Inspiration met me at Balboa Park along the Promenade. I found musician Mark Goffeney, born without arms playing the guitar with his FEET and singing The Beatle’s song, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.”
I walked away from those few minutes connecting with Mark thinking, “If I ever tell myself again that I can’t do something that I really want to do, or something isn’t possible…think smiling armless toe-playing guitarist.”
And then I had a flood of other thoughts – what gave him the idea that he could play guitar with his feet? Did his parents encourage him? What did he do when he wanted to give up? Where did his courage come from? What kind of thoughts does he have to create this kind of success and joy? Mark’s story is a powerful testimony to looking for your unique gifts in your challenges and loving the life you’ve been given.
When I watched the video again, I heard the lyrics to The Beatle’s song clearly and realized I’d never thought much about the words to that song before because I loved the melody so much and it fit a lot of my teenage angst when I first heard it. But with all due respect to the genius of John Lennon and the pain of heartbreak, seeing Mark and the joy he brings to others, the song really should be retitled, “You’ve got to GIVE your love away.” Mark, you do, along with your courage and creativity! Thanks!
“Success is not to be pursued;
it is to be attracted by the person you become.”
~ Jim Rohn ~
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This headline really got my attention this morning: Do You Have Inspiration Deficit Disorder?
While I’m not a fan of negative labeling, I’ve learned that most people are more apt to first pay attention to the problems in their lives and then how to solve them and wait for inspiration to arrive. If that’s you, stop waiting. What often happens is that we get stuck in retelling the problem instead of taking inspired action and creating an inspiring result.
For as long as I’ve been researching, speaking, consulting and coaching on how to stay inspired and enthusiastic through challenge and change, one of the most common “Yeah, but” responses I hear from people is that the idea of living an inspired life is a luxury to experience after you’ve slogged through the hard stuff rather than a necessity that will ease you through the hard times – and in some situations even prevent unnecessary hard times that we’ve self-created. What side of the fence is your mind leaning on? Continue reading »
Expectations are powerful indicators of your future. Positive expectations strengthened with enthusiasm help you to access your deeper desires and create a path for more abundance to come your way.
Let me share a great example:
When I was writing Day 6 of The Smile Diet in my book, Living with Enthusiasm: How the 21 Day Smile Diet Can Change Your Life, I was looking for a way to explain how you can increase your enthusiasm for an activity you’ve scheduled in the future to help maximize and increase the enjoyment of the experience.
I created the example of anticipating a massage that you would schedule a week after doing your daily reading for Day 6. I suggested doing a conscious 16-second savoring smile every time you think about the upcoming activity to increase the pleasure of the experience, but then deleted the story because of space.
Because of the synchronicity that happened two days later, I added it to a later chapter and still marvel at how Life is always giving us clues and gifts to help us live richer (in all meanings of the word), healthier, and more inspiring lives. Continue reading »
Think about all the different ways you’ve appreciated your mother over the years. What kind of gifts have you given her? Preprinted cards? Flowers? Candy? Jewelry? Clothing? I’m sure your mother enjoyed them, but have you ever wondered what she’d buy herself under the same circumstances?
In a national retailers’ poll of mothers, 49 percent of mothers expected flowers; 13 percent said they wanted them. It’s presence, not presents, that count. How much time do spend with your mother? And how much of that time do you both enjoy? Continue reading »
Last week I was privileged to celebrate the life of a great friend, father, and a pioneer and leader in the nutrition and holistic health fields, Dr. Bruce MacFarland.
We were invited to bring a favorite food to share, which in my case, that day, because I was pushed for time, would have been chips and salsa, picked up at Costco. But as I thought about all the things I’d learned from Bruce over the five years I’ve known him including his infamous “Eat slow or die fast,” and “Don’t cross your legs or risk varicose veins,” I realized I wanted to do something to honor his health conscious ways (well, except for Kopp’s Custard in Milwaukee, but who can resist that!) so I decided to make homemade hummus with sliced carrot sticks.
I got out one of my favorite (and beautiful to look at) recipe books “The Raw Goumet” and made the Hummus recipe, which is good, but still kind of bland. I wondered what I could do to spice it up and asked the Ethers, “What would Bruce add?” Continue reading »
Inspiration met me at Balboa Park along the Promenade. I found musician Mark Goffeney, born without arms playing the guitar with his FEET and singing The Beatle’s song, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.”
Expectations are powerful indicators of your future. Positive expectations strengthened with enthusiasm help you to access your deeper desires and create a path for more abundance to come your way.
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