b.Inspired Cafe & Blog

Thanksgiving, My Three Kings

[This may become an annual tradition. Another celebration of men I love!]

There are, essentially, three men in my life. With one, I have pledged forever. One is my sparring partner on occasion and best pal at other times. One is finally fading at age 89. They all have my heart eternally. Today, I am hitting the pause button to give thanks for these three kings in my life; husband, brother and father.  click below for whole essay

read My Three Kings

http://binspiredblog.typepad.com/binspired_cafe_blog/2007/09/my-three-kings.html

7th Anniversary of 9/11. New Insight...

Dear Friends,

Wow, it’s the 7th anniversary of 9/11. Seven years. Remember how this tragedy brought out the best in the human spirit? How has that wake up call and “we are all brothers and sisters” vibe faded away? How is the world better or not?  How are you (and the people you care about) feeling in the depths of your souls? Good news: There's something very exciting about "7" that we can use for feeling great about the new story we are creating together.

Seven is a Magic Number

In all wisdom traditions, the number seven is significant. This has been resting in my heart for several days, wondering how we honor that.  I found inspiration in this example, from 7 Paths to God: The Ways of the Mystic by Joan Borysenko:

“The Buddha sought enlightenment for seven years and circled the Bodhi tree seven times before settling beneath it for his final meditation prior to enlightenment.”

Let’s Be the Change. It’s time. It’s the joyful mission of our lives.

What if we use this idea about “seven” from the Buddha story and declare today as our time to finish “circling” and really sit, dive into our inner world for the peace and joy that is meant to rebirth in us all? I love this!  
Now is the time for us to begin our “final meditation” toward enlightenment- for the consciousness of humanity. Yes, you taking time each day to be still, breathe and connect to the truth in your heart does lead to a better world ultimately.

Will you join me?

As most of you know, I’ve been through a sort of near death experience with a fluke accident, skull fractures and one eye shut down for months. (The eye is opening with great progress.) Recently, we had a spinal fluid leak scare and more hospital time and painful tests. The spiritual insights from this continue to be rich and wonderful. While I don’t want to be Suzy drama about any of this, I must say that the idea of “you only have today to live” is now more real to me than ever. If I get one more day- I want to pause deeply about this seven year anniversary and let it inspire who I be. For the rest of my life may I be a source of love and peace in this beautiful world.

“I am blind and do not see the things of this world; but when the light comes from above, it enlightens my heart and I can see, for Eye of my heart sees everything; and through this vision I can help my people.”
    -Black Elk, from The Essential Mystics by Andrew Harvey

Let this be a new insight for our new world. May we remember that we are all one family and see with the Eye of our hearts. Finally, here’s a prayer we can share on this special day from the glorious Marianne Williamson:

We come together ...

Dear God,
We come together,
different perspectives,
different politics,
different cultures,
to ask that you heal our country.
We surrender to you
the thoughts and attitudes we now hold,
and empty our minds that they might
be filled by You.
Show us to each other,
as You would have us see each other.
Show us the world,
as You would have us see the world.
Guide our listening,
as You would have us hear each other.
Teach us, and inspire us.
Use us on Your behalf.
Amen

    - Marianne Williamson. Source link:

http://www.mwblog.com/prayer/archives/2005/04/

The Trader Who Found & Followed his True Nature

Once upon a time, my client Jeremy was a in a career that felt draining. He also realized that he was missing working out, putting off yoga and meditating. He felt  restless and out of alignment with his true spirit. We recently had an awesome final coaching "celebration/graduation" session. I was so jazzed by an essay I found in our notes (below)- that I had to read his own words to him-- to remind him of who he truly is, shine light on his gifts and what he's meant to do in the world as his joyful mission. Read it- you'll see how this kicks butt good :-). What's even cooler is that Jeremy wrote this one day on the floor of the Options Exchange, when he needed to reconnect to his deeper truth and inspiration for a future he was meant to live. Jeremy's life and livelihood are very different now. He's moved (on many levels, geographically and otherwise) and is living his "new story" today. His work involves being a True Nature coach- to help people with their own enlightenment, including the beauty and fuel of outdoor/ wilderness experiences. It's been my privilege to get to share the coaching journey with him. I hope Jeremy's spirit also inspires you to KNOW that you can create the life you are meant to lead!

by Jeremy Kalan:

I am a leader in the spreading of the movement of all movements.  This is spreading the blossoming of enlightenment in all human beings on this planet.  Right now it is happening…one conversation at a time, one book, one dvd, one yoga class, one healing ritual, one dream, one vision, one transformed thought, one meditation sitting, one breath, one moment, One.  Becoming one with yourself…being and aligning with the truth of who you really are and freely expressing yourself to the world.  When you live your life from this place then the world and your life become the great utopia that we are all seeking here on this planet.

It is the realization of oneness.  It is the feeling of oneness.  We are all One.  We are individualized expressions of the same One source of all that is.  All our senses that differentiate everything are useful for navigating in the physical world but they are not the ultimate truth.  Underlying it all we are connected, we are the same.  When we realize this, we unconditionally love each other, each animal, each plant, each rock, each droplet of water, each planet, each star, each space, each moment just because we are.

And we celebrate!  We throw a party and feel a euphoric joy simply for being here.  We are grateful for each moment, for each person, for each thing simply because it is.  We don’t need any reason to feel happy...it is just our natural state.

And this realization inside of yourself, this alignment and at-one-ment changes the way you are in the world.  It is a BEING state.  When you live your life in this state you live an inspired life and allow your true self to guide you.

It changes the way that we all interact with each other.  When two people who are aligned with their highest self look in each others eyes, they can just cry at the unbelievable, overwhelming joy and love that is felt and exchanged.  They both know that they are one and therefore the most powerful unconditional love flows like a raging river.  It is the most awesome powerful experience and it can be the way we are with each other all the time!  We just need to wake up from our trance!

We can all become enlightened.  It is not just for Jesus or Buddha.  It is a state of BEING that we have all felt in fleeting moments of pure joy.  When we are playing a sport and are in the zone.  When we are in nature just breathing and listening to the world and experience a oneness with the Earth.  When we are making love and look into each other’s eyes and know that we are one.  When people do drugs they are chasing that experience of oneness and joy but it is very fleeting.

I am here to tell you that this state of Enlightened BEINGness can be created no matter what the external conditions are.  You do not need anything external to get there and by believing that your joy is outside of yourself you give all of your power away.  Sustained joy becomes unattainable simply because of that belief that it is outside of you.  You are a generative being.  You create any conditions you want inside of your body.  So why not create utopia? 

We naturally want to be happy and love each other so what gets in our way?  Ego, inner critic, inner gremlin, satan…it goes by many names but is all the same.  It is the voice inside of us that spouts fear, limitation, and lack.  It yells insults like you are not worthy of love, you are too stupid, you are too old, you can’t, it is impossible, nobody likes you, you hate yourself.  It tells you lies and the worst lie of all is that it disguises itself as you.  You believe this voice is really you, but it is not.

Another voice inside of you is your true inner voice.  At first it is just a whisper.  It is overshadowed by the loudness of your gremlin, the loudness of the world and the collective media constantly trying to grab your attention and steer it away from your own unique voice of your highest self.  That is why you must grab hold of the reins of your attention.  So that you consciously choose what you place your attention on.  The attention that is you, as you, is the infinite awareness of the One source of all that is.   It is the same force, the same focused energy that creates worlds and it is YOU!  That is how powerful you are…you are infinitely powerful! 

So one reason we meditate is to quiet down the inner critic and the voice of society so that we can hear our own voice.  Our true highest self naturally comes shining through to the surface.  This is what I mean by aligning with who we really are.  From this place we feel and become what we really are…peace, freedom, joy, unconditional love, infinite abundance, openness, gratitude, ONE

So how can we generate and sustain this feeling and this state of enlightenment?  We must live in line with who we truly are.  We must take time to meditate or quiet down and calm down.  That could be yoga, massage, walking in the woods, or taking a bath.  We must stop believing thoughts and thereby doing actions that are not in line with our true self.  We need to align ourselves with who we are!  That is what I do with you.  I help you to align with who you truly are so that you live your life in a state of enlightenment.  I am your personal enlightenment coach.

Just as the sun awakens the world from sleep, this movement spreads around the globe waking people up to their true nature.

If you're interested in True Nature coaching (in person, phone) and/or wilderness experiences in the Boulder, CO area, reach Jeremy, at:

Jeremy Kalan
True Nature Coach
JeremyKalan@gmail.com  610-291-6559
Awaken who you truly are, discover your purpose in life and create the life you are meant to lead

Today's Angel Card

Card drawn today: “Faith”

Book’s description:

“The unshakable knowing of the heart when nothing makes sense to the mind. Optimism is an expression of faith in action.”

I enjoyed hearing that – and wanted to share. Have a great day!

Source: The Original Angel Cards book  See innerlinks.com

For the Love of my Country...

I was very moved in reading John Edwards campaign farewell speech. Whatever candidate you may favor, you may also find inspiration in his heartfelt call to us as Americans.
Read Edwards remarks

A little taste: ... We listened as child after child told us about their worry about whether we would preserve the planet.

We listened to worker after worker say "the economy is tearing my family apart."

We walked the streets of Cleveland, where house after house was in foreclosure.

And we said, "We're better than this. And economic justice in America is our cause."

And we do this -- we do this for each other in America. We don't turn away from a neighbor in their time of need. Because every one of us knows that what -- but for the grace of God, there goes us.

...I want to say this because it's important. With all of the injustice that we've seen, I can say this, America's hour of transformation is upon us. It may be hard to believe when we have bullets flying in Baghdad and it may be hard to believe when it costs $58 to fill your car up with gas. It's hard to speak out for change when you feel like your voice is not being heard.

But I do hear it. We hear it. This Democratic Party hears you. We hear you, once again. And we will lift you up with our dream of what's possible.

One America, one America that works for everybody.

read full speech  or at

http://www.johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20080130/

Inspired by Violette's story

"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."
- Virginia Wolf (1882-1941)

Carrying her two children in her arms, she fled to a nearby church where she thought she and her family would be safe. (Rwanda, 1994) Instead of finding sanctuary, Violette and her children walked into a nightmare. The church was under attack by a machete-wielding militia. To survive, Violette laid down in an aisle and smeared blood on herself and her children. They lay there for an entire week until the Rwandan army came to liberate the area. In the turmoil and violence, Violette’s husband was brutally murdered. She was left to raise her children as well as a child orphaned during the war. By 2004 she was running out of options. Bleak doesn't begin to cover it.

Today, Violette is a local businesswoman and a leader in her community. She makes nearly 7 times the average Rwandan salary. She has been able to pay for children to go to school and to hire 6 other women. Violette has a savings account in a bank and has the trust of local lenders to provide her with more capital to use to grow her business and support her community. This story inspires me about the resilience and dignity of women and of the human spirit every time I read it. To read more of Violette’s story (how she got from the church floor to being a leading businesswoman in her community) and other inspiring stories of triumph, visit www.womenforwomen.org

About You

It’s time for a new story
of how we create success,
for better quality of life

and a better world.

You have the power within you
to become who you are meant to be,
make a difference

and enjoy the ride.

Tune in to your inner compass,
there in your heart.

Find and follow what inspires you.

What choices will you
make today?

WAKE UP INSPIRED

Father's Day

(orginally published Father's Day, 07)

Dear Friends,

June 15 marks the one year anniversary of my father's death.

To celebrate his Spirit and Father's Day, I humbly offer a few suggestions (inspired by who he was):

1) Smile easily at everyone, always.

2) Realize that wishing things were different or complaining is a waste of precious energy.   

3) Stay young in your mind. Honor the elders. (He'd say, "I'm volunteering-driving some elderly women to rehab." I'd laugh to myself-knowing he was in his 80's himself.)

4) Delight in finding God/Beauty in the details. (He'd wander away from restaurant meals and examine each painting up close.)

5) Whistle while you work. Really.

6) Toss away your list and follow your heart. (He remarried at age 81, saying "You have a list of the qualities you must have in a mate. Then you fall in love and throw away your list.")

#6 is the biggie. Apply it to today's agenda. Apply it to how you live your life. How can you toss away your List and truly follow your heart?

Happy Father's Day!

Be well,
Marian

My Three Kings

There are, essentially, three men in my life. With one, I have pledged forever. One is my sparring partner on occasion and best pal at other times. One is finally fading at age 89. They all have my heart eternally. Today, I am hitting the pause button to give thanks for these three kings in my life; husband, brother and father.

Rediscovering True Love in a Bag of Doritos

Especially after my mother died, Sunday dinners with my brother Stuart became a bit sacred. As a bachelor with a busy work schedule, Stuart sometimes uses our house like "Mom's place," staring into the fridge, crashing on the couch, doing a bag of laundry. One Sunday, my husband Kelly came back from the store with beer and a bag of Doritos. I joked, "Are we having Doritos for dinner?" "They're for Stuart," he said. (Background; Stuart always comes in the kitchen door, makes a beeline for the cupboard and dives into a bag of chips.) Kelly then opened the bag, put a chip clip on it and placed it on the counter where Stuart would naturally look. "There. This way he won't feel bad ripping into them," Kelly explained.

In these six seconds, my love for Kelly swelled. In his simple way, he was showing his love for me, for my brother, for family and home and demonstrating who he is as a human being and how he holds the world. (Once upon a time, this romance ignited with a backrub at Ravinia. Now it's chip bags or watching him volunteer to clean mold off vents in my elderly father's home that really turns me on.) "You have a good heart, Kelly Mayo. That's why I love you," said I, admiring my king.

Road Trip

We were so impressed with ourselves for actually being on the road by 5:37 A.M. My brother slept over at our place and we skipped showers to achieve this miracle. (Bakers are not morning people.) The vessel for our Thanksgiving journey was my dad's elderly Buick with 112,000 miles on it, squeaky windshield wipers and no CD player. We hastily dug up cassettes from a long unopened drawer. Crowded House, Billy Idol and Prince filled the car and our mental movie screens with scenes of early 80's big hair and pre-marriage courtship. The boys (husband and brother) had started out in front so I unabashedly sprawled out in the back seat with a pillow and blanket. I mumbled to Stuart, "Are you OK ... do you want me to drive?" To which he replied, "No, Princess. You just make yourself comfortable." Thus started the ping-pong game of intermittent jabs that began or ended with "Princess" and "Butthead." After decades of personal growth seminars and coaching training on how to effectively communicate in an adult, no-judging manner, there's a sweet comfort in just letting it all hang out. We know we love each other and it's more fun to be petty than mature for a while. I used to berate myself for sliding backwards on these sibling road trips and vowed to be more emotionally correct and spiritually grown up the next time. Now I delight in saying things like, "I called it," with a sheepish grin, as if we were still in second and fifth grade. It's a delicious thing to be that comfortable and stupid with someone. Stuart and I play hooky together, going to breakfast (no makeup or pressed clothing required) and mid-week movie matinees. Once, I had to put a dearly loved pet to sleep and smashed into a car because my attention was elsewhere. Stuart came to my rescue. Uncle Stu baby-sits for the cats and always offers rides to the airport. I am very blessed to have this valiant king, as well.

Lasting Beauty

My father was 47 when I was born, so I probably kept him on his toes in an era when most people his age were all done with babies and decades of more parenting. When I went back home to recover from a surgery in my early twenties, he was a caring nurse to me. Now the roles have switched a bit, as he nears his 90th year. On a recent visit to his nursing home, post-surgery, we played "beauty parlor" each day. I'd wrap him in plastic and towels so I could wet down his hair and style it with a bit of goo. He is such a cutie pie, this guy. We got the giggles and recalled how I used to make him wrap a towel around his neck (like a cape with one of mom's fancy brooches) to play Beauty Pageant with me when I was a little girl. His sweet nature indulged me, then and now. I could still see the pageant crown that I made at age 5 (crafted from cutting into a foil pot pie tin) on my father's head. My beloved king, then and now.

You, my wonderful clients and email friends, are admired and appreciated as well.

December 12, 2006 Epilogue:

My grand, beautiful King - my father- died in June. When I got the phone call, I actually fell to the ground, fainting (for the first time in my life). His spirit intended to make it for his 90th birthday and we had a marvelous party. He enjoyed life to the last drop. I spoke with him just a couple days before his last on earth. He had come from a haircut and a luncheon with a speaker about wisdom. The night he died he had gone out to dinner and played cards, still trying to beat the others through that final hand. Not surprising from this guy, who remarried at age 81. He never expected to live that long. Paradoxically, I think he lived as if each day just might be his last-choosing to be in a good mood, not complaining, being helpful to others where he could, bringing a kind smile and a whistling tune into the room, shrugging off the little stuff and allowing love to be the most important thing in his day.

May you take time to celebrate the blessings in your life and live more moments as if this is all we have right now.

(This essay originally appeared in December 06 e letter.)

The Secret Under The Secret

How’s it going with attracting all the goodies you desire by focusing your thoughts and gratitude vibes? Not as quick and easy at it sounds? Welcome to the authentic human club. It’s great that things like “The Secret” have more people curious about focused, positive intentions. I’m a big fan of the law of attraction. However, we’re selling ourselves short if we don’t understand this principle within a richer context.

Good news: there’s a deeper secret that’s not broadcast on TV or selling like hotcakes. Imagine being invited to meet your magic genie in a grand warehouse. Granting you access to all of the wealth and power in the universe, he asks, “What do you really want? What if you pointed to a laptop, saying, “That one, with the custom color and extra software.” You could have inherited so much more.

What’s the secret under “The Secret”? There’s a supply of infinite fulfillment and joy available to each and every one of us that won’t ever be found through focusing our thoughts on what our small selves crave and manifesting cool cars or higher salaries. There’s nothing wrong with material gain. It just isn’t the path to true fulfillment or what we need to amplify in the world today.

The first part of the secret under the secret is knowing “who you are” when you set intentions or align your vibration with what you want. In a Gilligan’s Island episode, Gilligan is in position to gain a huge sum of money. The skipper asks him what he’d love to do with this amazing opportunity. “A skateboard and ten pounds of licorice!” Gilligan replies.

“Hey, little buddy, you need to think bigger,” Skipper says. Gilligan tries again. “OK, a fleet of skateboards and twenty pounds of licorice!”

Of course you’re way more sophisticated. Still, we all have some degree of Gilligan consciousness. We have self-imposed limits about what’s possible, influenced by decades of conditioning. Most ly, we have egos cleverly trying to run the show. So how do we transcend our inner Gilligan and have a chance of experiencing true abundance?

Your highest joy and prosperity is not achieved by getting everything you desire.
Your highest joy and prosperity is experienced through letting go.

Rather than starting with “I want to get my way,” we need to align our vibration with “Let me get out of the way” to allow for a higher good to come through. 

Something more powerful, wise and loving than my ego knows what I am meant to experience—for my higher good, and the higher good for all.

Notice I didn’t say “something more powerful than me knows…” That would separate me from my source.  It skews toward an “old story” relationship with an authoritarian God in a white robe, judging whether I’m a good girl or not, granting wishes or not. (That sort of wishing should be reserved for a different guy who wears a red suit and says “ho-ho-ho.”)

I did say something more powerful, wise and loving than my ego.  You and I can align with a higher truth—that we are one with that greater source. We are all one with each other. We are one with God. (If “God” doesn’t feel right for you, please substitute higher power, great wisdom or whatever language works for you.) This isn’t exactly the hot topic on talk shows, so it’s easy to forget to live fully from that place each day.

Our culture promotes the authority of ego much more than encouraging us to have our souls direct our lives. Our egos try to create “the kingdom” by manifesting skateboards (cars and career titles) and licorice (sweet lifestyle comforts). Our souls whisper to us ways to find a deeper treasure--to trust that you are well-held by a loving source and to guide you to be a source of good for the world. So, here’s our amazing opportunity—to awaken soul in ourselves and each other more or let our egos seduce us. What will you choose, little buddy? I laugh while noticing where I fall on a Gilligan to Gandhi scale. We need to be kind to ourselves, while being a work in progress.

There’s a freedom in letting go of “what I want” and “figuring out how.” We can allow an inspired vision to come in, and then flow with relevant action. Feeling a bit pressured about speaking outreach for an Inspired Leadership Wake Up tour, I went for a walk and declared “If and when I’m meant to share this message…It’s in your hands, God!” Within moments emails arrived, inviting me to speak at a college and professional conference. If I’ve learned anything in decades of seeking and coaching many lives since 96, it’s this: You won’t find joy by mostly focusing on what you want to get. True joy comes from allowing Spirit to inspire and express through you.

My soul calls me toward more emphasis on love thy neighbor. I just read that the death toll of Iraqi citizens is 670,000 and the blood shed continues. So, when I have a choice to ask the universe for something, I don’t want to waste my wish, you know? I don’t mean to preach or make us feel bad about wanting things. I live in a very comfy home and will buy a new pair of shoes soon.  However, if we all work toward letting our souls guide us more, we can each find ways to contribute to a world where we don’t keep reading statistics like that.

Action:

Try this with me: Before you declare an intention or choose what to manifest—pause and check in. “Am I coming from ego or aligned with my higher truth? Personality or Soul?” It’s great to use the law of attraction for personal desires and dreams.  Enjoy the laptop. Just be aware of going deeper and higher to feed your real hunger. In our instant-gratification society, we want to buy into a secret that tells us to just Ask. A richer, more sustainable abundance is found if we start with Listening.

For more f’ree resources for fueling healthy, inspired success visit www.wakeupinspired.com