Step 4. Marinate

We are all looking for answers of some kind.  The last three steps were designed to present you with the opportunity to HEAR something new - something different - something else.  And if you went through the steps, you did actually hear something - even if it was quiet.

Step 4 is about taking the time now to MARINATE on that word or phrase.  

To 'marinate:'  (n.) means to wait calmly for something to happen. 

Your next step once you have that word or phrase is to THINK on it.  SIT WITH IT...  Think about what it means for you and your life.  Don't dissect it endlessly and don't question it allowing doubt to steal it but simply recognize what your soul is trying to tell you and WHY it might be telling you what it did.  Sit with it...


Chances are it's probably an idea or thought that you know already... it may be something you need or something you need to fix or add.


Whatever IT is, now is the time to understand it so take time to THINK on it.  ;)  You might be surprised by what you find.

[To Kri & Hettie, thanks for reminding me that Everyday is an Opportunity!] 

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT. 

Step 3. Recognize the Answer

So far you've challenged yourself to find quiet time (breathing) and ask one simple but direct question:  What do you want?

Step 3 is Recognizing the ANSWER!

Huh?

Recognizing the Answer means allowing that first thought to JUST BE...  it means hearing your first thought... it means accepting your first thought.

So the exercise should go something like this:

1. breathe in, breathe out (@90 seconds minimal) = clear the clutter, no questions, no thoughts, just breathing [Note/Tip: It's easiest for me to do this in the shower in the morning and just let the water fall over my head.  I focus on my breathing and the feel of the water]
2. Once you've relaxed into that breathing -- however long it takes -- now ask the Question:  What do you want?
3. Now, what's the FIRST THOUGHT that pops into your head??

And I literally mean the first thought!

It could be something simple like:  peace.

But then peace becomes 'peace at work' or 'peace at home' then more specifically 'peace with my Mom' or 'peace with my son' or 'peace with my coworker...'

It could be something like:  time.

That could be 'time off' or 'time with family' or 'time to complete something like a project...'

The key here is to HEAR whatever that FIRST WORD or phrase actually IS!

Why does this matter?

It matters because whatever that first word or phrase is - is the beginning of you listening to yourself.  LISTENING to your heart.  LISTENING for your voice.  LISTENING.

This may sound simple but simple does not mean it's EASY.  This takes practice.  Practice NOT skill.  It takes practice to create the space to allow yourself to tune in to your own heart's channel.

TRY IT! and I hope you'll let me know what you hear...

Step 2. Allow for Introspection...

You've challenged yourself to find just 90 seconds in your day to be silent... time to quiet your mind - those racing thoughts, the voices of "I can't" or "You should" or "I need to" - for a few heart beats.

You did it!

Now ask yourself:  "Was that really THAT hard?"  For some who've never allowed themselves even a moment of peace - probably.  If that's you, you've made a HUGE leap!  Feel good and savor that victory!  Keep going.  Day in and day out until that 90 seconds becomes second nature... a habit.

For those of you who had no problem finding that time, consider that there are untold numbers of books and philosophies out there that say something to the effect of 'people who take anywhere from a minute or more to 10 minutes a day for quiet - whether that's meditation or simple silence are HAPPIER.'


Hmmmm...

So now you've started the process.  You are allowing your 90 seconds - consider challenging yourself to increase that "quiet time" over time...

Why?  To create the space for your mind to be at rest - peaceful - silent.  It's allowing your brain to exercise differently.

As you are retraining your brain through this process, once you've mastered your QUIET - it's time for Step 2.  Allow for thought.  THINKING.  Not random, jumbled, fleeting thoughts - no.  Focused introspection.

Focused introspection asks ONE question.  

It's a little like playing charades or pictionary... because you have to sort through the clutter that may come to get to the answer.  YOUR answer.

So what's the question, you wonder?  

Very simply:  

What do YOU want?

What do you WANT?

WHAT do you want?

Depending on how you say and hear the question, your thoughtful response may vary.  Nonetheless, you first have to find the time and create the space with your quiet time to even be able to HEAR the Question - let alone your honest answer.

So maintain at a minimum, your 90 seconds of quiet.  Then, once you've achieved that time, take a deep breath, release it slowly exhaling and ask yourself THE question.

That's right - JUST ask the question and keep breathing:  Deep inhale and exhale out. 

That's it.

Now rinse and repeat!  :)  just kidding... (on the rinse part).  

Repeat the question and the subsequent breathing at least three to five times.  For those of you who closed your eyes during this breathing/question process - upon the last question and exhale - open your eyes.

End Step 2.

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT.

quote

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. 
Watch your words; they become actions. 
Watch your actions; they become habits. 
Watch your habits; they become character. 
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” 


—Lao-Tze




Step 2 coming tomorrow... :)

Step 1. Find the Time...

We all use the excuse: "I don't have time to..." but today challenge yourself to take just 90 seconds at any point in the day and just BREATHE.

Allow your mind to rest.  

If you determine in your heart that you are worth that, you'll find the time to do it.  It's only 90 seconds.  About the time it takes you to read this post.

That's the first step in figuring out what you want... your vision.

Pretty simple.

Would love to hear if anyone can actually DO it??  :)

90 seconds to just breathe

    nothing more...

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT.

The Content of our Character

"  Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love..." 

 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

There are so many words, not the least of which was "I HAVE A DREAM..."  

Dr. King had a VISION.  

He could SEE the possibilities... He could envision a different world.  One where 'the house would not be divided' but where all would be judged by "the content of their character."

What is the content of our character?

Who have we become as a 'people?'  What is it that Americans represent in the world today?  Who are you to your boss, your coworkers or staff? to the parking attendant or waiter? to your child's teacher or coach?

Are you someone different in church on Sunday than you are at lunch on Tuesday?

What matters to you?

Are you a person of integrity? one that respects all and demonstrates humility and grace by allowing others to maintain their dignity in difficult times?

Who are you?

How would you describe the 'content of your character?'  On a day like today, it's important to reflect.  We honor the legacy we have been blessed to have in our country by challenging ourselves to BE better... not with haughty pride... but with grace and a heart full of love.

Are you willing to serve?

Service can take on many forms.  I believe that there is a part of each of us that was designed to serve... that somehow God built in a need to give back, to contribute, to do something unselfish that will help or serve others - whether it is through our natural talents or simply our time.  Those that are the most FULFILLED in their lives will tell you it is because they are giving back and doing something they LOVE.

REFLECTION

When we take the time to reflect on days such as today - especially given the tragedy this past week in Arizona - it's good to think about these questions.  It's good to ask ourselves what truly matters to us and why?

We all have been given the power to OVERCOME.  To overcome our fears.  To overcome adversity and sorrow and separation.  To overcome confusion or pain. To simply overcome...  We have been called to be "more than conquerors" (Rom 8:35-7).


What is your vision today?
Do you have a goal - just for today?  If not, think of ONE thing you can do for yourself and one thing you can do this week to serve another - outside your normal routine.

Know that we can all change our world by first changing ourselves.

Choose to believe in your dream today.

Honor it by allowing yourself the space to SEE your own Vision... and be inspired by what you SEE. Then remind yourself, you cannot be satisfied until you move forward - even when it's one small step at a time.

Thank you, Dr. King for our soul's challenge, today and everyday.

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT.

Be the Change...

At times the negative voices of destruction and fear, hate and angst can be screaming so loudly all around us that it can APPEAR that they are bigger than they are.

We've all heard the cliches - how the squeaky wheel gets the grease; he who shouts loudest, shouts best, etc - but I believe despite the relentless barrage, good is overpowering evil in a waterfall of variable victories every single day.

This week we saw a Democratic Congresswoman, a child, a judge, and other innocent people gunned down outside a grocery store because the assailant listened to the voices of destruction in his head.  Despite this, one of the heroes of the day was a young man, a new staffer, who tended to the wounded and cradled the Congresswoman's head in his lap applying pressure to her wound and most likely saving her life.  He acted... and reacted listening to his better angels rather than allowing his own voices of fear to keep him frozen.  His actions were several small, immediate victories of good directly challenging the evil he just witnessed.

The child that died was one of the babies of 9/11/01.  When I think back to that destructive day, it still makes me cry, but while my heart breaks at the tragedy - it also swells at the enormity of the love and the power of that love that rose instantly to defeat the evil.  It's what drove those firemen and first responders UP into the Towers when everyone and everything else was coming down... It's the LOVE that marshaled worker after worker to run to the danger to do whatever they could to help or dig, carry water buckets, move metal, bandage a wound, or simply give another person - a stranger - a hug and a shoulder to cry on.

~ LOVE is  T H E  most Powerful Force on Earth and in heaven ~

It is LOVE that drives us to give out of our need or our plenty...  It is LOVE that causes us to pause whenever we see someone or something that needs our time, our attention, our dollar, or simply our smile...  It is LOVE that keeps our service men and women fighting and their families praying and sacrificing...  It is LOVE that drives doctors to heal, social workers to work 24/7 and teachers to continue day in and day out for poverty-level pay.

...I could go on and on.

and I'm sure your list could too.  

2011 is the year of ONE -- it's the year of unity and 'one-ness' -- the year to free what you love, your dream by allowing yourself to believe that it IS possible, achievable.  It's the time where I hope we all listen to our better angels and fight the good fight.

When we choose that, we then BECOME the CHANGE we hope for... Think about your Vision for yourself.  Choose to Be the Change in your own home, at your job, church, gym or simply wherever you ARE.

... and I think if you choose to look up and look around, you'll see the voices of negativity are simply banging gongs - noisemakers designed to distract you from the Truth.  There is still today good that is always present to challenge evil wherever or however it exists.

Unlock your power!  Choose to Be the Change you want...  

LOVE IS your greatest ally, source of strength and truth - it never fails!

THINK.     WRITE.     BELIEVE.     ACT.