MaXIMIze - The Reason for the Season

There are so many holy days and holidays during this season - Hanukkah (which fell during Thanksgiving this year due to the lunar calendar), Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, to name the ones I know of right off the bat.

This is a time to celebrate the return of the light and the Light, miracles, and those intangible things like love, life, friendship and family. Yet somehow we have translated it into a materialistic time of year. Shopping on Thanksgiving, Black Friday fights over things, really folks?

To date this season I have watched Rudolph, The Christmas Angel, The Christmas Box, A Muppet's Christmas Carol, and The Christmas Child, and they have all had the same message - love for thy fellow man - and redemption.

When I said something about the materialism of Christmas to my daughter, she told me a phrase for giving gifts - not only during the holidays, but for birthdays and other gift-giving occasions as well - that fits. Something I want, something I need, something I'll wear, something I'll read. The want and the need can be experiences rather than things. Time spent together, forgiveness, redemption. Emotional connection rather than material goods.

Now don't get me wrong - I like giving and receiving gifts as much as the next person. However, time spent with family and friends making memories to last through the years is much more valuable to me, especially as I get older and need less things in my life.

So, take the time out from the hurry and scurry, the bustle and worry and really look your loved ones in the eyes, give them hugs, and enjoy their company - they are what really matter in the big scheme of things, not that new gadget or toy or piece of clothing that will be forgotten by the turn of the next season.

Until next time, namaste!

MaXIMIze - Find Your Passion

How do you feel when you're living your passion? This quote pretty much sums it up:

“You will wake up every morning with a limitless reservoir of energy and enthusiasm. All your thoughts will be focused on your definite objective.. You won’t have time to waste time. Valuable mental power will, therefore, not be wasted on trifling thoughts. You will automatically erase the worry habit and become far more effective and productive. Interestingly, you will also have a deep sense of inner harmony, as if you are somehow being guided to realize your mission. It is a wonderful feeling.” ~ Robin Sharma

Today, I have two questions for you to ponder:

What is it that you love to do so much that you would pay to do it?

How much would it take for you not to do what you are currently doing for a living?

These questions came from listening to a couple of Brian Johnson's sessions from the En*Theos Academy - either his Philosopher's Notes on the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz or Optimal Living 101 Q&A, Session 19, I can't remember which at the moment - and a discussion with a co-worker after I said in a smart-alecky tone, "I LOVE my job!" one day in the office.

Now it should be noted that I do enjoy my current job very much. However, do I truly love it? No. Why not? Because most of the time it does not feed my fire, it does not fulfill my passion.

My passion is helping people realize that we are all human beings first and all else comes second, and from that base helping others become the best human beings they can be. I pay to learn how to express that passion more fully in life by the classes I take, the group functions I attend, and most recently attaining my professional coaching certification. I share my passion by helping other people grow, either directly by mentoring and coaching or indirectly via my Facebook page, this blog, my poetry and/or my fiction.

As to answering the second question, if I brought income in that matched what I currently make at my "day job" plus 20% doing what I truly love to do - helping others grow as human beings - I'd retire from my current job tomorrow. Heck, I 'd give my notice right now!

How can you tell the difference between doing a job you like and doing what you love? Doing what you love feeds the fire inside. And, you cannot not do what you truly love to do - you may be able to bury it for a while, ignore it, or neglect it for a time, but your passion will always boil to the surface. If you don't feed the fire that feeds you, you'll feel more numb and depressed than alive and invigorated.

So follow the light and path of your passion and the fulfillment of feeding the fire!

Namaste!

MaXIMIze - Loving the Leo (Buscaglia)!

I love Leo Buscaglia! The back of the book that I am reading - Living, Loving & Learning - describes him as "America's most beloved teacher, author, lecturer..." and one of the quotes from the same back of the same book says:

"We've got to learn to trust again, to believe again. Of course it's a risk, but everything is a risk. We need to begin to go beyond just 'being' again. We've got to get in touch with being human and there's a difference."

That is so Leo!

As I'm reading this on the bus on the way home after work today, I ran across a passage I just have to share - it's on page 201 of this particular edition (published in 1982), in the section called "Teach Life." Here goes:

"'To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.' Well, so what? Fools have a lot of fun.

"'To weep is to risk being called sentimental.' Of course I'm sentimental. I love it! Tears can help.

"'To reach out to another is to risk involvement.' Who's risking involvement? I want to be involved.

"'To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self.' What else to I have to show?

"'To place your ideas and your dreams before the crowd is to risk being called naive.' Oh, I'm called worse things than that.

"'To love is to risk not being loved in return.' I don't love to be loved in return.

"'To live is to risk dying.' I'm ready for it. Don't you dare shed one tear if you hear that Buscaglia blew up in the air or dropped dead. He did it with enthusiasm. (BTW he passed away June 12, 1998 - check out the article on Wikipedia about him.)

"'To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure.' But risks must be taken, because the greatest risk in life it to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live. Chained by his certitudes, he's a slave. He's forfeited his freedom. Only the person who risks is truly free. Try it and see what happens."

So what are you willing to risk today to be truly free in this life?

Namaste!

MaXIMIze - Gratitude, a Place of Thankfulness

One way we can MaXIMIze our lives is by cultivating and maintaining a habit of gratitude or thankfulness, not only for things great and small that happen to us, but also those that happen to others. Someone gets a new job, be thankful for them, be happy for them. This generates good energy and helps us all around!

Now, this Thanksgiving is the first one in my 48 years of life that I am very likely to spend alone, and that's okay. This year has thrown me the curve balls of divorce, empty nesting, children in trouble, and job changes. And I am thankful for them all.

As I was journaling this morning, I wrote down many of the things I am grateful for - a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my belly, a bed to sleep in, hot showers, books to read, music to lose myself in, birds to watch, flowers to brighten my day, candles to brighten my night, caring people lighting my path, being a light on the paths of others, being a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a mother, a grandmother of two and four legged creatures, having enough, being present in the moment, seizing the day, letting go of anger, working through sorrow, letting go of yesterday, not worrying about tomorrow. I'm thankful for all the people, places and things in my life past, present and future - love and laughter and life ever after - even for the pain for the strength I gain - for time together and time alone. Truly so much to be thankful for.

Here's hoping your list is as full and varied as mine - Namaste!