When you are walking outside or even driving your car look up at the sky. The sky is different EVERYDAY.
It is an amazing sight to see when you study it.
The clouds, the formation of clouds, the different shapes of clouds, the different colors of the clouds. The blue color that is ALWAYS behind the clouds…no matter the number of clouds…that blue is ALWAYS behind the clouds.
Like your life…no matter the circumstances (good or bad depending on your perspective)…there is ALWAYS stability behind your daily life ups and downs…weather you realize it or not.
2. Watch the Birds.
Watch their behavior. Listen to their songs. Watch them take flight. Watch them watching you. And oh my…if you are as blessed as I have felt over the last several months…watch the eagles fly high in the sky. You are in for such a treat it will take your breath away.
Imagine if you lived your life-like an eagle in flight in the sky.
Soaring high, effortlessly, soaring through life not flailing and flapping your wings to fly…just soaring.
3. Notice ALL the Trees.
They are living. They stand tall. Their limbs sway in the wind. Their roots go deep and wide. They just stand. They watch. They know.
And oh, the trees that are “dead” are so fascinating. They are “dead” but STILL standing. They are “dead” but STILL have character. They are “dead” but STILL speak.
Books can not hold the lessons you will learn first-hand by looking at the trees. They change when the season’s change, they stand tall through the storms, and they are steadfast.
Have you ever thought of living your life that way…being okay with change – embracing it, not fighting it…standing tall through the storms of life…and being steadfast in your convictions, values and relationships.
So, today, tomorrow and the next day
Look up at the sky (really look at it),
Watch the birds (listen and look at them), and
Notice the trees (both the ones that are alive and “dead”)
You will discover the in Awe and Wonder of Nature – Life
“There is only one better thing than music – live music.”
-Jacek Bukowski
Beginning in 2013 somewhere in the world, people will be able to enjoy Monte performing live music using the Handpan. Only Monte will be able to play the Handpan the way Monte will play it, no one else will be able to do that in the ENTIRE world.
Monte is our featured Just Quit = Letting Go Folk for January 2013.
He’s decided to Let Go of “what is” to Let Come “the life that wants to live through him”.
It is not an easy task to be true to yourself. You have to get past the voices in your head and the voices of others telling you that you’ve lost your mind. As Monte puts it in his blog you have to deal with people asking you why you are “throwing it all away”?
The beauty of it all is that folks like Monte are taking the challenge to live life fearlessly.
To go on their adventure, to live life on their own terms and to experience the joy of expressing the creativity that lives within.
It takes courage to live the life that is meant for you to live.
Congratulations Monte and Keep Us Posted at Just Quit = Letting Go!
Please feel free to contact me if you too have figured out that you need to let go of living someone else’s life and have the courage to listen to your heart and do what you need to do…Let Go (of what is) and Let Come (the life that could be)
“Helping, fixing, and serving represent three different ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak. when you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, and service the work of the soul.” ~ Rachel Naomi Remen
It’s hard not to try to “fix” someone’s life that you love, especially if it’s your child, and it doesn’t matter if they are “grown” to the world or to themselves, you still see them as YOUR child.
Over the holidays I was keenly reminded that you can’t “fix” someone else’s life. You have to let go of trying to force fit your idea of what they should do, and how they should live.
Now, you can tell them how you feel (because no one can argue with your feelings), but that’s about it. They have to “fix” it for themselves, because it’s their life to live how they choose, and guess what… they might not think their life needs fixing.
How this lesson came home to me over the holidays: Trying to Fix my Son’s Toilet.
Let Go of “Fixing” Other Peoples’ Lives
The moment I walked in his house I noticed all the things I needed to do to clean it up/fix.
One of the things on “my”list was the toilet that was continuing to run.
I went to Lowe’s and brought what I need to “fix” the toilet.
Now, mind you I’ve NEVER tried to fix a running toilet before. I don’t know what made me think I could fix my son’s. I’ve never even fixed my own, but I was not afraid to try to fix his.
Needless to say it was NOT an easy task. I fixed one issue and another one sprung up — with a leak here and there –that wasn’t there before I started.
Over the two weeks I was at his house, it basically boiled down to me praying to a higher power to help me fix the toilet. I certainly did not want to create another problem for him to deal with.
The morning that I was leaving town, the toilet issue was about the same or WORSE before I’d come to town.
My son came in from work and I showed him the issues with the toilet.
Now, in all of this time – 10 days or so – I’d been worrying about and trying to fix this toilet.
My son calmly walked over to look at the toilet. He talked it through (maybe this needed to be tighten, or adjusted here or there) and he worked on it for about 15 minutes.
Guess what….for the most part he’d fixed his own toilet.
I realized that I can not “fix” his life how I think it should/could be anymore than I could “fix” his toilet.
Lesson: Let Go of Trying to “Fix” Other People’s Lives – Maybe To Them It’s Not Broken
Below are the pieces that folks purchased during the NoDa All Arts Market this weekend:
BE
This is Your Year
Purple Idea Jar
Purple Idea Jar – 1st Purchase of my new creation!!!
Getting Burned
I heard a country song with similar words to the above and just turned the concept into an art piece. This was purchased by a lady for her step-daughter. I guess who had been hurt by someone. She was going to give it to her for Christmas. She said it would be the talk of Christmas Day…imagine that!
Be a Woman
I absolutely love this quote. It sold quickly and I knew that it would. I’ll make more of these, because if more women thought like this they would always be happy with themselves – they’d look their best, be their best and not keep looking outside of themselves to be fulfilled.
Golden Day
One day I heard the Jill Scott song…Living My Life Like It’s Golden. It stuck in my head. When I sat at the craft table it was still in my head. I had found a pot of gold piece at TJ Maxx and just married the two on one sign.
When the lady brought it I told her what had inspired the piece and she said that she was buying it because she loved that Jill Scott song. Cool!
No Matter What
This was purchased by a daughter to give to her mother for Christmas. She told her friend that was with her that she wanted her mom to know that even when she didn’t call her, or was mad at her that she loved her.
That’s priceless to me, because as a mother I know that this mom will keep this piece on her refrigerator or take it into work and be reminded that her daughter loves her.
Orange Idea Jar
I had forgotten that at one point I took a picture of the Idea Jar with all the component parts. This picture is a little blurry. I also added a booklet to go with the whole concept so folks could use it to take notes. The slips of paper are for the best of the best ideas.
This jar was purchased by this gentleman who came back after looking around the craft show. We had talked about the concept of the jar (don’t keep your ideas bottled up inside of yourself or the jar – pursue them or give them away). Because I only take cash when he came back for his purchase he told me that he had sacrificed buying a drink to be able to afford to have enough money to buy his Idea Jar. That was funny to me!
Pink Idea Jar
I had touched up some of the white paint around the edges since this picture was taken. It was purchased by a lady for her sister who is in college in Ohio I think she said.
Change and Growth
I love this one and REALLY did not want to sell it.
It took me awhile to make it. I kept working on the tree, the flowers and the sky over a period of time. Something about it just made me feel good working on it, looking at it and I love the quote.
A lady picked it up, put it back, then she walked away. I was thinking…thank goodness because I really didn’t want to sell it. Then she came back and said that it fit with what was happening in her life right now and it would be a good reminder.
When you create art it is like birthing a child, and then having to give it away. It’s great when you know that someone else is appreciating what has come through you and that you are helping someone get through periods of their life.
I guess I can try to duplicate this piece, but like life and this blog you have to learn to let go. Sometimes it is “letting go”, so others can “let come” something to be birthed inside of them and in the universe. Who knows how much this little piece will help that lady who purchased it or where the piece will end up? Who knows?
Even when you really want to hold on and keep something…just be okay with letting it go… and letting things happen that you might never find out about.
Follow Your Bliss – Joseph Campbell. This lady walked up to my booth like she was at home. I sort of recognized her, but I’ve done quite a bit of shows over the year and have met a lot of people. She read almost every sign. She then told me that she loved my work and that she already had several of my other pieces from other craft shows all over her house. She said she thought my booth was the best of them all! Making people smile, making them happy, encouraging them, how do you beat that?
End Of Your Comfort Zone
Same lady who brought – Follow Your Bliss – brought the above.
Red Idea Jar
Purchased by young girl who brought it for her grandmother. I talked to the young girl and her mom for a while about the concept and the young girl was so excited to be spending her own money for the purchase.
Business Card Holder. This was not for sale. I had painted this wooden miniature bench and used it for my business cards. The mother who was with her daughter that brought the above Red Idea Jar asked me for my business card. I told her where she could find it and she wanted to know if I would sell her the bench so she could use it for her business cards. She was a crafter and made jewelry and she wanted something unique for her cards.
I hesitated a little and thought well I’d originally made it to sell, but had started putting my cards in it because it was a perfect fit…so it was okay…I just snapped a quick picture where I was painting coasters at the show, just in case I want to make another one for me or others.
I want to make more of these. There are just certain pieces that I know I want to make more of with various designs. Just to communicate a message to permeate my little corner of the world. This is one of those pieces.
Life is Like Art
Half of the fun of setting up a booth at these craft shows are the people you meet.
I just love watching people, their interactions and the moments that are shared.
A lady came up and picked up the above piece. She told me that she liked it and then she put it back down.
I’ve learned that with art – either people want it or they don’t – it speaks to them or it doesn’t – so I can’t figure out how or why I would try to “sell it”…just let people “buy it” if they want it.
She then picked it up again, put it back and walked away.
I didn’t know at the time that she didn’t have any cash on her. About five minutes later her and her sister came back and her sister brought it for her. You can’t beat that moment! It was a joy to see and to experience. I was almost in tears!
Think Big
Greatest Achievements
I’ve had both of these pieces for a while. The same lady brought them. Again it’s just about what resonates with folks at the time they see the piece.
Creative Center
A lady who ran an after-school program teaching young adults about being creative came up to my booth. Of course I didn’t know about all of that at the time. She only had $4, not the $5 which is the cost of most of my pieces. She meekly asked if I would take the $4. I knew that was all that she had because I had several folks at my booth and I saw her holding the piece for a while. I just kindof felt she wanted to speak with me after everyone had gone. When she asked me about the $1 discount I told her there was no cost for the piece. It was now more about supporting a cause and someone else’s dream.
I just hope the piece inspires some kid somewhere.
I know when I made it I kept re-working it and adding more color and wood burned dots.
Maybe some kid will get the point of this piece:
THEIR Creative Center IS THERE, but they have to look for it.
THEIR Creative Center is their very own no one else’s. Sometimes they will miss the mark, but they have to keep looking for it.
They will have to go deep and when they discover it, it will be like all the color red in the piece…a burning point that will be ignited within and they will start to co-create with whoever and whatever the creator means to them…and they will create something uniquely beautiful to give to the world.
Now…it’s time to find YOUR creative center…do what is inside of you to do…TODAY…and live your life like it is a beautiful piece of art…because …it is!
I can’t remember where I was…some gym…somewhere…and this lady basketball player came over to me and taught me how to shoot a lay-up. She just walked up from out of nowhere, told me what to do and walked away.
She said:” just aim for the top corner and it will go in almost every time”.
It was like magic…I aimed for the corner and the basketball went in.
Life is like making that lay-up:
1. There are proven techniques and tips for living a well-lived life. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
2. People will come out of no-where to help you. Be open to the universe bringing things to you to help you. Life really doesn’t have to be a struggle. If you’re struggling then you’re forcing “your way” and maybe that’s not the way things are suppose to work out.
3. It does you no good in life to know what to do and then not do it – you have to take action.
Sometimes that action is letting go…of the familiar…of the person…of the job…of the belief…of the pain…of the hurt…of the past…
When you let go you enter into what I call the “dark tunnel of change” – a.k.a., the unknown. You have to trust in yourself and in life in knowing that all will be well.
No matter the outcome.
Here is where most people get stuck. Most people think of the outcome as having to be either “good” or “bad”. Regardless of the outcome (letting come) there will be aspects that are BOTH “good” AND “bad”. There has to be because life is all about balance. You need the night and the day, the summer and the winter, the positive and the negative (think about how a battery works- you can’t just have the positive charge only – it won’t work).
Once you truly understand this little mystery of life, it will feel like you’ve cracked the code.
You will no longer be running around chasing everything being “good” and wondering why everything isn’t “all good” in your life – wanting just happiness, light and love. That is not realistic and not how life works. There is sadness, there is hatred and there is death. But sadness is the other side of happiness and death the other side of life. It’s just opposite ends of the same coin. You can not have one without the other.
When you practice letting go a.k.a. allowing life to happen – not forcing things – not struggling to orchestrate everything – and not holding on to what or who is not for you then and only then will you be able to make sense out of what you are suppose to be, do and have:
“be” – who you are. Most people have no idea who they are. They are afraid to find out. They don’t like themselves and they try to fool everybody, including themselves, instead of doing the really hard work of just being who they are. Here’s a secret: You have to figure out what you want to “be” first (mostly because you “are a being”) then the “doing” (of that being) and “having” (for that being) will fall into place. So, how do you figure out who you are?:
Get behind that voice in your head – you know the one – the one that is talking to you all the time. It will block you from getting to know the real you. It’s like a wall and until you can knock it down you will never know the real you. You will only know the persona, but not what is behind all the facade.
You have to develop a relationship with that voice. It is not the real you. You can not be afraid of it. You can not be afraid of all the scary things it will come up with once you start paying attention to it. You will have to face it down like a bully on the playground. Have no fear. All it is is a bully and once you deal with it, guess what, it backs down. How do you deal with it? First just stare it down. Let it do it’s thing. The only difference is that you will be paying attention to it. Being totally aware. How do you do this? Lay on the couch and just let your thoughts run wild. Allow them to happen, but don’t attach yourself to solving anything or even thinking any of it makes sense. In the bully analogy – let it beat the hell out of you a couple of times. You are just figuring out how it fights, so you will know how to conquer it. After you can successfully do that for a while (just allow your thoughts to happen) THEN you can proceed to knock it the hell out. How do you do that? You silence it. You shut it down. You stop it from all that chatter. Expect it to fight you every step of the way. It will try to make it really hard for you to silence it because it wants to still act like it’s you. It will tell you it CAN’T be silence. It will tell you it’s too hard and you shouldn’t even try. Don’t worry it can be silence and don’t give up trying no matter how long it takes or how hard it is. Once you silence that voice you will find another “still small voice” that is the real you. You will instantly recognize it once you hear it. Once you “hear” THAT voice (actually it sounds more like a musical tone or frequency to me) you have made the connection to the Source of everything. This Source is in you and in everything else (the trees, the sky, the ocean, the animals, other people, ect). But you can not make the connection to it until you remove the block – face the bully – knock it out, then…you reach another level…
You will realize that you ARE That Source expressing itself as a human being through your body, your eyes, your heart, using your legs, in your part of the world, ect. No one or nothing in the entire universe can be you or do what you need to do as an expression of The Source. Only you can be the expression of you and there is no other reason for you being here other than being who you are. So, if you try to be someone or something else then it won’t work out. You will always be struggling. It’s like a fish trying to fly or a bird trying to swim. How will you know once you’ve figured out who you are? You will absolutely fall in love with that being. Then and only then will you be able to do and have what is needed for that expression.
do” – what that “being” is destined to do (purpose or reason for being)
“have”– what is meant for that “being” to have in order to do what it needs to “do” (it’s purpose)
Holding on is like shooting a lay-up with your eye’s closed or behind your back.
Letting go is like practicing “hitting it in the corner” – you’re focused, you’re sure, you’re relaxed, you’re not afraid of failure…why…because you know it works…even if it doesn’t work out every single time… you know it works the majority of the time…
You let go (of what is no longer right for you or your growth) in order to let come (make room in your life for the new thing that is right for you and your growth)…and what happens?
Things work out.
You’ve Hit It In The Corner and The Ball Goes Through The Net.
It’s been a month since I posted the 3 things post and one of the three things that I decided to try for the month of October 2012 was only spending three times a week.
It worked like a charm.
At first it was a challenge because I was used to spending whenever I wanted to.
I decided to spend ONLY on Monday, Wednesday and Friday’s.
How It Worked Out
Friday’s seemed to be the hardest because you have to plan for your weekend starting on Thursday.
The way I decided to do it was that as long as I had “cash money” then I could spend that on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, but I could not debit, charge, go to the bank (it’s been a long time since I’ve done that!) on any other day except Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Fridays’ ended up being very busy indeed. I’d go grocery shopping, get gas for the weekend, make sure I had enough money for any entertainment or craft shows over the weekend.
For example, if I needed anything like a belt (which I still need) I committed to doing that type of need/want shopping on Friday’s only. By Monday, I’d make sure I had enough gas to last until Wednesday, and Wednesday until Friday.
I paid all bills – credit card payments, auto, mortgage, utilities on Friday’s.
The thing that made this really work was that I was “batching” all of this spending (or as I view it now consuming verses producing) that had pre-occupied EVERY day.
What a complete waste of time that seems to me after this month.
On Tuesday, Thursday’s and the weekend I could focus on other things. That has really increased my productivity with my business ideas, crafts, art, housework, house repairs, yard work, ect.
Also, another benefit has been that I have totally cut out eating out. I have had lunch out a couple of times during the week only because the place I go is like going to “Cheers” – they know my name, my usual order and it’s only $4 – so it’s like a little treat. Other than my $4 meal, eating out just didn’t fit into the schedule. Needless to say, my cooking skills have vastly improved AND I’ve lost weight…you can’t beat that as a benefit.
So…if you are looking for a way to get your spending under control use the Power of 3 – only spend three days a week.
Give it a try…if you do and it works for you too…then get in touch with me and let me know…Good Luck!
