I came across this prose written by Jonathan Raymond the other day. It resonated with me, and so I wanted to share it with you. "Somewhere between what she survived, and who she was becoming, was exactly where she was meant to be. She was starting to love the journey. And find comfort in the quiet corners of her wildest dreams. They say people don't change...Well, she wasn't always this way. Even if she didn't change the entire world, she would change her part of it. And she would affect the people she shared it with. A butterfly whose wings have been touched, can indeed still fly. Whether something was meant to be, or meant to leave, didn't matter as much anymore. She would soak up the sun, kiss the breeze, and she would fly regardless." I hope that you are loving your journey and finding comfort in the quiet corners of your life. I hope you are willing to show up each day in your life with the unflinching presence which holds in it your greatest freedom. And, I hope that no matter what, you will fly. Stay true and be you — Annie Create a Life You Love Participate in the Online Edition of Lines In The Sand Join Us Now
Loving and Believing in Yourself
I have been fortunate to observe my best friend and her fiancé plan their wedding for the past two years. They got married this past Saturday, and it was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen. I had an added layer of privilege because my friend chose me to be her maid of honor. As I witnessed the pure joy and love of the day and watched the guests enjoying themselves as we celebrated this exquisite union I thought to myself, “ I wonder how many of these people have ever asked themselves this question: What kind of relationship do I have with myself? I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that most people have never paused to ask this question. Ever. And if they did, I am reasonably confident that most would say that they are much more kind, compassionate, generous, and gentle with others in their life that they care about than they are with themselves. Why is this? Why are we so hard on ourselves? Is it because we have set such high expectations for ourselves or that we don’t believe we are living up to the expectations of others? Do we think that self-compassion is self-indulgent? Do we feel unworthy or undeserving? I don’t have the answer because I know it is different for everyone, but I do think that the inquiry is important. And, asking as well as answering the question is an important exercise to
The Beauty and Power of the Changing Seasons in Life
I woke up earlier this week to a different kind of morning. Nothing drastic or earth shattering, but I noticed that the air was cooler, much cooler than the summer mornings that had preceded this one. I said to myself, “this is it, the change of seasons is upon us.” It was as if a fever had broken. There was a feeling of relief from the hot and humid days of July and August. There was a crispness to the air instead of the usual heaviness. The days are getting noticeably shorter and I grabbed a light jacket on the way out of the door to keep the chill at bay. As nature traverses through its four seasons, I believe that there is a human seasonality. Having grown up on a farm I have been attentive to the transitions from winter to spring and summer to autumn most of my life. I learned to appreciate the grueling and long days of summer as we cherished the long days because we had so much that needed to be done. And, although I have never been fond of the limited hours of daylight that come with winter’s arrival, I recognized at a young age that the rest and solace of those days were a welcome and needed change of pace from the rigors of summer. As I have evolved through life I have come to know that I too go through seasons. I became very aware of this over the past
How to Be Impeccably Fiscally Disciplined
I just finished teaching the live Lines In The Sand session of Line Seven: Be Impeccably Fiscally Disciplined to a group of intelligent, capable, and industrious participants. This Line is cringeworthy at best for most people who have taken part in the live course. We started the day by answering the following nine questions: Do you have a budget? Do you have a personal financial WHY? Do you have a retirement plan? Do you have a “slush fund” for emergencies or unexpected expenses? Do you reconcile your bank accounts each month? Does your family understand your finances? Do you teach your children about money? Do you have a Will? Do you have a revocable living trust? Surprising or not, the majority of the participants answered every single one of these questions with a resounding “No”. I invite you to take a few minutes to answer these questions for yourself. Some of these questions may not apply to you and your current situation, but if they do, I invite you to start doing what it takes to get to a yes. It has been my observation that where there is money, there is emotion. At a very you age most people are either taught or through their own observation develop a money mindset. The prevalent feeling associated with money is fear. There is fear of never having enough, fear of losing it all, fear of being judged by how much money one has or doesn’t have and the list goes
6 Easy Things You Can Do To Increase Your Sense of Self-Worth and Self-Love
What is something our readers can do today to increase their sense of self-worth and self-love? (a snapshot of what you'll learn in the Online Edition of the Lines In The Sand course) First, we have to realize that self-worth comes from within. You won’t find it in having a big house, a fancy car, a lot of money or a bunch of friends. These are external people, places, and things that may bring temporary satisfaction, but in the long run, it is how you feel and think about yourself that matters most. Today I would like to share six powerful habits that will help you improve your self-worth and self-love. Eliminate negative self-talk. Would you talk to your best friend or someone who you care about deeply the same way that you talk to yourself? Of course not. You must stop having unconstructive conversations with yourself. Instead, start to recognize and appreciate all the things about yourself that you like. Write these things down, add to the list often, and revisit it frequently to remind yourself of your positive attributes. Stop comparing yourself to others. This is probably one of the most destructive behaviors you can participate in. Your life is your journey so keep your focus on your journey, not anyone else’s. It doesn’t serve you in any way to think you need to measure up to anyone else. If you want someone to compare you to, compare yourself to your BEST self. Surround yourself with masters. There
Five Essential Tips to Avoid Getting Punched In The Gut
Have you ever had that ‘punched in the gut’ feeling? Yes? Me too. As I reflect back on those times in the past when I felt like someone hit me square in the belly, temporarily taking my breath away and leaving a lingering heaviness that never sleeps, it occurs to me that the common thread of these incidents is a betrayal. And the perpetrator of the act is either a narcissist or a master manipulator. The good news is, it has been years since I have felt this way. The bad news is, that monster raised its ugly head this past week and those dreaded emotions came storming back setting up shop in my ‘punched in the gut’, gut. The details and the circumstances that surround this situation are irrelevant, but the lessons learned are paramount, and I want to share those with you now. Always trust your gut: Your intuition is one of the most powerful tools you have and it can be trusted. If your gut tells you NOT to do something, then don’t do it. You are blessed with this sixth sense of awareness and it is truly a gift. Use this amazingly accurate tool to your advantage. Forget what people say, watch what they do: If someone tells me that they are ‘all that and a bag of chips’ I immediately become concerned. People who are really good at what they do don’t have to tell you about it, they simply show you. People get
The One Question That Led to My Tidy Lifestyle
I was gathering up my things to leave my house for the day when a thought came rushing to my mind. It was likely brought on by the recent news of terror attacks in the U.K. Not to be morbid because that isn't my nature, but I thought, "What if I don't make it back here at the end of the day, for whatever reason. Have I left my home in good order? Would I be OK with a family member or a friend finding things as I left them? A sobering thought in some ways and inspiring and motivating in others. The sobering part is easy to understand. It is likely that very few people close the door behind them as they step out into the world to “do their day” with the thought of never returning. But things happen, in the United States nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, this is an average 3287 deaths a day. And over half of them are ages 15-44. An additional 3900 people die each day of a range of causes from cancer to crime. Think about it that means that at least 7000 people each day walk out of their homes never to return. You might ask, how can any of these statistics be the basis for motivation or inspiration. Well, for me it made me stop and have a closer look around. Was I OK with leaving the dirty dishes in the sink? Was I
Powerful Tips to Help You Change Your Story and Create the Life You Love
The late Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “If you know better, do better.” I think that most of us at some point in our lives encounter a situation where we “know better.” The question is, does this knowing lead us to “do better”? Our Emotions Are a Record of the Past Research has shown that children between 2 years to 5 or 6 years of age have the ability to absorb vital information directly into their subconscious minds because of the way that the brain develops. This is a time in our life where we are highly adaptive, and it is also a time when we put in order our cultural beliefs and societal behaviors into our nervous system. And, this is where our “life story” starts to formulate. During these years when we have experiences, we pay attention to our feelings that come from our inner world. When our feelings feel altered, we look outside of ourselves to see who or what caused this altered feeling. These events create an associative memory, and then these experiences are encoded into our memory system where they are stored in our subconscious. The moment that we get into situations that bring up similar emotions that have branded us from the past, we revert back to that six-year-old child and behave in limited ways because that is all we know. Our emotions are a record of the past, so we analyze current events within that emotion, so we are thinking in the
Lessons Learned from Senseless Acts of Terror
I think that I can say with great certainty that almost everyone, at least in the United States, can recall where they were on September 11, 2001. Many of us watched in horror as the Twin Towers crumbled and thousands of innocent people died in one of the most horrific terror attacks in history. Prior to 9/11 there were dozens of terror attacks against the United States all on foreign soil except the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center, that killed seven and wounded 1,042. Since then our nightly news feeds have been filled with reports of shootings, bombings, riots and terror attacks. So much so that some psychologist believe that many of us are becoming “desensitized” or less emotionally impacted, to news of terror. Violence is becoming so frequent in our media and that coupled with immediate access to a dynamic and vigorous stream of news due to the rise in technology creates an unemotional connection to these violent events. The more exposure people have to these actions without being personally involved leaves them less emotionally impacted. The unfortunate result of this is that we pay less attention to our surroundings, we are less likely to stop and help someone, and we become less empathetic. Why do I bring this up? Why broach this subject? Why shine a light on terror and death? Because it pains me to know that innocent children are killed by people who do not value life. Because my heart aches
Ten Simple Tips To Eliminate Struggle & Increase Ease In Your Life
I have the good fortune to live in a beautiful area of California on a little plot of land that I can call my own. I have two horses and a dog that I love with all of my heart. I have a John Deere tractor and Gator that play a big part in helping me to maintain my property, and almost every weekend you can find me at my barn cleaning up, tending to the garden, pulling weeds, mowing the riverbed and whatever else it takes to keep things in good order. My best thoughts come to me when I am out in nature and doing my chores. This past weekend as I was mulching around my trees and I thought about what creates the struggle in our life. Maybe it is because Mercury has been in retrograde because I have observed people’s actions and words to be of resistance and strife lately. Regardless of the reason for these times of tussles, the following suggestions to eliminate the struggle is what came to me as I was working at the barn: Stay In Your Lane. This is a simple concept especially if you are someone who spends time driving around on the planet. There are a set of rules and courtesies that we learn about driving that help to limit the number of accidents and potential people clashing incidents as we are traveling to and from the places we go. The main useful driving directive
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