Integrity 02/05/2010
 
"Integrity is the ability to listen to a place inside oneself that doesn't change, even though the life that carries it may change."  Mark Nepo.. "The Exquisite Risk: Daring to Live an Authentic Life."

As it snows outside my window, a snow that is predicted to blanket us with 18-24 inches of snow, I find myself going "in:" quiet, reading, comfort food, family, and reflection seem fond companions.  Yesterday we were in Florida, enjoying sunshine, color, and wearing shorts, and today I'm in layers, a hat, (and I'm inside!!)....... 

I was recently introduced to Mark Nepo and love his prose and poetry.  It is perhaps no coincidence that the book and Mark came into my life.  At yet another time of transition (career and lifestyle), living authentically and with integrity seems paramount to me.  Mark states: "the exquisite risk is a doorway, then, that lets us experience the extraordinary in the ordinary.  It is always near."  To live authentically, to discover our dreams and passions, and to believe that we have the power to make them come true......  as I leave the security of the corporate world and move into the consulting arena, I find myself excited and scared to death at the same time.  I went for a hike a week or two ago, to "clear my head."  The first hour was heavenly........  until I got lost, couldn't find the trail, and had no idea which direction to go in.......  thanks to my IPhone (thank you Apple), I used the map and compass to find my way back to my car.

After initial self beatings, I was able to reframe my experience to: "Sometimes the path isn't always clear, and there are obstacles (like mud and water) in the way, yet, if your vision is clear, and you use guides along the way, you do reach you goal!"  Isn't the power of thought amazing??

So, what does this have to do with integrity?  To listen to the wisdom within and to give it voice...... despite the reaction you may receive from others.....  to act courageously, to say what may be unpopular..... yet is true to who you are and what you believe.....  I am discovering that I like myself when I act accordingly...and have the utmost respect for others who can model the way!

If you're in my neck of the woods, wishing you a warm, safe, peaceful, weekend with friends, family, and animal spirits.  If you're not, take a moment and pause......  appreciate the wisdom within........  I am celebrating with you!
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Giving Thanks! 11/27/2009
 
"The store was closed so I went home and hugged what I own."  Brooks Palmer

How I wish I heeded this advice!  "Black Friday....." the day when people forget about the simple pleasures of food, family, warmth, and gratitude and rush out to beat others to that one or several sale items! While I wish I could say I resisted the tremendous pull to the stores, I didn't and found myself awake and out of the house by 6:30am.  And, yes, I wasn't the only one!  I landed at Walmart at around 7:30am and have never seen the parking lot as full as it was today!  The good news is that it did require me to burn off a few extra calories from yesterday.... in having to park at a distance.  The register lines were full and people seemed content to stand in line with "all the money they 'saved,' while texting or reading messages on their cell phones.

Alas, I didn't find that one item that I had rushed out to get and was once, again, reminded that we can be so easily manipulated!

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about creating my future vs. "reacting" to it....  moving toward something vs. running away from something.  Whenever I can align my time and energy with what I'd like to move towards, I find I am most happy or content.  I think I'll spend the rest of the day doing just that......  writing, reflecting, exercising, and being grateful for "that which I already own."

Wishing you many blessings this Thanksgiving and always!

Joy
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"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation."  

 Robert F. Kennedy

I found this quote in a book I'm reading called: "The Blue Sweater:  Bridging the Gap between  Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World."  (Jacqueline Novogratz, Rodale books: 2009).  Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit venture capital firm for the poor that invests in sustainable enterprises, bringing healthcare, safe water, alternative energy, and housing to low-income people in the developing world.  The title from the book is a result of the "coincidence" of the author finding a blue sweater that she donated to Goodwill twenty-five years earlier,  on the back of a little boy in Rwanda.  Coincidence??  Or evidence of the "small," connected world in which we live?  As with Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org, these brave and generous women are cultivating sustainability (the microfinance loans offered through Kiva have a 98% repayment rate), in underserved populations and geographic areas.

What both of these organizations have in common is the knowledge that sustainability does not happen with "handouts" and gifts.  Sustainability and empowerment happens with responsibility, accountability, honest work, and fair trade.  "Gifts" do nothing to foster self-esteem and the self worth that comes from accomplishment.  In our connected world, a $25 loan can dramatically improve someone's life! (see banner on "guiding principles" page)

What are your thoughts about fostering connection and self-sufficiency??
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