November 19, 2007
November 19, 2007 Issue #45
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 Big Duh
Personal DNA
Free Rice
Writing Honestly
5 Spaces Left for Beach Retreat!
Turkey Turkey
Ways to Play Today:
Make Something From Scratch
Send a Note of Thanks
Something to Ponder:
How does BEING what you want GET you what you want?
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
~Mahatma Gandhi
My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
~The Big Duh~
A couple of weekends ago, I attended a dance retreat called, "Gravity and Grace". These two concepts might adequately describe a Cirque du Soleil performer or a ballerina, but me? No way. I've always been slightly off-balanced and a bit of a klutz. I can bump into things that everyone else can easily avoid and I've got the bruises to prove that gravity never seems to work in my favor. Interestingly enough, what I thought would just be two days of dancing fun turned out to be an exploration of different states of being that I don't always feel comfortable expressing.
Now mind you, this is not about "Being all that you can be." Nor is this about being something you aren't. This is about taking on whatever it is that you wish to be in your life by BEING it. For example, if you want to be happy, you might engage in things that bring a smile to your face and make you feel good. If you want to be frugal, you might start scaling down your expenses and saving more of your money. By embodying the state of being you want, you're much more likely to experience it.
Of course you can't just sit on the couch, do nothing and wait for (happiness, joy, love, etc) to show up on its own. There has to be some action on your part.
A few years ago, pretending that everything in my life was hunky-dory dandy didn't make it so. When I took an honest look at how I was really being (dishonest, negative and confused), it made perfect sense that my life was in the state it was. I was getting exactly what I was being. When I changed, so did my world. Being what we want is the first step to having it manifest in our lives. As Gandhi so eloquently said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." These simple yet profound words are what I'm going to call "The Big Duh". No further explanation is needed. You just read them and they resonate deep within.
This time of year is the perfect time to put into practice being what we wish to see. How do you want to be this holiday season?
The 5 Big Duhs for Me
1) Being grateful – Saying thank you many times over for all the blessings that are my life.
2) Being generous – Giving the gifts of time, energy, patience, laughter and love to my family, friends and strangers.
3) Being gracious – Listening intently, asking what others need and offering to help out before it's requested.
4) Being grounded – Maintaining a good balance between social outings and solo-time.
5) Being goofy – Having fun, taking time out to play and delighting in my sense of silliness.
So in the spirit of speaking simply and being light-hearted, may your state of being bring you the kind of experience you want to have this holiday season. May you let go of any expectations and preconceived notions of how you think something (or someone else) is supposed to be. May you experience what is available to you in each and every moment if you let it in. I promise you something entirely new and delicious will show up when you show up differently. Whether or not you believe this, you influence your surroundings a lot more than you might think. I don't know about you, but I would much prefer to infuse my family gatherings with love and laughter rather than getting all wound up and worried over things I have no control over. Whether you travel to where your loved ones are or stay put and play host, I hope your holiday celebrations are everything you be.
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
Personal DNA
I'll admit I'm a bit of an astrological junkie. I find it fascinating when horoscopes are spot-on with not just my good traits but my not-so nice ones as well. If you want to delve a bit into your own qualities and quirks, go to this website and take their personality quiz. It takes about thirty minutes to complete the questionnaire (there are definitely some questions you might spend time pondering over) but when you're finished you'll not only have a report that profiles who you are, but you'll also be given a name that describes something about you and how you relate to others. If you've ever felt a horoscope must have been written "just for me!" check this out and see for yourself that it will give you a pretty accurate profile. I'd love to hear what name your profile gives you. I turned out being 'an animated creator' which I can hardly wait to use the next time someone asks me the question, "What do you do?"
Free Rice
What do rice and your knowledge of words have in common with each other? If you go to this website, you'll see that this combination is helping to end world hunger ten grains at a time. The United Nations World Food Program in partnership with many big businesses created a fun and interesting online game where the more words you know, the more donations of rice are made to those in need. Forget the same old boring solitaire games. You'll be more entertained and certainly more fulfilled as you watch each of your correct answers fill up the wooden bowl with rice. Increase your word vocabulary today and you'll be doing a small part to feed the hungry. Every little bit (and every word) helps, so play the game for a good long while.
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
In last month's newsletter, I mentioned I would be embarking on a ninety day adventure of writing the rough draft of my first book. I'm pleased to report I've been blogging most days about my experience, but not-so pleased to share that my experience has been less than ideal the last couple of weeks. I've quickly realized if I don't treat this commitment of mine like a full-time job, ninety days will have passed and I won't have much to show for my efforts. My Dad asked me the other day how serious I was about my commitment and even though I told him, "I'm very serious" I haven't been as serious as I want and need to be.
So I've done a bit of math and have figured out that if my book is an average of 250 pages, from now until January 30, I need to write four pages a day. That doesn't sound too intimidating at first, but when I'm staring at a screen waiting for the next thought to appear and then it does, I do my best to combine words in way so they craft a sentence that sounds coherent outside of my own head, it's intimidating as hell. Despite the reminder I received from one of my blog readers to take my own advice and "Lighten Up" (which is very good advice), I know when I'm being committed and when I'm not. I know I can take on a heavier load of writing without feeling weighed down.
It's been six months since I've seen my folks and even longer since I've seen some of my relatives. Our Thanksgiving travels begin on Wednesday we'll be visiting with loved ones for a few days. I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone, playing games and watching movies and eating yummy foods. I'll miss being at the beach, but right now what I need is a good dose of family, love, fun and pumpkin pie.
Even though it's still two months away, I'm getting excited about the retreat I'm having in January. If escaping to a beautiful place in the Pacific Northwest is something that calls to you, give me a call and I'll give you more details about the weekend. If you've been considering attending, there is still space available and I would love to have five more women join those who have already registered. I created a rather unique photographic and music presentation about the event so if you'd like to see what I'm talking about, send an email my way and I'll send it to you today. You can also find out more information about "Begin Again – A Weekend Sojourn by the Sea" by visiting my website.
Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
Here's a little Thanksgiving jingle to tickle your turkey bone.
Ways to Play Today
Why not...make something from scratch?
My husband always teases me about having an abundance of condiments. It's true that there is no room left on our refrigerator door to jam in one more jar or bottle of liquid goodness, but honestly they help me make memorable meals most of the time. Having once been a follow-the-recipe only kind of cook, I take a certain pride now in being able to mix an odd assortment of stuff and turn out a fairly decent dish. The next time you're tempted to order take-out or pop something in the microwave, check out what's been hiding out on a pantry shelf or in the back of your fridge and experiment. If you've been wondering what to bring for the holiday feast, let your food contribution be something you concocted all on your own. Yes, your one-of-a-kind creation could either be the life of the party or it could be the one thing that sends everyone home early, but hey...you won't know unless you give spontaneous meal-making a try.
Why not...write a letter of thanks to someone who might least expect it??
Even though the season of giving and receiving is upon us, you can never underestimate the impact an unexpected gift can have on someone. Whether it's a family member, a good friend, a neighborly acquaintance or a complete stranger, take some time today to pen a note of gratitude. You know how good it feels when someone out of the blue acknowledges you so sit yourself down and pass on the sweet surprise to someone else. Maybe you'll enjoy the art of using a pen and paper and licking an envelope so much that you'll want to write thank you notes every day. Methinks this would be a very good habit to pick up.
Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
How would you like your life to be?
What actions might you take on that would help you be what you want to see?
Care to share what these questions stir up in you?
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 speaker check out Playful Spirit Productions. 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.
Thanks for reading this issue of Lighten Up! If you enjoyed it, please pass it along to your friends, your family, your co-workers...You get the idea. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate the holiday of feasting, family and most of all gratitude. Take time out be thankful for all you are and all you have. Remember to say your "thank you's" and your "love you's" and don't forget your "Big Duhs."
See you on December 17th!
Lisa
~Playful Spirit Productions' mission is to inspire people to show up, be real and play big in life.~
lisa@playful-spirit.com www.playful-spirit.com