Graceful Living

"Our real journey in life is interior:
it is a matter of growth, deepening,
and of an ever greater surrender
to the creative action of love
and grace in our hearts." 
-Thomas Merton

#Grace: 1) Simple elegance or refinement. 2) Courteous goodwill. 3) An attractively polite manner of behaving. 4) In Christian belief, the free and unmerited favor of God.

 

#Graceful living: Living gently, lovingly, kindly, mindfully, peacefully, purposefully, gratefully, abundantly, and joyfully.

Are you living a graceful life?

To Be (or not to be)...Authentic

#Authentic: "genuine", "true", "original". 

In today's cult of personality we can easily be duped into believing that someone is not quite what he or she purports to be.  How refreshing and reassuring it is then, when folks just allow themselves to be who they are--without the patina or persona.

Authenticity is like a series of pitons, or "pieces" of mountain climbing protection that are inserted into cracks in the mountain face through which the climber threads the rope as he advances in the face uncertainty.  The pieces (placed correctly) serve as reliable anchors that will be there to arrest a fall in the event of error, mistake, or unforeseen circumstance.  Authenticity is like those anchors.  When we are anchored (true to ourselves and others), then we can be trusted and relied upon. 

And therein lies the rub.  Fear takes hold, and we ask ourselves: "Can I really allow myself to be revealed?”.  The answer is yes.  Authenticity can take many forms.  If you are a bit quirky, then that quirkiness will engender trust so long as it is an authentic part of yourself. If you are serious at heart--be serious.  If you are have a sense of humor--laugh out loud. 

Polonias said it well to his son Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "This above all to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man".

Do What You Love and Love What You Do

 
In one thread of the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell (a devout Scottish Christian) accidentally misses a church prayer meeting because of his running.  His sister Jennie upbraids him and accuses him of no longer caring about God. Eric responds to Jennie that he intends to eventually return to China to continue his missionary work.  

Eric adds that he feels divinely inspired when running, and that not to run would be to dishonor God, saying, "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."

What is YOUR purpose, and what are YOU inspired to do?

I Yam What I Yam

"...and that's all that I Yam."

Sometimes, wisdom is uttered from the mouths of cartoon characters.  Of course, we suspect that the creators of the 1933 short animated film knew their Old Testament (Exodus 3:14).

In coaching, we encourage clients to use the phrase "I am" to create a concise statement of  their current life purpose.  The statement takes the following form: "I am the _______(metaphor) that ________(verb)________(impact)." 

For me, the current expression of my own life purpose is: "I am the peace and the light that brings the snail out of its shell". The development of such a statement can create powerful clarity and inspire right action.  

So, what is your current life purpose?

Never Mind Your Mind

"Why, Soitenly."

 
Certainty is the hobgoblin of the rational, analytical mind!


What is possible if we live by relaxing into uncertainty?

KISS Me. Huh?



Keep It Simple & Stupid

Keep It Simple & Stupid (#KISS).  Many folks with whom I have worked over the years abhor this admonition. For them, the world is ever more complex.  To them, I say: "complexity is nothing more than an obscuring of reality".  The truth is that we make our lives more complex (and complicated) then they need to be.

I recognize that this statement may cause quite a bit of discomfort for many.  I can hear the grumblings now: "Yeah, those who keep it simple ARE stupid", and from the 1994 film Forrest Gump: "Stupid is as Stupid does".

Those reactions are to be expected.  May I suggest that those kinds of reactions my be sabotaging us.  The projection of complexity is very appealing to the busy/active mind.  The more difficult our problems appear to be, the more complex we believe the solutions ought to be.  And when those problems are solved through complex solutions...how sweet it is. 

May I suggest the next time a difficult challenge manifests, apply Pareto's Principle. That is, apply the 80/20 rule.  Remember to focus on the 20 percent that matters. Those 20 percent typically produce 80 percent of the results.  When the urgent and unimportant begin to sap your time and energy, remind yourself of the 20 percent. By doing so, you may get a glimmer of what Paul referred to as "the peace that surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).