Simple Steps to Finding Peace
Today I was reminded of a poem that has hung prominently in every home I’ve ever lived in…”Desiderata”. Reading it reminds me to honor and respect all humankind, my God, Mother Earth and most importantly, myself, and I know I have found peace.
What I love most about this poem, is that at different times in my life, different passages have spoken to me in a way that has brought me great comfort.
When my life was particularly chaotic, I clung to the words, “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste…”, and “in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.”
When I’ve been afraid, I’ve been reminded, “Do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.”
When I question my worthiness, when I wonder out-loud “Am I good enough?”, I simply turn to this print and affirm, “You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.”
When my world fell apart, and my faith was wavering, I read “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” and once again I could “be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.”
And I when I most needed to believe that I would be OK, I found hope in the words “With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”
And slowly, one step at a time, I found peace.
So I share the full poem here with you, in the hope that you, too, will find peace in this writing by Max Ehrmann. And maybe, you’ll print it out and place it somewhere in your space so you can be reminded, as I am, of the awesome power of these words.
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
– written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s —
A Vow of Independence
As we celebrate Independence Day here in the United States, I find my thoughts once again dwelling on the concepts of freedom and independence. And through a series of connections, I came to this: Debbie Ford’s powerful Vow of Independence.
“When you have emotional independence, you want for nothing because you have everything.” – Debbie Ford
So, as Debbie shares, today is the day to join me and millions of others in taking a vow of emotional independence. Emotional independence will give you the freedom to love and be loved, to give freely and to receive abundantly, to expand rather than contract, to move forward rather than stay stuck, to live in joy rather than misery, to be in control rather than to be controlled, and to be nourished by faith rather than diminished by fear.
I encourage you to take the vow now.
The Vow of Emotional Independence
This vow’s proclamation says I, ______________, will no longer be bound by the slavery of my past.
I will never again give my power away to some food, substance or disempowering craving.
I will stop allowing others to define who I am and I will stand for my highest expression.
I will stop trying to please others and instead please myself.
I will stop listening to the voice of my critical internal mother and father and I will listen to the voice of my most supportive and loving self.
I will break free from the strangulating grip of my self-defeating behaviors and choose powerfully each and every moment to make choices that leave me feeling great about myself and my life.
I take this vow NOW as a positive stand for my soul’s highest expression and for every man, woman, and child on this planet today.
As I set myself free, I am freeing all others from the violence of my darkest thoughts and my negative projections.
And now, as I close my eyes, I ask all the powers that be to support me in living this vow each and every moment of each and every day.
And it shall be.
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Debbie Ford’s life’s work has been to support others in freeing themselves from the grips of their limited self. And today, as we approach Independence Day in America Ishe is proud to share her film with you that is already freeing people from the bonds of their past and changing the lives of others around the world.
The Shadow Effect guarantees that you take a quantum leap toward emotional freedom. Without this priceless information and without understanding the mechanism of your humanity you will forever stay trapped inside the confines of your limited egoic self.
As she stands for your emotional independence today, she invites you to take this profound step into your light, with love and respect.
***
I am blessed to include Rochelle Schwartz, Master Certified Integrative Coach, from the Ford Institute, among the amazing women who are a part of the Wise Well Women Inner Circle. If you would like to further explore the work of Debbie Ford, as I have, through the guidance of this compassionate woman, please reach out to connect to Rochelle at coachrochelle@rochelleschwartz.com.
To hear the Wise Well Women’s Expert Series Conversation with Rochelle, entitled “You Can Use Your Divorce as a Catalyst for Healing Your Heart” click here.
Can I think my way to financial success? Napolean Hill says YES!
I began the practice of listening to motivational teleclasses and books on tape in my car a few years ago. I’ve been listening to Napolean Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” as I drive the past few days, and the affect it is having is nothing short of amazing!
I read the book (or at least most of it) a couple of years ago. Maybe I wasn’t ready to hear the message, maybe I was distracted…whatever it is, listening to it now, I GET IT!
Affirmations work. Prayer works.
During a difficult time in my personal life I re-discovered the “Serenity Prayer” and I recited it out loud over and over and over, and it kept me sane. Reciting that prayer kept me focused and pulled me forward to living a life I love, full of serenity. Strangers even notice it and comment about my calm, soothing demeanor.
So why wouldn’t I believe, as Napolean Hill did, that I can think my way to financial success?
Simple. My limiting beliefs about money, my “money story” got in the way.
And I know, from past experience, that to make that story and those beliefs go away, I have to replace them with a new one.
The ONLY way to do that, is to tell myself the new story over and over and over again. That affirmation, that prayer, will pull me forward to the financial success I desire.
My affirmation starts like this:
I desire with all my heart and soul to make money…
Will you join me? Share your affirmation with me, too. I’d love to hear it.
Why? Because I can!
And I couldn’t help but smile and express my gratitude.
My re-programming includes using affirmations, conscious language and writing clear details of my vision for the future, one year, three years and 5 years from now.
I began creating a new visual business & marketing plan. With a little hope and faith I’ve made it a picture of a BIG vision! And that vision includes my upcoming launch of the coaching program, 12BabySteps- The Foundation Formula for Creating More Clarity, Serenity & Success.
Building Courage so I can be Brave Enough to Push to the Other Side of Fear
Today I received this great article in my inbox, from Christine Kane, publisher of “LiveCreative” ezine, musician and creativity consultant. I just had to share it.
I’d been avoiding writing a post for a little while, because every time I sat down to write, all I could think about was FEAR. You’ve heard me talk about my fears a lot…too much lately, I think.
And you’ve been introduced to my pal, “Fearsome Freddie”, so that’s old news…
But courage…courage is a concept that I haven’t talked or written much about. And yet, developing courage has been so much a part of my personal growth and spiritual development.
I have been empowered to develop “the courage to change the things I can” as one of the pillars of my self-improvement inspiration.
This article made me smile. I hope it will do the same for you.
Please comment below, and let me know which one/s of the 52 ways you’re going to try.
52 Ways to Build Your Courage
by Christine Kane
“Excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.” – Aristotle
Courage is a muscle. Just as you wouldn’t go into the gym for the first time and lift a 100-pound dumbbell – you don’t have to begin building courage by running for President.
People often think that courage has to be big. Like sky-diving. Or giving a speech to a stadium.
Those things do require courage, yes. But in some ways, that’s baby courage. It’s obvious courage. I call it Bungee-Jumping Courage.
Bungee-Jumping Courage is convenient because it lets us define ourselves as “not courageous.” When you set the stakes that high, then you never have to approach it. You simply get to say, “Hmm, I must not have courage.”
I’m not letting you get off that easy.
Why?
Because there’s a deeper level of courage. It makes you strong. It makes you fall in love with yourself. It makes you fall in love with your life.
At its core, courage is about strengthening your relationship with yourself.
Here are 52 ways – little and big – to build your courage. Some of them seem completely foolish. But they’re not. They’re just uncomfortable. And that’s the whole point! Success in life is directly related to how uncomfortable you’re willing get. Now, get uncomfortable and go be courageous!
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1 – Paint your nails green. (Guys get extra credit for this one!)
2 – Begin to live your life as an “experiment.”
3 – If you’re always spontaneous, plan something in advance and stick with it. If you’re a meticulous planner, do something spontaneous.
4 – Quit your job.
5 – Start a blog.
6 – Take a drawing class.
7 – Learn a new language.
8 – Begin yoga.
9 – Do something tourist-y in your own town.
10 – Get up in the morning after having a bad day yesterday. Encourage yourself to begin again.
11 – Give money away.
12 – Look into people’s eyes when you’re in public – on the street, buying groceries, etc.
13 – Hire someone to do a regular task you can’t stand doing. (i.e., mowing the lawn.)
14 – Play music more. Watch TV less.
15 – Get rid of everything in your home that’s not an Absolute Yes.
16 – Put on a goofy smile and look at other drivers when you stop at lights.
17 – Go vegan.
18 – If you never host parties or dinners – invite friends over for dinner.
19 – Teach a workshop.
20 – Start a mastermind group.
21 – Be bad at something. Do it anyway.
22 – Make requests. Don’t complain.
23 – Join a writer’s group.
24 – Hire a life coach.
25 – In social situations, allow people to talk with you instead of running around the room “networking.”
26 – Worry less. Act more.
27 – Enter a writing contest.
28 – Start your own business.
29 – Ask someone out on a date.
30 – Make a business card for yourself.
31 – Eat at an ethnic restaurant you’ve never considered.
32 – Respond. Don’t react.
33 – Get some music from another culture. Sit down and really listen.
34 – Listen more. Talk less. Especially to your kids.
35 – Take a swing dance class.
36 – Hire a physical trainer.
37 – Start a book club.
38 – Test-drive a luxury car.
39 – End a relationship that drains you or hurts you.
40 – Pray.
41 – Quit smoking.
42 – Take different routes to work each day.
43 – Drive around and get lost on purpose.
44 – Wake up at 5am and write.
45 – Assumptions are the enemy of success. Question them often.
46 – Excuses are the enemy of action. Stop making them.
47 – Admit when you are wrong.
48 – Write a fan letter to someone who’s not famous – a teacher, a grocery store clerk – anyone who delights you or touches you.
49 – Pick one incomplete in your life. (A cluttered garage, for instance.) Tackle it for 15 minutes a day.
50 – Do an open-mic night.
51 – Pay the toll of the person behind you.
52 – Run for President.
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Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her ‘LiveCreative’ weekly ezine with more than 11,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at http://www.christinekane.com/.
