

 “It’s all invented anyway, so we might as well invent a story or framework of meaning that enhances our quality of life and the life of those around us.” – Benjamin Zander

 

Which words would inspire the legend of how you lived your life?

 

 

The Year of Living 50

 

People keep asking me if I’m freaked out about turning 50 this year. I’m not really, although perhaps a wee bit surprised by some of the thoughts going through my mind.

I mean, turning 50 really is the mother of all wake-up calls!

And I’ve caught myself thinking about all the things I still want to be, do and have in my life.

All the things I want to create and share.

All the ways I want to open further, deeper, more fully.

All the hugs still to give, kisses to be savoured, and well. . .you get the point.

Those are the things I’m putting my attention on as I begin living my fiftieth year.

Not the 50 lessons I may or may not have learned.

Not 50 tips to look and feel good at 50 (although all this juicing and healthy living looks good on me!)

No tips, lessons, or strategies.

Instead, I’m choosing to open.

close up of rose unfurling, metaphor for turning 50

Because we do have a choice; to open or to close ourselves off.

One is energizing and risky. The other is tight, and oh so painfully safe.

I get to choose. And so do you.

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Hungry for Rebellion

 

“Being yourself, being who you are,
is a successful rebellion.” – Unknown

definition of rebellion

Brene Brown says,

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of everything we are hungry for.”

A rebel is the embodiment of this, taking a stand for what’s important, what they hunger for.

It’s contrary to the widely held view that a rebel fights against something.

Instead it’s the fight for something that fuels their fire.

With so much pressure to confirm, has your rebel become dormant?

Suppressed and shut down by the push to:

  • go with the flow
  • never rock the boat
  • be seen and not heard
  • keep your head down and stay safe

The primal fear of being kicked out of the tribe is powerful. We do so want to belong, but at what cost?

The cost is that you sell out on what you desire, what you most hunger for in life.

It’s a cost that eats away at your soul.

Do it long enough and you hardly notice. . .

Until one day someone speaks of rebellion in a new way and your ears perk up. Your heart flutters, the spark comes to life, rekindled as the old way is challenged.

That day has come.

I’m asking you to see yourself as a rebel, a *deva-lutionary willing to question the beliefs that have long kept you in the dark.

It’s time to wake up, to rebel, to become relentless in this pursuit.

You can do this.

 

* A deva-lutionary is committed to questioning the beliefs that have kept her in the dark. She changes the world by looking inward, igniting a revolution from the inside out. She rebels for that which is important to her, not for the sake of rebellion itself.

A deva-lutionary has the heart and courage to be herself without apology, a warrior willing to do what it takes to play in the light.

A Love Affair with Yourself

 

Imagine a love affair with yourself…

“Suddenly, and for the first time, she was at the center of her own life, living it and loving it.” – Mary Balogh

You, at the centre,
a full-blown love affair with yourself.

That luscious, heady feeling…all for you.

Murmured words of love,
a tender gaze…just for you.

Imagine…

“If we listened to our intellect we’d never have a love affair.” – Ray Bradbury

For now, give your intellect a rest.

Listen only to your heart,
let it bask in your fullest attention.

Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Your soul yearns
to be acknowledged,

a willing lover
whispering,
waiting for your embrace.

Wrap your arms around it.
And hold on for dear life.

Fire burns in your belly.

Your most desired feelings,
like lava, burning to flow freely.

Unleash their fullest expression.

Goddess sculpture, head back, arms up and open

Look back and remember.
There have been times you knew this love.

See it, hear it, feel it,
in that deepest part of you. . .
no one ever sees.

“Love affairs, in their beginnings, are all about the present.” – Kate Morton

The present, a most precious gift.

Breathe it in like a lover’s scent.
Not yesterday, not tomorrow,

only now.

And take heart

“Courage Is a Love Affair with the Unknown” – Osho

Trust that you are up to the task.

 

I Dream, Therefore I Am

It’s time to dream. . .

It’s time to dream.

collage of dreamlike image

“I have a dream…” – Martin Luther King Jr.

1.  “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do… Explore. Dream. Discover.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.

  • This quote screams of regrets and someday thinking. Take a chance, swing out and be honest about what you want.

2.  “Dreams are THE BEST! The DayDreams, the Secret Wishes, THOSE Dreams we keep and cherish, hidden in the spaces between our heartbeats.” – Bif Naked

3.  “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” – Paulo Coelho

  • It’s the possibility, anticipation and taking action on the dream that provides a fulfilling experience, sometimes more than having the dream itself materialize. When your values are guiding you, satisfaction is pretty much guaranteed.

4.  “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

  • I’ve been working on my 50 For 50 list, things I’m going to do during my 50th year. It’s inspiring and kind of awesome to inspire yourself in this way, especially when you start early and have a breakthrough like I did recently!

5.  “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” – John Lennon

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Six Impossible Things

 

“Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’ 

‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”  –  Lewis Carroll

 

photo of handwritten note

You believe all kinds of crap about yourself.

Stories you made up as a child, that are still with you to this day.

“Made up” are the words I want you to focus on right now.

You made it all up. 

And then, you turned those made up tales into rock solid truths about who you are.

Now here’s the amazing part. . .

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Swing Out

 

swing hanging from tree at the Brew Creek Center in Whistler, BC

Dreams. Desires. Longings. 

They’ve been on my mind lately.

How we suppress them, stuff them down.

So far down they disappear from consciousness.

So far down, they suffocate from lack of oxygen and light.

It’s time to bring them out in the open.

Breathe life into them.

Let them take flight.

Right now, imagine the feeling of sitting on a swing, pumping your legs, breathing deep, going higher and higher – a child-like grin on your face.

Feel the air whooshing past as you swing up towards the sky, legs outstretched on the upswing.

Feel the joy in your body, hear your whoop of delight as you go even higher.

From this energized, smiling-so-big-your-cheeks-hurt place think of one dream you’ve put on hold.

One dream, one desire that’s longing to be expressed.

And imagine right now. . .taking action on this dream.

Taking one action to unleash what you most desire into the world.

That one action is all you have to do today.

“It doesn’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing” – Duke Ellington