Sunday, February 16, 2014

Simply Authentic...Your Soul Voice is Calling. Asking for Help

Asking for Help

I did something radical.

I hired a professional organizer.

This may not be a departure for you, but – trust me – it was for me.

See, the thing is, I’m a pretty darned good organizer myself.

I’m not going to change the oil in my car. I pay someone to do that. I have no desire to mend my coats when something rips – they do that at the dry cleaners. But organizing, I can and will do. At least once I helped a friend get organized for moving when she was feeling utterly overwhelmed.

It’s just I saw this post from a colleague on Facebook that said half off organizing services – regular price $40 per hour, now $20. And I immediately thought of my spare room. I had been “meaning” to get to that right after the new year…after the Christmas tree was taken down, the wrapping paper and ribbons were put away, the boxes I didn’t use to ship holiday packages were broken down and recycled, etc.

Everything had been piling up in the spare room – where friends sleep when they come to stay overnight. It had gotten to the point I had jars and cans of food on the bookshelves, a crock pot, blender and other kitchen items in there (there isn’t a lot of storage space in my kitchen), corners were jammed with stuff… It just felt icky in there.

And here comes this Facebook post. So I jumped on it.

For exactly $40, two hours of Pauline’s time, my spare room was completely transformed. She found room in closets and the kitchen I didn’t know was there, and when she was done, the spare room looked pretty instead of just functional. It feels great now, or as my fiancĂ© worded it, “The energy has completely changed.”

I have asked friends for help decorating and moving before, and I have also given it.

This just happens to be the first time I have paid someone to do something I could very well have done myself.

It was worth it.

Authentically Yours,

Laura

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Simply Authentic...Your Soul Voice is Calling. Time after Time

Time after Time

I don’t know about you, but I seem to have an issue with time. I think I never have enough. There is so much I want to do, and not enough time to do it.

As you can imagine, boredom is not a word I use or can relate to. Yet I often find myself looking at the clock, thinking I have to do M, N and O before P happens. Which just makes me feel stressed and…guess what? Often late! This is so much horseshit I have been feeding my brain.

When engaged in an activity that sings to your heart, there is no sense of time. It naturally unfolds.

I knew this when I was a little girl!

The answer is: I have all the time in the world. In this moment.

The question is: How do I want to spend it?

Authentically Yours,

Laura

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Simply Authentic...Your Soul Voice is Calling. Being Visible

Being Visible

It is only by risking ourselves from one hour to another that we live at all. –William James

Living through enough, we all come to this understanding, though it is difficult to accept: No matter what path we choose to honor, there will always be conflict to negotiate. If we choose to avoid all conflict with others, we will eventually breed a poisonous conflict within ourselves. Likewise, if we manage to attend our inner lives, who we are will – sooner or later – create some discord with those who would rather have us be something else. – Mark Nepo, A BOOK OF AWAKENING; January 17: The Friction of Being Visible

Learn how to say no. The art of saying no with grace and ease is one of the most important skills you can ever develop. The beauty of midlife is that you’ve now paid your dues and have had enough life experience to know what is likely to drain you and what will replenish you. In her groundbreaking book THE ART OF EXTREME SELF-CARE (Hay House, 2009), my colleague Cheryl Richardson writes, “Funny, but after years of practicing Extreme Self-Care, I’ve realized something ironic: if you want to live an authentic, meaningful life, you need to master the art of disappointing and upsetting others, hurting feelings, and living with the reality that some people just won’t like you. It may not be easy, but it’s essential if you want your life to reflect your deepest desires, values, and needs.” I couldn’t agree more. Which is why I loved the chapter in her book entitled “Let Me Disappoint You”! – Christiane Northrup, THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE

Being visible in the world as your authentic self may not always be easy. But who at the end of life will say, “I wish I had changed myself more to try and make others happy”?

It wouldn’t work anyway.

Authentically Yours,

Laura