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.
***
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.
Note to Self: Practice Makes Progress NOT Perfection!
So I today I posted two videos on YouTube. YEAH!
Funny thing is, I thought this was the first time I had posted anything and I sent a note out to the world calling it “Nanette’s first video”.
And it wasn’t. I had actually posted one a few weeks ago, but I’d forgotten. I forgot because when I heard the fuzzy sound quality I got insanely frustrated trying to “fix” it and when, after hours of trying, I couldn’t make it perfect, I just gave up the video project. AND COMPLETELY FORGOT I’D EVEN POSTED IT!
Now, to be fair, I didn’t tell myself lots of ugly, negative self-talk stuff and I didn’t walk away thinking I’d never come back to it or never be able to do it. I did tell myself I would come back to it again when I felt ready.
But, I did get completely derailed for a long period of time AND I forgot how much progress I’d actually made.
Lately, that seems to be happening when my creative process gets interrupted. In this case, I got interrupted by a “glitch” and I spent far too much energy trying to fix something. I was exhausted from pushing so hard.
Worse yet, that all consuming energy of frustration seems to have recorded right over those “saved” creative files in my head making them non-existent. I had to stumble on the product of my work to be reminded that I’d actually done it.
And oh boy, did I feel dumb when I did.
Here’s the best part…the videos I posted today are EXACTLY the same ones I recorded weeks ago. I didn’t change a thing. The last time I tried to upload these two videos there was no sound. Not fuzzy sound. NO SOUND.
I tried all kinds of work-arounds. I called a friend. I sent questions out to forums. I reached out for help (something that’s not easy for me to do…). No answers worked to make the sound play.
Until today. And all I did was open up the files like I’d always done before, and they played!
Are they perfect? Of course not.
What those videos represent is me “Stepping UP” this year.
Yes, I’m scared. Yes, I feel a little foolish (if you watch the videos you’ll see why) and yes, I’ve got a lot to learn.
But practice makes progress.
And celebrating progress, mine and yours, brings great joy into my life.
So, celebrate with me at http://www.youtube.com/user/Wisewellwoman.
I’m stepping up in 2010 — how ’bout you?
From baby steps to stepping up to giant leaps!
What practices do you have in place that help you muster the courage to push out of your comfort zone?
Share them with all of us, here, OK?
And if you need some self-care practice ideas, you can find them in my e-report you can get free right here (on my blog) just by filling in the boxes to the right. (And if you downloaded it already, but never really read it…go read it now and let me know how you progress).
Wishing you well!
From the office of Oprah Winfrey, an Exclusive Invitation…
Thursday, as I casually glanced through my mail, something unusual caught my eye…a pretty pinkish envelope.
As I looked at it a little more closely, I realized that the cover read
From the Office of Oprah Winfrey, Exclusive Invitation For: Nanette Saylor.
And my heart skipped a beat. An invitation from Oprah for me?
I’m not embarrassed to share with you that Oprah has been on my list of people I would most like to meet for a few years. My 2010 Vision Board holds a large photo of her directly in the middle.
So when I saw this envelope I allowed myself to believe, if only for a moment, that my opportunity had arrived.
Of course, some of you got the same invite, and you know, that it was just a sales pitch for her magazine (to which I already subscribe). It made me smile, nonetheless, and as a symbol of the possibility, I now have my “personal invite” added to the other motivations I have hung on my Wisdom Wall. (more on that for a later blog).
Also in that envelope, was a reprint of Oprah’s infamous “What I know for sure…”, all-time TOP 10. And it’s that list that I feel compelled to share here today. Thank you Oprah, for your continued inspiration.
1. What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what.
2. You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.
3. Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.
4. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. ( A lesson from Maya Angelou.)
5. Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.
6. What you believe has more power than what you dream, wish, or hope for. You become what you believe.
7. If the only prayer you ever say is “thank you”, that will be enough. (From theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart.)
8. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
9. Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.
10. If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.
Stepping Up to Climb Every Mountain!
