Living music

Filed Under Gratitude, Sparkle, Success | Leave a Comment

The Music
For sixty years I have been forgetful,
every minute, but not for a second
has this flowing toward me stopped or slowed.
I deserve nothing.  Today I recognize
that I am the guest the mystics talk about.
I play this living music for my host.
Everything today is for the host.
- Rumi
What if we lived our lives as though we were the Living Music?  Would we be living differently?  What would be different?

Remember when…

Filed Under Gratitude, Joyous Living, Sparkle, Stretching the comfort zone, Success | 2 Comments

Over the last several months, I’ve been enchanted by the idea and experience of “sparkle.”  It sends me back joyous childto being about four or five, when I just loved being myself.  I hadn’t had teachers reprimand me for always wanting to do show and tell.  I hadn’t yet gotten my first (humiliating) birthday spanking in front of my classroom.  Whether or not I did actually sparkle at that age, I don’t know, but what I do know is that when I remember (a full-body remembering) being that age, the feeling that comes over me is a sense of sparkling from within.  And when I feel like I’m sparkling, I am happy, joyous.  I have a sense of being all I need to be.  Like having God’s Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  And with THAT approval, I’m good to go!

Personally, I love the idea of sparkle and sparkling.  Still being in touch with that young, enthusiastic, joyous part of me is one of my greatest blessings.  I think that anyone who gets in touch with their sparkle is going to be better off forlittle girl sparkling having done so.  Frankly, I can’t quite understand why not everyone relates to “sparkling” or wanting to sparkle, but they don’t.   And I’ve found myself thinking I should  “dim” my sparkle (you know, change the wording, eliminate the word sparkle), to accommodate those who aren’t raving sparkle fans, but my sparkle joy keeps insisting on being experienced.  So, if my deepest self refuses to dim my love of sparkle to appease those who can’t relate to sparkling, I guess I’ll follow that. And for those who do relate to the idea of sparkling…I say let’s set the world ablaze with our sparkle!   

Inquiry

Do you relate to inner sparkle?  In what way or ways? Do you not relate to sparkle?  Why is that?

Photos:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/myblueeyeguy/188576489/

            http://www.flickr.com/photos/beija-flor/5125391/  

Defining Success for Ourselves

Filed Under Authenticity, Joyous Living, Success | 2 Comments

I want to be successful.  When I say that aloud…or write it for the whole world to see, I start to feel a little nauseous.  It seems to have such a negative connotation for me.  But it is the truth – I do want to be successful…just not in the way I think we typically think of success.  And, therein lies the rub.  Defining success.  My mini-Webster’s defines success as 1) a favorable result.  So far, so good.  Yep.  I’m all for favorable results.  The second definition is where I get tripped up – the gaining of wealth, fame, etc.  Not that I don’t want a bit of wealth and a bit of fame, but the idea that “success” is primarily viewed as this second definition.  And because this bothers me so much (like when my sister sniped at me while we were struggling with our parents’ estate – “you just want to be rich!” – oh, yuck!), I’ve been doing some soul searching…yes, I do want to be successful…but what does that MEAN?  One of the most complete definitions for me is: success is loving being myself.  Particularly after a lifetime of self-doubt and recrimination, loving being me, with all my flaws, being able to rejoice in who I am, really is success.  I’m wondering how other people are looking at success nowadays… 

There were some interesting posts at: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/mentoring/CAR_MEN/77541-3243289 if you’re curious or want some “priming of the pump.”

If the majority of people really took a look at what success meant to them would more of us feel successful?  And if more of us felt successful, how might our world change?  Having looked at my own "redefinition of success" I know I feel more successful and much of my world seems to be responding to the shift.  I like it!