courage
Freeing Ourselves from Our Personal Prisons & Flying Free
This is the year, the month, the day, the hour, the moment that we can set ourselves free. Free from the constraints of worry and holding on to the past.
It's all too easy to cling to yesterday with white knuckles, even when the present and the pending future is full of unlimited possibility.
"Anything is possible," declared my yoga instructor this evening.
I remember thinking the same thing when I was a youngster. Magic was in the air in those days. But as we grow into our adult costumes, it's easy to get lost and forget that the magic and the miracles are still around.
And so, moving forward into a space of freedom -- I'm thinking it means living for now. Letting go of my conception of what should be. Loving without condition. Loving with a rawness that can only be found in the authentic now.
Freedom comes in the moment -- when you are in a flow. Yes, a majestic beautiful flow. It comes when we lift our heads and our chests to the sky. When we dare to look into a stranger's eyes and smile.
Freedom comes when we love freely, without rules or chains. The mind must find a sense of peace, if true freedom is going to reign.
It's easy to cling to the past. To talk about what is dead and what has died. Whether it was a person, a relationship, or a dream. But there comes a time -- to let it all go and claim that gift called freedom.
Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. When pain arrives, it's important to feel it -- to own it -- to accept it -- and then let it go. Otherwise suffering becomes all we know. We become caged and freedom turns elusive.
But now it's time to breathe. It's time to claim the miracles and the magic that float through the universe. That live in our veins.
The winds of freedom have arrived, and it's time to fly.
- Jen Engevik
Project Be Bold
Letting Go and Moving Into a Bold & Beautiful Present
Welcome to day two of 2013! In my search for an amazing year, I am realizing the power of letting go. The process of letting go is not always easy...for it requires that we discover 
the hero within and take the steps necessary to move forward and create an inspiration-filled life regardless of how scary or daunting it may seem.
Last evening I met up with one of my newest friends named Bruno. He shared with me his philosophy on moving forward with life. In his beautiful Argentinian accent, he said something like this: "Everybody moves forward in their own way and at their own pace...but I think it important that we dare ourselves to face what is brewing inside and come to terms with it all. Don't distract yourself, but be strong enough to work through the things that hurt....and face your fears. Those who continually try to distract themselves never tend to progress the way they wish. They continually make the same mistakes."
For me, I've been through quite a bit in the last handful of months. I've cried bucket-loads of tears in an effort come to terms with the loss of a meaningful relationship - my Mom's health challenges and her move from my childhood home - and the realities that come with change and adulthood. Yet -- with the new year at hand, I am increasingly ready to forge forward and claim a beautiful future. Much of my readiness comes as result of my decision to be a hermit for a while and force myself to face all of the thoughts/feelings that have been raging in my mind/body. If you've never tried being a hermit for a while...I strongly suggest giving it a try (especially if you are needing to process some things)...but then there comes a time in which there is very little more processing to do. And when that time comes, we can say "watch out world! I'm ready to make beautiful things happen!"
Author and lecturer Marianne Williamson often writes/speaks of the beauty of this very fact: There is only one you (me) on Planet Earth. There are no mistakes -- each and every one of us has something amazingly special to offer the world. It is when we dare to move beyond thoughts of limitation and lack that we can harness the power within to create something of supreme value.
On this second day of January, I am challenging myself...and anyone else who needs to move forward...to close the door to yesterday and dare to progress with passion and grace. I suggest moving forward with "grace" because moving forward in rage and/or anger doesn't tend to get us anywhere special. Moving into a new space with anger/rage only creates this thing called baggage -- which we all know leads to the ole' crash and burn.
There will always be quiet moments in which we will look back...but with courage we can process our feelings/the past with intention when needed and then breathe ourselves back into the present moment. Let's be gentle with ourselves and allow for the future to unravel naturally...with beauty.
"The human mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild," writes James Allen "If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall, accumulate, and will reproduce their own kind. Just as a gardener cultivates the plot, keeping it free from weeds and cultivating flowers and fruits which are required, so may we tend the garden of the mind, weeding out all the wrong and useless thoughts and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, we sooner or later discover that we are the master-gardener of our souls, the director of our lives."
May we all cultivate strong minds - focused on the present moment - and thereby build a fulfilling 2013...and beyond...
- Jen Engevik
Oh, the Places You'll Go! By Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.
It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
-Dr. Seuss
The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."
It doesn't interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
The Prince and the Monster - A Fable about Truth
Once there was a prince who was skillful in the use of the five weapons. One day he was returning home from his practice and met a
monster whose skin was invulnerable.
The monster started for him but nothing daunted the prince. He shot an arrow at him which fell harmless. Then he threw his spear which failed to penetrate the thick skin. Then he threw a bar and a javelin but they failed to hurt the monster. Then he used his sword but the sword broke. The prince attacked the monster with his fists and feet but to no purpose, for the monster clutched him in his giant arms and held him fast. Then the prince tried to use his head as a weapon but in vain.
The monster said, "It is useless for you to resist; I am going to devour you." But the prince answered, "You may think that I have used all my weapons and am helpless, but I still have one weapon left. If you devour me, I will destroy you from the inside of your stomach."
The courage of the prince disturbed the monster and he asked, "How can you do that?" The prince replied, "By the power of the Truth."
Then the monster released him and begged for his instruction in the Truth.
The teaching of this fable is to encourage disciples to persevere in their efforts and to be undaunted in the face of many set backs.
- A Buddhist Fable
Courage Defined
It takes great courage to be true to yourself, to go against popular opinion, or stand up 
for a cause. It takes great courage to face a fear. Courage does not have to be a grand feat, it can be as simple as saying no. We learn to be courageous by confronting and then working through the things we are afraid to do. When we learn to step forward to do something we believe in, even though fear is still present, we will understand what courage feels like.
"The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly." -Corra May White Harris
- Taken from 365 Ways to Raise Confident Kids by Sheila Ellison & Barbara Ann Barnett
Will - March 10, 2010
"The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
—Ayn Rand
