The Calm Within!

Hello there all and welcome to the typical weeks end. As is our usual way we offer a video to wind up the week.

Today's offering is especially poignant as we often here use metaphors to magnify the message. This particular video is chock block full of amazing metaphors that reflect how many folks have lived their lives.

Dewey Bozella was locked up for 26 years - a lifetime - for a crime he did not commit. This story is about the triumph of human spirit and living proof of the maxim: "never give up". One man's journey to reclaim his life, against all odds; a man fighting his biggest fight outside the boxing ring without any hatred or bitterness towards the system. Dewey Bozella - courageous, persistent, human and finally...free.

The question I have for you to contemplate this weekend is, how have you been the prosecutor, witness, judge and jury in your own life, and also the jailer that has kept your magnificence locked up in solitary confinement?

Could it be time for you to set yourself free? Think about it and let me know what pops up for you as you discover:

The Calm Within!

 

Have an wonder-full weekend.

See you on Monday.

I appreciate you.

~peter~

You are all full of it!

As my outside ages, my intention is to become stunningly beautiful on the inside.
~ Tamara Gerlach

Energy, that is... we all have access to an unlimited supply of Love and Light to wake-up, shake-up, and inspire everyone, including yourself!

Our bodies literally have electromagnetic functions going on all of the time, keeping our heart pumping, and our brain and body working on the physical level. On the Emotional and Spiritual levels, we sometimes create blockages, allow energy drains, or even let our light fade over time.

Let's practice ways of turning it WAY up! Let's create an abundant flow of energy that improves our life and creates a positive impact on everyone and everything around us.

Think of your energy as currency in a "Radiance account". You can try to hoard it and keep it for yourself (an option, but not recommended). You can play it safe and use just enough to maintain the status quo (again, not recommended). OR, you can tap into a never-ending supply of aliveness.

Through daily practice, you'll have enough energy to do, be, and have everything you want AND plenty to share with others. Being conscious of how much energy we have in our Radiance account and how to most wisely invest it to create abundance allows us to trust ourselves not to "overdraw" our account.

Your Radiant Mind Account
Go inside. Through practicing meditation, reflecting inward, or doing daily check-ins, we can clear any thoughts that are blocking our energy. It's like taking the "hold" off of your Radiance account.

Your mind IS your friend, if you free it once in awhile.

Your Radiant Body Account
Move. Your body is full of wisdom and energy resources. When you express yourself physically, you open up and create even more energy. So, whether it's dancing, enjoying a bike ride, or simply stretching, you can turn up your light anytime.

Radiance does not come in a can of "energy drink" or a 16 oz. quadruple espresso caramel macchiato.

Your Radiant Spirit Account
Once you have released any stuckness in your mind and body, you have a clear channel to tap into the Divine. Oh, doesn't that just sound wonderful? When you consciously step into your FULL power and come from your highest-self everyday, you become unstoppable. Wherever you put your energy will expand. You can't help but be successful because you are in the flow of all that is and you light up every aspect of your life.

Here's the coolest part: once you start living from this place of energy abundance, it's nearly impossible to turn it off! Of course we can over-do it and get tired, but I've actually tested this. I ask truly radiant people if they are able to turn off their light. They try to change the look on their face, or think negative thoughts, but they still radiate big, powerful energy.

Once you turn on your Radiant life, there is no going back.

Tamara has taught, mentored, and coached thousands of people to create freedom and cultivate radiance since 1982. Tam brings her light, creativity, experience as an entrepreneur, former National Team Coach for USA Gymnastics, author, speaker, and life and business coach into everything she does. Get to know Tamara at: CultivatingRadiance.com

The Power of One!

Good day to you and welcome to the weeks end. It's Friday and we wrap up the week with a short video offering.

This Sunday, October 2 marks both the United Nations' International Day of Non-Violence, and the birthday of one of its biggest proponents: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Today we pay tribute to the concept and the man by re-introducing you to the "Power of One." We honor the values and practice of the nonviolent civil actions that changed a nation -- and indeed, the world. These folks truly are Full Spectrum Leaders.....in action.

This weekend give some thought to the "Power of One.....You". Are you using your amazing gifts to make this jewel in space a better place for yourself, your loved ones, and just because you can.

See you on Monday.

Have a wonder-filled weekend.

I appreciate you.

~peter~

Your Next Step?

Hello there and welcome to Thursday. I got some very interesting feedback on yesterday's posting About Forgiveness, and it was very clear to me that the subject is one that will inspire amazing personal growth for many.

It was evident to me that here at Full Spectrum Leadership we can serve our community here on this blog by occasionally bringing this delicate subject more to the forefront of considerations about leadership in every aspect of life.

Without even mentioning the word, our friend Catherine hits the the nail directly as she reflects on:

Your Next Step?
by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The problem with a fallback position is that you tend to fall back. ~ Author unknown

There's a little mountain in a state park near my home. It gains about 1,500 feet in two miles. So, four miles round trip. About two hours out of my life, not counting the drive. Even if you wouldn't take this hike today you can probably accept that you could work up to it.

I'd estimate that in the past eight years I've climbed this one little mountain 40 times. I've done lots of other mountains. More dramatic ones. Mt. Katahdin in Maine. The Grand Canyon, rim-to-river and back. Half Dome. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. But I'm putting the others aside for this illustration. I'm just concentrating on 40 trips up that one 1,500-foot mountain. The cumulative elevation is the equivalent of hiking from sea level to the top of Mount Everest. Twice.

If you had asked me eight years ago if I could climb as high as two Mount Everests, I would have said, "Of course not. No one can." But I could, and I did. It just took me eight years to do it.

It sometimes seems that we-both as individuals and as a society-don't put enough value on gradual, deliberate progress. In my opinion it's how most genuine human progress is made: very slowly, one step at a time.

When we say we can't do something, we really mean we can't do it right now. Better to do it over the course of eight years than not at all.

When we say we can't change the world, we really mean we can't change it completely. Better to change it a little than not even to try.

We want to leap, or fly, to the top of the mountain, but we almost never can. But we can get there, if we want it badly enough. It just involves thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of small steps.

Here's something I find helpful: I try to avoid the very human temptation to keep looking up at the summit, gauging its distance. That sets off a torrent of negative internal voices.

Instead I try to return my focus to the current step. The summit is almost always overwhelming. The next step almost never is. So I take the step. Then I take another. And another.

And when I do stop to gauge my progress, I don't look up. I turn around and look behind me. At how high I've already climbed. That sets off a very different internal dialogue. It's amazing how those little steps add up.

Next time you feel overwhelmed by the sheer height of a figurative mountain, try coming back into the moment. Don't look up. Just take the step in front of you, and the one after that, and the one after that. When you do finally turn and look back at where you started, I think you'll be amazed at how high you've climbed.



Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of 18 published and forthcoming books. Older works include the story collection Earthquake Weather, and the novels Funerals for Horses, Pay it Forward, Electric God, and Walter's Purple Heart.

Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries. The mass market paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. It is still in print, and was rereleased in a trade paperback edition in April of 2010.

She is founder and former president (2000-2009) of the Pay It Forward Foundation. Get to know Catherine at: cryanhyde.com

About Forgiveness!

Good day there and welcome to the midweek point. It seems many of my chats of the past few days have needed to have the subject of "forgiveness" injected in to them. In the arena of leadership and personal responsibility, this is a subject that we address often.

Oh yes, we all know that lack of forgiveness is a bit like us taking the poison hoping someone else suffers the consequences. And yet still, many great folks are cobbled by their unwillingness to embrace the truth of great rewards that must come with forgiveness.

Our friend and Full Spectrum Leader, Mark Nepo, reflects on the issue in one of the most profound ways I have ever read. You appreciate what he has to say:

About Forgiveness!
By Mark Nepo

The pain was necessary to know the truth but we don’t have to keep the pain alive to keep the truth alive.

This is what has kept me from forgiveness: the feeling that all I’ve been through will evaporate if I don’t relive it; that if those who hurt me don’t see what they’ve done, my suffering will have been for nothing. In this, the stone I through in the lake knows more that I. Its ripples vanish.

What it really comes down to is the clearness of the heart to stop defining who I am by those who have hurt me and to take up the risk to love myself, to validate my own existence, pain and all, from the center out.

As anyone who has been wronged can attest, in order to keep the fire for justice burning, we need to keep burning our wounds open as perpetual evidence. Living like this, it is impossible to heal. Living like this we become our own version of Prometheus, having our innards eaten daily by some large bird of woundedness.

Forgiveness has deeper rewards that excusing someone for how they have hurt us. The deeper healing comes in the exchange of our resentments for inner freedom. At last, the wound, even if never acknowledged by the other person, can heal, and our life can continue.

It is useful to realize that the word forgive originally meant both to give and receive – to “give for.” In keeping with the original meaning, we can see that the inner reward for forgiveness is the exchange of life, the give and take between our soul and the Universe.

It is hard to comprehend how this works, yet the mystery of true forgiveness waits in letting go of our ledgers of injustice and retribution in order to regain the feeling in our heart. We can only hope to begin this exchange today, now, by forgiving what is broken in each other and imagining through love how these holy pieces go together.

Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over thirty years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published twelve books and recorded six audio projects. Recent work includes a new book of teaching stories, As Far As the Heart Can See, (HCI Books, audio book by Simon & Schuster, Sept 2011), Finding Inner Courage (Conari, 2011, originally published as Facing the Lion, Being the Lion, 2007), audio books of The Book of Awakening and Finding Inner Courage (CD Box Sets, Simon & Schuster, 2011), and Staying Awake (CD Box Set, Sounds True, February 2012). His most recent book of poetry is Surviving Has Made Me Crazy (CavanKerry Press, 2007). As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. You can get to know him better at: http://www.marknepo.com

Who Are You Today?

by Roslyn Franken

Don’t let your ‘not now’ become your ‘never’.
~ Roslyn Franken

Let go of your past challenges. Accept who you are today. Look forward to each new tomorrow with a renewed sense of hope, faith and enthusiasm. Your past challenges do not dictate your future. If you keep looking in the rearview mirror of life, you will miss out on all the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead. Decide where you want to go, who you want to be and follow the path to take you there.

If the path is unclear, just take the first step and know that the next step will present itself. It may not be what you planned or expected, but trust that it will be what is best.

Accepting who you are today means forgiving yourself for past mistakes and imperfections. It is only when you can accept the reality of your today that you can move forward to a better tomorrow. Renewing your hope, faith and enthusiasm daily is what makes life worth living.

Be careful not to constantly do things to please others at the expense of getting your own needs, wants and desires met. Your needs, wants and desires are no less and no more important than anyone else's. This means knowing what is truly important to you and learning to say 'no' to others.

Know your values and know your boundaries. Learn to communicate them. People won't know your boundaries and where you stand if you don't make these clear.

It's easy to get so caught up in our never-ending To-Do lists and problems to solve that we neglect the things that are most important to us such as our health, relationships and overall sense of well-being. Make your health, relationships and well-being top priorities in your life.

Being kind to others is noble and wonderful. So is being kind to yourself. Try it sometime and you'll see. It feels a lot better than the constant judgment, criticism and self-abuse we do to ourselves. It's time to leave that self-critic behind and make room for a kinder and gentler inner voice.

Life can change on a dime. If there's something you want to do in your life, don't keep putting it off. You may say 'not now' and perhaps you're right, it's not the ideal time. But the ideal time may never come. As Martin Luther said, 'How soon not now becomes never'.

Whether you want to lose weight and get in shape, quit smoking, or climb Mount Everest, you can put off the things you want for only so long. Don't let YOUR 'not now' become YOUR 'never'.

She beat cancer at 29. At 39 she won her battles with food, weight and lifestyle challenges. She is Roslyn Franken, author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. Roslyn engages, educates and enlightens others with her A List principles through her motivational speaking and weight loss coaching programs. She is also host of the How to Thrive After 35 Radio Show and teleseminar series and co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors.
Roslyn is happily married to Elliott Smith, a professional magician, and enjoys portraiture, the healing arts, cooking and song writing. Visit Roslyn at: roslynfranken.com

Our Choices!

by Bevin Lynch

If I'm always doing the best I can, I'm bringing my best self to the very next moment. And that's all anyone can ask for.

Life is a series of choices. Choose to be happy. Choose to live your dream. Choose to live in the present moment. Choose to love with all your heart.

But what happens when the choice seems impossible? What happens when you can't figure out what is the "right" answer?

When I was 14, I faced a choice that seemed so difficult that I tore myself apart trying to figure out what was the right way to go. While the decision itself seems fairly trivial looking back, the wisdom that came out of it has stayed with me every day.

After three hours of debating with my dad about what to do, he said to me, "You make the best decision you can with the information you have at hand. If in six months or six weeks or six days you make a different decision, it's not that today's decision was wrong. You simply have more information and you are making the best decision you can with the information you have at the time."

These simple sentences have erased regret from my life. I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without the decisions that I have made along the way.

Several years later I went to visit my dad in the hospital, where he was undergoing chemo for advanced lung cancer. While he was taking a nap I wrote him a letter, talking about the most important conversations we'd had and the memories that I cherished. As I left, I decided to hand it to him, rather than mail it from home in Chicago. The next day he called to say how much that letter meant to him.

That was the last time I spoke to him. He passed away early the next day. My decision to live in the present moment ensured that I have no doubt my dad knew exactly how much I loved him.

Within the past few years, I've spent much of my time studying happiness and well-being, discovering more and more that happiness is a choice. Well-being and happiness are innate, they are our natural states.

I've found that the less I do to chase after these states, the more I rest in them; the more that they support and take care of me, rather than the other way around. I've learned that there is no "Magic Tuesday" when everything falls into place and there are no more bumps in the road.

The only moment we have any impact or effect on is the moment we are currently in and that is where we must make our decisions from.

In Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements, his fourth agreement is "Always Do Your Best." I love the caveat to this - Always do your best... and no more.

At any moment in our lives, we are doing the best that we can. We are making the best decision we can, with the information we have at hand. And, knowing that there is no moment of perfection that we are working towards, every moment is perfect just as it is.

Bevin is the creator of The Well-Being Expo, speaker, business and life coach and host of Creating The Life You Love to Live Radio show. Visit Bevin at: BevinLynch.com