FORGIVENESSIt's hard to miss the news these days. Even I (who avoids the media at all costs) could not fail to see the tragedy at Virginia Tech. My first reaction is to tune into what it must be like for the people that lost their loved ones. My heart goes out to them.
My next thought however turns to the tormented man that did this. The man that thought that this was his only available course of action. Even in my darkest moments in life, I can't imagine carrying out an act like this. My heart goes out to him because his life was "that bad". Worse that my worst day a million times over. I know how bad I feel sometimes when I see my life through my darkest moments. How bad must this man have been suffering? I cannot imagine his pain. My heart goes out to him.
And thus begins my process of forgiveness. To forgive him is to free myself. This man has highlighted a huge issue in our culture. An issue of separation. His was an extreme case. No doubt, he felt isolated; cut off from the rest of humanity; ALONE. I, too have felt this isolation. I, too have felt alone. And yet, not nearly as bad as he did. It must have been awful to feel so alone. I also realize that I have been the cause of others feeling isolated and alone. I have turned away from
opportunities to create love, harmony and community. And this is what I forgive. I forgive myself for not being the loving, nurturing, caring person that I know I am. I forgive myself for getting lost in the "busy-
ness" of life at the cost of staying connected to other people. The process of forgiveness begins with myself. This tragedy can serve as a great lesson and opportunity for all of us to remember what is really important and that we are all connected and deserving of love and inclusion. If you want love, you have to give it away. That's how it works.
IT IS NOT YOUR 'FAULT'If something "bad" happens to you please don't make the connection that somehow you "are bad". This is simply not true. Everything in your physical reality matches your energetic reality. Period.
So, if something in your life isn't how you want it then it is just FEEDBACK. You can then use this information to change something on the
inside. Usually the thing that needs changing is a limiting belief about yourself. Your circumstance merely paint a very accurate picture of exactly what beliefs you hold about yourself. If you don't like what you see then you must explore, challenge and ultimately change this belief about yourself. It's not as easy as it sounds but it is SO worth it.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLERecently, I came across the most interesting story. It is a brilliant display of doing the imPOSSIBLE! I totally love this story and think it's worth a read. Basically, a man named Kyle MacDonald traded one red paperclip for a HOUSE.
Check out the whole story at
http://www.oneredpaperclip.com/When you're done reading, think about what you could do if you didn't use the filter called "it is imPOSSIBLE". What could you do?
I just spent 6 glorious days in the big apple. I was there pitching my book at a publicity summit. It was pheonemenal and I was overwhelmed by the response to the book. I met so many amazing people that I stopped counting. Whether it was an interesting producer, writer or host or any one of the incredible authors that were at the summit. I was astonished by the amount of talent in the room.
As you can imagine, I was trying to leverage my time in New York so I had a jam packed schedule. It even included a serendipitous opportunity to see one of my dearest friends perform live at a Tribeca nightclub. She was fabulous (http://www.myspace.com/songsforlonging). I was also fortunate enough to meet one of my coaching clients at a trendy Soho cafe. We had a chance to get some quality face-time which was awesome because most of our interaction takes place over the phone. I also squeezed in a philosophy-filled dinner with my genius brother, Dan. I learned a tonne from him that I will share with you after I've had a chance to process it. It was mind-blowing.
Needless to say, I didn't get much in the way of sleep. I had an an huge insight during this trip. I didn't feel tired despite the pace I was keeping. I think there were two reasons for this. First of all, I was really LIVING my life. I was doing what I love and surrounded by fantastic people. There wasn't time to be tired. The second and more profound thing that I noticed was that the energy of the city keep me going. The city of New York is FULL of creative, inspiring and go-getting energy. This is a city where your bring your "A-game" or you get crushed. I love being called to the task of bringing my A-game and it also highlighted where I may have been playing at a lower level in my life. I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to go the NY for this trip. An honourable mention to my superstar husband for his immense childcare contribution. What a fantastic trip!
