Promise #91: When you leap into the darkness you shed light on your soul

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It’s pretty difficult to physically leap if you don’t spring up from the ground. Try it. Try to leap while you’re standing tall and then try it when you’re squatting down. Chances are you get a better result when you force your body to spring up from down low.

Oddly enough, the same holds true when you just conceptualize leaping. Leaps of faith and leaps into darkness are story-worthy. You gain lessons and insights that are off-limits to non-leapers. And if you ever managed to leap from a point of despair well then your story is priceless.

Many people would rather stay at rock bottom then take a leap of faith. Others would rather chug along doing what they usually do, rather than leaping into the darkness of possibility even though possibility is filled with so much…um…possibility.

I get this. I was raised by a very loving mother and father who, given an ocean of opportunity, would never rock the boat of possibility. In fact, my dad would most likely call to mind the Titanic. Immediately.

In a childish effort to make them crazy, I started leaping as soon as I realized they preferred to remain stationary. And, if you’re prone to leaping then you know, the more you leap, the more likely you are to keep leaping. That is, until life’s responsibilities start to rear their ugly head. That’s when the ship starts sinking.

It took me many years to realize this. Which really isn’t saying much because it took me 40 years to realize that top-shelf liquor really is located on the top shelf in the liquor store. Ahem.

I started getting the itch to leap again when I realized I was anchored by to-dos and to-don’ts. It had nothing to do with a bottle of Stoli. I swear. I just started thinking…why not? What could happen? If you don’t leap into the darkness, will you ever really find the light?

I can safely answer: hell no.

Leap, 29 Empowering Promises Worth Making With Your Soul, is an e-book about finding your light and shining it on your soul. It’s packed with motivational thoughts and ideas to help you reintroduce the notion of risk, the power of growth, the strength of passion.

My dad is aghast. He said he can’t believe that every promise is exactly the opposite of anything he ever tried to teach me. This is true.

Yet, I sail on.

Grab your copy of Leap and the risk-friendly, launch-sale price. And tell me—are you a leaper? What was your greatest leap of all time?

 

Promise #90: You are perfect

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There is no other way to be you than the way that you are you.

And that’s what makes you perfect. If you think you need to change, then change, but know this: you won’t become more perfect or most perfect or perfecter or perfectest. You’ll still be you, only different. Not more or less of anything.

Just tuck this in the front and back of your beautiful brain: nobody does you as perfectly as you.

You are always exactly what you need to be right now.

Promise #89: You have the time to rock the world

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There comes a day when you realize you haven’t really realized anything yet

when now becomes more important than yesterday and matters twice as much as tomorrow

when love blossoms more often than it fades

when forgiveness burrows deep and takes its seat inside your soul

when big hellos and swallowing hugs remind you how much you are needed here and now

and that’s when you start to realize the magnitude of it all

the magnetic flow of good around you

the dizzying potential for growth

the joy of side-cramping-belly laughter and deeply deep-seated love

the sheer intensity of knowing that you are put on this earth to realize and be realized

and that somewhere in that moment

you have the time

you always have the time

to rock the world

Promise #88: Command Attention

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Did you know the best way to command attention from a dog is to simply ignore the dog? No eye contact. No squatting down to say hello. No petting. No weird-baby-dog-talk. Nothing.

Apparently, this lack of interest alerts the dog that you large and in charge. Your body language communicates that you simply can’t be bothered by his neediness. And so, instead of jumping on you he’ll just wander around…sniffing, investigating, circling your b-e-i-n-g in an awestruck-kind-of-way. He’ll still try to get your attention, but he won’t knock you over in the process. He might knock over a garbage can, like my buddy in the picture, but it’s easier to clean up garbage than recover from a fall.

Really. No joke. It works.

The challenge lies in ignoring the dog. It’s difficult to shift your attention when he’s jumping up and down, barking, acting like a crazed puppy.

Sometimes you just can’t help yourself…

The dog jumps and you react. The more you react the more the dog jumps. The dog is in charge of that situation, not you, because the dog is creating an action that gains a response. In an insanely oversimplified way…this makes the dog the leader and you the knee-jerk reactor.

You are what you react to.

We all want to be noticed on some level, by someone. We’re pack creatures, too. In any circle you can find someone in charge and a tribe of followers. As people try to shift positions and get ahead they’re moving forward, or backward, based upon the reactions they receive.

Leadership is a state of mind.

Leaders know what to react to and what to ignore. They know where to focus their attention and how to gain attention for their focus. They move forward with focus and intention.

When they do this their pack responds with shared vision and support for their mission because that’s the only way that the leader will pay attention or pat them on the back or celebrate their brilliance.

This creates a healthy relationship in any zone—home, office, friends, school—because if they’re not reacting to every-single-itty-bitty-attention-grabbing ploy then they’re creating meaningful interactions.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss; other times, it’s just pure brilliance.

 

Promise #87: Go bananas on giving

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A few months ago I entered into a twitter conversation of sorts with Amy Palko.

Amy had just put up a new header for her blog and tweeted for feedback. I’d been following Amy on twitter for a while. She was part of the tribe over at Roots of She. All. Good. Stuff.

Anyway, I saw her new header and the marketer in me immediately tweeted her back and asked, “Can I pleaaaaaaaaase help you?” It was probably the fifth conversation we shared on twitter, at best. But in reading her posts, being familiar with her voice and completely relating to her about page there was just something that immediately triggered inside me and urged me to just ask.

She agreed. We exchanged a few emails. I sent her a header. She sent me a little goddess guidance as a thank you. All. Good. Stuff.

We connected again right before the holiday. I decided to join her goddess guidance group on Facebook.

Whoa.

Now. I realize this sort of thing isn’t right for everybody. So, I’ll just say this…if you’re the least bit intrigued, either send me an email or just join the group for a month. This is not an affiliate post. I have nothing to gain from you joining, other than getting to know you in that circle of energy. You, on the other hand, have everything to gain.

Amy’s created a sacred space full of generous, supportive, smart, funny souls.

In a recent post she suggested we join her in 29 days of random kindness. I’m all in for that sort of goodness, because I so strongly believe in the power of giving freely without expectation or hope of reward. And that’s because every time I do give, every time, I’m reminded that good begets good.

I shared the 29 days of kindness thought with my husband and added that I thought I’d show up here, in this twisted space, every day for the next 29 days. He questioned my ability to do that (he knows me) and although I already proved him right by missing yesterday…I’m in a game-on sort of mood today.

So let me catch up.

Yesterday, on the first day of giving I baked up my boys’ favorite breakfast: banana bread. I dragged my tired bum to the kitchen and started cooking it up right after launching my newly-reworked ink engage website (see, I was a little busy yesterday).

Today, I launched a giveaway on ink engage for 5 lucky business owners to cash in on fearless consulting. If you have a business or you’re thinking of starting one, enter to win. You have nothing to lose.

If you don’t have a business and would never think of entering then you’re probably wondering: what the heck, what about me?

You might want to stick around for the next 28 days. On February 29th I’m launching my first e-book in this space. I’m writing it just for you. Here’s a peak at the cover…

 

In the meantime, though, I’m sharing my banana bread recipe and hoping to inspire you to spend the next 28 days sharing your own goodness with the world.

 

What’s your story? Are you in?