“My business is not to remake myself, but make the absolute best of what God made.”  Robert Browning

Sarah shares with us how Julia Cameron refers to prayer as switching on “spiritual electricity.”  I love what she says about the electricity being turned on when she asked, but that she stayed in the dark when she didn’t ask.

This is a good reminder for all of us.  Personally, I tend not to “ask.”  I pray like crazy for my loved ones, but I don’t ask for much for myself, fearing that it would be selfish to do so.  I do the positive thinking and recitations to myself before I go to sleep, but I don’t ask God for things that I am dreaming about.

Why is that?  Is this part of my issue of always trying to be a pleaser, not wanting to bother anyone, including God?  I am going to try Sarah’s suggestion.  I am going to begin turning on the light today with prayers for my daily life.  I am excited to see what God has in store for me, and how this will bring me closer to my authentic self that He created me to be!  Will you try it with me?

Shalom!

“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.”  Oscar Wilde

Sarah talks about the calm, reassuring confidence we can experience when we allow ourselves to be our authentic selves.  As we are discovering, it is possible to become our authentic selves, but it takes time and effort.  It takes being present.  Present in the little things, and present in the big things.  Meditation.  Appreciating nature.  Taking the dog for a walk.   Dealing with loss and disappointment.

While walking my dog today, something came to me without any effort on my part.  I was just walking, enjoying the beautiful day.  But the difference was, instead of trying to hurry up and get the walk over with so that I could get back to work, I was present, enjoying the experience.  With that being present, I was hearing the whispers of my inner voice.

As I am becoming more in touch with my authentic self, I am trying to be healthier too.  Cutting foods out of my diet that do not do anything positive for my body, like processed foods, wheat and dairy.  I’ve started juicing.  As I follow this Simple Abundance path, I have more respect for who I am, and with that respect comes a desire to take better care of myself.  Not eating processed foods, or foods with preservatives in them, means taking more time for food preparation, but that allows me time to enjoy being in my beautiful kitchen, enjoying the process of the preparation.  Being present.

“Watch.  Wait.  Time will unfold and fulfill its purpose.  While we wait, we must not go unconscious.  We must think and grow.  Rejoice and dream, but kneel and pray.  There is holiness in the air today; we are giving birth to goddesses.”  Marianne Williamson

Shalom!

“Perhaps loving something is the only starting place there is for making your life your own.”  Alice Koller

I like Sarah’s suggestions for window shopping to discover our style.  When it comes to personal style in the home, I don’t need to window shop to figure out my style there.  I know who I am and what I like.  The picture posted here comes from my kitchen, and it shows a lot of who I am in this one shot – I love color.  I love the color and warmth that comes from pottery, candles, fruit in a bowl.  I am a musician (as is my husband) and have pieces throughout the house that can attest to that fact, like in this print on the wall.

When it comes to clothing, I am not as clear as I used to be.  Interestingly, I read a blog recently here http://wordpress.com/read/post/id/61426429/27/ that talks about looking in your closet and finding your “go to” items to discover your style.  My problem – there is nothing in my closet that really feels like me.  Everything I buy, I buy to please someone else – business clothes for the law firm where I used to work; dresses because Mary Kay says consultants are supposed to wear dresses; “gig” clothes for how I thought I should dress to impress when I was playing out … you get the idea.  The one thing in my closet that really feels like me?  A pair of faded holey jeans.  I don’t think I can wear them to sell real estate though – I do have to be professional, even if I am being my authentic self!

I haven’t shopped in a long time because I’ve been “on the wagon.”  I am excited to take Sarah’s suggestion to go window shopping and find my style, so that when I am able to shop I’ll know what to buy that suits the authentic me instead of who I think everyone expects me to be.  Will you join me?

Shalom!

P.S.  If you are new to these posts, Transforming 2014 is an online book club of sorts.  We are reading Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book, Simple Abundance:  A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, together so that 2014 can be a transformative year for all of us.  Use the comment section to inspire fellow readers or share your difficulties so that we can support you.  You can find Sarah’s book on Amazon, and it is available in the Kindle version as well!

“Expect nothing less than signs and wonders to follow.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Are you one to go on excursions alone?  I know that most people really don’t like to venture out without company.  I have always enjoyed doing things alone.  Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to be alone all the time, but I do enjoy shopping and doing things solo.

A few years ago I went to a conference in Montreal.  I had never been there, and I went two days early so that I could take in the sights before the conference started.  I was alone, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it was.  It was a time to go deep inside and visit with myself, because there was no one else to chatter with.  I walked, took in the surroundings, shopped, and dined in the fancy hotel restaurant.  Alone.  For two days.  In another country.  I’m telling you, you can do it.

If you are a local Lakelander, there are plenty of little one-hour excursions nearby.  Hollis Gardens is a place I like to go to wander, take photos, and just think.  Walking Lake Hollingsworth is another obvious favorite.  Lakeside Village is a great place to window shop and wander.  For most of us here in Florida, there is a beach within an hour’s drive away, and what better place to get reacquainted with yourself than sitting and watching the waves in our beautiful Florida sunshine?  (Sorry northerners.)

What do you think?  Will you give yourself the gift of some time to be alone outside of the four walls that enclose you?

Shalom!

“Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.”  Woman’s Home Companion, December 1935

Isn’t that funny?  We think our lives today are so crazy compared to “way back when,” but in 1935, they thought their world had gotten pretty hectic.  Apparently, no matter what age you live in, it is more hectic than the last.  So how do we find peace, and time to stop and smell the roses?

 “Joyful simplicities nourish body and soul by engaging our senses.  They teach us how to live in the present moment.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

As someone who grew up thinking that a wife and mother has a duty to be busy working every minute, learning to live in the present and take time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life has been a process.  It is something I work at every day.  I do better at it some days than others.  Danny is so good at it.  He has a real skill for living in the present.  He can stop whatever he is doing to enjoy a moment with a loved one or to help me or the kids, regardless of what timeline he is on.  Me, I worry about where I’m supposed to be, don’t wanna be late … and I just had an aha moment … I think part of that comes from worrying about displeasing someone.  It is a fine balance, living in the present, and meeting your obligations when you need to be someplace at a scheduled time.

“As we become curators of our own contentment on the Simple Abundance path, one of the great payoffs is that we start to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.”  SBB

Curators of our own contentment.  Don’t you just love that?  What are you doing to become a curator of your own contentment? What joyful simplicities have you discovered that bring you personal comfort and a sense of well being?  Will you share them with us?

Shalom!

“Almost always it is the fear of being ourselves that brings us to the mirror.” Antonio Porchia

I have to be honest, I don’t have much to say about Sarah’s “golden mirror.” The mirror idea doesn’t really work for me. I do agree with part of Antonio Porchia’s quote though, that we have a fear of being ourselves.

I like Sarah’s concept, but for me, sitting in meditation and listening to the whispers of my heart and hearing God’s message for me is where I can find myself. When I listen for God’s voice, I do feel the light of Love surrounding me. I feel the weight of the world lift from my shoulders like a butterfly, and I am secure in the knowledge that I was created to be exactly who I am and that God’s plan for me is better than anything I could ever imagine.

I feel great excitement, this knowing that there is something wonderful planned for me. It takes away the pressure of trying to figure it out for myself when I know that He already has it taken care of. And I find an inner confidence that I don’t always feel, when I take that time to sit quietly and remember that He created me to be just the way He wanted me to be.

I read a quote on a church billboard yesterday. It said, “Do you have enemies? Good – that means you’ve actually taken a stand on something in your life.” I love that. It is a good reminder as I work at being my authentic self and stop trying so hard to please everyone.

Shalom!

“The greatest secret to living a happy and fulfilled life is the realization that everything is created in our minds before it manifests itself in the outer world.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I know this to be true.  I am blessed by so many positive things in my life today, and I imagined every single one of them into being.  So now, I am so excited to see my dreams of today come into being tomorrow!

“You have to know what you’re digging for before X can mark the spot.”  SBB

What are you creating in your mind today for your future tomorrow?

“Put your ear down to your soul and listen hard.”  Anne Sexton

If you listen to Anne’s advice, your soul’s deepest desires will manifest themselves in your life!

Shalom!

“The key to loving how you live is in knowing what it is you truly love.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Profound, isn’t it?  As I am embarking on this journey, one thing I discovered about myself is that I didn’t know a whole lot about myself – my likes and dislikes, where I stand on some issues, etc.  I have spent so much of my life living to please others that I didn’t have a strong enough foundation in who I am and what I stand for.  One thing I do know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is that I have a God who loves me and has a plan for my life.  But He has blessed me with free will, so I decided it is time I figured out how I as an individual desire to use that free will outside of the influence of others and the desire to please them.

“To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive.”  Robert Louis Stevenson

I love, love, love Robert’s quote.  I am going to try the illustrated discovery journal as Sarah suggests, but there will probably be more words, quotes, and articles than pictures, because defining who I am as a person is what I really need to discover.  As an artist, I know what pleases me visually.  Now my mission is to continue discovering what it is I want to stand for intellectually.  Love, kindness, honesty, integrity – these I know for sure.  But what about the complexities of an individual beyond that?

Maya Angelou will show someone the door if she hears so much as a whisper from them that is negative toward another human being.  Literally.  She will get them their coat and walk them right out.  She will not allow that negativity to permeate her walls.  Can you imagine?  Oh how I would love to have the strength of character to do that.  I worry so much about protecting family relationships, afraid to rock the boat, that I tend to say nothing.  I won’t participate in the negativity, but I don’t speak up against it, condoning it by omission.  That is one of my goals for this year, to become better at taking a stand on things and voicing my opinion.

I think as one’s identity is developed through the use of the illustrated discovery journal, it will help to create an inner confidence that supports this desire to take a stand more often.  What about you?  How will  you use the illustrated discovery journal?

Shalom!

“What I was doing was not so much recording the events in my life as much as eliminating the mental minutiae that was depleting me of my creative energy and driving me crazy.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

As much as I love to write, I have never been good about keeping a journal.  I’ve started one – I can’t tell you how many times – but I never stick with it long enough for it to become a habit.

“I call this ritual the daily dialogue because you are really conversing with someone much wiser and saner as you write:  your authentic self.” SBB

Maybe part of my problem has been that I buy these beautiful journals and want my writing to be this fabulous prose.  I’m going to try Sarah’s suggestion, and use a simple spiral notebook to just empty my brain of my thoughts, and see what results I get by reaching Sarah’s 21-day goal.  Will you join me?

Shalom!

“Give yourself the gift of one hour a day to journey within.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

This sounds like a luxury that would be hard to achieve to me, and I am sure it does to most of you as well.  I absolutely agree with Sarah though.

“You need enough breathing space to allow your heart to ponder what is precious.” SBB

I started small, getting up 15-30 minutes early to have time for prayer and meditation before jumping head-first into my day.  I can tell you unequivocally that it makes a tremendous difference in how my day goes and what I am able to accomplish.  This quiet time helps me to set the stage for the day, and I find myself being much more present in each moment when I start my day this way.

“If you go deep enough, often enough, something good is bound to come back to you.”  SBB

Will you give it a try?  Let us know how it goes!

Shalom!