November 21, 2005
November 21, 2005 Issue #21
Welcome to the newsletter where playing more and stressing less is taken seriously. It's written with the intention to support you in living a life with more passion and play and less worry and work.
IN THIS ISSUE...
The Contribution Connection
Music & Website Recommendation
Beach Retreat in 2006!
Giggles & Guffaws
Ways to Play Today
Something to Ponder
My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
"Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think." ~Longfellow
~The Contribution Connection~
Boy, oh boy has this been an interesting month. As I sat down to write this issue of Lighten Up!, there were many things that went through my mind as I was deciding what to write about. After spending a weekend recently with a few girlfriends of mine, I couldn't ignore what kept coming up for me and what I strongly suspect comes up for many of us especially at this time of year.
This is the time of year when many of us travel great distances to spend the holidays with our loved ones. American traditions typically include a gathering of friends and family, large quantities of food and an exchange of gifts and pleasantries. It's certainly possible that as we go about celebrating the season, we might forget to be thankful for all that is our lives. It's one thing to feel grateful for our blessings, but it's quite another when we express, act on and share our gratitude with others.
Two weekends ago, I invited a few of my girlfriends out to the beach for some slumber-party fun. We shared meals, watched movies and laughed a lot. I have to admit the midnight giggling was big fun, but the highlight of the weekend was what we did together Saturday morning. We spent time acknowledging one another for the unique gifts we each have that make a difference in our own lives and in others'. There were tears, more laughter and many truths told as we listened to what was held deep within our hearts.
My girlfriends and I are good at giggling.
The truth is...we could all use more acknowledgment in our lives. Being recognized and reminded of who we really are by another is one of the greatest feelings in the world. We all have the ability to wield this incredible magic at any time and yet so often we hold back our praise. It truly is the best gift you have to give and it's the best gift to receive. There's no need to go to the mall and max out your credit cards this holiday season. All you need to do is take some time to tell the people in your life the reasons why you love them so.
5 Ways to Really Acknowledge Another
1) Listen Well
God didn't give us two ears and one mouth by accident. We were made to listen more and speak less. People want to be heard and they'll feel it most when you're not talking. Never underestimate the power of silence because it often says more about respect and understanding than any words could.
2) Hold The Space
Creating a safe place for others to really hear and understand the impact they've made in your life is so important. It's also essential to be supportive and allow whatever emotions to show up that may result due to your acknowledgment.
3) Honor Their Gifts
What may be blatantly obvious to one person, may be deeply hidden in another. If you've witnessed or experienced the beauty and brilliance of another human being, share it. Even though someone might not be ready to really take your acknowledgment of their gifts to heart and accept them, bestow them anyway and just ask the person to listen.
4) Say Thank You
Express your gratitude when it's least expected and you'll be amazed what happens to that person you're praising. Get in the habit of saying thank you at least once every day to someone. Remember to say thank you to yourself.
5) Love Them Unconditionally
Just as we have our gifts and strengths we also have our faults and weaknesses. Remember that acknowledgment can be given not only when we're at our best, but when we're at our worst.
If we are acknowledged for our gifts often enough, not only will we start to really listen to them, we'll begin believing in them. And once we believe in them, they'll become our truths, the things we can rely on. Of course those truths will be challenged, but that's just a natural part of living. When we understand and really accept the connection that exists between our unique gifts and what's real and true about ourselves nothing is impossible. However, it's not enough to just sit back and feel good about knowing what are gifts are. It's important that we share them. Our own personal growth and satisfaction will demand it and most certainly others will benefit from our contribution. Acknowledge on!
Check it Out
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
Future Me This is a simple, but sweet website that allows you to write a letter to yourself and pick a date in the future when you want it sent to you. Whether it's only a few months down the road or a few years, this insightful tool can be a real eye-opener and giggle-getter when it's delivered to you. When I was a senior in high school, my English teacher had us write a letter to ourselves and promised to deliver it to us ten years later. It was hilarious to read at age 28 what I'd written at age 18. After you've written your letter and picked a date, (I would encourage you to write a few and send them at different dates) you can choose to keep it private or your words of wisdom can be made available for public viewing. It's not only interesting to read what other people wrote to themselves, but their thoughts may give you an idea or two of what to include in your own letter. Just remember to enter an email address that you'll be hanging onto otherwise your memorable musings will be sent out into cyberspace and you'll be left empty-handed on delivery day.
"Anatomic" by Afro Celt Sound System
If you want some new music that will put a dance in your step and groove in your heart, this is music you don't want to miss. I've been a big fan of this band for years and their latest c.d. doesn't disappoint. Afro Celt is an eclectic group of performers who hail from many places in the world. Their music can best be described as uplifting, rhythmic and soulful. The songs on this c.d. are a beautiful blend of the soothing vocals and African and Irish instrumentation they're known for. I highly recommend it!
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
You might have noticed there are a few changes that have been made to the layout of my newsletter. It's good to shake things up a bit every now and then. I've been doing a lot of shaking and shimmying lately because I've been making some changes regarding my business. If you read last month's issue you might recall I made mention of a couple of things. I shared with you the name of a new website address which was www.bringitonsalon.com. I changed my mind.
After spending a considerable amount of time pondering, I finally honed in on what I'm really good at and passionate about and came up with something that will accurately name the work I do. Playful Spirit will remain as my business name and its accompanying website will continue on, but I'm very excited to share with you that www.cannonbeachretreats.com will be making its internet debut in the very near future. Speaking of retreats, last month I also made mention of having one at the beginning of 2006. The amazing and affordable Beach Retreat has been crafted!
The date is January 20-22, the location is Cannon Beach, Oregon and you can check out all the juicy details right here.
Last but not least, and on somewhat more of a personal note, I got engaged a couple of weekends ago. Feel free to check out my blog if you'd like to know more. I wasn't kidding when I told you it's been an interesting month. I want to know what's going on in your world, dear readers. Write and tell me a few of those unique gifts of yours.
Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
I received the following funny from a friend of mine and I couldn't believe it until I tried it myself. This is much harder than patting your head while rubbing your tummy at the same time. Give it a whirl.
How Smart Is Your Right Foot?
1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and
make clockwise circles with it.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change direction!!!
I'm just wondering if anyone out there has a scientific explanation for this oddity. What do you think?
Ways to Play Today
Why not...create a list of all your gifts?
Take out a piece of paper and make a list as long as you can of all the things you love about yourself. The list can contain your physical attributes, personality pluses, tremendous talents and any other skill or ability you're proud of, fond of or are aware of. Next take a look at that list and see how many of those items you share and/or give to others. There is no room on this list for fears or doubts so don't even consider writing them down. When you've completed your list (is it in the hundreds yet?) put your arms straight out in front of you, cross them so you end up with the palm of each hand touching the opposite shoulder and give yourself a big squeeze. Congratulations! Self-acknowledgment is a tremendous skill. Add that to your list.
Why not...organize all your photographs into albums?
For some of us, this could be a major undertaking involving a few days or weeks. Even though it might take some time to sort through all the pictures you have, I think it's well worth the effort. I don't speak from having tackled this project myself, but a few years ago my sister got twenty or so small photo albums from the dollar store, put most of my parents' pictures into them and somehow managed to group them in a stylish and somewhat chronological order. If you're like me, you have hundreds of photos taken over the last two decades jammed into a couple old shoeboxes that make their home down in your basement. I'm not quite sure why I've been postponing the day when I'll arrange all my visual keepsakes into a much less random fashion, but it's time to do this. I encourage you to take a stroll down memory lane as well and create some clarity and cleanliness out of chaos. You can smile while categorizing those Kodaks knowing your pile of pictures won't be increasing due to the invention of the digital camera.
Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
Who do you know that could use a little acknowledgement today
How will you let them know how much you value them?
Care to share what these questions stir up in you? Need some support around how to acknowledge another or yourself?
Send me an e-mail.
I welcome your thoughts and will respond to all e-mails received.
If you want to find out more about the work I do as a facilitator, writer and coach check out Playful Spirit Make sure you come back and visit every so often as you never know what kind of resources and fun stuff I'll be playing around with and adding to the website.
Happy Turkey Day!
Lisa
~Playful Spirit's mission is to empower women to acknowledge and express their unique gifts in the world. We help people rediscover their passion, purpose & sense of play.~
lisa@playful-spirit.com www.playful-spirit.com