Welcome to Write Your Vision!

Deep down, most people have dreams - they may be forgotten, unspoken, or unrealized - but they are there. I want to help you remember and believe in them again...

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Dreaming Today...

I woke up this morning with thoughts, images and words running through my mind so quickly I had to shake myself fully awake to keep up...

and I realized that today was a day for dreams.

Do you dream?

So I thought I'd run through my stream of consciousness with you because I've often been asked:  "How do you write?" and/or folks say "My mind goes blank when I try to write..."


Here are my words today:


Nature   trees   the wind   -  I miss the mountains.   Cardinals and black bears, the river running through the mountains between Staunton and Elkins on Rt 250SchoolThe FALLCollege football. ESPN.   Sweatshirts and shorts.

Go Mountaineers.  Hook 'em Horns.  Gotta buy tickets -- to the games, to the music festival, to fly to Indiana.........

Family.  I miss Gram.    Lord, keep my family safe today - give them peace, show them joy, deliver them from fear and illness, bring us all closer however You can.  Remind them I love them as much as You do...

Hurricane Katrina:  5 years today.  So many families in need, so much hurt, frustration, and anger still and yet beauty, change, growth, community.   I miss community -- I miss Clarksburg, those WV hills.  Smile.  It was a wonderful place to grow up.  I want to visit New Orleans...

Love Alexander McQueen.  What a loss... someday I'd love to own one of his coats.  His work always gave me cold chills.  Amazing.  Genius.  Impact.

I want to make an impact... that's my real dream.  I don't know how yet, don't know where yet - but someday.

One person at a time.

At the end of my life, I want to know that the world, my family and friends were better for my having been in their lives.  That's my vision.  That's my dream.

What's yours?

Please comment because I'd love to know... ;)

     THINK.    WRITE.    BELIEVE.    ACT.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Remember Me...



The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Today is the 90th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote... how special is that???
It made me think about the beautiful, wonderful, powerful women throughout my life beginning with my Mom and Gram.  While my life and dreams are mine, I am the embodiment of all that they are too:
  • Mom's smile and mind - her intellect, love of history and teaching, her intensity
  • Gram's heart and ability to laugh - her humor, love of hugs, her presence
I think of teachers like Mrs. Grant in 6th grade who made me read "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Illiad..."  Mrs. Burnside who challenged me though high school English...  Molly Petty and Mary Hill Cole who loved history and creative writing in college...

I think of my Aunt Jeannie who taught me about faith and belief in God.

I think of my Aunt Mary who challenged me to LIVE because each day could be your last.

I think of my grandmother Benson who taught me about strength in humility.

Consider the phenomenal women in your life from your past and your present - think of who they are and the difference they've made in your life - and for just a moment:   APPRECIATE THEM and their Dreams for you.  For those of you with daughters, teach them about the power of the past and remind them of the power of their own mind, their own abilities, and that their dreams ARE attainable!

Teach them to THINK.
Teach them to WRITE.
Teach them to ACT.
Teach them to BELIEVE...

and for the husbands, sons, and brothers out there -- remember Tennessee Legislator Harry Burn:
Thank you to Harry Burn who in the end changed his mind and cast the last deciding vote for suffrage because his mother asked that of him.  In today's politically divisive world, we could all learn from Harry's choice.  Although he didn't necessarily understand nor agree intellectually, he voted with his heart.  He realized the impact his decision would have on others and chose to give rather than deny...

Saturday, August 21, 2010

What Do You Believe?

I wonder why some find it so very hard to believe?  to have faith?

Is it because you HOPED something would happen and it didn't - so now it's all about self-protecting?  Maybe you've been hurt in the past? Maybe you like tangible things - proof? evidence? facts?  Maybe it's easier to be a cynic than a dreamer?  Safer to be 'practical' than to appear to be foolish by someone else's standards?

Maybe you're just scared... afraid of being disappointed?

Whatever the reason you simply don't dream anymore... maybe you were never taught to dream as a child? So you don't really know how.............

How about if we talk it through together?  Because a DREAM requires faith and belief -
  1. What is FAITH?  Defn: strong or unshakable belief in something, especially without proof or evidence.  
  2. BELIEF/VE?  Defn: to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
  3. What is FEARDefn: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. 
Isn't it interesting that 'fear' shows up PRIOR to anything actually happening?

So okay, let's start with something simple:  What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist & an oceanographer.  I loved history and wanted to discover it firsthand.  I wanted to explore. [and this was before Indiana Jones ;)

As a child, I was taught to BELIEVE I could do or be anything I wanted.  I was taught POSSIBILITIES...

Were you?  If you weren't, it's time.  It's time to ALLOW yourself the freedom to be wrong, the freedom to make a mistake(s), the freedom to be disappointed without being devastated, the freedom to be courageous.

See, everyone has fears.  Everyone feels afraid.  The difference is when you CHOOSE to believe YOU and YOUR DREAM is bigger and more important than your fear.  It means being afraid and making the choice to have faith ANYway.  It means BEING courageous in spite of, in the face of fear.

Your dream - your vision - is worth a little faith.  It is worth your belief in it.  YOU are worth that.

What do you believe in now?  Allow yourself to dream again.  Allow yourself to believe in your dream - whatever it is - because if you can't believe in your dream, who else will?  Make the one choice that requires no money, no investment whatsoever but is entirely FOR you.

- BELIEVE in You and Your Vision -
Speak your own Truth.
Dare to have Faith in your Dream.
Believe.  And don't apologize for making that choice.
Live Courageously...

     THINK.       WRITE.       BELIEVE.        ACT.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Meet Nick...

Attitude is Altitude
A friend shared Nick Vujicic's video on Facebook. I was moved and amazed. 

He truly does remind us all of the unbelievable power we each possess to shape our own lives through the choices we make about a Vision for ourselves - who we are now & who we want to be.

Thank you, Nick.
Your willingness to laugh and challenge us all is a blessing...




Quote from Nick's website:  "With Nick Vujicic what you see is not what you get..."

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Why we struggle...

The more people I talk with the more I hear different versions of virtually the same story.  So many right now feel overwhelmed, underpaid, lost, alone, tired, unhappy, angry, depressed... the list goes on and on.  And all those things are negatives.

What's going on?

Why - given that we live in the wealthiest nation on earth, the home of democracy, free enterprise, freedom of religion, the Bill of Rights, (again the list goes on and on) - WHY so negative?

Where is our joy?
...and maybe more importantly, WHY are we so afraid?

I've heard all sorts of explanations and justifications.  But it all still comes down to FEAR:  Afraid of losing my job; afraid of not finding another job; afraid of losing my home, my family; afraid of being a bad parent; afraid of never being a parent; afraid of letting people down; afraid of failing; afraid of moving... Afraid.  Afraid.  Afraid.

Fear.

We give FEAR so much power.  We let it steal our time, steal our joy.  We allow it to infuse us with worry and regret, sprinkle our thoughts with insecurity and doubt...

UNTIL we either erupt into a rage against our circumstances or dissolve into a puddle of non-functioning tears on our bathroom floor.  We turn to alcohol, prescription drugs, food - you name it; all in an attempt to dull the pain from the negativity rather than DEAL with it.

The thing is, the onslaught of emotions and flood of negative thoughts that run through our minds are not coming FROM us (from you).  NO, those words are all coming from FearYOU are a powerful person, divinely created with every hair on your head numbered.  You ARE so much more than the negative thoughts say that you are... In fact, it is Fear's JOB to keep you down.  To bombard your mind - every waking and sleeping thought - with negatives to beat your will into submission through relentless exhaustion.

To force you to believe the lies of those negative brainwashing thoughts about yourself:  "You can't do that!" "You won't win, why bother trying?" "They are all against you." "You really are a failure - even your kids see it."  "S/he doesn't love you anymore - how could s/he love what you are now!" "Nobody understands..."

We see inequity everywhere.  Feel the injustices deep within our soul.  The hurt grows more and more each day...   Sound familiar?

The problem is that we have all seemingly forgotten this one simple truth:  The greatest battlefield is in our mind.

It is not the world around us or the other people in that world; no, the battle is within us.

The reason why we struggle is that we are all meant for something.  We are meant to fulfill some purpose - a Vision - and Fear is standing diametrically opposed to our success.  It prays on our hurts and escalates the circumstances around us to make us feel disrespected, misunderstood, and totally - wholly - completely ALONE.


The key then is to first RECOGNIZE what is happening and recognize the difference between your heart's voice and the voice of fear.  Yoda probably said it best when he was telling Luke to 'calm yourself, control your thoughts...when you are at peace, see things you will! Concentrate.......... 

See things you will, indeed.  BUT only when you are at peace:  To overcome fear, you have to put it in its place and see it for what IT is - not for what YOU are not... and you have to allow yourself a moment or two of peace.  Peace is not a feeling.  It is a state of being.

And in that respect, peace is a gift:  God grant me the peace to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Choose to struggle against the Fear itself - not against the circumstances; not against the other people; not against the changes that must come.

Choose.

Write your Vision!  Write your vision for yourself, your career, your family, your life... Write down what you want and then write that you BELIEVE in it.  Fear cannot stand Faith - of any kind.

Tired of getting beaten to a pulp by those negative thoughts?  Fight back!  GET MAD at the Fear not your circumstances... Beat back the fear with your Vision - with your Faith in the possible. That's the real war - the real struggle.  See it in your mind for what it actually is - and now look again, you'll SEE the struggle IS turning in your favor.  Believe it.

     THINK.       WRITE.       BELIEVE.       ACT. 

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Handling Heartbreak

Lately it would seem that there are any number of things pushing people to the edge.  We are all being challenged on so many fronts, it's often overwhelming.  It is especially difficult when someone or something that you love lets you down or does something that hurts you.

When you feel broken, so many things that may otherwise not affect you suddenly feel painful or personal. 

Thing is - others will almost always fail you at one point or another,  in some way or other; just as you will fail someone else someday even when you don't intend it.  So we all have to deal with hurt in our lives.

One of the many blessings (or curses - depending how you look at it) that we have is that we can neither pat ourselves on the back nor kick our own butt... so what do you do to handle heartbreak when it happens to you?

I honestly believe that as human beings, part of living simply involves hurting.  If you think back on your life, generally speaking, some of the greatest lessons you'll learn come from painful situations.   Why is that?  Hmmmm.  Well, that can be debated any number of ways but what do you do with all those emotions - especially the hurt?

The first thing I think is simply acknowledging the hurt.  There's no point in denying how you feel.  It doesn't help.  The next thing is to ask myself what in the world am I supposed to learn from this and THEN decide what's next?  Would it help you or the situation to tell the other person they've hurt you?  If you can honestly answer yes to either/both of those questions, then go for it.  If not - as is sometimes the case - how do you release your hurt?

For me, it often starts with breathing in and out... and eventually involves some kind of writing:  Writing TO or ABOUT the person(s) or situations that hurt me - even if I never send it to another soul to read.  I still write.  I write to release...

Boxing or some sort of exercise is good too when you need a physical outlet as well!

Regardless, I've found that I have to purge that negativity SOMEhow; and more often than not, I need to do it more than once.  I think the frequency is directly proportional to the depth of pain you feel... even when you're hurt so deep that you don't seem to feel anymore.

And when you're in that place, ask for the strength to simply look up from where you are.  You WILL begin to see there are things in your life worth living for... worth more than the pain of the present.  At that point, you have the power to CHOOSE - so choose wisely.    Choose to remember who YOU are... and if you hadn't done so previously, WRITE who you want to be.  Write Your Vision for yourself, for your life!

In the end, there is only ONE 'you.'  You are greater than the hurt... and you are valued more than you realize - more than those thoughts in your head care to acknowledge.

You can handle the heartbreak, even when it brings you to your knees.  You can rise up again and smile again.  It's okay to acknowledge where you are, how hurt you are; but seek the strength not to stay there: focus differently!  You'll find you may never get over the pain but you will get through it.

If you haven't tried writing, I encourage you to give it a shot.  It's free and requires no skill whatsoever.  Start simply by putting what you feel on paper one word at a time:  Hurt.  Angry.  Lost.  And then, allow yourself to write just one thing you are thankful for... Think about that ONE thing.  Write it down.  How does that thing make you feel?  Write that down.

Just start there... and then let me know what you came up with and if it helped?

       THINK.       WRITE.       BELIEVE.       ACT.

Compassion is Significant

How many times has someone asked you to put yourself in their shoes?  It seems I'm hearing that a lot lately and have even started repeating it myself.

But can you REALLY do that?  Probably not.

The point is to empathize and show compassion for the person(s) in a situation.  More often than not, it's difficult to do for any number of reasons.  I often think - well, I'd NEVER ____________ (fill in your own blank).

Thing is, while I may actually think that initially - I've lived long enough now to learn NOT to speak in absolutes because God has a funny way of bringing those very things I thought I would "NEVER" face or never do right into my path.  I think God and the universe DOES definitely have a sense of humor in that way.

At one point or another in our lives, we will face things we never thought would happen...

I think that is inevitable.

So, as you Write Your Vision for your future - expect that unexpected things will come up.  And when faced with a choice to show compassion for someone else, seriously consider doing it.  There may come a day when you'll wish for someone else to do the same for you.

     THINK.       WRITE.       BELIEVE.       ACT.