Who Do You Admire? (Part 2)

I hope that you took the opportunity to completed the list of people you admire and what captivating trait attracts you to each of them. In case you missed it, go to last week’s blog post with more detailed information about this exercise.

Here’s a recap of my list: 

1. Mother Theresa (minister to the poor, sick and dying around the world)

TRAIT: Unconditional love

It is so touching for me to see the many pictures of this dear woman treating each person she came into contact with as a precious jewel worthy of exquisite care and attention. (Jesus was a past choice here.)

2. Rosa Parks (called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom)

TRAIT: Courage 

I am regularly attracted to people who stand up for what they believe in regardless of what others think and the potential consequences. Those who dig in deep and push forward no matter the obstacles to honor and uphold their truth. (Frederick Douglass was a past choice here.)

3. Nelson Mandela (anti-apartheid activist)

TRAIT: Integrity

I could have chosen inner strength or courage here again yet integrity fits too. I believe that integrity is the foundation of all inspired action so it can replace all other characteristics in my book. All parts of our being must be "integrated" or in alignment to hear the guidance and direction from our higher self.

I highly recommend the inspiring movie Invictus which details Mandela’s efforts to reduce the racial tensions that remained from the apartheid era through geniusly unifying the country during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

You know those amazing traits you so admire in others and wish you could possess? Well you also possess them. Yes you heard me right, you are as special, talented and gifted as the people you emulate. If you didn’t already possess these traits you would not be so strongly attracted to them. You wouldn’t think about and wish you could be so wonderful and/or talented in that specific area.

For example, my friend shared her 3 people with me and all were creative and innovative artists. No surprise as she is a deeply creative person who feels blocked off from her creative expression. Once she allows herself to manifest her buried gifts she may still be inspired by these artists yet not yearn to be like them (as she'll know she already is).

I specifically split this blog post into two parts because I knew that some (maybe most) people would struggle to come up with their 3 people if they already knew the overall meaning of the exercise. Do you feel uncomfortable comparing yourself to those you put on a pedestal or see as larger than life?

If you already knew the point of the exercise before you started your list, did you face resistance to either starting the list or to come up with 3 people once you began? 

You may be denying these traits within yourself and seeking them in others so you can vicariously feel their power. The truth is that you truly long to shine the light on them in you yet are not yet courageous enough so you settle for the rub off effect.

Your denial that you could possess truly inspirational traits may be blocking you from receiving the inner connection, aliveness and peace you seek. If you don’t believe it, you can’t receive (or feel) it. You will only allow into your life (everything from personal expression to people to situations) that which fits into your preconceived concept of reality.

I’d love to hear who you admire because I’m simply interested in who you are and even more so because that is evidence that you are embracing your special gifts. The more you own them the sooner the rest of the world gets to receive and appreciate them. You are not helping anyone by hiding who you are. Yet you are certainly harming yourself and the masses by hiding your genius under a seemingly humble cover of insecurity. You deserve to feel the joy of your brilliance. Shine on!

In admiration for who you are,

Amber

Who Do You Admire? (Part 1)

I am inspired to share with you a simple exercise I have run across a number of times. I am a slow learner so I had to get similar answers each time to get the true power of it. I can now accept and embrace the wisdom I received.

So here’s the exercise: Take some quiet time and think of 3 people you admire the most. There are no limits to who you can choose – dead or alive, family, friend or celebrity. You can even choose a fictional character like Harry Potter or your favorite superhero.

Once you have your list in priority order, think of the trait in each person or character that resonates deeply within you. You have interacted with or heard about thousands of people in your lifetime, what is so special about these people that made them rise to the top of your heap?  

It is perfectly okay if you don’t immediately know the quality that attracted you to them. Step away from the list for an hour, day or week or more and see what comes forth.

When you are ready, delve deeper and think of all the things this person represents to you and what amazing things they have accomplished. What about the way they choose to live their life do you find inspiring? 

I’d like to share my recent list with you. I am not positive yet I think that some of the people I have chosen during each round of this exercise have been different yet the traits I admire have been pretty consistent.

1. Mother Theresa (minister to the poor, sick and dying around the world)

TRAIT: Unconditional love

Check out Mother Theresa’s inspiring poem about inner guidance on my last blog.

2. Rosa Parks (called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom)

TRAIT: Courage

3. Nelson Mandela (anti-apartheid activist)

TRAIT: Integrity

I finished this blog detailing what each person means to me and the objective of this exercise then decided to end it here. I want to give you some time to seek your own Truth without any unneeded distractions that can lead to pesky procrastination and indecision.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week. Feel free to share who you admire and why before then. I do enjoy writing yet enjoy connecting with you even more.

In admiration for who you are,

Amber

Don’t Want to Do It? Do It Anyway

In follow up to my last blog about our constant opportunity to express our best selves, I’d like to share my all time favorite poem with you. These beautiful sentiments from Mother Theresa perfectly illustrate the notion that we are never in competition with others or at the mercy of anyone.
 
Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and (your Truth) or God; it was never between you and them anyway.

Written by Mother Theresa (engraved on the wall of her home for children in Calcutta)

I strongly suggest that you print out this poem and keep it close by to remind you that you can always be a little nicer and a little kinder. (Please leave your email address on the comments section and I can email you a pretty version of the poem.) In service of your own peace and growth. Remember it’s not about the other character in your momentary drama. It’s about the everlasting you.

KINDNESS KREATION: If someone angers or anyone annoys you today and you feel rage bubbling force or you immediately judge them, use all of your inner strength to pause and not react. Reach deep within your heart and send them love and compassion. Yes it is in there even if you can’t find it in that moment. Or reach in your pocket to take out your copy of dear Mother Theresa’s poem. You will be utterly amazed at how your painful feelings dissipate (maybe quickly, maybe slowly) and you are once again in touch with your own humanity. Certainly feels a whole lot better than getting lost in the animalistic urges within.
 
Let me know how your anger experiment goes.

Sending you love and light,
Amber

Long Live Katharine Hepburn

A dear friend of mine lent me a set of Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn's old movies and one day I was watching Pat & Mike as I did my daily exercise. At one point I was so struck by one of Katharine Hepburn’s insightful lines that I had to pause my workout to write it down. This is what she said to a dim-witted boxer who had become very angry at the manager whose orders he blindly obeyed:

“It’s never you against the whole world, it’s just you against yourself.”

When I heard this quote I imagined two versions of myself at opposite sides of a boxing ring. One was seething mad and beaten bloody while the other was calmly bouncing around her side of the ring open to whatever came her way.

This wise nugget really resonated with me as most of my life I looked outside of myself for direction and comfort and felt angry and blamed those around me for not being able to eliminate my never-ending unhappiness. I was always in a battle with "them."

Gratefully I stopped my stubborn streak and adopted a new way of interacting with the people around me. The principle I now choose to use as the foundation of my life says I always have a choice about how I respond to anything I encounter. 

Am I going to give in to my unexamined emotions or am I going to take a breath and create a monetary pause so that I can choose the highest expression of myself in that moment? Am I going to blame another for my anger or am I going to acknowledge that another touched a sensitive area that already existed within me? Am I going to lie so that I don’t look bad or am I going to be honest about who I am? 

In the long run it comes down to your willingness to do whatever it takes to heal those places within you so that they are not so tender and prone to injury. When you have healed those broken places there is little room for insult and injury to fit in the cracks. You will be whole and complete and disinterested in engaging in high drama.

My deepest wish for you is that you empower yourself to respond to people, places and things in a way that you can be proud of. In such a way that you look at yourself in the mirror and genuinely love the person who is reflected back. A person who has no shame or secrets, one who would never hurry across the street for fear of seeing “that” person. May you find peace in embracing the loving and kind spirit that you are. This Divine spark is within you whether you have never seen, heard or even imagined this beautiful being. It is possible to live from that space most of the time. It’s a conscious choice. Are you willing to make it?

Wishing you loving choices,

Amber

Wonders of Witnessing Acts of Kindness

I always feel a smile come across my lips or a warm feeling that prompts me to touch my heart when I am lucky enough to be in the vicinity of an exchange of heartfelt generosity. What I am thrilled to find out is how exponentially powerful witnessing acts of kindness are.

A study performed at Harvard University and the University of California at San Diego showed that a single act of kindness can extend as far as three degrees of separation and also spreads laterally to affect a greater number of people than were originally present.

The people watching a loving exchange are affected and their positive experience prompts them to pay that kindness and generosity forward and beyond. As the giver you are in essence helping others who were not originally involved and this creates a cascade of kindness.

The commitment to embody the love we truly are has astounding affects on all we touch and all they touch. It takes only a handful of individuals to open their hearts and really make a difference. Ok you have all the scientific evidence you need (from Harvard no less), now go start a cascade of kindness.

I'd love to hear your experience of witnessing an act of kindness and its affect on you right afterwards and throughout your day.

With love and light,
Amber

I Resolve To...

Happy New Year. May you enjoy the birth of a new year and also know that you can resolve to make loving choices for your physical, emotional and spiritual growth in each moment you are alive. And to make grand gestures of loving kindness to all living beings. There is no need to wait for a specific date, you only need the impetus to know that your heart deeply desires to open more fully. That can happen after a seeming “negative experience” such as you yelling at someone you care about or after a “positive experience” where you felt loved and heard.

I’d like to share the resolutions I connect to each day so that I can infuse the spirit of love and light in all that I am and all that I do. These are not 2011 New Year’s Resolutions, these are lifetime commitments that require attention and persistence in each moment. I may steer off course regularly yet I know that I will always come back to these guiding principles. I trust that in time that I will naturally take fewer detours.

I resolve to:
• clear away anything that blocks the love and light inside of me
• love, accept and offer compassion to my fellow humans as I focus on the Divine within them
• treat all sentient beings and our glorious planet with love, care and respect
• have complete faith and trust that my God-given wisdom is always unfolding perfectly for my highest good
• live with integrity, accept myself unconditionally and honor all of my experiences
• embody the highest expression of myself in each moment
• be at peace within and with the world around me
• burn so brightly that I ignite others

My deepest wish for you is that you take an honest appraisal of who you want to be in the world and resolve to step forward in that image. Not just in January 2011 – throughout the year and beyond.

May 2011 be the year where you resolve to give more than you receive and in turn receive more love, joy, peace and abundance than you think your heart can hold.

Sending you love and light,
Amber