A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Visit The Airport Without A Ticket

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Are you worried you could be a workaholic? A junkie for the rush of what accomplishment feels like? Just trying to get that one next raise or promotion to put you ahead? Or maybe just holding on for dear life at keeping the job you have when so many people are still looking for one? Do you feel like it is sucking the life out of your very being? Maybe you want to change, know you should change, but don’t really know where to begin. It can be difficult once you’ve worked your way into a certain role at a company. It can feel like you can’t change the rules now because certain people expect certain things from you and you want to meet all their expectations. You want and need to retain your status as a very hard worker for your security, and maybe even your self esteem.

Here’s the truth though: it’s a vicious never-ending cycle. The best performers are given the majority of the work.  They accomplish that work because they are driven and competent. So what happens? They are given even more work. You will never catch up. That taunting voice that repeats over and over again “If you just come in and work on the weekend again or just work nights for this week again you will finally catch up” is lying to you.

 There is no such thing as getting caught up for good. The items you cross off your list will create space for new items to fill in. The only way to claim the time you need to be healthy and whole is to take action and set your own boundaries. Only you can set the boundaries for what you will and won’t tolerate in your life and how much time you will devote to work. Your work has to be integrated with more important things like family, friends, self, and room for your soul to breathe. If you want to feel inspired, alive, and energized, you have to give yourself space to feel something, anything at all. You can’t feel anything resonate with you if you are numb, running from place to place, and focused on only one thing as though you are playing the arcade version of the Whack-a-Mole game.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a great work ethic. I am of a generation and area of the country where a very high value is placed on work ethic. You do have to work hard to succeed in life, there are no handouts, and teamwork is a form of loyalty lived out loud. But you need to ask yourself “What am I working for? What is the purpose of this?” Are you working for a paycheck and superficial empty recognition that quickly fades for you? Or does your work actually bring you true inner joy? And is this work the legacy you want to leave behind as your footprint?

If you’re questioning whether or not you are placing too much emphasis on work and not enough on your true life joys such as your relationships, I ask you to do one simple exercise. It may bring home a new perspective.

I am a huge believer that all the lessons we need to become the person we are destined to be are around us every day, dancing around us, practically shouting at us, ”Stop and notice me!” “You’re making this harder than it has to be!” as we hustle around and bust our butts doing “life.” All we have to do is slow down, open up, and the universe will step in to reveal what it is we need to grow, right now, right here, if we are willing to receive it.

Here is your assignment. Drive to your local airport.  Park in the ramp.  Leave your phone in the car. Enter the airport. Grab a cup of coffee, smoothie or soda … whatever. Make your way to the waiting area for unticketed passengers. The area where families wait for loved ones, where children and wives greet soldiers, where grandparents greet grand babies, where old college friends reunite. The area of Welcome Home signs and flowers, hugs and tears, and a few squeals of sheer joy. Have a seat and simply people watch for however much time you have to give this. Take your time and let the scenes speak to you. Watch the anticipation before the reunion. Watch those waiting. Watch the emotions and hugs pour out of all these strangers around you. Watch them walk off arm-in-arm to go enjoy each other. Feel the atmosphere of real emotion, joy, and a drop in their stress and anxiety. This is not just a lesson for your brain to process, but for your heart and soul to feel the weight of. Don’t just imagine this scene; give this experience to yourself; actually do it, feel it. For an hour’s worth of your time, let the world speak to you.

For me, when I watch these reunions, it quickly snaps me to the attention of what is really important and where I want to spend time and energy in my life. It reminds me of what brings me joy and what I wish my footprint to be. Yes, we all need income to provide for our families, and jobs are very important, but at what cost? Make sure you’re not paying more than it’s worth to you in the end because we can’t go back. Ask yourself if there is a different way to put the important stuff at the priority level that really feels right for you. What can you do differently today to set new boundaries? Starting today, take a small step to make the footprint of your life what you want it to be.

I hope you take this small leap and give yourself the gift of this experience. I hope it has an impact on you and brings you some unexpected perspective.

What I Learned When the Lights Went Out

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(and my dogs)

When the lights go out - Soulcial Living

Weather wise, the last few weeks have been a little crazy here in the Midwest. We’ve had more rain and severe thunderstorms than we’ve had in years. (Kind of interesting after the crazy winter we had. That’s another article.)

These storms caused incredible damage from flooding, fallen trees and downed wires. Although we were blessed to avoid the tree and water damage, we did lose power for a few days. That seems like a nuisance compared to my mom and brother who lost all of the belongings in their basements and that same brother had a 125 year old tree land smack down on the middle of his roof causing the structure of his house to be stressed and compromised.

So what did I learn (or re-learn I must say) when the lights went out? A few simple things that we often take for granted.

  1. Always be prepared – By having at least a days’ worth of fresh coffee grounds and a French press ready. When the power’s out the last thing you want is to be without your morning cup of java! Water helps and so does food. We ate a lot of PBJ’s.
  2. You can live without electronics – I know you’re thinking WHAT? It’s true. If I can do it, anyone can. Instead of picking up my iPad, I picked up the book on my night table. Instead of jumping on Facebook I actually had heart-felt conversations with my mom and my husband. <3
  3. Be nice to your neighbors – That’s right! When it’s really dark out its good to know you can count on the people next door, especially when they have things that you don’t, like a generator.
  4. It’s just stuff – Having experienced the loss of most of my belongings in a devastating house fire, this one is a little easier for me to connect with than some people. The truth is, material things can be replaced and if they can’t, you’ll always have the memory. Because ….
  5. Friends and family are what really matter – (along with those great neighbors) who better to spend your time with then the people (and animals) you love most? Whether the lights are on or not doesn’t really matter.

As the hours turned into days I watched my dogs very closely. They were not phased one bit. As long as they had food, water, play time, a place to nap and were able to hang out with us, they were happy. Which reminded me that we always have a choice on how we are going to look at things, no matter how long the lights are out. Or, as my husband says, no matter how dark it gets you can choose light! Blissings!

 

 

30,000 Feet of Perspective

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Fotolia_29594769_Subscription_XLIt had been a lovely Mother’s Day.  The May weather was gorgeous sunny and yet still cool enough to enjoy.  A promising reminder that Spring is finally here.  I had enjoyed church with my family and then a delicious brunch buffet in our small rural Iowa town.  The only problem was it was too short. I had to excuse myself from brunch early to catch a flight.  On the long drive to the airport I was muttering under my breath about what a royal jerk that man is to schedule our conference that we were literally required to fly in the Sunday night of Mother’s Day.  Who does that?  Doesn’t he have a mother?  I was upset for me and my boys to have the special day cut short and to give up special Sunday time for my job.

To top it all off it was a stormy night predicted.  I am not a huge fan of flying. The flight from Chicago to DC started off smoothly, but as we drew closer to DC the lightning started and the wind began throwing the small plane around.  We experienced quite a few ‘joy stick’ drops where it feels like the pilot jerked the control stick down sharply on purpose as we fall what must be thousands of feet through an air pocket. To this day it is still probably the scariest flight I have ever been on.  As the weather intensifies every person around me seems to have a different reaction. Some seem attempting to ignore it, a few people appear to be reading although I can’t imagine how with all those bumps.  A mom holding her child on her lap, an attempt to soothe herself it appears as much as to calm the little boy.

From directly behind me I start to hear sobbing out loud from a woman.  She is sobbing loudly and reciting the Our Father prayer at the same time.  Just over and over, sobbing and repeating the prayer.  Well, I guess maybe I should be more scared than I am at this point! This is visibly upsetting to those around us that can hear her fear shared right out loud.  I silently wish she would stop that.  It is certainly not helping the situation. It is adding to the atmosphere of fear, making it all seem more surreal and as if something bad really is about to happen.  As I feel my own tension rise wondering if it is worse than I think, the large air drops continue as the weather throws us around. As I wonder if we might not make it I hear something quite unexpected break the thick tension.

“Wheee!!!!!  Whooo Hoooo!!!!!   Wheeee!!!!! Do it again!!!!” from a little girl voice.

This is followed by her mom saying “Sush….be quiet darling, people are uneasy honey.”

“Wheee!!!!!  Whooo Hoooo!!!!!   Wheeee!!!!! Do it again!!!! she repeats, doing as little girls will do, ignoring their parents.

I can’t help myself but laugh right straight out loud.

How beautiful a lesson here before us.  We’ve got one woman trying to pray her way out of a certain early death and one row over in the same exact set of circumstances is a child showing complete and utter joy that she literally cannot bear to contain.  She is enjoying the thrilling ride of her life that she doesn’t want to ever stop. Two different people. Same exact circumstances. What a perfect example of how much your perspective matters. Yes, the little girl is absent of the wise adult knowledge of knowing how bad the result could be. But what good does that knowledge do us if we use for negativity? Both the woman and the little girl are going to have contact with other people once they exit the plane. Which one will spread joy and bring smiles? Which one will bring dread and fear?  Both are affecting others on the plane right now in two very opposite ways.

Makes me think about my own perspective. Am I a woman who had her Mother’s Day unfairly cut short or am I simply a very blessed woman to have the opportunity to even be a mother and spend time with those I love most? Am I a woman robbed of my Sunday by some crappy job requirement, or am I a woman proud and happy of my career that has blessed me and my family with many opportunities? Am I going to spread negativity or joy?

What is your perspective doing to you and those around you?  If you are experiencing negativity and blaming your circumstances take another look. Is the filter you are viewing through flawed? How could you look at the situation differently to use it to bring more grace and love to yourself and others?

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.  ~Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

Looking Up –

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A new perspective from a tree, a few squirrels and some lively birds…

looking up soulcial livingLast week we had a new stamped concrete patio poured in our backyard.   When an unexpected guest stopped in it brought the perfect opportunity to get a few pieces of furniture out and sit. After he left I took advantage of the time alone to simply “be” by myself for a few minutes.

As I reclined back in one of the chairs I began to observe the trees from a whole new view. What a wonderful surprise it offered to see the life in that tree from a new perspective. The sun was gently shining through the branches, beams of light everywhere. The birds and squirrels were active and interacting more than I’ve ever seen, partially because the temperature was a perfect 72 degrees, but mainly because I had never paid attention at that angle. It was almost dizzying.

I’ve always been a nature lover. Watching birds and animals is a regular part of my daily life. This time was different.

I took few deep breaths and began a tree meditation (you’ll see details below). Tree meditation offered me the chance to ground myself and really connect in to witness what was happening above. It was like watching a natural super highway for the wildlife that is present in my yard; birds were flying, squawking, and playing, mainly by their nests, while the squirrels chased each other up and down the branches, stopping every now and then to grab a bite of something off a branch. I counted over 10 different types of birds in that tree and three different colors of squirrels. For just a minute I felt as if I were actually a part of that scene. It was mesmerizing.

The connection that I feel to all of life and to the Earth was deeply heightened in that moment. I was reminded of why I LOVE being outside and am so grateful for the sun, the warmth, the birds and the squirrels, and the saying, “as above, so below”. We are so similar in that we are all looking for the best way to co-exist.

Here’s your tree meditation to help you do just that.

  • Take a few deep breaths in, until you feel a sense of relaxation wash over you
  • imagine that your feet have roots connecting you to Mother Earth.
  • Imagine your body is the trunk as Earth energy flows through it, grounding, supporting and balancing you.
  • Imagine that your arms and head are the leaves and branches of the tree, connecting you to the sky and light above.

Feel the energy of the Earth, the Sun and the Sky flow through you, calming you, centering you and connecting you to nature.

I invite you to look up; to see the abundance of life above!

For meditations and more visit the resource page at TeriGriffiWilliams.com.

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