" Quiet … "

There's not a sound 

Outside the snow's coming down 

And somehow I can't seem to find 

The quiet inside my mind 

3:02 

The space in this room 

Has turned on me 

And all my fears have cornered me here 

The volume's down 

Blue lights are dancing around 

And still, I can't seem to find 

The quiet inside my mind 

~ John Mayer ~ Quiet ~

***

Say something authentic rather than something impressive.  Good advice ... probably needed on regular basis ... but hard to practice.  Think about it how much humans loves to hear themselves talk and talk ...

Sometimes its best to stay quiet ...

...Silence can speak volumes without ever saying a word

Blogs ... Instagram ... Facebook ... Twitter ... Pinterest ... Vimeo ... the list goes on in a way we can “communicate” with each other, yet do we really feel heard, acknowledged or received?  Guilty of performing a monologue, I have learned to keep my mouth shut and my ears open ... yeah, even with a blog (where do you think all the thoughts come from?).  You learn a great deal about people, life and really the world when you get out of your head, your own way and allow life to just happen with minimal resistance.

"Never miss a good chance to shut up"

~ Will Rogers ~

I recently read that “Effective communication is when we reach an understanding after a well-placed pause ... when we step back and listen to others and ourselves.  And it about having the ability to recognize when we are talking too much and listening too little ... which erodes the depth and importance of conversations.”

I feel It is not about being reserved or passive ... it is about being actively silent, by choice.  And with intention, we can choose to approach moments with practice patience and silence ... 

Moments of anger

where our mouth moves faster than our brain, making a bad situation worse.  

Moments of void

where there is temptation to fill the silence rather than allowing space to simply process the information 

Moments of rightness

where we take a stand and argue its virtues  without consideration of another perspective

Moments of ignorance

where we don’t really know much about the topic but feel we need to contribute to look intelligent

In theory, this rocks ... but in practice it is so so hard.  Yet once we get away from a more self-indulgent response, we can then slowly begin to say something authentic rather than something impressive …

" So-Called Chaos ... "

Heartburn and headaches and soon-to-be ulcers

Compulsive yearnings non-stop to please others ...

Line towing, and helping, expectations up to living

Inside box obeying, inside line coloring ...

I want to invite this so called chaos, 

that you'd think I dare not be

I want to be weightless, 

flying through the air

I want to drop all these limitations and 

return to what I was born to be

~ Alanis Morissette ~ So-Called Chaos ~

***

Everyday Chaos.  I use to think that is what described life and how it was spent.  The real world going in and out of focus, entirely affected by my emotions, senses and desires.  Thinking I could cope, thinking I could manage ... and then feeling overwhelmed, disenchanted and disconnected from my actual experience of living.  

Limbo land and the paralysis it brings by what you perceive as a complication, an uncertainty, unpredictable in nature and full of shock and surprises.  Personally, at times the more I thought about trying to plan my future, the more stressed and anxious I would become.  Stress had become the new norm and anxiety my new best friend.  

Everyday chaos is unsettling so it is natural to want to do something, anything  to ease the pain or escape the discomfort.  Yet when your thoughts are muddled and your emotions control you, your decisions don’t reflect the rational thinking you are capable of.  And so you are driven by chaos.

And what brings chaos ... the turbulence of change.  It is a state of foggy thinking, out of focus, physical stress and emotions that are different from what is considered typical.

Only when I allowed faith and knowledge of my authentic self to clear the way, 

I moved through this physical experience ...

In the midst of chaos, I learned a strategy that seems to work ... not to do anything that I couldn’t undo ... not to make any irreversible decisions I might regret later.  Some view it as denial, others as insanity.  But for me, it is far preferable to wait till the chaos diminishes before taking action.

I have learned that no matter how bad chaos is in the moment, I feel better once I stop and live in the gap ... the gap between what has happened and what I am going to do about it.  I need to put off doing “something” about it to avoid having serious repercussions.  In the past, my reaction to chaos has had consequences I regret. 

Now I consciously scatter fragments of anxiety and fear.  Now I consciously give no power to the chaos outside of me.  Now I consciously remind myself that the present moment is all that is, all that will ever be.  Now I consciously embrace the NOW and just be.

You control you mind, your mind does not control you.  Knowing how to deal with uncertainty is fully realizing that life has always been unpredictable and full of chaos.  Life can be complicated and fast.   Life is impermanence and imperfect.  My life is no more or less than anyone elses and things have a way of working out in the end ... and so it is.

live in divine chaos, 

embrace it, 

forgive yourself, 

breathe, and enjoy the ride

" The Voice Within ... "

When you're safe inside your room, you tend to dream

Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems

No one ever wants or bothers to explain

Of the heartache life can bring and what it means ...

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed

It's so hard to stand your ground when you're so afraid

No one reaches out a hand for you to hold

When you look outside, look inside to your soul

When there's no one else, look inside yourself

Like your oldest friend, just trust the voice within

Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way

If you will learn to begin to trust the voice within

~ Christina Aguilera ~ The Voice Within ~

***

We had the amazing opportunity to experience ... 
“An Evening with Oprah”.

The most influential woman in the world.  
Truly an EPIC night.  

Oprah asked us why we were there, as she said, the ultimate question.  She has been called and was there to remind us we’ve all been called too.  Inspiring, motivating and enchanting, Oprah relied on her faith in God to encourage us to hear our calling and step closer to fulfilling our purpose. 

As she shared with us her life story, she emphasized the common thread that has taken her from Mississippi to Nashville to Chicago to eventually to us in Calgary.  Her guide is her inner GPS, that little voice.  “That little voice, where we are all equal .. the voice speaks to us equally”.

She reminded us of the whispers ... "I say the universe speaks to us, always, first in whispers. And a whisper in your life usually feels like ‘hmm, that’s odd.’ Or, ‘hmm, that doesn’t make any sense.’ Or, ‘hmm, is that right?’ It’s that subtle. And if you don’t pay attention to the whisper, it gets louder and louder and louder. I say it’s like getting thumped upside the head. If you don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that-the brick wall falls down. That is the pattern that I see in my life and so many other people’s lives. And so, I ask people, ‘What are the whispers? What’s whispering to you now?"

This really resonated with me.  Reflecting on what is really going on in my world, I can’t help but see instances and situations that appear to be a “sign”.  Hindsight ~ you realize there were clues that led you here, today.  And most often these communications are our intuition ... gut instinct.

Oprah talked a great deal on intuitive communication and how it plays a significant role in guiding us through our lives.   Yet, how clearly it communicates and how clearly you understand the message depends on whether you tune in regularly and whether you trust the message.

Intuition ... during those quiet moments, ideas and directions popping into my thoughts, strong emotions and feelings alerting me towards a better path ...

There are times we feel that we know better, with rational thoughts and intellectual strategies, to work life out.  And for some this is all you need ... but I am learning that planning a life without consulting my intuition can results in a plan that doesn’t “fit” who I am.  And as Oprah asked ... “Who are you?” ... not the roles you play, but “Do you know who you really are?”

Life is always communicating with us through our internal intuition and through external physical signs and symbols.  So why then is it a whisper?  Because we rarely trust what we see, hear and feel.  We live in a world dominated by rational thought.  

Check your belief systems ...

We should work on developing and listening to our intuition and the energy of the universe.  Trusting this guidance and acting on it.  As we listen to this voice, the insights it articulates will likely become clearer even when worldly distractions threaten to drown it.

Oprah talked about seeking the wisdom that lies within through quiet reflection.  She accesses that quiet inner voice often which guides her forward in a mindful manner.  She is an example of how this has provided her a “glorious” life, a life she has chosen to share with us through service, a paradigm shift, where the magic happens.

So realize that there is more to us and our intellect and that we have all the guidance we need.  There are parts of us and our universe that we cannot see, know or yet understand.  Yet if we practice tuning in, following the guidance we can witness the mini miracles in our lives.  So ask yourself, what are you whispers and what's whispering to you now ...

❤ Thank-you Oprah for your radiant energy, guiding light 

... and spreading so so much LOVE ❤