Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.
Lao Tzu
Category: Discover Your Self (Page 4 of 11)
During the weekend I have read The Shadow Effect – Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self by Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson. It’s a very interesting book and I recommend it.
The shadow exists within all of us. It is a part of us and yet we spend most of our life running from it. But far from being scary, our dark side holds the promise of a better, more fulfilling life. Our shadow makes itself known every day. It is the reason we get furious over a friend showing up ten minutes late, yell at our parents or kids when they have done nothing wrong, and sabotage our own success at the worst possible time. Until we are able to embrace our dualistic nature, we will continue to hurt ourselves and those closest to us and fall short of our potential.
Combining the wisdom of three experts, The Shadow Effect is a practical and profound guide to discovering the gifts of our shadow.
I saw the book at The Power of Slow, ordered it and then read it as soon as I got it.
The Shadow Effect has an official site. I like the text on the front page, it hits home with me:
Make peace with yourself, others and the world.
Find the courage to let go of all that holds you back.
Reconnect with the life you were meant to live and the person you were meant to be.
The book made me realize that I do kick myself too much. Instead I should focus more on the good things in life, self-love and self-respect is key to progress.
Marianne Williamson is the author of Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate which goes well with this book.
This quote by Mary Anne Radmacher will help me stay in (or bounce back into) the light:
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
mnmlist has a post about the only thing you can change, a great reminder that even a long journey begins with a small step. Here is what resonates most with me right now:
You can’t change your entire life. You can only change your next action.
You can’t declutter your entire life. You can only choose to get rid of one thing, right now.
You can’t change the past, or control the future. You can only change what you’re doing right now.
You can’t change everything. You can only change one, small thing. And that’s all it takes.
I’m currently decluttering big style, I am leaving an office and storage where I’ve been for 12,5 years. By end of April I’m out of there and have a lot less stuff to care for.
Jenn Shallvey, @JennShallvey posts her Reflect comments at @reflect2see. It’s a great collection of thoughts and things to reflect on. Here are some of them, go check the Twitter profile for more. And while you’re there, follow it so you get the new ones.
Reflect: What pushes your buttons? Ever wonder why?
Reflect: Building a tribe is not about building your ego. If you can’t separate the two then you have false followers.
Reflect: Changing the outside appearance of what is on offer does not change the source. Always go to the source and be true.
Reflect: What you really truly desire in your life will come to you, but not necessarily in the way you think. Pay attention.
Reflect: On what terms are your relationships with others? Conditional or unconditional? Free or at a price?
Reflect: The places you go may be the same but you change each time you go there.
Reflect: How do you get in your own way?
Reflect: How many times do you need a life lesson before you get it?
Reflect: Many wise and wonderful souls may help you on your journey but ultimately the choice to heal is yours.
Reflect: What matters most in your life right now? How much attention and time go to this priority?
The last one goes nicely with the following two quotes that I have in front of me.
What’s the No. 1 thing you KNOW you should be doing that you’re not currently doing? Plant the seeds. Now.
Is the way you’re living your life today a foundation for the future you hope to build?
Jenn runs Reflect 2 See which is reclections with photos, very nice.
Chris Brogan has his 3 Words for 2010, with a second level on some of them. Jonathan Fields lists his 10 driving keywords for 2010 in Oh The Places You Will Go.
I list my three key words in Ready for 2010:
Trust means to trust my inner voice, to build trust and to be trustworthy.
Connect goes outwards (connect to more people in real life and virtually, be visible and valuable) as well as inwards (connect to my inner self).
Grow covers to grow my business and to grow as person. It includes to learn and share. I am a life long learner, sharing knowledge and ideas is fun.
Joanna Young has a different approach and picks A Word to Last the Year. Her single word is rhythm and I really like that choice. Some of what rhythm brings to Joanna’s mind are things I like to do too: Walk, Write, Go outside, Go gently, Go with the flow, Trust in the natural cycle of things, Move between different projects I’m working on.
Juliana Finch at write. play. repeat. posts her choice in If you could choose one word…, it’s nourish. I like that too, nourish goes well with my three words above and with what I want to achieve.
I’ve been thinking about how to deal with my words for 2010, shall I stick with my original three or shall I add rhytm and nourish which gives me a full hand? In the end I decided to go for five, to me they integrate very well with my first three words and help me stay on track.
Adding nourish and rhythm actually helped me decide about leaving Inside the Third Tribe. Staying would have helped me grow my blog faster but I risked loosing my rhythm.
I am reading “The Tao of Motivation” by Max Landsberg, a great book that makes you think. (See also The Tao of Coaching, another great book by Max Landsberg.) The motivation book made me think about what motivates me and how to keep myself motivated. As selfemployed you need to be able to keep your own fire burning.
Then I came across A Question of Impact by Jonathan Fields. It raises these important questions:
What impact do you want to have? And, on whom?
Making an impact,as in making a difference, is something that motivates me. Seeing things change or ideas spread is motivating for me.
Jonathan Fields writes that:
I’m not yet convinced there is a single, quantifiable group of people I want or need to choose between. But, I’m also not convinced I can have the depth of impact I want when I’m playing too many games at once.
I think there is a risk of spreading oneself too thin (trying to cover too many) and because of that reducing the impact one makes. But I also see another risk, making your focus too narrow and missing out on chances to make an impact. At present I am balancing somewhere in between, I see the horizon of opportunity as 360 degrees and will see what turns up.
A Bigger Game?
In A Bigger Game Jonathan Fields also brings up the topic of making an impact:
It made me want to play a bigger game. Not a bigger money game…a bigger impact game. A bigger footprint game. A bigger life game.
I’m not that into ‘bigger’, I’m more into sustainable games, making impacts that last. My thought is that small scale works too, good changes create ripple effects. Talking about sustainable, I like The Seven Generations Perspective since it makes us consider long term conseqeunces and effects.
Three Key Words.
In Ready for 2010 I mention my three key words (Trust, Connect, Grow). These key words work well in connection with me making an impact. I have to be trusted in order to be able to make an impact. I need to connect with people in order to be able to make an impact. I need to grow (including learn and share) in order to be able to make an impact.
What’s My Own Answers?
My overarching vision is to help make this world a better place. That’s done on different levels, on a one-to-one level through my work as coach and mentor. On a global level it’s done through supporting organizations such as The Hunger Project and WWF. For the more ‘medium’ level I intend to write more. I would also like to make more presentations, both writing and speeches are ways to influence more people.
And You?
What’s YOUR answers to these questions?
What impact do you want to have? And, on whom?
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