Living Your Passion

Every rule in the book can be broken except one: Be who you are and become all you were meant to be.
-- Sidney Harris

People interested in peak performance know that the first and foremost consideration for clarity is this - are you pursuing your deepest passion? Are you heeding the still small voice that gives you the same clear message year after year about what you are to be doing and yearn to be doing?

All too often, many of us trade our passion for what seems to be the sensible thing to do. "Be sensible." We do what we think we should and lose our aliveness. We worry that what we want is beyond our reach, that we're not smart enough, we don't have the right schooling, that what we want sounds silly and our friends and family will certainly not agree. These false beliefs have seeped into the pores and cells of each and every client I've seen over the last 23 years. And these clients are usually the brightest and best. But the self-doubts, the fears, and the prescriptions of others to keep yourself in your place have taken their toll.

We must know and trust that if our still small voice is urging us to do something, the universe will support us when we take action. Let me repeat that - when you know and trust what your knowing tells you are to be doing with your life, the universe absolutely will support you in this endeavor. Everything lines up, for it is the thing you are here to do. Listen to your inner voice - it rings clear and its telling you the truth!

Jean Houston's study of 55 of the most creative people in the U.S. revealed interesting commonalities. Each was familiar with their interior world and believed its ideas and images could spark their projects - and followed its urgings.

Know you are here for a purpose. It's important. This purpose serves the world and serves you - with passion, joy, enthusiasm, excitement and power. Choose to honor what's in your heart by following its lead. The only other choice is to set limits. Limits create dull, passionless lives. Ask yourself, "What do I love to do? What brings me joy? What do I have fun doing? Joseph Campbell said, "When you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a track that has been there all the time waiting for you." I like that. Read more!

What it takes to Survive -- and Thrive

I'm not addicted to too many things, well . . . not really. But I do like to read my Newsweek magazine each week. I look forward to its arrival in my mail box and I always start at the very back page to read "The Last Word" by either Anna Quindlen or George Will. They see the world through quite different lenses, and I do like to imagine how they came to such divergent conclusions. I exercise my tolerance muscle, or lack thereof, when I disagree.

An article that caught my eye was about what it takes to survive, given the recent airline crash into the Hudson River in New York City. All the points they mention about survival also apply literally and metaphorically to the business world as well. Why do some people walk away from a plane crash or thrive after a job loss, while others seem to fold in and lose themselves?

Here's what really caught my attention since it goes hand in hand with the work I do with aligning your thoughts (and your physiology ) with what it is you really want to happen for your thriving success.

Quoted from Newsweek, February 2, 2009: excerpt from Dr. David Spain, Stanford Medical Center

After two years of research, I discovered that everyone has a crisis personality - a Survivor IQ - that they marshal in a moment of adversity: a mindset and ways of thinking about a situation. The best survivors and thrivers understand that crisis is inevitable, and they anticipate adversity. Understanding that even misfortune gets tired and needs a break, they're able to hold back, identify the right moment and then do what they need to do. Psychologists have a clunky term for this: active passiveness. It means recognizing when to stop and when to go. In a critical sense, doing something can mean doing nothing. Action can be inaction, and embracing this paradox can save your life.

I would like to add that one's deep, inner sense of safety and confidence in the world is a tremendous factor in whether a person can possess any ability to assess when it’s time to do nothing or time to take decisive action. In crisis, only a brain not flooded with panic and fear can make any discernments of clear thought. Unconscious beliefs such as “I’m not safe,” “The world is always out to get me,” “I never get a fair shake” leave one feeling vulnerable at best and absolutely paralyzed or panicky when something critical calls for the best you have.

It’s important to get to know your unconscious beliefs –- you can’t know what you’re dealing with until you get them into the light of the day. Energy Psychology methods can easily help you transform these beliefs into positive, confident ones. It can save your life. Read more!