Practice makes a practice
It seems my Monday night Buddhist meditation classes have spawned a daily — well, almost daily — meditation practice in my life. Before class tonight my teacher, Kelsang Tsoglam, laughed when I shared my recent revelation that cultivating a practice actually takes practice. Duh.
Each morning I do this, come back to my breath, set an intention.
It’s working.
Sweat zone
Hats off to Van Halen for guiding me through an intense, sweaty workout today. It’s a beautiful thing when body and music are in sync.
Standing on top of the world …
Shopping and song
What a fabulous day.
Maybe it was the fortune cookie from two days ago telling me to go shopping, but this morning my feet took me to Union Square in Manhattan for a whole lot of shopping. Freakin’ phenomenal shoes. A nice little summer dress. The madness. The noise. Fantastic.
This evening a kindred spirit friend joined me at a performance by one of my former life coaching clients. She sings opera and it was a wonderful experience to see her using her gift. I coach an awful lot of creatives and frankly I never really know their level of talent. What I do know is I’m encouraging them to pursue their passion. Tonight, hearing this woman’s voice — the power, the clarity — gave me goosebumps almost instantly and what a testament that is. I enjoyed it so.
Fabulous.
The gospel beneath the glitz
Today’s “Game Plan” column on FOXBusiness.com came from my utter frustration at the responses I was hearing to the Sex and the City movie. I saw depth that seems to have eluded many viewers. As a fellow writer, I must tip my hat to Michael Patrick King for a storyline that was entertaining, inspiring and thought-provoking and to Sarah Jessica Parker for her commitment to keeping it real.
Check out the column:
Life Lessons Abound in ‘Sex and the City’
Cosmic permission
Two glasses of wine with a smart, insightful friend.
Empty stomach.
Raving mad hunger.
Chicken Chow Fun.
This out-of-leftfield fortune:
Good clothes open many doors. Go shopping.
Seriously?
OK then.
Weaving your Web (presence)
As regular readers of this space are aware, my Web site/blog overhaul last month was a great experience. I loved the feeling of growth and control that went with taking this particular plunge. Using Pete Lacis of Phaseous Technology Solutions was central to making it special.
In today’s “Game Plan” column on FOXBusiness.com, I relate the experience and take readers behind the scenes a bit to see what made it all click. Check it out:
My life coaching horizon
Lots of client rumblings and movement today. Potential beginnings, endings, breaks. There is a sign in all of it. I believe it’s about shifting my life coaching practice a little bit, or maybe even a lot. The tenor of it. A better balance of regimented and unstructured elements, perhaps. Attracting a different kind of client than I have been, maybe.
I am ready to explore. I am embracing whatever changes lie ahead.
A real shift
Late last week I made a list of all the things I was not doing in my life because I was making a decision from a place of lack rather than abundance. To be fair to myself, most of my decisions are made from that “glass half full” place, but I knew there were a few casualties along the way. I had six items on the list.
In the last 24 hours, I have knocked four of the six off and it feels magnificent. Some credit must go to the book I am reading — The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. The rest goes to my willingness to trust.
I am abundant. And so it is.
Ordinary and extraordinary
I began my day reading the final chapter in Martha Beck’s Steering by Starlight. It was a warm, delightful ending to an illuminating book, both from my perspective as a life coach and as a person living her best life. This part made me smile big:
“Ordinariness,” which our culture tends to see as disappointing, is considered the highest manifestation of enlightenment in many other belief systems. I treasure my ordinary days, the ordinariness of my life as a whole.
I agree wholeheartedly. Those days, like today, where I start with reading something thoughtful, do the laundry, write meditative pages in my journal at a cafe, and walk across the street for a mani/pedi are so joyful. I, too, have used the word “treasure” when speaking of the days when the routine can be done at a leisurely yet productive pace.
But … I’m also willing to take leaps of faith into extraordinary experience when my North Star seems to require such leaps.
Yes, Martha, that too. The leaps are a blast.
Quotable
Someday I shall be president.
–Abraham Lincoln
