Learning to live a more intentional life
Today is a new day.
I will not wallow in regret. I will not dwell on moments missed, on moments when my physical proximity was a poor substitute for a mind that was far away. Instead, I will choose to be present, fully present, and to show up exactly where I am. To offer myself fully to those that I love, knowing that this ‘now’ that is gifted to me is my moment to choose connection, to choose presence, and to forgive myself for not choosing it before.
Continue reading “Today is a New Day”
We all build boxes around us and tuck ourselves inside. At first, life within the confines of our box is warm and cozy. We fit neatly in, and so we believe that our box was custom made for us. As far as we know, everyone rests comfortably in their own box.
Continue reading “Out of the Box”
As I sat in a lonely corner of a restaurant waiting for a dear friend to meet me for lunch, I couldn’t help but feel a little idle. Here I was in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, sitting in a restaurant in my jeans, waiting.
Continue reading “Lunch Date Musings”
“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
– Christopher Reeve
Can I admit something? I can’t do it all. I can’t be in more than one place at a time. I can’t meet the needs of everyone.
Can I admit something worse? Despite knowing all of the above, I still find myself trying to prove it all wrong. Trying to stretch myself beyond my reach. Trying to throw as many balls in the air as I think I need to, and blaming myself for not being able to catch them all. Continue reading “Tattered Armour”
“If you want to be happy, be.”
– Leo Tolstoy
I’ve always thought of this quote by Leo Tolstoy as a call for us to recognize that we need only decide to be happy. Indeed, happiness is a choice. We can choose to be positive in our thinking. We can choose to be grateful for what we have. We can choose to be mindful that each moment that we experience is gifted to us; and that no other moment is guaranteed. In this way, we choose to be happy.
But what if Tolstoy’s words go much deeper than that?
“When you say ‘yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself.”
– Paul Coelho
It is so easy to find ourselves inundated in a world of ‘too much’. By saying ‘yes’ to offers, opportunities and obligations that come our way, we quickly become overwhelmed, overburdened and offset.
Continue reading “The art of saying ‘No’”
“Life, if well lived, is long enough.”
-Lucius Annaeus Seneca
I’ve always had this picture in my mind of what my life would look like. My life would be marked with great success, a testament to many years of hard work. My life would look seamless, with every detail fitting into a neat little box of accepted standards. My work would be enjoyable and its impact would be far-reaching. But this picture only captured big things. The reality is that I have worked hard, I’ve achieved a measure of success and I have enjoyed the work that I do, and yet, these very things have created a life of obligation, expectation and overwhelm.
“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.“
– Max Lucado
Have you ever wondered what life could be like if you turned your back on the expected? As a society, we have created, accepted and followed certain norms. We have come up with a definition of success that entails so much more than being able to meet our own needs. We have created badges of honour and we call them Busyness, Exhaustion and Excess. We say to ourselves that we must do all the things to reap all the rewards, and that we must burn ourselves out in order to do it right.
For many years I’ve felt like this tree: by all accounts standing tall, with deep roots and firmly grounded.
I failed to thrive, however.
Continue reading “Plan Be”