Strong from Within

How Have I Loved and What Have I Shared Today?

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Recently while working with a coaching client, he described his behavior in a particular situation and then asked me, “Is that normal?” What he really wanted to know, what we all want to know, “Am I okay? Compared to everyone else, do I fit in? Am I doing it right? Do I have value?”

While the questions are common, no answers will serve us. If the answers are primarily “no,” then we are “wrong.” If they’re primarily “yes,” we won’t believe them or we’ll believe them temporarily until the next time we feel compelled to ask for affirmation yet again.

Looking for external validation will never get us to where we want to go. As we come to accept, embrace and know our unique and perfectly imperfect humanness AND our Oneness in our Divinity, we will no longer seek approval or validation.

What is “normal” in my unique human expression looks nothing like what is “normal” in yours. You and I can be experiencing the exact same event, conversation or circumstance and we still have two separate realities based on our own perceptions and thoughts.

Then, when any of us experience something through our Divinity, the question of “normal” doesn’t even exist.

How Have I Loved Today

So, what might we ask ourselves instead? Right now, I’m asking myself, “How have I loved and what have I shared today?”

What about you? What’s meaningful for you to ask yourself?

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within: Simple perceptions and practices for returning to the joy of you”)

The Natural Organizing and Aligning of Life

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I’m on the second day of a 40-day meditation for greater awareness of faith. What struck me this morning: how amazingly precisely things Organize and Align in my life without me doing it.

For example: many people don’t know that I chose my last name, Strong, in 1991. I was getting married for the second time, we wanted to share a last name and I didn’t want to take his. We spent months pondering what to choose. We wanted a name with meaning without calling attention to it. I wanted to be Ann Fortunate because that’s how I felt. And, that would have called too much attention to it. 🙂

When we thought of and chose Strong, I thought it was to help him become stronger. Ah, silly me.

We were together four years, and our marriage was miserable. We divorced and both kept the name. Perhaps one of the karmic reasons we married?

Interestingly, I took the name Strong 10 years before Gallup came out with the StrengthsFinder assessment, something that has been so integral to my work since 2008. People often asked me back then why I didn’t name my business Strong Coaching. “Too hokey,” I said over and over again.

Then a couple of years ago, I asked you, the readers of this ezine and blog, what to re-name the ezine. The clear feedback was Strong Notes. It seemed close to hokey, but I thought it was a good change – temporarily. Until I could come up with something better.

Do you see the Organizing and Aligning pattern here? And I was not only not doing it, I was resisting along the way!

How could our lives be any less Organized and Aligned than the sunflowers and the sun and the clouds?!?
How could our lives be any less Organized and Aligned
than the sunflowers and the sun and the clouds?!?

Fast forward to six months ago, and it became crystal clear to me that my next book would be Strong from Within. I finally surrendered. I renamed the company too. Strong from Within may very well be my life’s work – personally, professionally and literarily.

What I became aware of in my meditation this morning: something greater than me is Organizing and Aligning my life. Then, I had a few blissful minutes of knowing what it feels like to have faith in that!

What about you? What do you notice has Organized and Aligned in your life?

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within: Simple perceptions and practices for returning to the joy of you”)

The Source of Our Experience

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Recently I had to sort out something between my doctor, insurance company and pharmacy. Not fun. I realized that the root of my frustration and anxiety was about feeling powerless.

While waiting for replies from them, this piece, Returning to Center, came to me. It reminds me that regardless of how it looks, I am Source. When I remember I am Source, my energy shifts and the external world shifts, too.

Instead of continuing to try to strong-arm things into place (yes, I am good at that :), I decided to leave it alone until the next morning. By 9:30 am, they had worked it out themselves.

To returning to Center, again and again . . .

Returning to Center

Returning to Center

Off balance.
Out of sorts.
Beside myself.
Ah, to be human.

Remembering.
Center.
Returning to Center.
Ah, to be Divine.

Disconnected.
Defending.
Feeling separate.
Out of control.

Connected.
Clear.
Open.
Returning to Center.

Messy misery.
Miraculous Center.
Ah, to be Divinely human.

Returning to Center.
Again and again.
Again and again.

No judgment.
Returning to Center.

All.
One.
Center.

Returning to Center.

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within: Simple perceptions and practices for returning to the joy of you”)

What do you notice for you?

The Happy Privilege of Being You

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Never before.
Never again.

Brilliant.
Brilliant shining now.

Illuminating
sacred opportunity.
Expressing the beloved
known as me.

Entrusted
to nurture the beloved
into the fullness of Divine Glory.

Bringing forth
the Brilliance of this beloved.

How could the Universe be any less uplifted by your presence than by these beloved expressions of the One?
How could the Universe be any less uplifted by your presence than by these beloved expressions of the One?

The entire Universe
uplifted by this beloved’s presence.

Brilliant.
Brilliant shining now.

Never before.
Never again.

Brilliant.
Brilliant shining now.

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within: Simple perceptions and practices for returning to the joy of you”)

The Best Way to Take a Stand for Your Contributions

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Last week, one of my colleagues told me that learning his top 5 StrengthsFinder strengths changed the trajectory of his life.

This after I had encouraged him to take the StrengthsFinder assessment when he had shared some frustrations about his job. Wow, he caught my attention, and I couldn’t wait to find out what he meant.

He told me that all of his life he had tried to bring new ideas and improvements to his jobs only to be told over and over again, “That’s not what we hired you for. Just do your job.”

His strengths indicate that his genius lies in sifting through many big ideas, projecting them into the future, choosing the ones that will make a huge impact and bringing those to fruition. We are talking about ideas on par with iPhone, Facebook or Uber. When his StrengthsFinder report echoed what he already knew about himself, he transformed in that moment.

“I have to start my own company. I am not going to let anyone hold me back anymore. I know I can make this happen.” In an instant, he went from feeling depressed and frustrated about being under-utilized to taking a stand for the huge contribution he is here to bring into reality.

It brought tears to my eyes. How would our experience of life shift if we each took a stand for ourselves and our unique strengths and contributions?!?

I’m on a mission.

Shidoni Sculpture Gardens in Teseque, NM

One of my greatest contributions based on my StrengthsFinder Strengths: seeing and calling forth your brilliance and your contributions. I spotted and captured this incredible contribution at the Shidoni Sculpture Gardens. Tesuque, NM.

If you already know your strengths and contributions, would you be willing to share them here to inspire others?

If you don’t yet know your top 5 StrengthsFinder strengths, would you be willing to love yourself and the world enough to invest $10 and 40 minutes to learn them so you can more confidently make the contributions that are only yours to make?!?

If so, click here to take the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment.

Here’s to more awesome contributions to the planet!

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within: Simple perceptions and practices for returning to the joy of you”)

Post your strengths and contributions below . . .

A Strong from Within Interview

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I was interviewed a couple of weeks ago by Irma Vargas for the Be Your Own Leader Summit.

I talked about:

  • Aligning our internal StrengthsFinder strengths team by paying attention to our strengths within us.
  • Focusing on consistently being and living our core values.
  • Committing to daily practices that nourish our body, mind, heart and spirit.
  • Orienting our life and work around what sparks joy for us.
  • Living from the inside out strengthens us. When we live from the knowing that we create our world by our thoughts and feelings, we give up the notion that we are victims of external circumstances. We naturally thrive.

Great listen for StrengthsFinder pros, StrengthsFinder newbies and Strong from Within enthusiasts.
35 minutes.

microphone

Click the microphone to listen to or download the interview.

I would love your thoughts and responses. Post comments and insights below . . .

Listening through Your Body

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One of the core components of living Strong from Within involves developing and nurturing an intimate relationship with our body.

Until October of 2008, I didn’t know my body or listen to my body. I had no idea my body had wisdom to share.

Today, I know that my body always knows. My body doesn’t lie. And, it isn’t just body stuff that my body knows. She serves as a reliable guidance system for everything in my life, if I tune into her.

Oh, the joy when we tune in and listen to our body and through our body . . .
Oh, the joy when we tune in and listen to our body and through our body . . .

Since October of 2008, I have learned to listen to my body, primarily through my practice of kundalini yoga. I am forever grateful for this practice that awakened me to the body of me.

Recently, I have also been practicing Qoya, a movement system based on the idea that through movement we remember our essence as women is wise, wild and free.

One of my favorite reasons for practicing Qoya is that the creator, Rochelle Schieck, says over and over again, “The way you know you’re doing it right is if it feels good.” What a life-affirming reminder.

Experiencing is so much more powerful than reading about . . .

Give yourself the gift of 14 minutes to experience Qoya with Rochelle.

I notice I hear my body speak in several ways. I feel if something feels good. Or it doesn’t. I often receive insights and inspiration after finishing Qoya. Also, the qualities I play with during Qoya – open-heartedness, softening, slowing down, receiving, sinking in and many more – are showing up in my life, too.

There are as many ways to access our body wisdom as there are bodies on the planet. How have you been listening through your body? Might you be interested in listening more deeply or more consistently? Is a new way calling you?

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within.”)

I would love your thoughts and responses. Post comments and insights below . . .

Coming Back to Center

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Earlier this week, I attended an Evening of Exploration at the Academy for the Love of Learning. We explored Coming Back to Center – Embodied Leadership.

One of the most profound things I learned involved not always being able to tell if I was present within myself while being present with another person. What an amazing awareness . . .

How do I know when I am present with myself? What does it feel like? If I’m not in my own center, what does it take for me to become present in my own center?

I’m excited to share this piece with you – exploring this . . .

Experiencing being present with myself . . .

Experiencing being present with myself . . .


Home

Hello, is anybody home?

As I take a deep breath,
I check inside.

Can I feel myself here?
At home in my body?

I feel the energy of me
In my heart center.

I feel the edges
of my physical home
In the tips of my fingers
and the tips of my toes.

I feel my energetic presence
beyond my physical home.

As I feel out farther and farther,
I experience my Oneness
with my Big Home.

All that Is.

Ah, to be home
And to be Home.

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, “Strong from Within.”)

I would love your thoughts and responses. Post comments and insights below . . .

How Do Your Strengths Influence What You Value about Coaching?

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Coaching since 1997, I have noticed that we all hire coaches to help us create more fulfilling lives. The wonderful and fascinating thing about consciously creating our lives: there are as many ways to do it as there are people on the planet.

Perhaps that’s why we have so many types of coaching – from business to intimacy, from spiritual to success, from health to grief. Over the years, I myself have worked with 14 different coaches. Each for different reasons.

And I have noticed patterns about why people hire coaches based on their strengths.

Strategic Thinkers hire me as a thinking partner and for accountability.

Executing folks either hire me to help them get even more stuff done or to improve their relationships. People who have the Executing strength of Responsibility in their top 5 usually hire me to learn how to (finally) be responsible to themselves first or to deepen their spiritual practice.

Relationship Builders hire me to create a connection and learn more about themselves through our relationship. They love it when I help them see their blind spots.

Influencers hire me to leverage their reach with people. They are often interested in how to move even more people or how to influence them more deeply.

train tracks
What makes your life fulfilling and meaningful?

So, what about you? Do you know your top 5 strengths? What have you noticed has brought you the greatest value from coaching?

(If you don’t know your StrengthsFinder strengths, I highly recommend that you invest $19.99 and 30 – 40 minutes to learn what makes you one-of-a-kind! That’s me at my Influencing best.)

I would love your thoughts and responses. Post comments and insights below . . .

Find Your Strongest Life: Strong from Within Tools

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How might the world shift if we all knew and owned our own divinity?

How would your life shift if you knew, truly knew, that you are the creator of your life, the author of your story? What might you create differently than how your life is now?

What if we could devote a minute or two minutes or five minutes a day to begin making those shifts in our lives?!?

I love the way a meditation or affirmative prayer instantly changes my focus and energy. And, I am a bit impatient by nature, so I love working with simple tools that help me shift in minutes.

Yet, I found most centering tools and meditations are a minimum of 15 minutes and often as much as an hour, so I decided to create my own tools.

Today, I am so excited to share them with you!

I call this first one, Source, a reality reminder. May it remind you of your own power – strong from within . . .

Oak Tree

Listen to the 1-minute audio here.

[audio:http://annstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Source_realityreminder.mp3]

Or read or follow along with the printed words below.

Source

There is One Power, One Presence; the Source of all existence.

Pure Potentiality. Pure Energy. Pure, unformed, raw material.

Everything in existence is formed from this One Source.
I am formed from this One Source.

My thoughts, beliefs and emotions form my reality,
the nature of my existence.
I am the source of the nature of my existence.

What I experience “out there,” in the world first took shape inside of me.
As I believe, so it is.

I am the source of the nature of my existence.
Each moment, I choose the nature of my existence.

What would I love to choose?
What would I love to choose?

If this is valuable to you, I’m so excited to share a package of three tools with you:

Strong from Within, 1 – The Quick Audio Package
(3 recordings)
All recordings by Ann Strong

  1. You Are a Fountain of Blessings
    5-minute meditation
  2. Divine Authority
    2-minute affirmative prayer
  3. Source
    1-minute reality reminder

I found a wonderful platform from which to share this package – and you get to name the price you’d like to pay!

CLICK HERE for further details, to purchase and for immediate download.

I’d love your feedback! If you purchase the package and use the tools for a few days, I would love to know how things shift for you . . .

Post comments and insights below . . .