What I Have Learned So Far

What I Have Learned So Far

Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I

not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,

looking into the shining world?  Because, properly

attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.

Can one be passionate about the just, the

ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit

to no labor in its cause?  I don't think so.

All summations have a beginning, all effect has a

story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.

Thought buds toward radiance.  The gospel of

light is the crossroads of -- indolence, or action.

Be ignited, or be gone.

~ Mary Oliver ~

 (New and Selected Poems Volume Two)

(Image by Sylvia Taylor All Rights Reserved)

Seems rather appropriate doesn't it? You can either light-up or stay in the shadows. It takes an intentional action, the swipe of a match against the tinder, the thought turned into movement. The time has come to be the spark, ignite the fire and burn brightly.

Be ignited, or be gone...

Smove: Inspiring Intentional Action

I can hardly believe its December and the new year (2010?!) is almost upon us. And I also feel like things are shifting, the energy, the attitudes and the ideas of so many people on the planet. My ideas about who I am, the work I do and the work I want to do to make a bigger, better impact on the world - all shifting... 

My clients are like that too. That makes me smile. Big. My intention and hope is to get more people to smile and make intention and service a part of what they do everyday. It's not a muscle that many of us are used to moving (or maybe we don't even know how to get started).

Well, these guys have found a way - a very inspiring way. It's called Smove, or rather Smile & Move. It's a movement. It's something we can all learn to do, in 9 simple ways, to create more ways to inspire intentional actionfor us, for our teams, for our families and friends. Check out this video - and SMOVE your way into the new year!

The 9 simple ways to smile & move:

1. Wake-up - engage with care and attention
2. Be thankful - the opportunity to serve is a gift.
3. Be approachable - we're at each other's service.
4. Complain less - being positive is more fun.
5. Smile. Really- it's where pleasantness begins.
6. Start early and go long - get lost in your service to others.
7. Exceed expectations - expect more from yourself.
8. Have a sense of urgency - everyone's time is valuable.
9. Be resourceful and resilient - results are what we're all after.

You can find more information about this inspirational work on their website.

Intention is the compass, goals are the map

How often do we put things we intend to do at the bottom of the list because more urgent (not necessarily more important) things come up?  We make an intention and don't put structure or set-up any support to help make it happen.

Looking back, looking forward, thinking big. By Sylvia Taylor

Intention is the compass, goals are the map. We need both. Goals help keep us focused and intentions keep us on the right map.

I look back at my 30 Day Challenge: Fit or Fat by 40, and realize that it was about time and choosing to put time in my calendar to be physically active for at least 30 minutes, everyday, 7 days a week. That's a lot to ask, and a challenge for me. I had to keep it a priority, as big a priority as a client meeting. And yet, it was just for me, so I could make the choice to cancel it, since no one would know but me. However, I also made the choice, the commitment, that this was something important to me and I had to give it the time (to put my money where my mouth was).

See how that works? I made the choice to give it time. It's important, so I supported myself to make it happen, by putting it in my calendar and following through.

You know the funny thing? My biggest learning came from intention: I had intended to blog about the experience. I blogged twice.  And that intention, without a structure or support, completely fell through. I ran out of time and it kept getting put on the back burner. But what a gift! Now I know it's something I need to schedule and to create a block of time to get it done.

So, what intention have you had for a while and not done anything about? What intention or goal have you had that didn't get the right structure or support to help make it happen? Start over. Try again.

You can also join me for a 4 week Tele-class (starts next Monday, only 2 spots left) that can help you make big breakthroughs with this kind of stuff. You'll learn a lot about intention, setting inspired goals, creating structure and support to get it all (and more) done. In only 4 weeks. And you'll be able to keep the learning going long after the 4 weeks is over.

The year isn't over yet. Here's to getting more done and following through on our intentions.

The size of success is limited only by the size of your thinking. Thinking big begins with believing big.

~David Schwartz