You Gotta Give A Little

But sometimes you gotta do something for yourself.  Yesterday I met up at the local bead shop with two of my NaNoWriMo buds and we played beads.  I was a little apprehensive going in, as I was on quite a limited budget and there is nothing more frustrating to me than to find something absolutely fantastic and not have enough cash to buy it, especially when it comes to beads.

However, flow was with me and the piece came together as if it were already waiting out there for me to find it, and within budget.

 

The entire necklace, about 16” long.  The frog sits high up on my neck, hiding like frogs often do.

Most of the beads come from the local bead shop, but the frog is something I bought several years ago from Green Girl Studios.  I had strung the basic necklace with the flowers, coral and yellow beads.  When I showed my daughter, she said “It looks like a pond and needs a frog.” 

I remembered that I have two amazing Bali silver frogs in my stash, and when I got home I set out to find them.  They eluded me, but this fellow showed up.  I looked for the other two beads, but this is the only one I could find yesterday, so I figured I’d try him out and see if I liked him.  I think he fit perfectly.

Here is a detail of the coral and the yellow glass beads from China.  I had planned on using some Thai silver from my stash as spacers between the large yellow beads, but I came across this tube of mixed beads I had bought several years ago at another shop, and the red discs fit perfectly into the look of the piece.  It’s a perfect example of what can happen when you let go and trust and go with the flow.

Happy beading!

First, Let’s Fire all of the Hamsters

Three of the pages in Goddess Leonie’s 2010 Workbook and Planner are set aside to make a list of 100 Things to Do in 2010.  They can be fun, goofy, serious, playful, whatever you can imagine wanting to do during the coming year.  Sounds great, doesn’t it?  It is, especially with each number whimsically drawn and colored, the pages are so enticing. It makes me happy to just look at the pretty numbers.

I am stuck on number 38 (feed koi).

While part of me knows that I don’t have to have the whole list filled out at once, and to be honest, part of me is dragging my feet so that I don’t rush through the process, I also know part of me is afraid to put some things that I may really want to do this year.

Afraid that I won’t get to do it.

Afraid that I will.

While deep inside, the little hamster who is constantly runningrunningrunning on the wheel that is my brain is yelling,  “You can’t do that, where are you going to get the MONEY to do that? Why bother even writing it down?”

And that is one reason I am stuck at number 38. 

Many of the things on my list contain the word “make” or “sell”.

I don’t want all of the things on the list to contain those words.  And yet I know there are things I want to create this year (and hey, maybe “Create” would be a better choice than “Make”, sounds a bit more lofty and maybe a bit less money grubbing) and I know that selling things that I made created helps to keep the family running, which is very important to me.

But I think the big block to filling the list is that anything which does not involve either of those words feels a bit like slacking to me.  Like I’m not taking my responsibilities seriously.  Again with the hamster:  “How can you think of having FUN when there are bills to be paid? Never mind how can you pay for something like “have a spa day”, you don’t have time to even take a “spa day” because there is work to be done first.”

I know that I am more productive overall if I allow some “me” or “fun” time to happen.  I know that my weekly day off results in lots of work the next day because I get itchy to be doing something.  I need to bring this knowledge into the space where I am making my list.  It is not only ok to have fun, it is necessary to overall happiness and, dare I say it, bliss.

I think maybe the hamster could use a vacation.

#39 Buy Hamster a ticket to Hawaii

How about you? Is anyone else working with this planner?  How is your list coming along?

This Says It Better Than I Ever Could

Yesterday took more time than I thought it would, even though it was the same 24 hours as any other day. This newsletter came to my inbox today and it says a lot about the things I have been dealing with in my personal life. I realized I am in need of finding some joy (more about that tomorrow), and hope that this piece helps you as much as it's helping me.


A setback can lead us to a better place — if we just let it.” -- Anne Wilson Schaef

Are you in the midst of a perceived failure? Perhaps you’ve been laid off from your job, you’re on the brink of bankruptcy, or you’re going through an acrimonious divorce. While you may wish otherwise, these situations are painful and difficult. They require that we face our deepest fears of inadequacy, lack and failure. It’s often during these difficult times that we turn to God and deepen our faith and spiritual connection. Author Paul Brunton states it this way: “When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.”

Our intuition is connected to a wiser part of us that sees the larger picture of our lives and knows what we need to learn in order to move ahead on our journey in this life. Patience, trust and faith are required after life hands us an unexpected blow. You were not sent here to fail. It may be hard to trust that the Universe knows what it’s doing and yet that may be the path of least resistance. You need to go with the flow and know that there is a new and wonderful life for you just waiting to be born.

Tough times never last. When you are experiencing a setback you fear you’ll be in it forever. However, generally speaking, most of life’s painful disappointments are relatively short-lived. It’s important to remember that we all experience failure at one time or another in our lives. As actor Mickey Rooney put it, “You always pass failure on your way to success.” Remember also that failure is an event or situation you find yourself in. You’re only in danger when you begin describing yourself as the failure.

What are some steps you can take when life has handed you lemons and you haven’t yet figured out how to make lemonade?

BE PATIENT. This is a time of change and things need to happen of their own accord. There is little to be gained by trying to speed up the process. If it takes you longer to get where you want to go, there might be a reason for it. It is often hard to figure out the big question, “Why is this happening to me?!” when you’re in the middle of the crisis. Allow for Divine wisdom to play a role in your life.

HAVE FUN. When you’re out of work, broke and down on your luck, having fun may be at the bottom of your priority list. Nudge it up closer to the top. Come up with a list of inexpensive things you could do to enjoy yourself. There is no virtue in suffering needlessly while you’re going through a difficult time.

ASK FOR HELP AND GUIDANCE. If you open up and talk about what you’re experiencing, you may be surprised by how many friends you have who want to help. You don’t have to go through this alone. But if times are really tough or you feel you may be getting seriously depressed, be sure to talk with a counselor.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Now is not the time to beat yourself up for any perceived mistakes, or to wallow in “what I should have done.” One of the biggest challenges most experience in the face of failure is knowing how to love ourselves through the process. Keep your heart and mind open. You’ll find that insight and wisdom will come through when you most need them to guide you in the right direction.

PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF-TALK. If you're a pessimist, you're likely to spend a lot of time with negative self-talk. "I can't do this." "Nothing works out for me." Or, "I have terrible luck," are all common examples. Whether you're facing an upcoming interview or giving a speech, pay attention to what you're telling yourself! It will make a dramatic difference in how you feel. Make a conscious attempt to shift the focus on any pessimistic thoughts. Try saying things to yourself like, "I know I'll get through this." "What could I do today to stay relaxed?" "There are many things I do well and today I'll stay focused on those."

I’ll end with a quote from Richard Carlson who wrote the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” series of books. “Let go of fear. The universe has an infinite supply of opportunity. There is plenty to go around. You may be surprised to see that something is coming your way right now!”

Some of my Favorite Things I’m really fond of the meditations at OrinDaben.com
They have one on creating abundance and another on finding inner peace which are two of my favorites. Best of all they’re fr*ee!

Fellow National Speakers Association member Sam Horn gave a great speech on what she calls "Serendestiny." I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

I often get emails from newsletter readers asking where I find my inspirational quotes. Here's a favorite site that's full of quotes on the topic of prosperity and abundance.

I just discovered Renee Stephens and her "Inside Out Weight Loss." She’s a coach, hypnotherapist and NLP trainer. Her podcasts are incredibly inspiring and very intuitive!

Closing My e-mail: Lynn@LynnRobinson.com
My Website: http://www.LynnRobinson.com
Archives of this newsletter are available at:
http://www.LynnRobinson.com/newsletter.html

Copyright (c) 2010, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute this newsletter as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.

The author of this newsletter is Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed. Lynn is one of the nation's leading experts on the topic of intuition. Her most recent books include:

LISTEN: Trusting Your Inner Voice in Times of Crisis (GPP Life 2010)
TRUST YOUR GUT: How the Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business (Kaplan 2007)
DIVINE INTUITION: Your Guide to Creating a Life You Love (DK Books 1999)

Lynn’s free monthly "Intuition Newsletter" is available at her website, http://www.LynnRobinson.com.