An Empowering Space

This poem is an invitation to live life fully, to design and create a life that makes us feel fully alive - to be totally present to our life, to risk, to love, to share, to connect on a deeper level with ourselves, with others and with our own spirituality. An invitation to redesign your life.

“The Invitation“

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

by
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
copyright © 1999 by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

What Empowering Step will you take today to live more fully?

I was sent this email this morning and wanted to share this with my readers.  The author is unknown to me so if anyone knows the origin of the email I would like to give the proper acknowledgements.

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2
thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the
violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed.. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3..5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour:

Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

What is our criteria for recognizing talent?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made….

What else are we missing?

• Who am I when I am alone?
• What have I given up on in my life?
• How do I sabotage myself?
• What are my strengths and weaknesses?
• How do I learn?
  
• If I knew I could not fail, I would……
• If I could do anything in the world, it would be…..

How well do you really know yourself? Are you aware of your thoughts, your beliefs, your motivations? Why do you choose to do some of the things you do? How do your thoughts and words impact your emotions? What is the impact of your words on others?

Developing self awareness does not happen through reading self help books.  This may help, as it opens your mind to new thoughts,  ways of thinking,  and new perspectives, but who is really the expert. YOU.

Developing self awareness is a skill that requires patience, persistence, presence, and compassion. Self awareness is a practice. Through inquiry, we increase our power of observation.

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.” - Tao- Tzu

Join me, Lydia Mattison, the host of Empowering Space - Your Hour of Power

Thursday 23rd July at 8:00pm EST as I discuss this topic with an expert Sheila Radha.

Sheila’s titles are many and diversified: A Spiritual guide, Philosopher, Truth seeker, Aritist, Dancer, Lover of Life.  She describes herself as a seeker of truth, equality and human justice. She has been a transformation counselor for 36 years.  Her purpose is to assist people in coming to clarity and alleviating their suffering, so their innate joy, wisdom, and beauty will arise.  She has created an interactive website that teaches you the skills you need to create the life you desire, using both audios to guide you through each of learning sessions, as well as PDF files. She believes that it is an effective way to learn how to create: clear communication, loving relationships, abundance, high self esteem, self confidence, and greater self awareness.

Her site is www.lifemasteyskills.com and you can find her blog at http://lifemasteryskills.com/blog/wordpress

Please join in the conversation “Power of self awareness” on 23rd July at 8:00pmEST by calling 347 215 8414.

Come experience the power of self awareness as she shares some of her tips and exercises with us.

REALIZATION

A time comes in your life when you finally get it.
When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out ENOUGH.
This is your awakening.
You realize that it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate, or approve of who or what you are – and that’s OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.)
And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the process a sense of new-found confidence is born of self-approval.
You learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in the process a sense of peace and contentment are born of forgiveness.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. And you begin reassessing and redefining who you are what you really stand for.
You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with and in the process you learn to go with your instincts.
You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive.
You learn that you don’t know everything.
Then you learn about love - romantic love and familiar love, how to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away.
You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship.
You learn that you will not be, more handsome, more intelligent, more loveable or important because of the person on your arm or the child that bears your name. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations, and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with love. And you learn that you don’t have the right to demand love on your terms, just to make you happy.

And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely.

Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever to settle for less than your hearts desire. You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to trust, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

Finally, with courage in your heart you take a stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Author unknown.икони

What is the Enneagram? Definitely not another personality test that pigeonholes people.  It is a map of the inner worlds of nine distinct perspectives from which people act and respond to life.  It shows us our strengths, limitations, habits of attention and responses.  It helps you step out of the box which limits you - “your point of view.”

When some one does something we wouldn’t do, have you ever caught yourself saying or wondering “What in the world were they thinking?” Their actions surprise us, because their actions would not flow from our inner worlds and our viewpoint.

Thursday 4th of September at 8:00pm EST, I will have a wonderful guest to share with you on An Empowering Space - Your Hour of Power.

Dr. Roxanne Howe-Murphy’s work  inspires, deepens and animates that which is the best within us by focusing on healthy adult psychological and spiritual development. She is deeply committed to helping people wake-up to their true nature and heal, and uses the awakening and integrative body of wisdom called the Enneagram to support that process.

She founded LifeWise Learning Institute, an executive and life coaching company in 1997. She is an author, Enneagram Teacher and Coach. Roxanne is also the Director of the Enneagram Institute of the San Francisco Bay Area.

She teaches the Enneagram through classes, workshops, and retreats, and is an authorized teacher of the teachings of Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson, preeminent Enneagram teachers and authors of the best-selling Enneagram books.

Roxanne’s latest book, Deep Coaching: Using the Enneagram as a Catalyst for Profound Change, was written to support coaches and other professionals in integrating the Enneagram into their practices. The book has been well-received internationally and is being translated into Korean. Roxanne founded the Deep Coaching Training Program to further coaching professional development. ( Her book can be purchased in the Coaching section of my online store)

Her website is www.lifewisecoaching.com

Come enter an Empowering Space, where we will answer any questions on the Enneagram.  The number to call is 347 215 8414.  Come expand your world, remove the veil of your enneagram type and see how the enneagram can transform your life and relationships.

Deep coaching

Free Enneagram Institute Quest Test

Introduction to the Enneagram

Stepping out of the Box

The Stages of the Work