Inspiration

Touch of Soul!

It’s a rare and magnetic moment to experience someone’s soul. It’s as if in that moment the person fully arrives and you get to experience the sparkle of their genius!

I experienced a soul-feast a few Saturdays ago when a gifted, local young musician entertained a modest audience at a local coffee shop called Cuppa Joy Café. Her name? Tatiana. Tatiana has the talent of five performers wrapped into one! She entertained us all evening with a suite of her own songs, delivered from her soul. She composed them, wrote the lyrics and performed them. Wow!

I’d heard Tatiana on the drums and had experienced her the first time as a passionate djembe drummer. On this second encounter I was blown away by her musical versatility. Tatiana plays piano, guitar, flute, violin and the djembe drum! Her talent is her gift to the world and she sparkles!

Are you aware that you too have our own kind of sparkle? You do! And if you reflect on the last time you felt it you’ll probably agree that you were relaxed and doing what you most love to do. Not so? When you’re in that self-connecting and congruent state, connecting to your true genius, it all feels easy. Right? In fact so easy and natural that you don’t even have to think about it. You go with the flow of the moment and you shine! And, in those moments you feel so aligned with your inner being, in touch with yourself, your talents and your joy that it resonates and radiates from your core. Well, that is where your essential self lives. And when you’re in touch with that deeper part of you, you cannot help but sparkle!

So, here are a few of questions for you to ponder over the next few days: When last did you experience someone else’s soul? What was that like? And as importantly, when last have others experienced yours? In what ways? How was that for you?

Action focus: How might you express your genius and gifts more frequently so you touch others with your soul?

PS: If you’re reading this blog today and would like to experience Tatiana’s music and soul, tune in to radio station CJSF 90.1 FM this evening May 1’st. Tatiana is the guest performer on The Melodies and Mind radio show tonight between
8 and 10 pm.

Speak with calm breath

So this morning’s spin-bike class was led by Colleen and started at 6am. Colleen is a super-fit, trim, muscular veteran biker and fitness trainer. You can see it in her build and her ease on the bike. In her class you know you’re in the care of a pro!

One sentence caught my attention: ‘You want to approach this with calm breath. And at the end, be breathless.’ What a concept! And of course it got me thinking. Breathlessness is a good thing in the context of fitness, especially when followed by a short recuperation period to restore your equilibrium.

So while keeping my legs spinning and exerting effort on the uphill climb, I allow my mind to wonder. How might Colleen’s comment apply to our relationships at work and home? Colleen’s instruction: ‘You want to approach this with calm breath’ resonated deeply, and it got me thinking. ‘Calm vs breathlessness. Mmm. In what other situations can you apply this?’ And of course I immediately think of how we relate to ourselves and others.

I think you’ll agree that breathlessness in our communication with others, is not the goal. It conjures images of someone who is out of control, with a raised voice and temper unleashed with chaotic energy that can set others off or cause them to withdraw from fear. The out-of-control person can be said to speak with forked tongue, rather than with calm breath. In contrast, calm breath reflects that you’re in touch with your inner core which enables you to speak with self-control, self-respect, clarity, and stay intentionally focused on a mutually agreeable outcome.

As I reflect on this, another equally compelling idea comes to mind: ‘Ending also in a state of calm. Wouldn’t that be a worthy goal?’ I include this because I know I can get excitable or reactive sometimes. If you already approach and end all interactions from a calm state, I can learn from you. I know I don’t, especially when it comes to  learning new technology. I get triggered and thrown off-center a lot. Perhaps reading this will confirm that you are on track, and likely easy to be around. For people like me who get reactive under certain circumstances, I need the reminder. If you do too, see if you can recall one situation or relationship in which you get triggered, and apply this to that.

Imagine what your everyday interactions might be like if you approached them from a state of calm and also completed them in a state of calm? What one benefit would this have on your well-being and on the quality of your relationships, at work and home?

My invitation is this: Approach each conversation with calm breath, and complete it also in a calm state. And then begin to notice the results you get.

Need a tip to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions?

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? If you did, I’m wondering if your resolutions are similar to the ones I usually make, namely to improve in areas like spiritual development, exercise and making healthy food choices. If so, how are you doing?

I must confess that this year I did not make any resolutions on New Year’s Day, as mine have often ended up being unrealistic promises. So, this year I decided on a different approach, namely to clearly identify and commit to a couple of practices to take me to the next levels of possibility in my life. How about you?

So, I began by not making any resolution on New Year’s Day.
Instead, I took some time to explore what was missing before. And what came was two words ‘consistency’ and ‘pull’.

While I may have had sincere intentions to follow through with past resolutions, the reason for doing them didn’t have enough ‘pulling power’ for me to keep my commitment to myself.

So that got me thinking about work I’d done in numerous organizations on values, and how values drive behaviour. Bingo! Values are the often-neglected element in resolutions. If you truly want to make a commitment to your goals there needs to be some ‘pull’ from your values.

So, this year I’ll be experimenting with this concept. I’ve identified two domains in which I want to take my game to the next level, namely in the spiritual and the physical. In both of these domains I’ve failed to be consistent. So, this year I have chosen one action I can do per domain to establish a consistent practice.

For example, in the physical domain – we all know that following a regular exercise routine helps to improve one’s level of fitness. So, that’s one area I’ve chosen. Which value does this align with for me? Excellent health. What are the benefits of excellent health as I see it? I want to be able to enjoy walking and jogging and cycling and kayaking with ease, well into my mature years. I want to be able to enjoy travel without stiffness, aches, pains or medication – if possible.

So I figure that increasing my level of fitness on a consistent basis now, will help me achieve greater all round health in the future. Holding that vision is a strong incentive for me to exercise on a more regular basis. Some who know me may argue, ‘oh, but you’ve always been one to exercise’. Well, that’s not quite true. What is true is that my exercise has been sporadic rather than consistent – even though it has included three half-marathons in a period of eighteen years – as you can see, it’s hardly a track record for consistent exercise. It’s consistency that I am now aiming for.

With regard to the spiritual domain, deepening my connection to the Sacred is a deep desire, and yet I miss the mark more often than I like to admit. I’ve come to think of it as my ‘appointment with peace.’ Nothing compares with it! And so, this year by aligning ‘my appointment with peace’ to my value of Spirituality provides me with far more compelling reason to keep my commitment than merely wanting it. Living my values more consistently is how I can take my life to the next levels of possibility. And so can you!

So, here’s my tip for you:
Reflect on the resolution(s) you made on 1 January 2012. And, if you’re having difficulty keeping it, assess if there is a value that you can link it with, so that there’s more ‘pulling power’ to help you to keep your commitment to yourself. The more compelling the value, the more traction your ‘resolution’ will have – but don’t take my word for it. Test this for yourself.
Align a value with the resolution. Align your intentions with your values and actions. And, then, re-visit your value-based resolution on 31 December 2012, and see how you did!

Copyright © Deborah Rossouw of DebSpeaks.com  22 January 2012 – All rights reserved.

She’s Found her Voice. Have you?

She has found her voice, this talented young poet named Monica.

Similar to you, I’ve read loads of tweets, and some share great quotes or provide tips, but Monica doesn’t do either. She shares micro-poems – but not just ordinary poems. Her poems are from her Soul. And they’re of the kind that can take your breath away or can make you breathe in deeply because her words resonate at the core of your being.

It was the latter experience that I had this evening, when I came across Monica’s micro-poems for the first time! As I read them, I felt myself breathing more deeply in recognition of the truth she shares. Her intention [or so I learned later by reviewing her website] is to have people ‘feel’ her words. Wow, could I feel them!

Monica’s voice is her poems which speak on her behalf and open you to worlds of meaning in a few short powerful lines.

Our words can do that – and when we speak them from our true voice we too can open up worlds for others to breathe us in and relax in the ripples we’ve created, consciously, intentionally for good.

Monica’s intention behind her poetry is to have others ‘feel’ her words, and be moved by them.

So, my invitation to you for this week is to get curious about your voice.
What intention can you set that will ensure you bring others to the safety of your shores?

If you enjoyed this post, and are curious to find Monica on Twitter, leave her a message and mention me: @debrossouw – That way we’ll both know how you got to her, and she’ll know I am serious about wanting to promote her. I do!     https://twitter.com/#!/h0ll0wd0ll

Copyright © Deborah Rossouw of DebSpeaks.com 13 January 2012 – All rights reserved.

The Sacred and our True Voice

In an earlier blog post I stated that congruence depends on a right relationship between our self, the sacred and others.

For us to be able to access our true self, which Wayne Dyer calls our Sacred Self, and thus truly find our voice, we need to be in right relationship with ourselves, others and the Sacred, whatever we term the latter to be. So let’s talk about the Sacred.

By the term Sacred, I mean

  • the invisible, life-giving dimension of love, peace, grace, life and truth many of us refer to as ‘God’
  • the Sacred web of Life that connects us to Life, Love, Wisdom, creativity and intelligence
  • all of that which is beyond our wildest comprehension
  • that invisible, enlivening essence beyond our highest imaginings that permeates all of life and bathes us and everything in the universe in its higher dimension spirit-frequency or energy field;
  • that invisible yet undeniable Wisdom ever available for us to tap into, if we care to pause long enough to access this
  • that Life-enhancing spirit-dimension that is ever-ready to support us through our darkest fears;
  • the Mystery and Grace that we become aware of as soon as we stop trying so hard to do it all on our own;
  • that ever-flowing hum in the universe that permeates everything with its Life, Energy and Spirit;
  • that mysterious something that acts like a tuning fork if we care to let it tune us and let it infuse us and stabilize our individual spirit and our collective field or spiritual sensibilities, when we pray or meditate or do yoga or show gratitude or love;

And, I’m aware that my attempt to define this Infinite Source of Life and Love and Wisdom is hugely inadequate. How can one describe the indescribable?

While I call this Sacred dimension, this force for good, this Source of Infinite Intelligence – ‘God’  – you may prefer another term from our modern vernacular, such as: ‘The Sacred’  ‘The Divine’ ‘Life’  ‘The Mystery’, ‘the Allness’ ‘The Oneness, ‘the Holy One’ or ‘The Universe’. Whatever name you choose, there is no denying that this sacred dimension exists and interacts with us in ways we can’t even begin to fully comprehend.

Spirit vs Energy

The terms ‘Energy’ and ‘Spirit’ are also often used interchangeably by many, though for me they are not the same. For me energy and Spirit both exist, and Spirit is more than Energy.

  • Spirit is more personal and engages us in a relationship where Wisdom is imparted, by grace through faith.
  • Energy on the other hand suggests a completely impartial frequency that exists around us but is impersonal – and this is the vernacular that physicists use to describe the sacred dimension in non-spiritual terms.

There is a dynamic relationship between us and this dimension in the universe. And, quantum physics, quantum science and quantum biology are increasingly finding evidence to corroborate what spiritual and religious believers as well as indigenous people’s have long believed in and experienced.
Another term we could coin is the God-Factor!

So, the Sacred is with us, whether we believe it is or not! And, tapping into our multi-dimensional nature – mind, body, spirit and soul – is what is required for us to truly find our voice and step into who we were meant to be so that we can make the contributions we were born to make!

Copyright © Deborah Rossouw of DebSpeaks.com  29 April 2011 – All rights reserved.

 

Finding your voice and the three-legged stool

Finding our voice rests on a three-legged stool of congruence, courage, and commitment, and depends on a relationship between our self, the sacred and others.

When last did you express the ‘true you’ to someone else? How do you know that you did? Seriously, how do you know?
And, when you compare that moment when you felt truly in touch with your inner being, to any other moment,
what differences were you aware of? What do you notice in your body? Where in your body? What do you notice about your voice? What do you notice about the way you relate to others? Have you ever paid attention to these cues?

Many of us grow up learning to mask or hide who we are for fear that if we expressed ourselves more fully others might not like or accept or approve of us.And so, in our effort to self-protect, we get off-center and lose touch with who we really are, thus becoming strangers to ourselves. One outcome of this is that we present to the world a pseudo or substitute self, one that has learned to play the game, to comply, provoke, defend or please. I know this because I too lived this way for a very long time! Over the years I realized that by reacting from my own sense of insecurity, defensiveness and fear I stayed stuck. That didn’t feel good and it didn’t serve me or my relationships. Life provided opportunities for me to learn how to get unstuck and be more true to myself  and that is the work I now support others to do.

Over more than twenty years of working with professional men and women, what has become clear is that whether they are front-line leaders or VP’s, every person wants to be heard, understood and accepted for who they really are, namely intelligent, creative, worthy human beings who deserve to be listened to and taken seriously and to be treated with respect, compassion and dignity. Not so?

Finding our voice is about feeling most like ourselves when we engage with others personally and professionally.
It’s about congruence, about walking our talk. It is about an inner feeling of rightness between who we feel ourselves to be
and living our lives aligned with and in tune with that.

Finding our voice is about embracing the match between what our inner being calls us to be and living that on the outside also. It’s about relating to others from our whole selves – our body, mind, soul and spirit – because we are naturally
multi-dimensional beings. It’s about expressing our innermost self freely, creatively and authentically.

When we make contact with our core identity, we immediately feel the rightness of who we are and in that moment we have access to our most deeply held values and our core self. And, if we express ourselves from this place within, that is when we speak from our true voice, and it’s that quality of inner resonance that attracts and draws others to us. It’s about being in a coherent state – alignment between our head, heart and emotions.
And here’s where a paradox comes in: People sense us long before they’ve even heard our voice. How come? Because ‘our voice’ is so much more than the words we speak!

Finding our voice is about tapping an inner reservoir of wisdom, clarity, power and peace so that we can express ourselves naturally with freedom and confidence! Isn’t that what we all long for? Well, our inner being longs for this too!
What one action will you take to become more congruent?

Copyright © Deborah Rossouw of DebSpeaks.com  1 April 2011 – All rights reserved.