The Heart Pocket Word for the day is Awesome

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Heart!

The word from my heart pocket is Heart.

It has so many meanings!
Love. Love is the most popular connotation associated with the heart. Specifically, romantic love. While romance is a catalyst for movement into marriage and children and songwriting and movies, although it is a favorite association with heart, it is not as deep as some of the other meanings. Our heart's "break" and "ache" when we are disappointed in romantic love. We are sentimental and sympathetic and tender when love is at work with others. Even pity and the hugely powerful compassion is driven by love of self and humanity. We open our hearts with great feeling when the situation calls. Heart is young and raw at these moments and it spends a lot of energy. To deeply love - to have sacrificed and put something before ourselves - to go beyond affection and sentiment and even sensitivity to broader and more deeply forged forces like tenderness and compassion and a response soul-to-soul, comes directly from the heart. This kind of love needs no certificates or lyrics or soaring melodies. It simply exists and responds from that depth every time.

Heart is also meant as courage. A person has spirit, fortitude, guts and purpose. Her heart shows itself by connecting with the mind and the body and acting in the world. Heart drives our passions and when heart is focused, nothing is impossible!  

It is our backbone, our strength of character. It is fundamental and essential to our beingness. Without heart, we are empty and don't function properly. We are cowardly, without resolution and meaning. Without heart, there is no understanding or creativeness. Beauty cannot exist without heart. We have no temperament or inclinations. It is unnatural to be without heart.

And that is the heart of it.

There is a reason we have given the name heart to the centralized organ in our body. It  is hard-working, essential, constant and instinctive. It is intuitive and beats the drum of life almost without our having to think about it. It is natural and flowing and without obstruction, it gives us life. This most relied upon instrument plays our song and when we are in tune, there is nothing more beautiful! We can rely on our heart. Just as we care for the heart inside our body, we must feed and exercise and rest the heart that drives our responses to the world. We must deeply love from our heart of hearts. We begin with ourselves.

Have a heart. Put your heart in it. A person after my own heart. A change of heart. Learn by heart. You have a heart of gold. 

My heart is full. My heart goes out to you. You warm my heart

Home is where the heart is. 

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Alone!

The word from my heart pocket is Alone.

What do you feel when you say the word,alone?

As we humans are wont to do, many of us conjure images of sadness or worse, abandonment. There are surely times when being alone is the result of a difficult time. Each of us has a story ... or two, we could share. 

But it also means "in solitary", "on one's own", unattached, unique, matchless, and in some instances, "traveling light". Let's change the color of the word ...

 Alone

That feels better, almost as if we aren't ... alone. The negative connotations of the word come when we are afraid. The powerful feelings of being on our own happen when we are confident and satisfied. This feeling can be present most of the time if we allow it. Being alone might be scary for a moment, but when we face that frightening time, we feel proud of ourselves that we have stayed the course, we gain confidence in our own judgment and we find new courage in our autonomy

This is not to say we don't need others in our lives - our parents, our children, our neighbors, our God. Alone is where we collect ourselves and without all of the noise of the world, we remember who we are and what is important to our well being.

What a practical tool Alone is! Why do some of us shy away from it? What is so frightening about alone? If we're not practiced at being alone, we are uncertain and uncertainty is scary ... if we're not practiced at being uncertain. Being comfortable with Alone is a very secure place. It means we trust ourselves and we know that if we have to, we can make it on our own. Scary Alone surfaces when we panic. Our mind puts up a wall and as long as we're panicking, the power of Alone will be blocked. When we calm the mind - 10 slow and deep breaths absolutely do it - we clear out those good old boys who get all riled up when the panic button is pushed. Guys like fear and self-doubt and shame and blame are sent packing when we stop and take stock and suddenly, it's not so crowded in there because ... we're alone. We can think. We can feel. And if we let it, our gut tells us what to do. We're not really alone. We have all of those positive human tools we can count on. We just have to make room for them by finding a quiet space to be alone.

Big or small, our decisions come more easily and satisfactorily when we have the final say. We can claim the consequences and we can change our mind at any time. We can do it because we know the power of our uniqueness, the strength of our courage and the matchlessness of our singularity. 

Together we stand ... Alone.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Ordinary!

The word from my heart pocket is Ordinary.

What is ordinary? Nine to five, a commute of some sort, punching a clock, two weeks vacation? Planning meals for the family, carpool, cleaning the house, pulling weeds, changing diapers, volunteering at school? Hustling a gig, pitching your idea, working with clients, flying here and there, presenting, convincing, persuading, sleeping when you can? Needing a bodyguard to go to the grocery store, someone choosing your clothes and bringing them to your house, you can't go anywhere without being recognized? What is routine, what is ordinary for you?

Look at your life. Whatever it is that is habitual is ordinary. You are used to it. It is familiar and frequent and typical in your days. When something becomes a habit, it also becomes prone to being ignored. We become anesthetized to the nuances of ordinary and we don't see how beautiful it is. We ignore the details in lieu of wanting something extraordinary. We miss a lot that is remarkable in this pursuit, including opportunities present inside our daily lives that when pursued, will lead to our dreams.

Let's be mindful. Let's pay attention to this moment. I'm writing and the words somehow zoom out of my brain through my fingers who magically know which keys to press at about 100 words/minute. I take that for granted. It's what I do. Every day. I get up, I feed the dog and cat and take a walk or go to the gym. I pour a cup of coffee and I come to my computer to write. I do it routinely, wherever I am and although I love it and choose to do it, it is ordinary for me. The words don't always come easily and I have to push through the fog to a place where it is clearer. Some days are better than others. I have to hustle to get work. No nine to five for this girl. I spend hours looking for people who need a writer. I bid and negotiate and when that job is on my agenda, I start looking for another one so I'll have consistent work. That is extraordinary to some. 

I have a friend who is a pilot. Her routine is extraordinary to me but she has voiced a longing for the extraordinary experience of not having to come and go every week. Another friend cares for her grandchildren weekly which she loves. She has cared for her elderly parents and siblings and consistently volunteered, helps friends (I'm one of them) and leads what I know she would call an ordinary life. Her time with her grandchildren, her energy and love spent taking her mother to the doctor and making sure her final days were comfortable and pleasing were extremely hard and frustrating to her. To me, she is extraordinary

What we choose to do is how we build our lives. To experience extraordinary, we must begin where we are; we must start with ordinary. Extraordinary days come from our habits, our choices, and from what we believe. Extraordinary is always present. How we choose to see our lives - ordinary or extraordinary - is up to us. 

I believe in ordinary. I have extraordinary moments in my life but every one of them has come from long periods of ordinary that when I look back on them in my extraordinary moment, see that they were not ordinary at all. Ordinary is extraordinary, one and the same. 

Let's hear it for this ordinary day!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Pace!

The word from my heart pocket is Pace!

 Pace yourself. That doesn't mean slow down or speed up. It means - make time work for you. Pace is a measurement. Your pace will guide you but you must be the one to set it. Sometimes it feels like it has a life of its own. As long as it gels with what you're doing, thinking, feeling - it's good. When you're breathing hard or you're bored, observe your pace and adjust it to better your quality of living. 

Tempo. Beat. Momentum. Progress. Gait. Stride. Rate. Velocity. Pace.

Movement of the body affects the mind. Exercise clears the brain; the blood flows and is diverted to the muscles. As the muscles begin to work, the sympathetic nervous system (the part of the system that affects the brainstem and spinal cord) increases delivery of oxygenated blood to the body/muscles. The pace of aerobic exercise directly correlates with brain power - particularly clarity, decision making, critical thinking and creativity. We become more discerning and waste less energy by spending it in productive ways.  

There's another meaning to the word pace. Walking back and forth, up and down as if on patrol. Many people pace when they're thinking or talking on the phone. It's the movement that makes the difference. There are several reasons for this; the most operative one is that it helps the coordination of thinking and communicating. It's both linear and non. It's the pace.

Pace is energy conservation. When pace is channeled appropriately, it provides the right amount of fuel needed to achieve our goals. Rest is slow. The fast lane can last only so long but while it's happening, the pace supports our needs. We learn to balance the pace of our lives by experimentation. Sometimes 15 minutes of eyes closed and breathing in silence can completely rejuvenate us when we are in the fast lane. In contrast, humor and diversion can quicken the pace of a meeting or presentation that is falling flat. 

Pace is about movement and flow. Notice your natural pace. Come back to that velocity when you need grounding. Each of us responds to the natural beat of our heart. You are attracted to certain types of music because of your heartbeat, your natural pace. Use music or dance to energize and calm your spirit. 

Needing a change of pace? Listen to your heartbeat. It is telling you exactly what you need.

As I said in the beginning, pace yourself today!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Order!

 

The word from my heart pocket is Order!

It's everywhere. At this moment, I'm watching a couple rearrange their new patio furniture to accommodate the space and to blend with the furniture already placed. Order. It makes sense. It looks good. It feels good. It works.

Order, in the face of disorder, is calming; it soothes the spirit, clears the head, makes room for more creating. Too much order causes obsession which looms huge when the mind wants to create. We lose our sense of connection to what could be. When there is no order, we find ourselves unable to find our things, our ideas, our sanity. 

Order is like a block of clay. It is inside the situation, waiting for organization to take shape. We chip away by making lists and phone calls and appointments. Technology has a built-in sense of order which not-ironically comes from the abandon that creativity provides.  We're in charge of our own order. When we balance it with exploration and dreaming, Possibility is activated and anything can happen.

Order is vital to movement. Well maintained cogs and gears blend with design and operative skills to allow for maximum performance. Practice has a sense of order to it. When it mixes with talent, effort goes away. Planning requires order. When planning mingles with dreaming, an idea manifests into reality. In a computer as complex as the mind, order brings peace to overwhelm and stress, freeing it to create and rest. 

Organize something today. Making a list is a good way. Acting on a list already made is another. If you are in the midst of a dream and it doesn't seem to be moving, break it down to see the components. Reorder the parts and see if something shifts. Remove what hasn't worked and put it on the shelf to save or throw away later. Order is a shape-shifter and easily manipulated. It is a reliable tool when preparing to create, or when we encounter some sort of block. 

Order frees the mind so the heart can once again take the lead.



Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Prepare!


 The word from my heart pocket is Prepare!

It's easy to understand what it means to prepare when we look at a garden. If we have even planted one seed, we know that something can grow or not grow based on the conditions that surround the hopeful beginning. 

To prepare is to make ready. Young parents make their home welcoming for their expected child. Entrepreneurs write business plans and imagine the look and feel of their ventures before taking the big steps. Preparing means thinking and dreaming, discerning and imagining different ways a thing can come into your life.

Thinking. We think of an idea. We immediately begin to dream. The thinking continues parallel to the dreaming and we research and ask questions and explore the nature of the idea. As our thinking gets bigger, so does our dreaming. We begin to organize our thoughts. And still we dream. 

Dreaming. It accompanies us through every step of preparation ... or so it does with the liveliest of ideas! Our dreaming is a balance to all of that thinking and number crunching. Our dreams propel us and are the essence of the focus. We cannot properly prepare without our dreams by our side. If we let the thinking take over, the idea becomes lifeless and mechanical and not about what we intended.

Discerning. There are endless good ideas. As we focus on ours, others come in front of us as possibilities. This happens while we are thinking and exploring the main idea. Sometimes a new idea comes that adds to the original. We might have an even better idea to replace the first one. We look at each one and we see if it fits into the dream? It doesn't? Does it feel good to amend the dream to include this new idea? Does it feel good to put this idea inside your idea pocket to save for another dream? We are preparing the road to our idea when we discern. We are weeding the garden, throwing away the parts that don't apply and replanting others in a different garden.

Imagining. Imagining is similar to dreaming but it is the mechanical part. It is the filter through which our dreams and ideas flow. We can change our imagining by adding and subtracting players in our show, moving the sets around, altering the lights. Props in place, rehearsing the dialogue, painting the backdrop, building costumes and sets. This is all preparation. It's creative and fun!

Preparation requires that we use all of our faculties. Preparation is athletic by nature and works best when it gets to rest its muscles in between sets. To prepare is smart. To prepare is wise. We learn from everything we try when we are prepared. The more often we work out with preparation, the stronger our capacity for ideas becomes, the more often our dreams come true!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Calling!

The word from my heart pocket is Calling!

Calling. Vocation. Craft. Profession. Specialty. Life's Work. Career. There has been a lot of buzz around this subject since the world began. We spend so much of our lives agonizing over it. What was I meant to do? How do I recognize it? Will I miss my chance? How do I begin?

I love to tell this story. I was an integral part of a children's theatre for 17 years. One summer, we did a workshop with 45 children and some adults. The musical was Hansel and Gretel. The art teacher who was scheduled wasn't able to come last minute. I filled in. During the time allotted for art, each age group was to create parts of the set. The teenagers worked with the set designer building the 3-dimensional set pieces and painting the backdrop. The middle school aged kids created props like flowers and "bread crumbs". The little ones, ages 5-7, decorated the Gingerbread house. We had an hour to work on our projects. The materials were there and the kids were allowed to use their creativity however they chose. We painted the house - they chose a rainbow of colors. Then I asked them to draw on paper what they would like to make to decorate the house. "Anything you choose!", I said. Almost all of the kids drew candy on their paper. When they finished their drawing, they handed it to me and using the supplies available, began making decorations to put on the house. Most of the children dove right in. They cut out circles and painted candy swirls onto them and glued them on the structure. Licorice and peppermint and candy that looked like Skittles plastered on one whole side. It was great fun! I only offered help when asked. 

As I walked around, I noticed there were 3 children not doing anything. One was a little girl named Sarah who was staring at the facade of the house. I asked if she needed help. She said, "No. I just think it's wrong." "What's wrong?", I asked. "Where they're putting the candy. It looks too even. And the licorice goes on the sides of the house. The peppermints are for the roof. The other candy is for the doorknob and to add color." At first I thought, "There is no right or wrong, Sarah." Then I realized that Sarah knew what she was saying. She saw the Gingerbread house through organized color and, spatially, she  could see the licorice followed the lines of the house, the peppermints were perfect roof tiles and the Skittles and M and M's were wonderful decorative pieces! I asked her to draw it. She drew her ideas quickly and showed them to me. I asked the kids who were making the candies and putting them on the house if they could make it look like the picture. Everybody happily chipped in with no questions asked. Sarah had created a design for the gingerbread house!

There was a little boy sitting in the corner and he was looking at his paper with frustration. "What's up, Derek?", I asked him. "I can't draw it." "What are you trying to draw?" "The security system", he answered. "What do you think is the reason?" He looked at me and then at the paper and then at the piles of crepe paper and crayons and glue and glitter and beads and said, "You don't have the right stuff." I asked Derek to imagine that we had all the right materials and to draw exactly what he saw the security system to be. He got busy.

The last little guy was 6 years old. His named was Travis. He was just staring at his paper and I could see he was almost in tears. "Travis, what's wrong?" He could hardly talk, and when he did, it was so quiet, it was almost apologetic. I coaxed him away from the main group and asked the question again. He said he didn't know how to make things with his hands, that he would "mess up." I told him there was no such thing. He said, "Yes, there is. I always mess things up. I don't want to do this." We talked a bit more and it seemed that already, at age 6, he had a need to "get it perfect." I asked him if he could build a house, any house, what would it look like? He thought about that while he looked at his blank paper. He said, "Do you have a ruler?" We were almost out of time so I told Travis to take his paper home and to bring it back the next day. He grinned at me.

Our Gingerbread House was amazing! It was bright pink with all kinds of licorice sticks made to look like windows and the front door and vertically lining the sides of the cottage. Peppermint candies, Skittles and M and Ms ... and a few gourmet candies decorated the roof and filled in the blank spaces. The Art Director for the show and the older kids were so impressed and the kids felt proud (especially Sarah!). The next day, Derek showed up with not only his drawing, but the most incredible "security system" made of metal bits and pieces and soldered together with the help of his Dad. Amazing!
My favorite, however, was Travis' work. He quietly pulled on my shirt and it was clear he had something he was proud to share.  He spread out a large piece of paper (he had taped 8.5x11 sheets together) and on it was drawn an amazing blueprint of a Gingerbread House. The other kids loved these additions to the house and together we "installed" the security system and taped the blueprint on the front door. Everyone was so proud of their contribution!

 We know what we love to do with our lives from a very early age. Our calling is evident from our playtime. Sarah's mom told me that Sarah spent her play time rearranging her room and helping her around the house. Derek told me he was his dad's helper at his work. His dad had a large machine shop. 

And Travis's parents were artists who couldn't understand their son's hesitancy to express himself through art. He had perfectionist tendencies, but not because he needed to be "right". He was left and right brained, far more linear than his artist parents. He spent his playtime drawing houses! His parents were very accepting of his choices, but didn't see that he was a different type of artist. An architect!

What did you choose to do as play when you were little? What do you choose as play now? Does your work have any link to this kind of activity? Are you able to enjoy your calling in your spare time? Are you finding a way to exercise your natural calling, whatever you love most to do?

A calling can be our job but it can also be something we do for fun. Analyze the components of your calling: structured or freestyle, entrepreneurial or part of a team, financial, artistic, people oriented, for money or volunteer - a combination of things? Play with your calling. Satisfy the urge. Allow it to be a big part of your life. You'll find it will be the quality part of living and if you ignore it, you will feel empty. Think about it. Listen for answers. Heed the call!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Question!


The word from my heart pocket is Question.

It is? Is it right to question everything? Should I accept some things just as they are? Am I questioning too much? Will this person be offended if I question what he believes? Is questioning the same as doubting?

We could ask questions until the cows come home. And then we could ask them where they've been ...?

Questioning is one of the greatest learning tools available to us as human beings. We learn how to question when we are allowed to ask questions as children and by observing others who ask questions

Which way do I go? What should I do now? How does this work? Why is the sky blue and the grass green? Who are you? Are we there yet?

Questions are a beautiful form of communication. When used as tools for learning, there can never be too many. Ask any scientist or reporter or detective or psychiatrist. Ask mommies and daddies. Ask children. Ask yourself.

Doubting is different from questioning and sometimes it is thinly disguised. A person can move from question to doubt if the circumstances are right and vice versa. They come from different attitudes. Doubt is timid. Questioning is confident. Doubt is dependent. Questioning is independent. Timidity can move into confidence through questioning when the intention is to grow stronger and learn. Questions help us discern and choose. Questions are essential to decision making and movement. Questions are a playful part of learning and work best when treated with both humor and respect.

Being allowed to question is a great gift. Not being allowed has to do with control and fear and ignorance. 

Ask and answer questions today. Listen to the ones asked of you. See the world with questioning in mind: How, What, Where, Who, When, Why and all the rest?

Find out all you can!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Trust!

 

The word from my heart pocket is Trust.

What a concept. Trust. It's hard for a lot of us. We hear that we're supposed to trust and we do it much of the time. We trust we'll get to the office safely. We trust we'll wake up in the morning. We rely on trust in so many unspoken ways.

Yet, it bothers us. We speak of it in daily conversation. We don't use its name but we express so many insecurities because the world is uncertain and we feel vulnerable. We want assurance in the form of guarantees and affirmations and vows and warranties and oaths and promises. We want to be sure. So we can trust.

Hmmm....

I like the idea of giving something to safekeeping. It frees us to do the job in front of us. For example, when my children were little, they trusted I would always be available to them, that I would care for them. They learned about trust from me; I was a constant and I was reliable. And most of all, I trusted them. Each of us did our jobs - being a child, being a mom. Trust is a two-way street. It involves giving up and giving back. It is reciprocal. It might not begin that way, but true Trust surfaces when we trust in Trust

When I'm full of Trust, I focus on my business. I pay attention without worry or stress. I'm healthier and I have good experiences which builds trust in my judgment. Trust is linked to faith and hope because they inspire the act of Trust. Trust is belief. We learn to trust based on what we've experienced. We experience what we believe. It's good to examine our belief systems to find where our Trust lives. Working forward from that place can be enlightening when we equate our belief system with what happens in our lives. This is different for each of us and we get confused when we begin to compare our experiences and belief systems with those of others. If we can compare and not judge, we will learn. 

When I have experienced something awful, it is hard to make my way back to Trust. I have wanted to run. I have wanted to hit back. Those are insecure choices. I've surely felt insecure in that way. What I have learned during those times from those people who were most trusting was that to trust is to be secure. 

Trust is grounding. Trust is confident. Trust begets Trust. 

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Patience!

The word from my heart pocket is Patience.

Waiting. It's hard for all of us. Each of us deals with waiting differently. We complain. We drum our fingers and tap our toes. We plow through the waiting loudly and angrily. We throw things. We cry. And every once in awhile, we exercise patience by focusing on something else until the waiting is over.

It's such a good thing to refocus. Such a good thing. Redirecting energy is positive and often stimulates new ideas and solutions. There are so many invisible reasons for delays. The gift Patience offers is a chance to breathe and organize our thoughts. We can use the time to catch up on details or prepare for possible scenarios if we are awaiting an outcome. Being proactive while we wait is the antidote to the anxiety we get while being patient

The origin of the word is Latin and it means "suffering". It evolved to where it is today because a medical patient must wait to heal. Transferring the idea of waiting as a healing process can be a helpful way to soothe our angst. Patience becomes a salve, a time of rejuvenation in preparation for what is next. 

Are you waiting for something to happen or to resolve? Can you channel your restlessness toward a constructive activity? Reorganize your office or home. Exercise to put the energy toward health. Do a good deed for someone. Occupy the body so the mind doesn't overwhelm and underscore the stress of waiting. 

Move your focus and be a good patient.
 

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Heart Pocket Word for the Day is Imagination!

The word from my heart pocket is Imagination!

Who made this picture? I turn to it often as a reminder of how incredible our creative forces are! I look at this image and I remember who I am. I can feel the imagination at play!

Our imagination is whatever we want it to be. It's playful, yes. It is the driving force in creativity. It works through our minds by forming mental images and concepts and sensations without the need for hearing or seeing. Imagining is one of the most powerful skills we can develop because it feeds our creativity, stokes the fires of desire and causes movement at the moment of recognition.

IMAGINATION IS THE ABILITY THROUGH WHICH WE EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING.

There is a tendency for the world to equate imagination only with art. Nothing could be further from what is. To get from Point A to Point B in our lives requires imagination. We are resourceful and where does that come from? Our imagining. When we greet a problem, we imagine how to solve it. When we come to a crossroads, we imagine the paths we might take. When we're getting dressed for the day, it is our imagination that envisions what the best choice will be. Imagination entertains us when we're bored. We call on it when we're backed into the corner. It propels us into action when we're inspired by the ideas it offers. Your imagination is your most reliable friend and the more you play with it, the more adept at the game you will be.

Imagining has saved the sanity of children of abuse. It has been the comforter of those who have endured great hardship. It saves lives and invents technology. Imagination builds worlds and has taken us to the stars.

IMAGINATION IS THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF.

Living with no imagination is depression. It is a world without possibility. Sometimes the most imaginative people get stuck there because they can also imagine the worst. If it is true that "I think therefore I am", then our imaginations become a vital force in determining quality of life. It is for each of us to choose how we live. Why would we not choose to imagine happiness and think of ways for it to be? 

The world greets us with a smorgasborg of choice. Imagination helps us play out scenarios so we can choose what we love. We are not tied to one way of living. There is always a new way to perceive a situation and this is the playground imagination loves most! To imagine is practical. Because it is fun, it gets a bad rap from those whose imaginations have been stuffed in the closet, overpowered by bullies like anger and fear and self-loathing or the more timid self-expressions like insecurity and perfectionism. Ironically, Imagination is the antidote to all of those ways of expression. When we imagine, we bring all solutions into possibility, including breaking down the walls of anger, fear, self-loathing, insecurity and perfectionism. We can literally imagine ourselves into being who we want to be!

My hero, Jim Henson, created a skit with my pals, Bert and Ernie. They kind of sum it up for me. All I can say is that no matter whether you like one big balloon or lots of little ones, you can have it all when you IMAGINE ...

click here to get started imagininghttp://tinyurl.com/imaginebert

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