Ripples #657: Live Your Life!
For our tribe of 29,783 busy people who share encouragement and gratitude.
12/26/2011
PEBBLE:
Is the life I'm living
the life that wants
to live in me?
-Parker Palmer
BOULDER:
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
-Steve Jobs, submitted by Nick in New Jersey
PONDER:
As we prepare to wrap up 2011 and launch another year, this is a great week to think about the lives we are living: decisions made, paths taken, opportunities pursued. If you conclude that any of your choices have led you in a direction that is not working as you intended, decide that 2012 will be about charting a new course so that a year from now you can more confidently answer YES to the question raised in the pebble above.
Peace,
Paul
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Ripples #656: Giving!
Ripples #656: Giving!
For our tribe of 29,822 busy people who share encouragement and gratitude.
12/19/2011
PEBBLE:
Among its other benefits,
giving liberates the soul of the giver.
-Maya Angelou, submitted by Mary in Madison, WI
BOULDER:
I don't think you ever stop giving.
I really don't.
I think it's an on-going process.
And it's not just about
being able to write a check.
It's being able
to touch somebody's life.
-Oprah Winfrey
PONDER:
As many of us count down the days to Christmas, some people are preparing to gather with family/friends to celebrate holiday traditions. This time of year can be filled with joy and fun adventures AND it can also be a time of stress and frustration.
You may find that the best gifts you can give to yourself and others won't cost you any money: patience, gratitude, kindness, and perhaps most of all, a complete and compassionate acceptance of what is (instead of wishing people or situations are different than they are).
Peace,
Paul
For our tribe of 29,822 busy people who share encouragement and gratitude.
12/19/2011
PEBBLE:
Among its other benefits,
giving liberates the soul of the giver.
-Maya Angelou, submitted by Mary in Madison, WI
BOULDER:
I don't think you ever stop giving.
I really don't.
I think it's an on-going process.
And it's not just about
being able to write a check.
It's being able
to touch somebody's life.
-Oprah Winfrey
PONDER:
As many of us count down the days to Christmas, some people are preparing to gather with family/friends to celebrate holiday traditions. This time of year can be filled with joy and fun adventures AND it can also be a time of stress and frustration.
You may find that the best gifts you can give to yourself and others won't cost you any money: patience, gratitude, kindness, and perhaps most of all, a complete and compassionate acceptance of what is (instead of wishing people or situations are different than they are).
Peace,
Paul
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Ripples #655: Saying YES!
Ripples #655: Saying YES!
For our tribe of 28,855 people who share encouragement and gratitude
12/12/2011
PEBBLE:
I rarely let the word No
Escape from my mouth Because it is so plain to my soul That God has
shouted, Yes! Yes! Yes! To every luminous movement in Existence.
-Hafiz, submitted by Catharine in Greensboro, NC
BOULDER:
I asked God if it was okay
to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay
to be short and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail
polish or not wear nail polish
and she said honey she calls me that
sometimes she said you can do
just exactly what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don't paragraph my letters
Sweetcakes God said who knows where she picked that up
what I'm telling you is
Yes Yes Yes.
-Kaylin Haught, "God Says Yes to Me," submitted by Bruce in Milwaukee,
WI
PONDER:
If you've attended one of my presentations on burnout or self care skills, you likely remember that I am a strong advocate of learning how to say NO*. I stress that because so many people I encounter, especially the leaders and helpers that I commonly work with, are already good at saying YES.
Still, it is good to make sure you are saying YES to some of the exciting possibilities that exist for you, and saying NO to things that are not quite what is best for your time and energy.
Peace,
Paul
For our tribe of 28,855 people who share encouragement and gratitude
12/12/2011
PEBBLE:
I rarely let the word No
Escape from my mouth Because it is so plain to my soul That God has
shouted, Yes! Yes! Yes! To every luminous movement in Existence.
-Hafiz, submitted by Catharine in Greensboro, NC
BOULDER:
I asked God if it was okay
to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay
to be short and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail
polish or not wear nail polish
and she said honey she calls me that
sometimes she said you can do
just exactly what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don't paragraph my letters
Sweetcakes God said who knows where she picked that up
what I'm telling you is
Yes Yes Yes.
-Kaylin Haught, "God Says Yes to Me," submitted by Bruce in Milwaukee,
WI
PONDER:
If you've attended one of my presentations on burnout or self care skills, you likely remember that I am a strong advocate of learning how to say NO*. I stress that because so many people I encounter, especially the leaders and helpers that I commonly work with, are already good at saying YES.
Still, it is good to make sure you are saying YES to some of the exciting possibilities that exist for you, and saying NO to things that are not quite what is best for your time and energy.
Peace,
Paul
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Ripples #654: Solitude.
Ripples #654: Solitude.
For our tribe of 29,909 busy people who share encouragement and gratitude.
12/06/2011
PEBBLE:
In solitude we give passionate attention
to our lives, to our memories,
to the details around us.
-Virginia Woolf, submitted by Lin in Bloomington, IL
BOULDER:
Dear Paul,
Last year, an issue of Ripples
inspired me to "spend time in silence,"
so I took my first solo vacation ever.
I'm proud of myself for spending time alone
with just me, my thoughts and feelings.
I enjoyed having the time to listen
as my heart and soul spoke to me.
I came back a different person;
not dramatically different,
but peaceably different.
I didn't resolve all my questions
and problems while on the beach,
but I found inspiration,
I found a unique freedom,
and I found that I like me.
I think everyone should take
at least one trip alone!
Happy Holidays, and Happy Living,
-Cindy in Cincinnati, OH
(shared with permission)
PONDER:
I know that the holidays are, for many people, a time to spend with family and friends which can be both delightful and dizzying. I hope you can plan some pockets of solitude to relax and refocus. If things are really crazy, take Cindy's advice and plan a solo adventure of your own early in the new year!
Peace,
Paul
For our tribe of 29,909 busy people who share encouragement and gratitude.
12/06/2011
PEBBLE:
In solitude we give passionate attention
to our lives, to our memories,
to the details around us.
-Virginia Woolf, submitted by Lin in Bloomington, IL
BOULDER:
Dear Paul,
Last year, an issue of Ripples
inspired me to "spend time in silence,"
so I took my first solo vacation ever.
I'm proud of myself for spending time alone
with just me, my thoughts and feelings.
I enjoyed having the time to listen
as my heart and soul spoke to me.
I came back a different person;
not dramatically different,
but peaceably different.
I didn't resolve all my questions
and problems while on the beach,
but I found inspiration,
I found a unique freedom,
and I found that I like me.
I think everyone should take
at least one trip alone!
Happy Holidays, and Happy Living,
-Cindy in Cincinnati, OH
(shared with permission)
PONDER:
I know that the holidays are, for many people, a time to spend with family and friends which can be both delightful and dizzying. I hope you can plan some pockets of solitude to relax and refocus. If things are really crazy, take Cindy's advice and plan a solo adventure of your own early in the new year!
Peace,
Paul
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