Posts Tagged ‘fear’

The Power of Imperfection

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.
There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right.
To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Do what You can with what You have from where You are now.

Bryan Gaynor, computer science major of Kennesaw State University, Georgia, has a secret love.  Dance.  He also has a not so secret health issue, scoliosis, which influences his dancing.  Bryan is charismatic and instantly endearing with an obvious passion for life, music, and most especially dance.  He knows the secret of success as has collaborates with his body and creates a unique dance style that stirs the hearts of audiences worldwide.

“You’ve taken your physical appearance, your size, and everything else and you’ve used it to your advantage brilliantly.  What else could anyone ask of you.  That was just sensational.  Brilliant!”

~ Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance ~

Bryan Gaynor’s So You Think You Can Dance Audition – “Ain”t No Other Man”, Christina Aguilera

Bryan Gaynor’s So You Think You Can Dance Audition – “Fireflies”, Owl City

Bryan Gaynor & Remote Kontrol

Bryan chooses to believe in the beauty of creation, the power of art, and Love, his love for dance.  Bryan parented an entirely new form of dance because his dance was too much a part of him to let it go.  He made a way and inspires others in the process of doing what he loves.

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Taylor Swift is another prime example of someone who has created her own road.  Taylor’s decision early on to become a country star stayed her focus upon her goal transforming every block into a stepping stone.  She shattered the music industry’s illusions by going against everything she was “supposed to be” to succeed.  Taylor channeled her feelings of social outcast into teaching herself guitar and writing songs, developing her trademark candor ultimately catapulting her to international success.  Taylor’s determination to live her passion led her to create an entirely new sound that redefined the music industry worldwide.

What if we listen to our dreams and passions?  What if we allow our talents to lead us?  What if we believe in ourselves?  What if we know we are enough and feel lovable and worthy of every blessing intended for us?  What if we chose to perceive everything a gift of wisdom helping us to live our dreams?  What if we celebrate what is going right and use our strengths to bless one another?  What if we choose to believe life is happening for us?  What if we make a conscious choice to exchange being victimized for being victorious?

I made a life-altering decision this year …to find the blessing and to choose Love and Peace in every situation.  It required something unexpected …for me to be gentle with and kind to myself.  Those who know me would suggest it is an understatement when I say I was harshly self-analytical consistently focusing on what could be improved and how to improve it.  I was in a constant mindset of “not enough” being critical of everything because I believed it was motivating me to grow.  My spirit, one day, grew very weary of feeling as though it simply could never measure up, and it said, “Time to rest.”.  Spirit is our life force and pretty much runs the show.   “Now what,” I asked?  Spirit said, “You are Beloved, so just Be.  Be Love and Be Loved.”

Everything changed in an instant, and I began to see more clearly exactly how loved we are that God/J created an entire universe as our classroom and playground.  We are here to grow and learn, and beauty and strength is found in our imperfections.  My entire paradigm shifted, and everyday has become a gift.  How am I growing?  What am I learning?  Who am I becoming?  I choose to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and focus on the positive.  I also seek to identify the blessings in everything, which sometimes requires creativity and deeper thought.

I used to think acknowledging one’s strengths was conceited, narcissistic, and self-aggrandizing and was certainly surprised to discover the opposite was true.  There is a difference between touting one’s self from a position of insecurity versus being grounded in peace and true self-love, and it is okay if it sometimes takes the former to get to the later.  Self-Love is fruit from the Tree of Life, which nourishes one to be a blessing to others.

“Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love”, a heartwarming story by Larry Levin, chronicles Oogy’s harrowing tale of barely surviving after being baited for fight dogs.  He was left in a cage for five days without food or water with a hole in his head and other serious wounds.  Oogy eventually connected with an amazing family, who adopted him as one of their own.  Levin pondered, “I’ve often wondered what kept this dog going – this dog, who never knew any human warmth or kindness …and he couldn’t stop kissing us.”  He is an excellent example that imperfection provides a greater opportunity to connect more deeply, heart-to-heart, spirit-to-spirit.  Levin shares, “Oogy is a sign of encouragement because inevitably everyone’s going to go through some horrible stuff in their lives.  You just can’t skip it.  This dog is living proof that you can go through the most obscene experience and come out okay on the other side and find love on the other side.”  Oogy’s story confirms the reality that we are all spiritually connected, beyond the physical, reminding us that, at our core, we are Love.

Larry Levin talks about Oogy

Faith is easy when things go well.  Love is simple when people behave lovingly.  What about when someone or something is imperfect?  Do we give up, walk away, write it off, or do we recognize the opportunity for deeper Love?  Do we celebrate the beauty, strength, and gifts in imperfections?  Choosing Love goes beyond, helping our hearts, minds, and spirits mature.  Love nurtures potential, recognizes possibilities, and is the seed for miracles.  I choose Love.

May You see yourself through the eyes of our brilliant Creator understanding You are a glorious gift and a blessing in the world.  Know your “flaws” are “on purpose”, beautiful to the Creator, and offer You the opportunity to Love yourself more deeply in order to Love others more genuinely.  Imperfections are greater windows through which Love can flow.  May You celebrate the unique and wonderful treasures You bring to the world.  May You courageously be your marvelously authentic self  radiating brilliant light and inspiring others to shine with You.  May joy, Love, and peace fill your heart, mind, soul, and universe.  Know You are cherished, exquisite, and protected.  You are a divine miracle.  You are BeLoved.        ღ

©2011 Susan Stackpole  www.susanstackpole.com

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Care to use this article for your e-zine or newsletter?  Please include the following

Susan Stackpole, certified creative consultant and results expert, is the #1 coach helping celebrities, VIPs, and You celebrate your inner superstar and manifest destinyIgnite your potential, jump-start your success, and achieve quick, effect results while living your dreams.  Please visit www.susanstackpole.com for free resources on living your best life.  Sign up for the monthly newsletter, which includes celebrity tips on manifesting destiny in style.   Contact Susan to map your destiny today.

Castaway

“I’ve got to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what the tide will bring?”

~ Chuck Noland, Castaway ~

Do you enjoy films? I do. Very much. I especially savor movies that magically transport me to another world entirely. Amazingly, I seem to learn the most about myself in films that are far-removed from my reality, perhaps because my brain relaxes and views life from a broader perspective. The walls disintegrate, and the silly rules behind which I hide to protect myself from the illusion of fear dissolve. I dance gleefully in the garden of possibilities delighting in the luscious trees ripe for harvest. I swim freely in the ocean of peace as sunshine glistens upon me as if to say, “It’s alright.” My dreams transform into glittering stars frolicking upon an infinite ebony canvas basking in the moon’s radiance. I am transported, enthralled, and empowered by the sheer force of the human will’s survival instinct. I am inspired as determination, perseverance, and persistence emanate. My heart, much like The Grinch’s, grows exponentially as Love, once again, is the catalytic for miracles with a dual existence as both a reason to hang on and to let go. I am transported, transformed, and renter my body renewed and refreshed with greater insight into myself and deeper wisdom about life.

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged

to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

~ Nelson Mandela ~

Castaway is the story of Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks, who is stranded on a desert island …for years. The story profiles the strength and innovation of the human spirit to keep pressing forward, or as Chuck says, the determination to “keep breathing”. His journey is one of courage, determination, vulnerability, and total self reliance sans modern conveniences and expert input. Chuck’s return to “normal” life is particularly striking as he finds himself lost in places that were once comfortable and familiar. “Home” and “Self” become question marks as he searches within and outside of himself to rediscover and redefine his life.

“Who am I?” “Where is home?” are two questions Castaway offers for viewers to answer for themselves, taking it a step further, inquiring, “Who would you be, and how would you define home if your world was suddenly turned upside down?” Chuck’s character is a metaphor for every person on the planet. Everyone is lost in one sense or another and searching for self and home. All people are wayward travelers plucked from the ether and gifted with the opportunity to experience the journey to self. Self is discovered through the mirrors of relationships infused in every facet of life. Every living being in existence begins with a seed, an individual blueprint, guiding it to grow into unique creation, a watermelon, a tree, an animal, a person, etc.. The primary purpose of life then becomes one of “being” in which on comes to know self .

“Fabulous, Rich, and Homeless” a television show on Planet Green, profiled several prominent, successful, wealthy social figures as they voluntarily became homeless. The arduous experiment revealed surprising results, and the participants almost unanimously cited the issue’s root stems largely from missing identity and no sense of community. It suggests a primary definition of “self” and “home”, even artificial, is crucial in developing the confidence. curiosity, and stability from which to springboard and further explore and expand one’s self-awareness.  True freedom is when one recognizes the interconnectedness of all beings, which reveals that one’s sense of self and home are ultimately however one chooses to define them independent of external circumstances.

What if we recognize we are all castaways searching for ourselves on our journey home? What if we encouraged, inspired, and uplifted one another? How would our attitudes and behaviors change if we viewed every person as a cherished friend and trusted travel companion? Would we be more open-minded and understanding toward one another? Would we be more willing to help others? Would Love unite us as one big family by celebrating our diversity as beautiful threads weaving the world’s magnificent tapestry?

I declare myself a “castaway”. I am casting away anxiety, apprehension, doubt, fear, hesitation, and judgment of others and replacing it with adventure, exploration, joy, kindness, and Love. I am casting away living as a human doing and choosing instead to live as a human being. I am releasing preconceived notions of who I think I am supposed to be and instead acting as The Creator’s Beloved. I am nurturing that special seed inside me that “knows” allowing it to grow into what it was destined to be while praising the glorious journey on which it has brought me. I am forgoing shrinking in fear and instead opening my heart in Love as a conduit for manifesting a magnificent masterpiece. I am casting away my yesterdays and tomorrows and celebrating the blessings and miracles in this moment. Here’s to doing less and being more, to knowing “self” and “home” are a choice, and to casting away fear to live in Love.

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Care to use this article for your e-zine or newsletter?  Please include the following

Susan Stackpole, certified creative consultant and results expert, is the #1 coach helping celebrities, VIPs, and You manifest destinyIgnite your potential, jump-start your success, and achieve quick, effect results while living your dreams.  Please visit www.susanstackpole.com for free resources on living your best life.  Sign up for the monthly newsletter, which includes celebrity tips on manifesting destiny in style.   Contact Susan to map your destiny today.

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