In her book The Woman's Book of Confidence, Sue Patton Thoele quotes Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Light tomorrow with today!"
Thoele goes on to say, "Great advice, and following it means we have to get fired up today, aflame with the desire to follow our dreams.
"To fan the flames, we need to be enthusiastically supportive of our ideas, no matter how crazy or farfetched they seem. We are all creative—we have only to tune in to our night dreams to verify that—but so many of us throw the cold water of 'I can't do that' or 'My ideas aren't really very good' onto our original notions. ... Believing in ourselves is the most powerful bellows we can use to kindle the fire of creative thought."
Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe you are creative? If so, celebrate that—and lend support to those around you who don't. If you don't and would like a complimentary coaching session, I invite you to contact me.
Showing posts with label enthusiasm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enthusiasm. Show all posts
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Fire in the belly
"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
Those words by humanitarian and poet Samuel Ullman graced our worship bulletin last Sunday in church. I'd not heard them before even though most of us have heard similar sentiments voiced in other quarters.
Enthusiasm is so catchy, isn't it? And when people stay true to their ideals and passions, it is infectious. Others want what they have!
About what are you passionate? What ideas put fire in your belly? Which ideals move you to action? And are they truly moving you to action? It's good to stop now and again to ask such questions—and see whether there are some new directions we need for our lives. Sometimes it's simply tweaking what we're already doing, whether that's in our careers and vocations or in our hobbies and avocations. It can be in our relationships as well. Sometimes it's an attitude adjustment so our enthusiasm can be revived. Living in gratitude helps with that attitude adjustment.
I don't mind wrinkles on my skin. But I really don't want wrinkles in my soul. I'd love to stay engaged and passionate right up to the end. What about you? If you answered in the affirmative, what are you doing about it?
Those words by humanitarian and poet Samuel Ullman graced our worship bulletin last Sunday in church. I'd not heard them before even though most of us have heard similar sentiments voiced in other quarters.
Enthusiasm is so catchy, isn't it? And when people stay true to their ideals and passions, it is infectious. Others want what they have!
About what are you passionate? What ideas put fire in your belly? Which ideals move you to action? And are they truly moving you to action? It's good to stop now and again to ask such questions—and see whether there are some new directions we need for our lives. Sometimes it's simply tweaking what we're already doing, whether that's in our careers and vocations or in our hobbies and avocations. It can be in our relationships as well. Sometimes it's an attitude adjustment so our enthusiasm can be revived. Living in gratitude helps with that attitude adjustment.
I don't mind wrinkles on my skin. But I really don't want wrinkles in my soul. I'd love to stay engaged and passionate right up to the end. What about you? If you answered in the affirmative, what are you doing about it?
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Restore wonder and enthusiasm
Today I'm flying back home after spending a week with my youngest son, daughter-in-law and two youngest grandchildren. We celebrated my granddaughter's Golden Birthday—9 on September 9th. What a delightful time!
What I notice about these two young children is their boundless curiosity and endless enthusiasm. They truly jump into life with both feet, gathering all the new experiences and joy they can as they embrace in wonder the world around them. That stands out to me in contrast to so many of us as we age; we can too easily get stuck in routines and rituals that we've done in the same way for years. The mantra often can become, "But I've always done it this way."
So right now I'm challenged to look at my life and see what's getting a bit stale. What am I missing by doing the same-old, same-old? Might I restore wonder and curiosity to my life by truly being open to everything that's out there? Perhaps I'll ratchet up my enthusiasm. Are there some new experiences I can embrace that will re-energize me? And how much more will I bring to my relationships with others around me when I do?
Time for me to take a look and reflect on possibilities!
What I notice about these two young children is their boundless curiosity and endless enthusiasm. They truly jump into life with both feet, gathering all the new experiences and joy they can as they embrace in wonder the world around them. That stands out to me in contrast to so many of us as we age; we can too easily get stuck in routines and rituals that we've done in the same way for years. The mantra often can become, "But I've always done it this way."
So right now I'm challenged to look at my life and see what's getting a bit stale. What am I missing by doing the same-old, same-old? Might I restore wonder and curiosity to my life by truly being open to everything that's out there? Perhaps I'll ratchet up my enthusiasm. Are there some new experiences I can embrace that will re-energize me? And how much more will I bring to my relationships with others around me when I do?
Time for me to take a look and reflect on possibilities!
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
What the world needs now: Enthusiasm?
I have long been a fan of Mary Oliver's poetry. For example, in her
poem "The Summer Day," I have always loved her final question: "Tell me,
what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
That's a question with which to live—and one that can take a lifetime to really answer.
However, the other day I heard her interviewed (a rare occurrence for her); and she used a phrase that struck me then and days later, makes my heart sing each time I think of it. She spoke of being "positively drenched in enthusiasm."
Isn't that a beautiful image? In a world that can often be so filled with negativity (just tune into the news on any given day), it's lovely to imagine being "positively drenched in enthusiasm." What a way to live. Of course, we are realistic people. We know we won't live every moment that way. But perhaps we could aspire to spend more time in that space going forward than we have in the past: "positively drenched in enthusiasm."
Just imagine a world like that. What might be possible? How might our daily exchanges be different? How might our lives change as a result? Surely we can at least live into that—perhaps starting with even just an hour a week. As always, our goal is progress, not perfection—even when it comes to enthusiasm. Wouldn't we add more happiness and joy to our world?
That's a question with which to live—and one that can take a lifetime to really answer.
However, the other day I heard her interviewed (a rare occurrence for her); and she used a phrase that struck me then and days later, makes my heart sing each time I think of it. She spoke of being "positively drenched in enthusiasm."
Isn't that a beautiful image? In a world that can often be so filled with negativity (just tune into the news on any given day), it's lovely to imagine being "positively drenched in enthusiasm." What a way to live. Of course, we are realistic people. We know we won't live every moment that way. But perhaps we could aspire to spend more time in that space going forward than we have in the past: "positively drenched in enthusiasm."
Just imagine a world like that. What might be possible? How might our daily exchanges be different? How might our lives change as a result? Surely we can at least live into that—perhaps starting with even just an hour a week. As always, our goal is progress, not perfection—even when it comes to enthusiasm. Wouldn't we add more happiness and joy to our world?
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