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Archive for July, 2011

Voice lessons #30

Posted in Be true to yourself on July 30, 2011| 1 Comment »

 

 Tony Robbins is losing his voice.

 For those of you who don’t know him, Tony is a highly acclaimed motivational speaker. I believe he is losing his voice for a fantastic reason. He has taken his fiery passion for inspiring others and joyfully cheered so many people on to a better life that he is literally using his voice up!

 I am gradually losing my voice too. The doctor’s say I am hoarse because my thyroid gland is enlarged and pressing on my trachea. I know this to be true but I believe the real problem is that I have not pursued my own passion for motivational speaking in the way I had always dreamed of doing. The hoarseness is merely a symbol of my frustration with myself for not letting my voice be heard.

 

Tony may have used his voice too much.

I’ve used mine too little.

 

That’s going to change. I have two big speaking presentations scheduled in the fall and I know in my heart that, by then, I’ll be ready.

 We each have a unique voice in the world. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about speaking. It is whatever gifts we have to share. What is it that you are passionate about? Let your voice be heard today. Use it until you’ve used it up!

 You and the world will be better for it.

Let your spirit soar!
Paula
Photo: by Kathleen Geraghty

 

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The perfect invitation #29

Posted in Uncategorized on July 24, 2011| 3 Comments »

The perfect invitation  #29

 Do you tend to plan everything out ahead of time? I know I sometimes do. If someone invites me somewhere, I usually play the game of at least “20 questions.” I want to know exactly what to expect. I guess I want to avoid surprises and feel safe. Lately, I’ve been trying to surrender each moment of my day to God’s direction. If God is pure love and only wants happiness for me, then I know I should be able to trust His guidance. Some days, I can’t go more than a few minutes before my “planning” brain takes over, but I’m gradually doing better.

Recently, I’ve sensed that I would be taking a trip that would be life changing in positive ways. Two weeks ago, a good friend invited me to join her and a friend on an eight day trip to the Pacific northwest. It will be the first time that I have ever gone on a trip with “the girls”, as opposed to a family trip that I carefully choreographed from start to finish. Being much more seasoned travelers than I am, they were happy to plan our itinerary, lodging and the like. And, for the first time in my life, I am happy to let them do that! In fact, I’m quite excited at the prospect of just getting on the plane and seeing where each day takes me. Maybe this new found sense of letting go stems from my recent practice with surrendering, but I think the main thing that keeps me from asking too many questions, or getting nervous about the cost, is knowing who invited me. My friend said that God told her to invite me along.

  With that kind of invitation . . . . . how can I go wrong?

Let your spirit soar!
Paula
Artwork: Release, SOLD

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Something to talk about #28

Posted in Love, Uncategorized on July 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Something to talk about   #28

 A few minutes ago I had the impulse to turn on the radio at a time of day when I wouldn’t normally listen. That usually means there’s a message coming. 🙂 The first song was one that always reminds me that my dad is with me in spirit so that got my attention. The next song spoke about how, “maybe, someday, we’ll figure all this out, we’ll live our lives out loud and find a way to feel better now.” Well, that’s something I’m certainly working on, for myself and to share with others. The third song was, “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about”, which is one of my favorite, upbeat songs to dance to. As I was dancing and singing my heart out (they say you gotta dance like nobody’s watching J) I had an ah-ha moment. The song goes on to say, “How about love?”

 So if I string these three messages together, here’s what I get:

     My dad is watching over me and guiding me.
     He knows I’m trying to figure things out and share a message with the world
      I need to dance joyfully through life and what I’m supposed to talk about is LOVE!!!

 THAT’S IT! That’s the message that all my life experience, introspection and studying has led me to. All I need to do is talk about and be love (a.k.a. joy), because love is the only thing that’s real! And it isn’t something we have to get. It’s what we ARE!

Let your spirit soar!
Paula
Photo: courtesy of Meghan Moore

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Really special #27

Posted in Opportunity, Uncategorized on July 9, 2011| 1 Comment »

A few days ago I had the opportunity to mind my friend’s nine year old daughter for the afternoon. Usually her brother would be there as well, but this time it would be just the two of us and I had a plan. I wanted to do something really special with her and I knew of a children’s concert at a local library that I was sure she would love. But, as it turned out, she had plans of her own. She wanted to go to the public pool that I had brought her to many times before. And nothing, I mean nothing, I said could change her mind. In fact, she was really upset with me for trying to talk her into going to the concert.

 I have to admit, I was very disappointed that my plan wasn’t working. I really had trouble letting it go. I so much wanted us to have fun together doing something new and different and I felt like she was missing out on a great opportunity. In hindsight, I realize that I was the one missing out. While I was mentally plotting how to make things work my way, she was having the time of her life in the water. My time would have been much better spent being fully present with her at the pool where she wanted to be. THAT would have been really special.

Let your spirit soar!
Paula
Photo: my friend’s daughter, photo by Kathleen Geraghty

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Visiting dad #26

Posted in Love, Uncategorized on July 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A recent comment from the famous poet, Maya Angelou, reminded me of something that happened when I was twelve years old. My dad worked in construction at the time. He usually worked locally but for a few months he had been working far away in Montpelier, Vermont. He only came home on weekends and I really missed him during the week. On this particular weekend, my dad wasn’t going to be able to get home so I was excited when my mother announced that we would be driving up to visit him instead. We arrived at the hotel and I happily ran up the sidewalk and went inside to find my dad. I found him sitting in the lounge, talking with some of his construction buddies. I will never forget the look on his face when I entered the room. His eyes lit up and he smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen. It seemed he just couldn’t wait to hug me and introduce me to his friends. In that moment, I felt like a queen! Even as I write this, my eyes fill with grateful tears for the love he gave me back then and the love I feel from him in spirit now. I think of that moment often. Each time I do, I pray that everyone has someone in their life whose face lights up when they enter the room.

 Whether it is a child or another adult, who can you do that for today?

Let your spirit soar!
Paula

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