100 I believe's.....

1. I believe that you can choose to be happy in most moments
2. I believe that happy and sad aren't mutually exclusive
3. I believe that everyone's truth is different
4. I believe you can always find something to appreciate
5. I believe people are beautiful - they rock
6. I believe what you appreciate appreciates
7. I believe procrastination is a bad habit that I'm good at, unfortunately
8. I believe everyone can change - neuroplasticity
9. I believe smiling is a fantastic practice
10. I believe friends are priceless
11. I believe cheese does make it taste better
12. I believe I learn from my kids all the time
13. I believe even when I'm failing, I'm succeeding
14. I believe I get better as I get older
15. I believe books are treasures - you never know what you're going to get
16. I believe in the energy of people
17. I believe you can have fun anywhere with anyone doing anything
18. I believe in the moment when the dots connect
19. I believe in talking
20. I believe you can speak and not say a word
21. I believe the sky provides an unending source of beauty
22. I believe you create your reality by how you think
23. I believe being in a place you've never been before is incredibly enjoyable
24. I believe some days you should set a goal of making people smile
25. I believe in taking emotional risks
26. I believe in sharing more than I should
27. I believe that some of the best conversations are the ones I have with myself
28. I believe the universe speaks, but sometimes you have to listen closely
29. I believe a lot of things are worth repeating
30. I believe there might be something to the idea of manifestation
31. I believe I would be better if I slept more, meditated, and drank more water
32. I believe that personal reflection creates a pivot point
33. I believe in getting excited
34. I believe in being silly - no matter what others think
35. I believe in the value of everyone expressing their opinion
36. I believe in saying, "What the hell......I'll see what happens." occasionally
37. I believe that money should be used to facilitate experiences
38. I believe in being curious
39. I believe I'm right where I'm supposed to be
40. I believe in random acts of kindness
41. I believe in asking yourself who and how you want to be in life and figuring out if you are showing up that way
42. I believe doubt is a mortal enemy
43. I believe being stuck is one of the worst things
44. I believe that you should set a goal of finding a way to bloom in existence, not just exist
45. I believe that my job as a parent is to help my kids have knowingness about who and how they want to be, what they want to do, what they want to have
46. I believe in trying to fill up my life with more wants and minimizing the shoulds
47. I believe that a lot of our existence is driven by fear and once we understand the reward of stepping across the line of fear, we'll do it more often
48. I believe by traveling across lands or across viewpoints, we can see that there are valid places beyond those that exist in our minds
49. I believe in cognitive dissonance. I don't like it but I believe in it
50. I believe the tangled webs we weave are difficult to escape but beautiful nonetheless
51. I believe that life is a delicious comedy
52. I believe in deep breaths
53. I believe in setting life to music as much as possible
54. I believe that I'm a looong ways from perfect - would perfect be boring?
55. I believe in renewal
56. I believe in resilience
57. I believe in feeding yourself the way you need to be fed
58. I believe the moments I'm left speechless are priceless
59. I believe some people are toxic and you should try not to get detoured by them
60. I believe the only way you can truly understand opportunity costs is by achieving knowingness
61. I believe in training your brain
62. I believe giving, taking and sharing moments
63. I believe in surrounding myself with people that support me, challenge me, remind me
64. I believe that people, ideas, moments are the "dots" of my life and at the end of my life, they will be connected to see the picture of me
65. I believe it only takes a moment to change me
66. I believe in baby steppin....chunking it up
67. I believe you can keep going long after you think you can't
68. I believe everything changes, either because it changes or you change
69. I believe today is different from yesterday and tomorrow will be different from today as it will be the accumulation of all the yesterdays
70. I believe simple, happy moments accumulate into a spectacularly happy life
71. I believe in following your bliss
72. I believe it's important to have people that expect you to be someone
73. I believe that it's okay not to listen to everyone
74. I believe we are all students and we are all teachers
75. I believe in sinking into the moments ripe with calm
76. I believe that everything in the universe is within you
77. I believe we should dream and dreams inform you about what to do now
78. I believe presence makes you aware of absence. It’s not until you step into the light, that you can see how much you were in the dark
79. I believe it's never too early or too late to be who you want to be
80. I believe there's an appropriate time to repress or ignore
81. I believe that a week without pizza is.....well....a week without pizza
82. I believe that hate is an unproductive emotion
83. I believe that you can see energy
84. I believe in karma and yin yang
85. I believe bad is on the way to good. The good isn’t as good without the bad. It’s all part of the journey
86. I believe in trusting my intuition. I might fight with myself about doing it, but I believe in it
87. I believe it’s not just about the details. Sometimes it’s about the big picture
88. I believe I’m horrible about keeping good surprises to myself
89. I believe in the power of words
90. I believe I can talk to anyone
91. I believe that rules are made to be broken
92. I believe in messing up
93. I believe in giving yourself over to the possibilities
94. I believe in closing your eyes and soaking it in
95. I believe in learning
96. I believe it’s all good
97. I believe you can be everything all at once
98. I believe in the spark in people’s eyes
99. I believe in faith in the future, me, and the power of people
100. I believe in Michele’s world

 

Compromise

What a word.

Do you ever find yourself compromising? About a person, a thing, an idea?

How much should you make the square peg fit into the round hole? How much should you offer forgiveness......let it pass?

Cost/Benefit analysis.

Will letting go of the disconnects mean that you will get to an outcome quicker with less effort?

Is it the outcome you want?

hmmmm

The audible sigh

You know the moment - you take a deep breath

others could think it means you're impatient or mad or frustrated
and you could be
or maybe you're just letting go

of the things you could say

because

they aren't worth it
they don't matter to what will happen
they don't help you achieve what you want out of this moment
they just add "baggage" to the situation
they are the conversation you've had so many times before - you already know how this movie ends, so maybe it's time to change the script

the time we have together is precious

m

Life is about the moments

There are some moments that don't sneak by. They are powerful, positive and negative - we remember them because they significantly change our lives and who we are.

There are other moments that sneak by unnoticed. I'm trying to have less of those because life is made up mostly of these moments. Instead of letting them sneak by, I want to recognize them for how they:

• teach me
• make me question
• sadden me
• reinforce me
• feed me
• excite me
• change me

There are daily reminders that life isn't what you expect it to be, so I'm challenging myself to be IN IT every moment.

M

Finding my way forward while blooming in existence

I've spent the last 6 months finding my way forward and blooming in existence, fiercely protecting against the notion of just existing.

It's been a hard battle at times, but one that I'd never abandon.

I know what it's like to be stuck, not moving forward. I also know what it's like to live without even thinking about whether or not you're moving forward; you just let life happen. I wish I had the answer to how to shift out of those "gears" when you're in them. Even when your well versed in what it feels like to move forward, it can be difficult or impossible to force yourself to shift gears.

I've learned two things:

1. I need to remember that people can help keep me sane
2. It's all just temporary

I am a collage of you - you make up parts of me

From www.wikipedia.com
Collage: an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. The term collage derives from the French "coller" meaning "glue".


The idea that you make up parts of me has been floating around in my brain for a few days - I even started thinking about how there's truth to that in the literal sense. Quantum physics tells us we are part of each other at a molecular level - we all share energy.

Sara F. must have "heard" my brain working because I got an email from her today explaining how she connected with one of my blogs. That email made me laugh because it reminded me of this topic again.

Sara has been in my life since junior high. She's been brave enough to challenge and confront me, but she's done it in a way that I've always felt fiercely supported. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.


Then there's Amanda V. She gives me an entirely new world view - a view that I would never come to on my own - about fun, responsibility, blooming, friendship. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.

Heather S. She allows me to be me. Unjudged. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.

Oh, then there's Dave S. I sometimes think Dave is talking about someone else when he talks about me but then he presents data because he knows that I'd be swayed by data in any other situation and I'm forced to admit he's right. So many things would be different if he wasn't part of me.


Tracy M.- in & out of my life, but yet always there and certain to be a piece of the puzzle in the future. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.

9/22 - I had to edit this and add Mark. Mark has given me the brother I never had. He's an unlikely friend, a consistent presence of humor, pondering and connection (picking up where we left off). So many things would be different if he wasn't part of me.


And now I'm overwhelmed because I could keep going and going, listing people. It makes me think of Missy's website www.50letters.com. (Missy is also part of me - she's shown me that sometimes you have to just jump)

There's all the likely sources, my parents, my sister, my kids and so on but then there's the unlikely sources.......it's surprising how they can end up being important to who I am.

• There's the person that smiled at me in the grocery store and reminded me that we have a choice to walk through life disengaged or disarmed.
• There's Jeff F. - a hallway conversation about my belief that people are "dots" in my life that will be connected at the end to make the picture of my life - he pointed out that my "dots" should be pixels.
• There's my fellow passenger on the plane last week, who summed up our conversation by saying, "It's nice to hear your story because it's a reminder that we are all just in different parts of our lives and it's ok to make mistakes."
• There's Fred B, who I've never met, but taught me what a facilitator was.

It only takes one moment to change me.

Listen to what Virgina Satir  says about the importance about our interactions with each other. Give it 3 min 45 seconds & ignore the cheesy voice & the fact that she's talking about therapists. We're all therapists, teachers, facilitators. (Thank you, Michele K.- whose facebook posts continually remind and teach me.)
 
There have been people that have been toxic and they have served to remind me that I can choose to believe in myself or I can be detoured by them.


There have been people that have been supportive and they have served to remind me that I can choose to believe in myself or I can be detoured by others.

(Then there's Tom M. who has reminded me that time in the lunch line is well spent. It's like "windshield time.")

baby steps......

I firmly believe in baby steps. (I don't know if you have the same experience, but every time I hear that phrase, I picture Bill Murray in "What About Bob?")

Baby steppin'.

It's the concept of breaking something into pieces - into manageable goals - not being overcome by an overwhelming goal......"chunking" it up.

It's also connected to the concept of perseverance for me. I can just baby step. I can make progress, even it it's small progress, with baby steps.

I know that eventually I'll get there or get it or do it. It's ok if it's not tomorrow but I KNOW that it will BE if I keep baby stepping towards it.

Face life as you find it - defiant and unafraid.

Mother Nature clearly stands proud, defiant and unafraid.

Follow her lead. Hold your head high, unwilling to cower, strong, proud.

Life has many milestones, some good, some bad, all creating you. Face them as you find Mother Nature - defiant and unafraid - willing to throw down.

Life is never what you expect it to be. Embrace it for what it IS.

I believe.......

Stumbled across this - I found the bolded statement posted in the copy room 5 years ago :


I believe our background & circumstances have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
Only through knowingness can you become who you want to be.

I believe my friends & I can do anything or nothing & have the best time.
If you tune into the moment, you can find beauty and appreciation everywhere.

I believe we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
Most of the time, you can choose how how you feel and how you show up.

I believe that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
Everyone is on a journey. Reach out your hand today because you might need one tomorrow.

I believe that you can keep going, long after you can’t.
You can even if you don't know it.

How did you get here?

I met Darrius on the plane a couple of Sundays ago. It was one of those moments where you're trying to decide, "Am I going to talk to this person? Should I just go to sleep? What if they talk my ear off about a really boring subject?" I chose to talk. Little did I know, I was choosing to be surprised.

We had a great conversation about religion and life philosophy and marriage and learning and realizations and kids and who we wanted to be and how we are.

And then Darrius stopped me in my tracks. He asked, "How did you get here? How did you get to the point where you believe the things you do? Did you read a book? Where do these things come from?" I didn't know the answer. I still don't know the answer. I'd like to know the answer. The only thing that I've come up with is people, moments, thinking, books, reflection, learning, feeling and guessing. Seems like I should have more details. There should be vivid pivotal moments that made me me. I'll have to keep pondering - maybe I'll ask for help from the people that were the witnesses.

But it's a question for all of us.......how did you get here?

Static: characterized by a lack of movement, animation, or progression

Have you ever found that when you look at things closely enough, the things that you thought were static are not really static at all?

The building across the street made me realize that. I thought it was just a building..........sitting there. BUT as the days passed and the time of day changed and the weather changed, I noticed the building changed. In the sun, it's bright white with reflection. In a rainstorm, it turns putty gray. In the morning, the doors open to do business. In the evening they close.

It made me wonder what other things are changing that I might be missing and not appreciating because I wasn't paying close enough attention. Me? Am I changing in ways I'm not realizing? Others? Are they changing in ways I'm not acknowledging? That building is further proof that there's value in tuning in......there are things you see that you would have passed right by.

Just a path........

I walked this path before.

In the crisp in-between of fall.
In the cold winter moonlight.
In the hints that are spring.
And now, in the fullness of summer.

The darling chirp steals my attention from the whisper of my steps through the grass.
Takes me to the vision of deer running in the night.
And the choosing of fresh blossoms, yellow and white.

Same place. Different time. Different me.

Simple, happy moments accumulate into a spectacular happy life.....

While I was recently chasing the Happy Cloud, I found myself admiring the green of the cornfield and contrasting it to the green of wild weeds - both we're beautiful and both made me smile. Greens.

A few moments later, I found myself asking whether it was ridiculous for Greens to make me smile. What a silly thing to smile about. There's nothing grandiose about the green of a field. It's not Important to the world. It's not Fashionable. It's not Intellectual. Michele, it's a cornfield!!

Fast forward a couple of days. Driving and the sky was beautiful. Blue. Damn it. Here's another simple thing; a simple moment making me smile.

Then I started to do math. One moment + one moment + one more moment + lots of other moments.........all those moments matter. They all add up to make a life and the more simple, happy moments you can find in your day will lead you to a spectacular happy life.

m

Happy Cloud

Yesterday, I was driving down the highway, admiring the green and I saw this happy cloud - a sole cloud in the sky. I told my daughter to look up.


She said, "Isn't it cute?" lol.

It WAS cute.....all by itself in the gorgeous blue sky. I wanted a picture, so took the next road and found myself in the country, on a road that seemed like it could have gone on forever. Imagine the the road stretched out in front of you, the sky bright blue, and surrounded by green corn fields......undulating.

I kept driving - saw horses, cows, black birds.......and then stopped. I told my daughter to listen - to the wind and the birds and the nothing. Look at THAT green & THAT one.

Then I was amazed that this unplanned 20 minutes on a country road gave me energy & made me smile.

Never did take a picture..........

What do you worry about?

Worrying is like hoping.

Stop worrying
Stop hoping
Do.
Be.

Living Poetically

I always thought that poets were people that write poems. From thefreedictionary.com:


Poet
1. A writer of poems.
2. One who is especially gifted in the perception and expression of the beautiful or lyrical

On Sunday, I realized that I am a poet, not because I write poems, but because I think I'm especially gifted in the perception of the beautiful or lyrical.

It stops me in my tracks, forcing me to pay attention. I see it everywhere and in almost everything and definitely in everyone. I even see beauty in ugliness. It makes me giddy, smile, gleeful and it makes me appreciate.

and it makes me want to share so that everyone can see it.

What's in your backpack?

Finally watched Up In The Air last night.

The moment that Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) talks about comparing your life to a backpack and that sometimes, in life, we fill our backpack with so much that we can't move.

We get stuck.

And that's how we live the rest of our lives.

When's the last time you dumped your backpack out? What people and things would you purposefully put back into it.

Last night

The storm arrived.
I watched as it snuck up.

It was exquisite indigo, the kind you could sink into.
It took its time. Willing to sit with itself.
Without an announcement.
Calm, but undeniably present.

It started with silence belying the lurking force.
The landscape hushed.
The birds grew louder in comparison.

Next came the soft pitter patter tip-toeing across the pond.
A harmless messenger.
Just a warning.

But then the sky unraveled.
An opening statement.
Declarative and beautiful.
Dancing light.
With idiosyncratic booming.
Unveiling.

The wind and rain swept in, erasing all previous notions of hesitancy or tentativeness.
Replaced by boastfulness, bravado, strength.
Unleashed.

Hello.

What else matters? bliss, blooming & knowingness

Just imagine having the combination of these three things:
being happy - knowing that what makes you happy should be making you happy - AND flourishing and shining

deep breath.

bliss: 1 : complete happiness 2 : paradise, heaven
 
knowingness: 1 : having or reflecting knowledge, information, or intelligence 2 a : shrewdly and keenly alert : astute b : indicating possession of exclusive inside knowledge or information 3 : cognitive 4 : deliberate

bloom :1 a : to produce or yield flowers b : to support abundant plant life 2 a (1) : to mature into achievement of one's potential (2) : to flourish in youthful beauty, freshness, or excellence b : to shine out : glow 3 : to appear or occur unexpectedly or in remarkable quantity or degree  4 : to become densely populated with microorganisms and especially plankton —used of bodies of water

Follow your bliss - a birthday wish

I have to share these words from a magnet given to me on my birthday.

• begin.
• attempt.
• expand.
• transform.
• imagine.
• create.
• vision.
• dream.

Yes.