Dreams

I was thinking about what my blogs should be about and why and for what purpose I would write them.  I didn’t just want to start rambling since I am one of those people who think that our society is already so saturated with too much “stuff” and like most people, I think that they have become just simply “noise.”  Social media and the internet, talk shows from radio, television and even via the internet now all have their place but in my humble opinion, practicing and developing a habit of shutting them off our minds is critical because these mediums do have the power to overwhelm us and get us to a point where we forget or we let go of who we really are or what we believe in from within.

Why you ask?  Because tuning to them is easy and we justify it as “relaxation” in the beginning.  I don’t completely disagree because some of them could even be therapeutic especially if they make us laugh and laughter after all, is still the best medicine, except that if you really get to the crux of it…, about what is out there for us to listen to, most of them I realize, come from either some people’s negative minds and experiences or that they just simply want to influence us to think the way they do (to be honest, that’s kind of how the world has always worked – handing down old thought patterns and practices, good or bad, from one generation to the other, from one century to the next).  And the best way to be successful on the latter is by repetition or consistency as we already know through the studies on how to drive your advertising message. (Want to be clear – not knocking anybody or any business here. Just getting a point across.  I am still an active consumer.)

My conclusion about this is that we just have to make sure that they don’t become an addiction where we lose our ability to decide when to turn them on and when to turn them off.

So, having shared all that, I have decided that I will use my website’s blogs in a positive, productive and freeing way. I decided that I will blog about topics that I believe would be important for what my coaching practice is about:  different topics and services that a person may need a professional life or spiritual life coach for.  I would also find “inspiring quotes and passages” we all love and tend to appreciate so much, except only within the time we are reading them and then we just forget all about it a minute or two later.

My point is that if I expound on the ones that really speak to me and that I believe to be treasured by most, not only will I be able to really think through them and what they mean to me, I would also allow for its value to get deposited to a much deeper part of my consciousness that can contribute to making me stronger and more together as a person.  In doing that therefore, I would allow myself to receive the gift that the quote meant to give me.  After all, over the years, I know more and more that there are no coincidences in life.  I came across that quote or passage and it spoke to me for a reason.

To sum it all up, when readers see my blogs, they too could stay in the moment by having their own thoughts and reflections on another person’s insights on a beautiful quote that they also appreciate.  The readers may agree or not, but the more important gain in this is that we are able to bring out the wisdom on each quote according to our own individual truths and that is because we took a little time to pause and receive its gift for each of us.

Now, that makes it all worth it, don’t you think?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  – Marianne Williamson

I first encountered this quote, which by the way sent micro shock waves down my spine because of how true it was for me, a few years ago when I attended a 4-week, 2-hour per week session at our church on Finding Your Strengths/Gifts (we used the Clifton Strengths Finder book that lets you know your top 5 strengths or gifts based on your answers to a 170-question test).  The secular version of this book is still widely used by top companies for their executives and employees. The purpose of it is for a person to know what comes naturally for him/her so that the focus will be on developing and using those talents to further their lives and careers and even be better at their relationships, and therefore avoid wasting time on trying to be somebody they are not or to try and be great at something that is in direct opposition to their natural gifts and abilities.

During our first session, when asked how I felt when I read this passage, my very first thoughts were: Empowering, Reassuring and Extremely Liberating!  It automatically connected me back to who I remember and know myself to be (where I was most comfortable) which I have tried to control for sake of others so that I don’t make them feel bad.  During the session it also asked if we sometimes “play small” and if we are making the most of our God-given gifts.  Well, my answers were, yes I sometimes play small (again, so that I don’t make others feel bad for just being who I am or having what I have) and that I think I do make the most of my God-given gifts “sometimes” but that I do need to understand more how to fully utilize them.  Those were my honest answers and they were so enlightening for me.

Going back to Marianne Williamson’s quote, reading this and reflecting on it truly allowed for me to have the courage to show who I am as a person (and a child of God) and to share my light to others so that they in turn, could allow for their lights to shine and be shared as well.  It’s a beautiful cycle!

What about you?  What were your first thoughts upon reading it?