personal development

Ode to Joy

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 16 Conversations

I heard a Hawaiian phrase recently – malama pono – which means ‘take good care of yourself’ and I wondered, do you?

Do you take care of yourself the way you know you should or do you coast through life taking your health and well-being for granted?

heart shaped stone etched with word joy

I know I don’t always take the best care of myself, distracted by business, commitments to others and yes, I admit it – sometimes laziness.

What? A life coach admitting to laziness? Not too common I know, but hey I’m human and I’ve got my challenges just like you do!

It’s been four months since I first focused on self-care in the month-long homage. Four months during which time my focus has waxed and waned as reliably as the moon.

And it makes sense that I’m thinking of it again now as I’ve been in Maui the past two weeks and self-care has been effortless, creating a sense of well-being and joy I haven’t felt in a very long time.

This focus on self-care and joy was partly inspired by Andrea Olson’s recent post 100 Tiny Pulses along with Martha Beck’s Joy Diet, not new but an empowering menu of daily practices for a happier life. But more on that in a minute.

While here in Maui, this is what effortless has looked like.

Typical vacation day:

  • Up between 6-6:3oam
  • 15 minutes of meditation (sometimes watching the horizon for whales)
  • Breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, maca and nuts
  • An hour or two of writing
  • Day’s activity
  • Picnic lunch made with fresh local ingredients
  • Lots of walking and fresh air
  • Healthy dinner, usually grilled with fresh veggies
  • Asleep by 10:30pm

What’s important to note about this regime is this – it’s pretty simple, and more importantly it’s sustainable.

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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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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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Creativity Unleashed

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 24 Conversations

Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

Today’s spotlight shines on a very special person. She’s someone I connected with about a year ago, but it’s only in the past couple of months that we really clicked, and I’m so glad we did because she is magical. She is Cigdem Kobu and she’s just launched an extraordinary project called A Year with Myself.

You may remember her from the month of self-care; her contribution The First 66 Days of Taking Better Care of Yourself was not only a very popular piece but she generously shared a free workbook to help you on this path.

My first conversation with C.A. left me inspired, energized and buzzing with ideas. She calls herself a creative alchemist and project midwife, and that was certainly my experience of her. She’s also an idea generator!

But she’s so much more. She’s one of the most generous people I’ve met; sharing her gifts with others, showing up as a resource and bringing people together in ways that instantly work. Could be that alchemy she speaks of!

Can you tell? I’ve got a serious friend crush on this woman!

She is up to some extraordinary things and I’m delighted to have her here in the spotlight.

Enjoy!

 

C.A. Kobu photo1. Why are you here?

I’m here to serve my kind. That means serving courageous and wild women who want to grow, create and change their world. These are women who have entrepreneurial spirits. They are venturesome and fertile in heart and in mind.

I want to hold their hands and make it easy to rediscover their wholeness and their powers, to reconnect with themselves, and to translate their authentic gifts into fulfilling and change-making feats.

I want to wake them up and help them flourish.

{Note from me: You can see why I’m crushing over here, can’t you?}

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Threads of Creativity

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 7 Conversations


Day 24 – Creativity

If you think of your life as a tapestry, what are the threads that have been with you as long as you can remember?

My primary thread has been creativity. The colour of the thread nay have changed over the years as I moved from painting and  printmaking to photography and now writing, but the thread has been consistent.

It’s how I express myself, and what feels most natural to me.

elderly Hispanic woman creating ceramics at Jackalope, New Mexico

Like this woman I came upon at a market in Santa Fe last year, I’m positive I will still be expressing my creativity as I get older. It’s part of who I am.

But how about you?

Do you own and acknowledge your creative gifts?

Or do you believe you are not creative?

Maybe you were told as a child that you were no good at drawing, writing, painting. . .fill in the blank.

 

It’s sad when that happens, when an adult says something that damages a child’s belief in themselves.

What if that adult was wrong?

cre·a·tiv·i·ty

– characterized by originality of thought; having or showing imagination: a creative mind

We are all creative in some way and just because you can’t draw a stick figure to save your life doesn’t make you less so.

Picasso said, “The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.”

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Turn Up Your Awareness and Come Alive (leaf lesson #2)

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 13 Conversations

 

“All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step.” – Paulo Coehlo

So the question is. . .do you pay attention?

Time after time, I’ve learned that it’s all about awareness. It really is a muscle that you can develop with practice. And when you consciously turn up your awareness (think of it like a dimmer switch) everything zooms into focus.

Solutions become clear, often in abundance.

Next steps open up, right there in front of you.

Confusion fades away.

How do you turn up that awareness then?

The exercise I shared from my retreat is a good way to start. Being with an object (for me this leaf) with no expectations, no judgments, no concerns, created space for my mind to see it (and life) in a new way.

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Walking In Wonder

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 12 Conversations

 

When you walk, how do you walk exactly?

Odd question, I know.

What I mean is do you look straight ahead or down at the ground? Do you look people in the eye or avert your gaze at all costs? Do you march military style or stroll like it’s Sunday afternoon?

How you walk says a lot.

Labyrinth at St. Paul's Cathedral, Vancouver, BC

I look around, I look at people, and I look like I know where I’m going.

For years I couldn’t understand why I got asked for directions or why people so often chatted with me on the bus.

Now I know.

It’s the walk.

But that’s only the day-to-day walk.

There’s another walk I’ve been thinking about.

How do you walk in the world?

Are you light-hearted, downtrodden or skeptical? Optimistic, resentful or curious?

What’s your way of being when you walk through life?

Just like your physical stride, this walk speaks volumes.

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