Soul
ACTION, MOMENTUM, IMPACT
ACTION
Sneaking Up on Change
Find That Thing
Story: A Passion for Books
Exercise: Do Three Things
MOMENTUM
What Is the Worst (Best) that Can Happen?
Ritual vs. Routine
Free Dog with Fill-Up
You’re a Sly One, Mr. Grinch
Change at Eye Level
Creating Rituals
Story: Moving On
Exercise: Creating Rituals
IMPACT
Good Order
Story: Making Room for Possibility
Exercise: Change Your Routine . . . Go On, Just a Little
RETURN, RESURRECTION, ASSESSMENT
RETURN
A Phoenix from the Ashes
Story: The Other Side of Pain
Exercise: Creating Sacred Space
RESURRECTION
The Old Neighborhood
Story: In Your New Skin
Exercise: Complementary Changes
ASSESSMENT
What Happens Next?
Story: Are You Tall Enough for This Ride?
Exercise: Just Be
OVER PART
Bibliography
Credits
IN APPRECIATION
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There is a proverb that says: “When you stand with the blessings of your mother and God, it matters not who stands against you.” In addition to that powerful combination, I stand with friends. I am blessed with many in my life and acknowledge you all with deepest gratitude.
Several folks have been right in the thick of it with me during this particular adventure, and I give many thanks to:
Jessica Warren Bennett, without whom I would be adrift; Marilyn McCabe and Cathleen O’Connell for fact-finding missions and support extraordinaire; Mickael Kerber for letting me play on a great team; Scott Manning for the introduction to publishing and to a new friend; Wendy Walsh for unbridled enthusiasm, great stories, and adventures; Darius Petty for a 11 that you helped me believe; Jane Cosner and Sue Blanchard for walks, talks, tea, and clarity; Karin Wood for steadfast friendship; the Goddesses, divine women with me from before the first step; and Ann Marie Almeida for the room to fly and always a safe place to land.
Also appreciation to my family for keeping me close and to John Fadden and Dan Plumley for their generosity of spirit and to all those whoe shared their wonderous stories.
And a grand merci to Jan Johnson, extraordinary editor and friend.
Give me time enough in this place And I will surely make a beautiful thing.
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from “Mornings Like This”
— Annie Dillard
OVERTURE
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Look—you just initiated change! You picked up this kook and now the process is in motion. That was pretty easy, wasn’t it? Word is out that there is something in your life or about your life that you want to change or do differently. And we’re just getting started. Your actions have power, but so do your thoughts and your emotions. They are all at the root of change and creating all your heart’s desire in this life. The momentum of change begins now. It begins simply with the energy of your thoughts and even the words you choose to use. The shift in energy in your mind this minute is all that needs to happen to begin movement. Well, you are still reading, aren’t you? You are just changing all over the place. Change is good, change is joy. And don’t forget that you have a mighty powerful ally, the universe. You are partners in change because as soon as you show and tell and feel and think out to the universe what you want, you will receive it. When your thoughts, your emotions, and your physical self are all on the same track, then there is nothing to stop you from getting all that you want. We just have to learn how to line everything up together—mind, body, and spirit—and we are ready to go. This journey we are on is about showing up for life every day, whether you feel like standing in the hack of the room or leading the brass hand up the aisles. Hopefully your bandleader days will increase and the drecky, low-down, hangdog blues days will he outnumbered. Pick the moment and make your move. Show up with all your senses alert and ablaze, ready for adventure.
How we hold people, places, and things in our minds and hearts is enormously powerful. How we hold them in our minds becomes how we hold them in our bodies. That emotional energy can he a source of courage, strength, and wellness or keep us stuck in a place of fear and illness. It is up to us. That energy has to settle somewhere. It can bring us into balance or throw us off track and out of alignment with our higher purpose. Our higher purpose is to live in maximum joy as much as possible, to live passionately, not dreading what comes next but asking, WOW, what comes next?!
■ BEGIN THE BEGUINE ■
You build momentum by first getting the notion of change in your consciousness and then continuing to roll small changes into bigger life changes. The thoughts build with emotions and desire, and the process is carried fully into the attentive world when you speak or shout or sing or whisper your hopes and dreams into the night. The momentum of change picks up and carries itself further, maybe spinning off into another direction or aspect of your life. I am not asking you to jump into making big life changes . . . not yet. It will happen as a result of making your desire link in harmony with your emotional energy and attention or focus. Sneak up on the bigger changes by working toward the small triumphs in parts of your life where you feel courageous and strong. Small shifts and changes are what get the machine fired up.
If you make a shift in one aspect—emotional, spiritual, or physical—the others are impacted as well. Meaningful, lasting change happens when you work on small movements in back area. We will find balance if we direct energy toward our emotional, spiritual, and physical selves evenly. But living in balance means living passionately in all aspects of your life. Peace and quiet isn’t the goal. What’s the point of peace? Wouldn’t you rather wake up every morning excited and curious about the day than with the predominant emotional focus of just getting through it? It is getting “in shape,” like anything else, and when it becomes the norm, vs. the occasional, it is easy to maintain. It is not a drain or strain, but the usual. Living passionately does not have to be exhausting; on the contrary, it can be energizing on every front. Living passionately is the process of finding joy in creating the life you want, focusing on life in this very moment, and asking for your heart’s desire to come true.
One area of your life cannot become the load-bearing wall, or the whole structure gets pulled down. Spread the energy across the board. Building strength in one area helps us to be courageous and take risks in others. You have to be motivated to question yourself in back aspect of your life. That is why it is important to do physical exercise, to push yourself to face difficult emotional situations, and to question where you fit into the grander spiritual plan. Whether we challenge ourselves