fresh perspective

Waste of Time or My Strengths at Play?

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Yesterday as I was preparing my fruit for breakfast, I took a spontaneous detour. I like my fruit room temperature (Individualization and Empathy toward myself) and I’d forgotten to take cuties out the fridge.

So I peeled a cold one and decided I wanted it warmer before I ate it. I started laying out the segments so they could warm quickly with air circulating around each individual segment. Activator and Strategic at work.

Waste of Time or My Strengths at Play AStrong

As I was doing that, my Maximizer, Connectedness and Strategic noticed a fun pattern. So, I created an amusing art piece for me, and now for you! And, after a few minutes, I ate it.

So fun!

What say you: waste of time or my strengths at play?

Join the conversation – comment below.

What If We Are Here to Love?

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“When next someone asks you, ‘Who are you?’ please do not give them a name. Do not say, ‘Well, I was born in a certain town in a certain part of the planet.” Do not tell them that you are a democrat, or a republican, or a communist, or an atheist or a catholic.”

Tell them the truth:
Who am I? I am the extension of Love in form.
I have never been born and I will never taste death.
I am infinite and eternal.
I shine forth as a sunbeam to the sun.
I am the effect of God’s Love.
And I stand before you to love you.

– From the book, The Way of Mastery, Part One: The Way of the Heart
By the Shanti Christo Foundation

The Way of Mastery, Part One: The Way of the Heart

“I stand before you to love you.” I read that and just melted into the desire to be that person. What would life be like if I simply loved each person around me? How would life change if I stood in a crowded room or drove on a busy highway and simply loved?

Without judgment, without qualifiers, without conditions, without exceptions and without needing reasons …

It feels so good as I ponder it. I’ll get back with you after I’ve spent some time practicing knowing I am that person and being that person!

Join the conversation – I’d love your insights and experiences below.

Is It Time for Your Powerful Contribution?

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I’m so excited about contribution right now. In a few months, I will finally be finished writing my second book, Strong from Within! I just completed mentoring a client to coach his clients more deeply. I’m also supporting two clients right now in employing more people locally.

More people living strong from within. More people receiving deeper coaching so they can make their contributions. More people doing work they love right in their own communities. I feel deeply honored to facilitate these contributions.

What about you? What do you know is your powerful contribution? Or next powerful contribution?

  • Would you love support in getting your book written?
  • Do you have a gift to give your community?
  • Might I help you coach more deeply?
  • Are you soul-searching to discern your next contribution?
  • How could coaching support you in making your powerful contribution?

With so many aspects of life seeming unstable right now, the world needs your specific gifts, your irreplaceable contribution.

Is It Time for Your Powerful Contribution?

If you’d like to talk with me about coaching you, let’s use the wonderful energy of the new season to plant your seeds and bring your contribution to reality!

Our coaching conversation would be my gift to you. If we both sense it would be a good fit, we can talk about how we could work together.

If we’re not a good fit, that’s okay too. At the very least, we’ll have had a great conversation about your important contribution!

I begin work with only 2 or 3 new clients each season. If you sense one of them might be you, schedule your coaching conversation and apply here.

To making the world a better place, one powerful contribution at a time!

Join the conversation ~ post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

Your Greatness As Me

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Dear God, free me from
Anything that blocks me
From believing in Your Greatness
That flows through me.
As me.

Show me how to know You,
As me,
With every breath I take.

Regardless of circumstances.

AStrong-030718-500x500

Through the toughest storms,
During moments of Pure Grace,
And everything in between.

Show me how to experience unceasingly
Your Peace, Your Love, Your Abundance.

Show me how to express unceasingly
Your Peace, Your Love, Your Abundance.

Show me how to share unceasingly
Your Peace, Your Love, Your Abundance.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I surrender this to You.
I know it is done.

Join the conversation – post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

Love Is

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Love Is.

I can’t
buy it,
trade for it,
beg for it,
demand it or
work for it.

Love Is.

I can
open my eyes,
soften my gaze,
deepen my breath and
acknowledge what is.

Love Is.

Love Is

Opening my eyes, softening my gaze, deepening my breath and receiving the dynamic love of this sky …

I can
open my eyes,
soften my gaze,
deepen my breath and
receive.

Love Is.
Love Is.

I can
open my eyes,
soften my gaze,
deepen my breath and
be.

Love is.
Love is.
I am.

From Ann’s forthcoming second book, Strong from Within: Loving, embodying and expressing you.

Join the conversation ~ post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

How Are You a Messenger of Love?

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My Valentine’s gift this year opened my heart wider – to the glory of God. And, my sweetie and I shared that amazing experience. We both wondered if we were too old for an indoor arena concert, but choose to go see TobyMac live anyway!

It was crazy loud. And complete overstimulation for me. Quite surprisingly, it didn’t matter.

Somehow, I surrendered to that deafening noise and powerhouse energy. It broke me open, reminding me to the depths of my being that the Love and Oneness of God is my foundation and that I am a priestess.

I thought I was going to hear fantastic, uplifting music. Turns out that fantastic, uplifting music called forth more of who I am.

How Are You a Messenger of Love?

TobyMac, Mandisa and Ryan Stevenson

TobyMac himself inspired me by asking us to pray for him – that more songs may come though him that reach people. Indeed, we need more messengers of Love.

I have prayed for him. And I pray for you and me. That we may each serve more fully as the unique messenger of Love that we are.

Thank you TobyMac for being a powerful, and loud, messenger of Love!

Join the conversation – post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

How You Think About Life Quickly Becomes Your Life

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“How you respond to life is your life.”
– Tama Kieves
From her new book, “Thriving Through Uncertainty: Moving Beyond Fear and Making Change Work for You”

Oh my goodness, take that in.

It’s so easy to imagine that if I change my circumstances, I’ll have a better life.

I did the research on this one when I moved from Denver to Lamy, New Mexico three years ago.  I do love living in a magical casita surrounded by open land and open sky.  And, I still have bad moods when things don’t go how I think they “should.”

When I’m able to respond by allowing things to be as they are, then my life feels great regardless of where I’m living or any other circumstances.

When I’m spending time in Denver and sitting in traffic, I can choose to respond by becoming present and Zen and flowing as traffic is or isn’t flowing.  When I rail against “idiot drivers,” I create a not-so-good life for myself.

Same circumstances: sitting in Denver traffic.  Two different lives by my response to life.

Is the answer to never go to Denver again?  Of course not.  Then I would simply have more time to focus on all the “idiot hikers” in the beautiful New Mexico open space who let their dogs run loose and jump on me.

Thriving Through Uncertainty: Moving Beyond Fear and Making Change Work for You by Tama Kieves

Tama has written a brilliant, inspiring, heart-warming book championing our oh-so-human experience and calling us to become more aware of how we can thrive anyway.

Love yourself – read her book.

Join the conversation ~ post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

What If You Are Your Biggest Supporter?

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From Dictionary.com –
Advocate: person supporting an idea or cause publically.

What if YOU are the idea and the cause?

Take that in: YOU are worth supporting. Even publically.

This flies in the face of what we’ve been taught about not tooting our own horn. Why aren’t we suppose to toot our own horn? Because we’ll get too big for our britches? None of that even makes sense.

What If You Are Your Biggest Supporter?

Why would we acknowledge our own Beauty less than the Beauty of this glorious flower?

Each of us is an entirely unique emanation of the One. To be celebrated. Honored. Cherished. Supported. Shared with the world. In a positive way.

“Getting too big for our britches” is a human idea. Self-deprecating is a long-celebrated, passed-down-through-the-generations, completely nonsensical idea.

We are here in this lifetime now to fully express ourselves. Our humanity and our Divinity. We are here to support and advocate for that expression.

How much cleaner and more empowering than trying to cleverly manipulate others into advocating for us, give us their stamp of approval?

Self-advocating isn’t ego puffery. It’s seeing yourself and speaking about yourself the same way you would a child or grandchild, a dear friend or a beloved teacher.

The other day, I noticed that one of the participants in my Thriving Work Working Book Club had a new picture on her Facebook page. She looked radiant. When I shared that with her, she simply replied, “I love my smile in that picture.”

Beautiful, innocent, pure self-advocacy.

Join the conversation – post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

You Are a Spark of the One

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Sliver of G

I am a Divine Emanation.
A Spark of the One.
Completely unique.

Never before.
Never again.

Only Now.
Brilliant, shining Now.

Sliver-of-G

I am a Sliver of G.
Goodness.
Genius.
Gumption in action.
Grace in the moment.
The Glory of God incarnate.

I am a Sliver of G.

Join the conversation ~ post your insights, feedback, experience below.

How Do You Answer the Call of the Season?

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This time of year endlessly fascinates me with the contrast of the natural call to go inward and the consumer call to run around out there.

I opted out of the consumer call almost 30 years ago.

And this year, because it’s been so warm and we haven’t yet seen our typical snow here in Northern New Mexico, I’ve been more outward-focused than usual.

Last night it occurred to me that I didn’t want to miss the sacred opportunity of this season.

How Do You Answer the Call of the Season?

How wonderful to notice that even many beautiful lights are held in deep darkness this time of year. (As seen on one of my neighbors’ house in Eldorado, New Mexico.)

Opportunities I’m noticing:

Waiting in stillness.

Receiving the gifts of solitude.

Embracing long shadows.

Slowing down.

Reflecting deeply into the night.

What about you? What are the sacred opportunities of this season for you?

As always, post your comments, experiences and insights below . . .

Happy Sacred Solstice!