Welcome to the magical world of transformation…

Lately I’ve been in this gathering mode, which means that I am collecting everything in my house of like-kind and putting them together.  Yesterday I gathered all of my journals and put them on a shelf beside my bed.  And can you believe that I have filled 17 journals from 06/05 through 08/09? I think that’s pretty damn cool.

Upon this realization it occurred to me that the single most powerful thing I have done for myself in my journey of transformation and self-realization is:

JOURNALING!

Of course.

I also realized that I have printed and used 8 different versions of the Daily Practice Journal as drafts to eventually publish.  As I sat and admired my beautiful journals I thought, “Why haven’t I ever moved on this project?”

And so I have decided that this is the project I am taking on as my first step out of hibernation and into creation.  I am so excited and already have filled 2 more pages in my journal with ideas, steps to take, and people to ask for support from.  I have given myself permission to focus on this project alone as I follow it through from start to finish.  Oh, I can’t wait to share it with you!  Stay tuned for more information on the project that has set my heart on fire!

While I was looking through my journals this morning for inspiration I found this beautiful passage and I simply must share it with you:

1/20/06
What exactly is fear?

Frightened
Excited (i.e. first date)
Avoiding
Risking

trying to stop us
letting us know we need to do some work, some preparation
holding us back
we do things with risks all the time (like driving and cooking) because we have learned how to avoid the danger [how to make them safe]

I am in awe of the synchronicity here because I kid you not, just a few days ago I was thinking about turning the word fear into an acronym and wondering what it would be.  And of course, all I had to do was look inside and there it was!

Stay tuned for some exciting news and an opportunity for you to help out…

Tags: connecting, courage, daily practice, fear, freedom, journaling, projects, Simply Fearless Daily Practice, writing

I received this fabulous reply from Dave – the owner of the gym I belong to – after publishing “Practice the Art of Not Knowing”:

Isn’t ‘not knowing’ like Christmas morning when you are going to open that big gift and you have NO idea what it is? Knowing what it is sort of takes the fun and excitement out.

Not knowing is also complete surrender to what is and what is…next. Any time we can remove fear from our world we are bit more free. Can’t imagine going through life not free.

Isn’t that an awesome way to look at it?  Dave is the best!

Tags: advice, fear, freedom

This morning during my Active Meditation I learned about The Art of Not Knowing.  It came up because I realized two things about where I was at:

1. I need to do everything all the time
2. I have to understand everything all the time

Then I was gently reminded how much pressure these two things put on me and I realized that I always tell others that it’s not why it’s how.  For example, we don’t always understand our feelings in the moment, but if we let go of needing to know why, then the understanding flows.

So today I commit to practicing The Art of Not Knowing, which means that I fully step into the wide, open space of the unknown with the intention of learning, playing, and discovering.

Wow! This is sooooooooo much better than beating myself up with needs and have-to’s.  I invite you to give it a whirl too.  Come on, you know it sounds enticing…

Tags: confusion, freedom, pressure

Dog Wisdom
Photo Artwork by Me!

This afternoon on Skype Hubs said, “Don’t have too much fun as a ‘young woman with no responsibilities.’ “

“Oh…you’ve been reading my blog!”

“Maybe…”

“Yeah, you’ll be glad to hear that the highlight of my afternoon is going to be cleaning house!” I laughed.

“You really are looking forward to redecorating Alex’s room aren’t you?”

“Yup.” More laughter on both ends of the world.

“I’ve never met anyone who gets excited about cleaning until I met you!”

I’m going to take that as a compliment and admit to you that yes it is true.  I do love to clean.  But, today  after my Solopreneur Coaching Group I have done almost nothing in my single-no responsibility time.  I haven’t even cleaned!  I’ve surfed the internet, watched tellie, and ate a piece of left over pizza.  Wait a minute…I think this is exactly what being young without responsibilities might actually be like!

Honestly I don’t really know what it’s like.  But, it doesn’t matter because I get to make it up.  It’s just fun doing whatever I want, when I want, and clean or not clean.

So while I was surfing I downloaded TweetDeck and saw that they have a link to tweet a photo.  Oh cool!  So of course, I decided to have a photo shoot with Gracie and upload a photo (or 6) for Funny Photo Friday:

“When I play with my cat, who knows whether she is not amusing herself with me more than I with her.” ~ Montaigne

“Those who will play with cats must expect to be scratched.” ~ Cervantes

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~ Winston Churchill

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

I haven’t been able to figure out how to get a photo on Twitter via TweetDeck, but I have at least 6 more hours of surfing…if I want.  Oh this is so cool.  I’m off to fetch a glass of almond champagne to celebrate and toast CHAMPAGNE FRIDAY!

Tags: chihuahua, cleaning house, freedom, funny photo friday, twitter

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ~ Anna Quindlen

Life truly is better when you give up the perfection and simply shine in your unique self!

This is what I have been doing lately and it is working beautifully. People are showing up in my life. Opportunities abound. And I feel so free to be me :~)

I’ve also been able to accomplish a whole heck of a lot in an incredibly short amount of time. Take a look…

• 1. I created a whole new blog, newsletter, and coaching group for Solopreneurs.

• 2. I gave a presentation to the Natural Healers Network about using blogging and facebook as tools to grow your personal and professional lives. It was so much fun and they were a fabulous crowd:

• 3. I became a contributing writer/photographer for Photo Bliss – a channel on Blissfully Domestic – and my very first article went live today! Please go check it out and post your thoughts. Your support means a whole heck of a lot to me.

And I didn’t sacrifice my personal life in the process. In fact, last weekend I went on a camping trip with my family – including Gracie – and my daughter’s boyfriend, Noah. I hope to post photos soon.

The bottom line is that life is better, easier, simpler when I let go of the suffocating pressure of perfectionism. I know there will still be times when I will succumb to the lure of perfectionism. But, now I know how to pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back to shining! And I invite you to do the same.

Tags: confidence, freedom, perfectionism