Soulful Singing

I love this Navajo chant that I heard sung by Barbara McAffee at the 2008 ICF Annual Conference. She is a wonderfully soulful singer. Here is her mission....
I sing with the sweet breath of God
And I dance on a living planet
My body is holy water
And I dream a world made new

Here are the words to the Navajo Chant

When you born you cried
And the world rejoiced
Live your life so that when you die
The world cries and you rejoice.

I wonder what things I can add to my life so that I can connect to spirit more often. What about you?

To hear or learn more about Barbara, go to her website www.barbaramcafee.com

Courage

What does it take to be courageous and why would you do it in the first place? A few thoughts come to mind. Feeling so strongly about something that you say or do what you think is right in spite of what other people's reactions might be. Belief that what you say or do is for the greater good for your well being and/or the well being of others. This American Psychologist is, in my opinion, very courageous. I wonder if she thinks so? This short YouTube video clip is a must see. I imagine it might not be on the internet for long, so watch it as soon as you are able.
http://tinyurl.com/63acnw

What are you waiting for?

I believe each of us can make a difference, even if there are days when we don’t know what difference that will be or how we will accomplish it. I have been giving this a lot of thought lately and wondering what I can do. And wondering how I can help others see and take action on what they can do to make a deeper difference in the world so that we feel like our lives are contributing to the greater good and leaving a legacy we are proud of. One idea I came up with is to think about what gifts we have; you know what I mean when I say gifts, right? I mean our talents, our sparkle, the things that others adore about us, the unique touch that we have and have had our whole lives and sometimes don’t use to its fullest potential. We each have multiple gifts that we have been given or have developed over the years. And there are many ways for us to express these gifts in our personal and professional lives. I don’t know about you, but I spend too many days, wondering and fretting over the most ridiculous things, most of which I have no control over anyway.

So this morning, I am immersing myself in the question, “Which gifts could I use more and what might I actually do that I am not doing or not doing well enough now?”

And what gift and talent will you immerse yourself in expressing bigger, stronger and with more courage?

My life would have been different

Judith Duerk writes in her book, Circle of Stones; a Woman's Journey to Herself, "Long ago before the patriarchal period, in many places on earth, the Goddess was worshiped." Wow, I am intrigued by this concept. I wonder what life might have been like back then and I especially wonder what MY life would have been like.

She writes more to intrigue me further. And I notice I yearn for a circle of wise nurturing women in my own life.

"How might your life have been different, if, long ago when you were still a tiny child, long before you began to come to the Women's Lodge as the normal cycle of your life, you had been brought here especially by your mother and aunts...and you and your girl cousin entered shyly into this place you had overheard so much about?

And, after the fires were lighted, and the drumming, and the silence, you heard, for the very first time what the women called the Naming...each woman speaking slowly into the stillness, sharing her feeling of how she saw her life and what she wished to say of it...sharing it with the women around her...weaving the threads of her life into a fabric to be given and named.

And, as the shadows of the day lengthened into dusk and you leaned your head against your mother's shoulder, you pondered in your heart a different sense of a woman's life...

How might your life be different?"

What to do about the Economic Crises

This morning I woke up and thought before I started the day being busy, doing errands, and running around like a crazy woman getting ready for the holidays, I would spend a luxurious hour immersing myself in the question, “What do I really think is next for me on my personal journey?” “What do I want to do with myself that will make a deeper more meaningful difference in my life and the lives of others I touch?”

You know when you finally decide to buy a hybrid car, like a Prius, every car on the road seems to be one? Well, everywhere I turn there are women and men too trying to answer the question, “What can I do with my one precious life that will make me feel fulfilled and help others? What am I dreaming about and yearning for that I have not yet done? And if not now, when?”

All is going relatively well in my life at the moment, and yet recently I notice again an undercurrent of restlessness. I think my restlessness is fueled by the financial crises and economic chaos we find ourselves in no matter where we live in the world. I feel we must make some changes to the way we are running our businesses and living our lives in order to sort things out and create a new sustainable way of living on this planet. And I think even my small individual attempts to help in this time of huge world transition will be welcomed. I believe we each can make a difference, even if we don’t yet know what difference that will be. I believe that the way to make this difference where we could change the world and impact the lives of others is to do it with our gifts, our sparkle, our unique touch that we’ve had our whole lives; you know the essence of who we are.

So let’s start simply and ask ourselves two questions:
“What’s your gift?”
“What are one or two things I can do this week to use my gift to help others?”

So what are you waiting for?

International Coach Federation Annual Conference

This year's International Coach Conference in Montreal in November was like no other. This is my 12th year attending the annual conference and I'm always happy I attend as I learn alot and meet amazing people from all over the world. Coaches from over 46 countries gathered this year to deepen their learning and contribute to the growth of their fellow coaches on many levels! Wisdom Circles, live coaching demos, workshops, and master certified special coach training session were all part of the venue. Being a Master Certified Coach allows me to participate in some advanced training I would not otherwise have the opportunity in which to participate. The conference opened each day with a super session with three amazing world leaders; Vandana Shiva, Peter Senge, and Matthieu Ricard, "The World's Happiest Man. These keynote speakers provided us with new wisdom, scientific research, and insights as they shared refreshing new ways of expanding our perspectives and how we can each have a ripple effect globally.

The ICF is really an amazing organization with over 14,000 coaches from many disciplines, backgrounds, and countries. Check them out at www.coachfederation.org

Women's Weekend of Spirit and Healing recap

It was wonderful. It was inspiring. We learned alot about so many things that matter to our lives as women; ranging from how to deal with change better, how to heal ourselves, how to move our bodies with passion, how to eat to be healthy and sexy!, how to find our voice, and how to take care of our precious breasts so they remain healthy. We got free gifts and chocolate too! It was wonderful. It was truly inspiring. Plus we had a wicked good time! In a stunning inn and spa at The Stonehedge Inn.

"Thank you for having me. I loved the retreat. I really learned a lot and experienced a lot of connections last weekend." Bridget

"I can't wait to tell my girlfriends for next year!" Sue

"The presentations were amazing. The food & setting spectacular. I enjoyed the gifts, thanks!" Marie

"I loved it all, the support, the beauty, the love, the living testimony of what's possible for healing and wholeness." Melanie