October 24, 2006
October 24, 2006 Issue #32
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 Traveling Truth
Lisa in London
Spring Retreat at Breitenbush
Re-Enchantment for Everyday Living
43 Things
What's For Dinner?
Ways to Play Today:
Paint Your Luggage
Have a Laugh-Off
Something to Ponder:
What do you know that you know?
"This is the role I play for myself: to be committed to my passion; to tell myself the truth as I know it; to act with integrity."~Mary Anne Radmacher
My Playground
The article, the message, the thing to make you go hmmm...
~The Traveling Truth~
It has been a lovely month of traveling and having adventures abroad with my new husband. One of the delights of journeying overseas is the unavoidable element of encountering the unexpected. During our travels, we had many surprises pay us a visit with one of the best showing up where I least suspected it. But here's the thing...despite the experience surprising me when it did, I wasn't caught off guard by it because I already knew the secret of the surprise. How often does a surprise come as no surprise to you?
The cancelled flight at the beginning of the trip certainly took the wind out of our sails for a bit. Calamari in Greece arrives quite differently on your dinner table than it does here in the States. It was rather shocking to see the whole darn squid on the plate instead of setting my eyes on those nice little rings of fried joy accompanied with a sweet, red-pepper aioli. Meeting a woman who told of us of an opportunity to work and live in Santorini where we honeymooned was an absolute unforeseen and stirring prospect. We were surprised by how many cats and dogs roam not just the streets of Santorini, but in the restaurants as well. Fortunately the majority of our surprises were either fun or funny so we got on in foreign lands just fine. And then there was this conversation I had with an extraordinary man named Nic Askew that brought me such a profound sense of unexpected joy and peace that I'm still shaking my head about it five days after our meeting.
My ego in not-so-subtle disguise.
The sweet surprise...the truth is...I'm hanging up my coaching hat.
For the past few months, I've known that it was time to let that aspect of my business go. However, with me being about as stubborn as a mule, I wasn't listening. Despite what my heart was telling me, my head (that sly and slick creature better known as my ego) kept convincing me to press on and persevere. So I developed what I thought was a cool coaching concept and for the past couple months I've been promoting the program in this newsletter. A handful of people expressed interest and I felt good about what I was creating, but something was missing. I still had plenty of passion for working with and inspiring people, but the commitment to marketing myself as a coach just wasn't there. Ever feel like you just know that you know something and whether or not you have an explanation for it, you just know it feels right? That's how I felt while I was having my chat with Nic and afterwards, I just knew my days as a coach were over. It's an extraordinary feeling knowing what I know and actually doing something about it. Isn't it funny how so often we search for answers only to find they haven't been hiding out, they've been right in front of us all along? Truths don't hide. We do.
List Your Five Truths That Come As No Surprise To You
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So...now that I've told my truth as I know it, what's next?
Continue reading to find out what I'll be up to in the coming months. Having been a coach for the last seven years, it'll be a little odd not introducing or marketing myself as one, but I can no longer ignore the voice that says there are other flowers to sniff, places to explore and ways to touch the lives of the people I meet. Deep down inside each and every one of us is a place where courage and confidence reside. Pay that place a visit today and listen closely to the voice you hear. You'll be sure to recognize it. It's none other than your own and it will tell you every truth you want to know.
Personal Recommendations for books, music, websites and all resources fun!
"Re-Enchantment of Everyday Living" by Thomas Moore
I came across this lovely book while I was on my honeymoon and drank it in. It's a wonderful, long sip of inspirational writing. This is the third in a series ("Care of the Soul" and "Soulmates" are books one and two), but you won't need to read them beforehand to get the wonderful message he so eloquently and passionately portrays. The concept of becoming re-enchanted with life and everything that is a part of it is an ideal one since many of us feel disenchanted and discouraged in our jobs, our relationships and in the world as a whole. He proposes we need to rediscover and return to the foundation of our being which is more childlike and appreciative of everything. From the jobs we work in to the homes we inhabit, from the foods we put into our body to the friends we choose to spend time with, the task at hand is to invite delight in and be aware and awed by the simplicity and sanctity of life. It's a hefty 385 pages, but it's like a fine wine. You will have consumed it more quickly than you would have liked.
43 Things
I just discovered this website and have yet to create a profile, but after having a look around I think it's worth mentioning. In a nutshell, you come up with a list of 43 things you want to do in your life and this website provides you a place to keep track of them. You can check out others' lists and make comments and have them do the same for you. It appears to be a fun and interesting way to share your personal aspirations and inspirations with a community of people that are as passionate about pursuing their dreams as you are. I'm gonna give it a whirl. Look for TheOceanPrincess profile later on this week and let me know if you create one for yourself.
What's Up at Playful Spirit?
My apologies for this month's newsletter arriving a day late. I spent twenty-two hours yesterday making my way back to the Pacific Northwest after happily honeymooning in Greece and England the past three weeks. Due to the new travel restrictions regarding "One carry-on item only", I left the laptop behind. I wasn't about to pay (or trust for that matter) an airport computer to upload my musings. So...here I am back in the States, back in my office, back in a place that is familiar and comfortable and yet one that has changed considerably since I left for Europe twenty-two days ago.
While I was in London, I had the incredible opportunity to meet with Nic Askew of
monday9am.tv
If you've been a subscriber for awhile, you might recall a few issues back when I recommended his website as a place to spend considerable time hanging out in. If you didn't subscribe to his weekly Monday morning film, you'll want to go do that now. If you're a new subscriber to Lighten Up, you'll want to venture on over and see what I've been raving about. You'll be hearing a lot more about Nic and his 'short films that mean something' in the future for a couple of reasons. I believe in what he's creating and feel his work should be shared with as many people as possible. Secondly, (and yes, this is a tad bit selfish) I had the extreme pleasure of being one of his film's subjects and would love for you to see it once Nic completes his edits. I don't know when exactly that will be, but if you subscribe to his site you won't miss it when it debuts and you won't miss any of the other wonderful films. I promise they'll make more than just your Monday morning.
My writing endeavors will keep me busy the next couple of months as I focus my energy and attention on my blogs, Life of Play and The Ultimate Yes my book, this newsletter and a few other assorted projects. Beginning in the New Year, I'll be enthusiastically launching a series of workshops and retreats, speaking engagements and some inspirational products so stay tuned for all the fun. I do have one other cool thing to share with you. My good friend, Carla Blazek and I will be presenting a "Women at Rest and Play" retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Detroit, Oregon, April 15-18, 2007. So...for those of you who have asked me when my next retreat is, there you have it. More details are soon to follow on my website and will be forthcoming in future issues of Lighten Up, but for now, know this...it's going to be an amazing three and a half days. I'm so excited I feel like a bee on a good honey buzz.
Giggles & Guffaws
An amusing story, joke, anecdote or picture to tickle your funnybone
Dinner drying on the line? I don't think so.
Ways to Play Today
Why not...paint your luggage?
If you've ever felt the frustration of trying to locate your suitcase amongst the other two hundred pieces of plastic at the baggage claim, search in vain no more! Grab your traveling accessories and the acrylic paints and tap into your Michaelangelo-like talents. No worries if your artistic abilities are non-descriptive doodles, whatever you come up with, the likelihood of someone having the same scribbles as you are slim. Yes, you could go purchase that crazy-neon pink luggage set and stand out in a crowd, but you also run the risk of being mistaken for Barbie. Play it on the safer (and more fun) side of colorful and creative crafting and spruce up that baggage carousel with your own personalized set of suitcases.
Why not...have a laugh-off?
Tired of all the gossip and work-related conversation in your evenings-out? The next time you're having a beer and burger with friends, give this idea a go. The rules are simple. You need at least one "ha", a "hee" and a "ho". These are to be known as the acceptable laughing sounds not as the missing three dwarves or naughty nicknames. Each person in the group chooses their favorite sound and when the signal is given to begin, everyone commences with their laugh. The trick is NOT to laugh as you normally would, but to keep up with the phony "ha-ha", "hee-hee" or "ho-ho" as long as you can. It doesn't take long for someone to snort or burst into genuine giggles. Don't blame me if you or your friends end up peeing your pants. This is an absolute hoot.
Something to Ponder
Questions designed to stimulate your thinking AND encourage you to take action towards what you want.
Is there something you know that you know that you're not listening to?
What will it take for you to tell yourself one of your truths?
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 motivational speaker 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.
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. Until next month, consider what would surprise you most of all if you were to dive deep and act upon your truths. You don't have to wait until the new year arrives to turn up the volume and listen. Truth-telling is a good thing. Be well, be happy and play more.
See you on November 20th!
Lisa
~Playful Spirit's mission is to inspire the world to laugh longer, live passionately and love more. Let's Play!
lisa@playful-spirit.com www.playful-spirit.com