the challenges of being original
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Do it every day
“Submit to a daily practice.Your loyalty to that is a ring on the door.Keep knocking, and the joy inside will eventually open a window,and look out to see who’s there.”~ from “The Essential Rumi” (Translations by Coleman Barks) Is there something you love doing so much that you’re willing to practice it every day? Whether you’re refining a craft or improving your athletic skills, the Sufi poet Rumi reminds you to keep working at it. For instance, all the professional writers I know collected dozens of rejection notices before they started getting their work published. No matter what, they kept on writing. So don’t get discouraged … If you love what…
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Someone else’s shoes
“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other. It is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.” ~Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund In our culture, we talk a lot about the importance of honoring our differences and celebrating our uniqueness. We want others to accept or appreciate our flaws and quirks — as well as our opposing points of view. We want the freedom to worship as we choose, the freedom to express ourselves, and the freedom to simply “be” ourselves. But…
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Never settle for boring
“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” ~Jim Rohn Even when I was a much younger woman with a fragile ego, I wasn’t impressed by the stuff my peers wanted to wear. In those days, designer logos, status scarves, and “it” handbags were just starting to gain popularity. (Remember The Official Preppy Handbook?) To me, they seemed boring and unoriginal, and rarely worth their extravagant price tags. I still wonder why anyone would want to be an unpaid, walking advertisement for someone else’s product. And why would anybody want to dress like someone else, unless a uniform is mandatory for…
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Living free
“To live without comparison is to remove a tremendous burden.” ~ J. Krishnamurti We’re all exposed to an infinite number of voices and trends on social media. With so many people vying for attention online, we might fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, or trying too hard to impress them. When that happens, it’s time to step away from our devices and seek our better angels within. If we focus instead on appreciating our own lives, we’ll be less inclined to compete or compare. ~CL Photo by Cindy La Ferle
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How to find your voice: “The Journey”
“And there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own.” — Mary Oliver In my workshops, we often discuss the importance of finding or developing our own creative voices. It’s never easy. Every day, we are bombarded by a cacophony of inner critics, cultural norms, and religious and political pundits — not to mention all the mindless white noise generated by social media. We have to pull back and listen deeply to hear our own truth. Otherwise, we’re simply mimicking others when we speak, write, or design our lives. Mary Oliver’s “The Journey” gives us a new map. It’s one of my favorite poems about living…
