Some day you herd butterflies...

Allow me to apologize upfront for this blog.  In order to read it you may need to slip into the mindset of a person who is trying to herd butterflies with only a Q-Tip and a Paper Clip.  Why? You ask.  Well that is what my thoughts are like.  All over the place.  Flitting here and there.  And the rational side of my brain is left holding a Q-Tip and a Paper Clip to organize them.  Good Luck with that.

Over the last three days I have been struggling with something.  I am trying to determine how much energy one should put into something that is no longer fun.  What is the pay off?  It was only in this very moment of typing this that I realized that I need to ask better questions.  The first question I should be asking myself is what is ultimate payoff for doing this even if it was still fun?  Since I am talking about football.  It is relatively easy to answer the question.  Best case scenario - I would make new friends. I would learn.  I would laugh.  I would get fitter, faster, stronger. I would grow as a person. Learn new insights on how team dynamics work.  I would have fun for four hours a week.  The way it stands currently is that:
1) I will learn that team sports brings out an ugly side of me
2) I will get some exercise
3) I will have some new friends
4) I will learn some things about football
5) I will grow as a person
6) I will have fun but not for the full four hours
7) I will learn new skills for coping with frustration

One thing that I need to sort out is what the lesson is.  Is the Universe trying to teach me to persevere through adversity?  Or is the Universe trying to teach me that time is valuable and you should do what you love and eliminate unnecessary stress?  Because depending on the choice I make I am choosing one lesson over another.

As it stands right now, I am going to play out the season.  For a variety of reasons.  One of which may be that I am bat shit crazy at times.  I do not like to quit.  And me quitting would mean one less person on the field on game day and that could make the difference between the game being played or forfeited.  And that isn't right to do to the other Ladies on the team.  They paid so they could play and have fun this season.  Also, I have the chance to practice my leadership skills.  One does not require a title to lead.  Who knows maybe I can also teach someone else some leadership principles.  Besides football provides me with great blog fodder.  As long as I am having some semblance of fun and I am able to see the lesson hidden amid the  drama then I will continue to play.  At least these are my thoughts in this moment.

Ask me again in ten minutes.  I may have changed my mind.  I keep asking myself: Am I deciding this from a place of faith? Or fear? Am I doing this because it is what I think is best for others?  Or is it what I truly want to do? Which choice best represents my values? Maybe I should consult a magic eight ball.  Or my pendulum.  Or flip a coin. Regardless soon I must get off the fence because it is hurting my ass and I am getting tired of running from one side to the other.

How is it that you make decisions about the use of your time? Are you currently struggling with a decision?  Perhaps we could help each other out.


Wishing you a day as Beautiful as you,

Much Love,

Lisa

Fear? Or Faith??? Victim? Or Leader?

Day 23 of the #31 Day Blog Challenge.  Woot Woot.

As I was standing in the shower ( I do my best thinking there) I started to question where I make my decisions from.  When I am making a decision do I make it from a place of fear?  Filling the role of the Victim?  Or do I make the decision from a place of Faith? As a Leader of my Life?  Do I stand in a position of Power?  Or crouch in the corner and cower?  

We are always presented with choices.  There is a flip side to every coin.  I am not saying that there is always a choice that is filled with sunshine and rainbows.  Sometimes we have to choose between two outcomes and neither of them seem very good.  That is what life is like at times.  It is our mindset that determines the outcome.  If we make choices as a victim we will never be pleased with the turnout.  We will always be looking to fix blame on someone.  Even if the outcome was good...we will be looking to blame someone for why it wasn't even better.  And that someone we will fix blame on will never be ourselves.  It will always be others.  When we make a decision from a place of power we are focusing less on the problem and more on the solution.  We can see the current choice as a springboard or stepping stone to move us further ahead.  When we act out of fear we are unable to move ahead smoothly because we are dragging the past along with us.  All that baggage makes it hard to move forward with much momentum. 

When you go to make a decision ask yourself...fear or faith...where am I acting from?  If it is fear...call a time out.  Take a deep breath and look at how you could tweak your mindset to make yourself feel better about the decision. Do YOUR best.  That is all that matters.  And remember...you are exactly where you should be. After all you have spent your entire life getting to this very spot.

"Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear." - George Addair

Have a Brave and Beautiful Day!

Much Love,
Lisa

Please Have Your Permission Slips Signed And Ready

Today I was writing a blog post.  It is called do you fall into this trap?  But really i may change the title to read...do you have your permission slip signed.  Lately it seems that I am seeking external acceptance.  For example...today I am getting my hair colored.  To a color that I have never tried before.  And I am a little nervous but we will call it curious and excited.  So I am curited.  And I asked a small group of people whether or not I should do it and one of which was very vocally against it.  And that took me aback.  So much so that I second guessed what I was wanting to do.  How crazy is that?  And I am finding that happening in other areas of my life.  This is not typically how I live my life.  So I started to do some digging.  And lately I have been going to celebrations of life, and putting my affairs in order.  And trying to determine what it is that I would like to see for my own celebration of life even though I will not be physically present...that would be quite scary to some if I was....lol.  And I have been looking at areas in my life where I have opportunities to grow.

Side note: For years now I haven't used the term weakness.  I felt that term alone took power away from a person.  Much like the the term invalid...I feel another blog post coming on.  I will talk more on that another day.  But weakness...does nothing to build a person up.  So I switched to growth opportunities.  And what a difference that made.  I even tried it out on different people.  When I was a production manager and I would be having a discussion with a team member I would ask where they thought their strengths and weaknesses were.  And their body language would shift dramatically when they started to talk about their weakness.  They would begin to shrink.  Almost as if they wanted to become invisible.  Even the big guys!  After they had described their "weakness" I would commend them on their strengths and then switch the focus to their growth opportunities.  Their body posture would still remain open and they were more engaged in the conversation and the options available to them.  Feel free to make a shift in your vocabulary and see what results you yield.

Now back to my growth opportunities.  I have been looking at where I am currently in life and focusing on where I want to grow.  And I know that I want to leave a legacy for my daughter. And whomever else I leave behind.  So I need to get building on my businesses.  I have spent time listening to new speakers, reading more books and writing every day.  Thank you Lesa Townsend for this #31DBC because it has caused me to stretch and to grow in all sorts of ways.

What I am finding is that when you are outside your comfort zone - you know that place where growth happens - the footing isn't all that stable.  Not like it is when you are all happy and comfortable.  So I believe that is the reason why I am seeking answers outside myself.  Because I am focusing so much of my energy inside on much larger challenges.  Or this is just another phase in my life that I have grown into and I will grow out of.

How about you out there in blog reader land?  Do you find that you grow through stages where you are standing firm in your own power and other times where you look for answers from others?  Do you seek to get your permission slip signed by someone standing close to you?

Gone are the days where you need to have a permission slip signed to go on a field trip.  (Assuming that those of you reading this are adults.  If not...still get your permission slip signed.  No forgeries!)  You can sign your own.  You can bounce ideas off of others but make your decisions based on what you truly want and not what someone else does.  Because their goals for you may (will) be different than your own.  This is YOUR life.  You can only live one at a time.  Don't spend it running someone else's agenda.

I am going to stand guard over myself. I will ask for help when I need it because there is never anything wrong with that.  But I am also going to be aware of what my opinion is before I ask the opinion of others.  No sitting on the fence preparing to jump to the side that everyone else's opinions are on.

I wish you a day as beautiful as you are.

Much Love,
Lisa