" Bring Me Your Cup … "

I'm heading home like a steaming train
Foot to the floor in the driving rain
My head is aching and my mouth is dry ... 

I've got the bottle, bring me your cup
Pop the cork and try a sup
And when you're empty, I'll fill you up
We'll drink it down till the sun comes up
We'll drink it down till the sun comes up ...

~ Ub40 ~ Bring Me Your Cup ~

***

We are always trying fill what is empty ... houses, cups, closets, spaces.  But do we take as much care to fill our cup emotionally and spiritually, do we nourish ourselves first in order to help others?

Some people are really good at doing this, and I’ve ... become better.  I realized that emptiness is a good thing, because it allows me to remove what I don’t want so that there is room for what I do want.  Sounds simple enough but can be difficult to put into practice.

How so? ...  you get caught up in other people’s needs, you deliver beyond expectations ... and you have little let for yourself.  You then find yourself asking who is keeping tabs on you to make sure your needs are met?  who is making sure you are okay?  who is filling your cup?  Obviously, how you live your days, how you work, how you act, how you think and the decisions you make all come from ... self.   

Plain and simple, it is up to you … you cater to your needs, your responsibility, your life.

Before you can really learn something you have to empty your cup 

~ Zen Master

I’ve been learning that our need for an “empty cup” is actually the basis of everything ... because it represents an open mind.  Habitually, we try to put things on top of tings, never removing the true barriers that don’t work for us.  An example ... basing our actions no the past and holding people as well as ourselves to a behaviour or way of being that might no longer be present.

Rather fulFILL your cup with what fulFILLS you … 

embrace what feels true to you & nourish your soul

" Courage ... "

Watch the band through a bunch of dancers.

Quickly, follow the unknown

With something more familiar.

Quickly, something familiar.

Courage, my word. It didn't come. It doesn't matter ... 

Simple explanation

For anything important any of us do.

And, yeah, the human tragedy

Consists in the necessity

Of living with the consequences.

Under pressure. Under pressure.

Courage, my word. It didn't come. It doesn't matter.

~ Tragically Hip ~ Courage ~

***

Feeling like it was time to re-fuel my soul, I've been watching Tony Robbins on Oprah’s Life class.  And it has helped me gain a new perspective around “living with courage”.  Living a fearless life really equates living with courage.  From the first moment when Tony walked on stage, he exposed the myth of living a fearless life. 

Tony said, "There's no such thing. Fear is a natural instinct that we are born with. Living fearlessly isn't necessarily accurate. You can't live a totally fearless life, because if you're never afraid, you can't be courageous. To have real courage, you have to be afraid of something."

Makes sense right?  And we may not realize that we are always stepping outside our comfort zones ... as we experience life changing events.  Change is inevitable.  So accepting fear instead of ignoring it is the first step as a reminder to embrace and accept that we are human. 

Now ever think of courage as a muscle?  Not me.  Yet  master life coach Tony Robbins says that “courage is a muscle that has to be strengthened”.  We can work this muscle as we set ourselves up for success by working at living a courageous life ... a constant work in progress ... a lifestyle that takes practice.

I realized that it is important for me to understand where the fear is coming from first instead of convincing myself that I am not afraid.  I need to face my fear head on.  That in itself is a scary thought ... afraid to face your fear.  But when you do, you can begin to understand where your story originates from.   Then you have have the ability to change it, if you have a strategy ... an individual approach to deal with your fear.

Thanks to Oprah & Tony, I have been re-affirmed to strengthen my courage muscle by continuing to work on my state of mind in my current journey with cancer ... not to just survive but to thrive by continue to take all that powerful fear energy and transform it, redirect it and focus on healing, nurturing, loving and living.

My Daily Mantra: Everything I want is on the other side of fear