Posts
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
(Author: Eric Handler)
When you allow your mind to be free and open, anything - literally - anything, is possible.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
What are my options?
To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Getting typecast
The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sometimes, if you do a good job in an acting role, you get typecast. And sometimes, when you've been masterful in a role, you get almost superstitious about it, and you start to worry that you'll never "hit it" like that again. And sometimes, when you perform well at work, the boss keeps giving you the same challenge over and over because you are successful in that role. I know a pastor or two who have helped turn around some declining churches, and now they keep getting appointed to declining churches even though they would love the challenge of a different kind of appointment.
Sometimes our past successes, and our past failures, keep us from moving outside our comfort zone and taking risks.
I'm making some pretty bold moves to try some new and innovative things over the next year or two, and it's a little scary. I'm stretching myself and hoping to develop some new skills. I'm trying to re-define a lot of things in my life and work and to create a more balanced way of living and earning, and it's going to challenge me and those around me to see a lot of things in a new way, a broader way, and I hope, a healthier way.
The old paradigm for work no longer works. The increased leisure time that "progress" was supposed to create has simply created in most of us an almost pathological desire for stuff, for more, for bigger. That paradigm is toxic.
So, I'm preparing for a new way, and scared that others won't understand it. I am "loathe to disappoint." But I'm going there anyway, because there is nothing more thrilling than a new challenge. I apologize in advance if me moving forward makes anyone uncomfortable, but in the end, I agree with Emerson...our consistency can often stand in the way of trusting our deepest self.
I have no interest in getting out of the box. I don't believe in the reality of the box in the first place.
Sometimes, if you do a good job in an acting role, you get typecast. And sometimes, when you've been masterful in a role, you get almost superstitious about it, and you start to worry that you'll never "hit it" like that again. And sometimes, when you perform well at work, the boss keeps giving you the same challenge over and over because you are successful in that role. I know a pastor or two who have helped turn around some declining churches, and now they keep getting appointed to declining churches even though they would love the challenge of a different kind of appointment.
Sometimes our past successes, and our past failures, keep us from moving outside our comfort zone and taking risks.
I'm making some pretty bold moves to try some new and innovative things over the next year or two, and it's a little scary. I'm stretching myself and hoping to develop some new skills. I'm trying to re-define a lot of things in my life and work and to create a more balanced way of living and earning, and it's going to challenge me and those around me to see a lot of things in a new way, a broader way, and I hope, a healthier way.
The old paradigm for work no longer works. The increased leisure time that "progress" was supposed to create has simply created in most of us an almost pathological desire for stuff, for more, for bigger. That paradigm is toxic.
So, I'm preparing for a new way, and scared that others won't understand it. I am "loathe to disappoint." But I'm going there anyway, because there is nothing more thrilling than a new challenge. I apologize in advance if me moving forward makes anyone uncomfortable, but in the end, I agree with Emerson...our consistency can often stand in the way of trusting our deepest self.
I have no interest in getting out of the box. I don't believe in the reality of the box in the first place.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Keeping Up With Me
There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?
(Author: Corbett Barr)
Dear Me 5 years ago: Guess what? You are human after all. You cannot, in fact, live on 3 hours of sleep a night forever. You do need sabbath and recreation and a social life. You do need regular vacations. Your body is not invincible and you can get elevated blood pressure, gall stones, and have 5 lbs. that you can't seem to lose no matter how much you starve yourself. You don't have to be everything to everyone, and you can delegate, let someone else do the work, and allow tasks to go undone. The world will go on.
Dear Me 5 years from now: Guess what? You did put on the brakes in time. You can enjoy your family and friends. You have honored God by observing a sabbath every week and understanding that you, alone, do not have to save the world. I'm glad you are reading more for pleasure. I'm proud of you for saying "No" sometimes and setting boundaries between work and personal life. I love that you are traveling more, delegating more, and pacing yourself. I know this will extend your life and see that you are happier, healthier, and more productive now that you have some balance in your life.
Some of us place such high expectations on ourselves that we risk burning out. 5 years ago I thought, no I knew, I was Superwoman. I was different that everyone else. I was "unique." This year I have learned that while I am, a bit unique (clears throat), that no one can sprint forever. I have to pace myself. I have to slow down long enough to have a life outside of my job. I don't have to do it all but more importantly I can't do it all.
In the next 5 years, I will work fewer hours, but still work very hard. I will say no to a lot of things that add work to my plate and yes to more things that are fun, restful, exciting, and feed my body and spirit. I will let phone calls go unanswered, emails go unopened, and spend more time enjoying my friends and family. I will continue to study, learn, write, explore, and be as good a minister as I can be, but that won't mean I'm available 24/7 as I have been for the last 5 years, because if I continue to sprint rather than jog, I know I will burn out.
And I think this wisdom will make me a better pastor, mate, mother, daughter, friend, advocate, and child of God.
What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?
(Author: Corbett Barr)
Dear Me 5 years ago: Guess what? You are human after all. You cannot, in fact, live on 3 hours of sleep a night forever. You do need sabbath and recreation and a social life. You do need regular vacations. Your body is not invincible and you can get elevated blood pressure, gall stones, and have 5 lbs. that you can't seem to lose no matter how much you starve yourself. You don't have to be everything to everyone, and you can delegate, let someone else do the work, and allow tasks to go undone. The world will go on.
Dear Me 5 years from now: Guess what? You did put on the brakes in time. You can enjoy your family and friends. You have honored God by observing a sabbath every week and understanding that you, alone, do not have to save the world. I'm glad you are reading more for pleasure. I'm proud of you for saying "No" sometimes and setting boundaries between work and personal life. I love that you are traveling more, delegating more, and pacing yourself. I know this will extend your life and see that you are happier, healthier, and more productive now that you have some balance in your life.
Some of us place such high expectations on ourselves that we risk burning out. 5 years ago I thought, no I knew, I was Superwoman. I was different that everyone else. I was "unique." This year I have learned that while I am, a bit unique (clears throat), that no one can sprint forever. I have to pace myself. I have to slow down long enough to have a life outside of my job. I don't have to do it all but more importantly I can't do it all.
In the next 5 years, I will work fewer hours, but still work very hard. I will say no to a lot of things that add work to my plate and yes to more things that are fun, restful, exciting, and feed my body and spirit. I will let phone calls go unanswered, emails go unopened, and spend more time enjoying my friends and family. I will continue to study, learn, write, explore, and be as good a minister as I can be, but that won't mean I'm available 24/7 as I have been for the last 5 years, because if I continue to sprint rather than jog, I know I will burn out.
And I think this wisdom will make me a better pastor, mate, mother, daughter, friend, advocate, and child of God.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Broadening our view
If we live truly, we shall see truly. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?
(Author: Chris Guillebeau)
Timely. I leave tomorrow for a mission trip with a group of teenagers. When we think about traveling, and I'm big on travel, we usually think about exotic locations, or places of great cultural or historical significance, but there is more...
The first place I ever went alone was to El Salvador. I was 18, and I went alone. My family felt it was a critical part of my education to travel, and to experience other cultures. It was an eye-opening trip for an innocent white girl from Knoxville Tennessee. It changed my life. It changed the way I see the world. It changed me on the inside. I befriended a Salvadorean family, the Delgados. I would discover many years later that many of them were killed in the civil turbulence that ensued in the 1980s. I learned that they were a lot like my own family back in Tennessee. I learned that I can make my way around a country that speaks a language I do not know, and that most people are kind and generous and willing to help I learned (the hard way) not to eat from street vendors or drink the water. I learned that we are all God's children.
This week, as I take a group of privileged youth to a disadvantaged neighborhood to do a VBS, as I think back on all the places I've been...Europe, Egypt, the Caribbean, South America, and all the places in between, as I think about the question posed....where is one place in the world you want to visit before you die and what will you do to get there...as I think about how travel is maybe my most favorite hobby...as I contemplate Bali and the Middle East and Morocco and all the places I still want to go, and there are many, it occurs to me that what Emerson says is true...If we live truly, we shall see truly...
...and I want to see truly, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the beautiful, the breathtaking, and the heartbreaking, and I want these youth to see it too, because in truly seeing, they will truly live.
With eyes wide open.
Teresa
Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?
(Author: Chris Guillebeau)
Timely. I leave tomorrow for a mission trip with a group of teenagers. When we think about traveling, and I'm big on travel, we usually think about exotic locations, or places of great cultural or historical significance, but there is more...
The first place I ever went alone was to El Salvador. I was 18, and I went alone. My family felt it was a critical part of my education to travel, and to experience other cultures. It was an eye-opening trip for an innocent white girl from Knoxville Tennessee. It changed my life. It changed the way I see the world. It changed me on the inside. I befriended a Salvadorean family, the Delgados. I would discover many years later that many of them were killed in the civil turbulence that ensued in the 1980s. I learned that they were a lot like my own family back in Tennessee. I learned that I can make my way around a country that speaks a language I do not know, and that most people are kind and generous and willing to help I learned (the hard way) not to eat from street vendors or drink the water. I learned that we are all God's children.
This week, as I take a group of privileged youth to a disadvantaged neighborhood to do a VBS, as I think back on all the places I've been...Europe, Egypt, the Caribbean, South America, and all the places in between, as I think about the question posed....where is one place in the world you want to visit before you die and what will you do to get there...as I think about how travel is maybe my most favorite hobby...as I contemplate Bali and the Middle East and Morocco and all the places I still want to go, and there are many, it occurs to me that what Emerson says is true...If we live truly, we shall see truly...
...and I want to see truly, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the beautiful, the breathtaking, and the heartbreaking, and I want these youth to see it too, because in truly seeing, they will truly live.
With eyes wide open.
Teresa
Friday, June 3, 2011
Purpose
As you probably know by now, I am participating in a writing challenge, and the topics are being assigned by someone else. Today's assignment hit me right where I live. It is:
That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.
Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it.
(Author: Jenny Blake)
This very thing has actually consumed me for weeks...how can I do what I do better? Am I doing exactly what God designed me to do, and am I doing it as well as I can? I believe this is a question we must all ask ourselves. The tricky part, I think, is that the first part of that question may have more than one answer depending on where you are in life.
Like most of you, I am facing a challenge, right here, right now, in my life. I will do this challenge and put a post it on my bathroom mirror, and we'll see what comes up in my journal on Monday morning.
What is your current challenge? Is it work related? Relationship? Financial? I urge you to take Emerson's words to heart and seek to discover what God has created you to do and be. Once you figure that our, like Emerson, I believe there is no limit.
TAY
That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.
Bonus: tweet or blog a photo of your post-it.
(Author: Jenny Blake)
This very thing has actually consumed me for weeks...how can I do what I do better? Am I doing exactly what God designed me to do, and am I doing it as well as I can? I believe this is a question we must all ask ourselves. The tricky part, I think, is that the first part of that question may have more than one answer depending on where you are in life.
Like most of you, I am facing a challenge, right here, right now, in my life. I will do this challenge and put a post it on my bathroom mirror, and we'll see what comes up in my journal on Monday morning.
What is your current challenge? Is it work related? Relationship? Financial? I urge you to take Emerson's words to heart and seek to discover what God has created you to do and be. Once you figure that our, like Emerson, I believe there is no limit.
TAY
Thursday, June 2, 2011
What is reality?
It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?
I believe in the impermanence of the present, and by that I mean that I believe the things and places that we live in are, to some extent, illusions. Now, before I get too lofty, philosophical, and immersed in physics, let me just say that the bottom line is that I believe our reality lies within, not in the physical realm in which we often live. Consequently, after the initial thrill wears off, I often become bored.
That manifests in several ways. I like to move. I can't imagine living in one place my entire life. Even within the same city, I get the urge to sell the house and find a "fresh palette." I love to travel but rarely want to visit the same place twice. I enjoy new challenges, fresh faces.
That's not to say I do not love the familiar. I don't want a new husband and I could look into the faces of my children every day for the rest of my life! This is not about instability in relationships. It's about a sort of restlessness in the physical world. I don't sit still well. I like to be on the move. I like to see new vistas. I like innovation.
I believe the world in which we dwell is vastly richer than most people experience, not only in physical location (not everyone has my wanderlust) but also in dimension. I understand that many people find security and comfort in staying put. I guess there is something charming, for some, about returning to the same place year after year for vacation, but that would make me want to scream. I've just never been attached to place. I'm not sentimental about places. I would be bored beyond measure returning again and again to the same place. I do not need a touchstone...I'm not a hoarder of stuff...furniture is just furniture...why walk down the same street twice...why revisit the same classroom. But I am a hoarder of experiences.
My reality resides inside of myself, and in the connection I have to those I love. Where I am matters not. My spirit longs to engage with a broader reality that is not bound by time or space.
Bring on the new!
The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?
I believe in the impermanence of the present, and by that I mean that I believe the things and places that we live in are, to some extent, illusions. Now, before I get too lofty, philosophical, and immersed in physics, let me just say that the bottom line is that I believe our reality lies within, not in the physical realm in which we often live. Consequently, after the initial thrill wears off, I often become bored.
That manifests in several ways. I like to move. I can't imagine living in one place my entire life. Even within the same city, I get the urge to sell the house and find a "fresh palette." I love to travel but rarely want to visit the same place twice. I enjoy new challenges, fresh faces.
That's not to say I do not love the familiar. I don't want a new husband and I could look into the faces of my children every day for the rest of my life! This is not about instability in relationships. It's about a sort of restlessness in the physical world. I don't sit still well. I like to be on the move. I like to see new vistas. I like innovation.
I believe the world in which we dwell is vastly richer than most people experience, not only in physical location (not everyone has my wanderlust) but also in dimension. I understand that many people find security and comfort in staying put. I guess there is something charming, for some, about returning to the same place year after year for vacation, but that would make me want to scream. I've just never been attached to place. I'm not sentimental about places. I would be bored beyond measure returning again and again to the same place. I do not need a touchstone...I'm not a hoarder of stuff...furniture is just furniture...why walk down the same street twice...why revisit the same classroom. But I am a hoarder of experiences.
My reality resides inside of myself, and in the connection I have to those I love. Where I am matters not. My spirit longs to engage with a broader reality that is not bound by time or space.
Bring on the new!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.
Today's writing challenge.
Over the next 24 hours, you are trading in a day of your life for whatever you choose to do, so choose wisely and show love, compassion, and kindness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)