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I firmly believe that the term “nothing short of amazing” applies to each and every person on the planet we call Earth. At minimum, the potential for amazing exists. The problem is that we fail to see the amazing inside of ourselves. Even worse, we cannot believe that anyone would see us that way even if we could see it inside of ourselves. We don’t even dare to dream it.

The truth, though, is that what other people see is what we radiate. If we don’t dare to dream of ourselves as nothing short of amazing, then nobody will see us that way. It’s impossible. I’m not talking about blind, over-confident arrogance. I’m talking about the recognition that we are capable of great things, of knocking the socks off other people, of bringing enough light into the world to lessen the shadows around us. Radiating in this manner does not require a dream so big that it will crack open the world. No, it just requires enough self-confidence and enough self-love to know that we can amaze other people.

I got the external validation yesterday, a simple and kind comment from someone whose day was changed because of something simple that I did for them, and it meant the world to me. It filled me with light and joy not because it was validation. It was validation only upon contemplating the act hours later. I was moved because of the warmth I received as a result of a simple act of generosity. I just wanted her to have one less thing to worry about. That’s it. In response, I received, “You are amazing!” With that one sentence, she returned to me as much as I’d given to her. Funny how the unintentional consequences of our actions reveal themselves to us.

Aspire to “amazing” but find it in the smallest places. When openly and genuinely given, any gift can blossom into nothing short of amazing.

Transitions are great.  They mean that new things are on the horizon.  They can also be challenging…even frightening…because…well…new things are on the horizon.  “New” can be glitchy.  I am trying something new.  I’m building towards it, actually.  New and exciting and a tad frightening.  The great thing is that through this transition, I can bring something new into the world.  I can take what I like from the old, too, and bring it with me.  I just need my old to merge with my new.  Should be a challenge.

Transitions, some time off, and the overall need to recharge have kept me away.  Away was fine, while it lasted, because I think away was necessary.  I don’t want to be away any more.  What not being away means…in other words, being present…remains to be seen, at least within the context of my life, my work, and my need to create, my need to connect, and my need to create connections for others.  

Out with the old, then, through the transition, and in with the new.  Here’s hoping that others will join me.

I was struck by a recent post by Seth Godin (The bottomless pit of pleasing strangers ), specifically the idea behind the phrase “it’s not for you”.  It’s not uncommon for something that Seth writes to get me waxing philosophical.

I do what I do, I act the way I act, and I am moved to do the work I do for reasons that are my own.  Logical.  It took me quite some time to become comfortable with the idea, though, that not everyone is going to embrace this idea or the beliefs that drive and motivate me.  Growing up in a corporate environment at a very large company, it’s difficult to embrace the idea.  It’s hard to say, in regards to everything about me, “it’s not for you.”  But I embrace that now.  It’s easy for me to say, “it’s not for you”…because it’s not.  At least not for everyone.  For some, it’s definitely for you.

To me, this is the essence of the tango we dance when who we are outside of work and who we perceive ourselves as having to be at work are not as aligned as we would like them to be.  My son wants to be a pilot.  Can he be a pilot for a major airline?  Sure.  He also wants to continue playing tuba.  He’d be happy making money doing both or making money doing one while doing the other as a passion hobby.  Even though he is still young, I think he has the right perception of what his future can be.  However, can he be a pilot at a major airline and be a successful musician?  I don’t know.  Something tells me that the balance between the two would be difficult to maintain.  Similarly, if who we are is too far off from the demands of our work, then we’re in for some trouble.

So, I think it is best to keep the selves aligned.  It would be best to not have “selves”, but the reality is that we are constantly, and appropriately, adjusting our behavior and the parts of our persona that we show to others within the context of the audience and the moment.  I don’t find anything wrong with this, as long as it does not create that dissonance.  Within the context of our world of work, it is better to say, “It’s not for you,” than it is to attempt to say, “I’ve got exactly what you need!” to too many people for whom that statement is simply not the truth.

Time passes so quickly, but I often wonder if it really slips away or if we choose to let it go. I suspect it is as much the latter as it is anything else. In the end, the atomic clock ticks away at a consistent pace. All that varies is perception based on attribution.

I think we can get a lot more done when we all drop pretense, guard against over-inflating our position in the world, and approach one another as genuine partners in whatever endeavor we choose to undertake together. This is the best path to the most impactful results.

If the journey is rich and enjoyable, the destination takes on a much brighter, more appealing hue.

I cannot say for sure that this is the case everywhere in the world, but here, in the US, we reach this artificial deadline at the end of each year that has us convinced a new digit on a calendar magically resets the Universe. I used to shake my head at the absurdity.

Now, a little older and a little wiser, I see the purpose in purging. I think it all comes down to hope.

I believe that hope keeps us alive in the worst of situations. I believe hope is what fuels our desire to be more than we currently are and our insistence that self-improvement is not just a possibility but a probability. Without hope, we are destined for nothing more than stagnation.

We dream. Some of us dream big. Some dream more simply. Regardless, without hope, dreams do not become reality.

I choose to believe that I can dream and live to see some of those dreams become reality. It doesn’t hurt to embrace an artificial line in the sands of time if it means I can renew my faith in my dreams and hope to see them come true.

I was struck today by the realization that we are so completely and utterly dependent on time to provide us with a sense of who we are and our place in this Universe.  More than space, time provides the frame of reference for us to judge all things (past) and the means to perpetually expect fulfillment at some other juncture (future).  The present suffers from our neglect.  

I committed a sin against a friend today by placing her within the context of time.  I did the same exact thing not too long after with another friend by placing him within the context of time.  Later, as I drove home, I felt a pang of guilt.  I turned both of them into things to be categorized and sorted.  In doing so, I momentarily let go of the special place they hold in my life and the place I hold in theirs.  They honor me with their trust and with the gift of their candid exchange of thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  I felt like I dishonored them.  A bit much, I know, but my need to bring time into the picture startled me.

The lesson, I discerned is this: as Eckhart would tell us, time serves the ego.  The ego serves only itself.  It serves to distract us from the true nature of all things.  Beware of time when it acts in unison with the ego!

The right words from the right person can elicit a tectonic shift in our lives. We are blessed when we have opportunities to touch and be touched by others.

Nothing but gratitude…to you and to The Universe for placing us in each other’s paths.

How do you organize thoughts?  They are slippery little rascals.  Ephemeral.  Hard to understand.  Impossible to track.  They are like cognitive flies, always sensing your intended movements nanoseconds before you make them.  

You organize them by putting them on paper, virtual or otherwise.

And I’ve done that.  Now that I am able to organize them (and I have the hundreds of posts in this consolidated blog to use as proof), I am faced with having to organize them.  

As one would with a vast net in free-fall, I just have to grab hold somewhere and simply start.  Start the daunting task of organizing.

Oprah Winfrey says that the Universe first whispers in our ears, then taps us on the shoulder. If we don’t listen, it might give us a shove, then a push. Finally, we get the smack upside the head.

Smack acknowledged, Universe. I’ve heard you.