Opening Your Heart

The other night I sat up in bed, suddenly aware of exactly what opening my heart really means. It means working hard on your passion, and investing time, money, and energy in getting it out there. It means doing whatever you have to do to follow your gut instincts on the path of your dreams, and act on them. And it means having the courage to truly share yourself with others. It means putting the focus more on giving than receiving.
‘Open your heart’ is another way to say “Touch someone else, as truly and deeply as you can.” And as you do, prepare to be touched in return. For this is the continuum your creative gifts will always provide. You long to express yourself, so you do. And what you receive in return is not only creative fulfillment, but also the beauty of knowing you have impacted another soul.
So why does such a pure act of goodness require courage? Because ultimately we fear that very power that we crave, just as much as we shy away from the tenderness of our love for our fellow man. Such intimacy brings up all our most ‘uncool’ feelings; it makes us realize the tremendous responsibility that comes with living a life of integrity. Suddenly it is no longer okay to live with mediocrity. Instead, you’ve tasted true depth and meaning … so you have no choice but to open your heart, again and again and again, as you make sharing your gifts a regular part of your life.
This is a perfect plan, one you can even enjoy once you relax into it. I invite you to dig a little deeper and open the piece of your heart that remains hidden. All you will receive in return is love, growth, and a sense that you are just where you are meant to be.

My point of view...job loss.

...but people who are winning at working understand, some things they can control and some they can't. They focus on the ones they can.

People who are winning at working may not control if they're only working one day a week, or 40 hours a week, but they do control whether that one day of work is exceptional. Exceptional service brings bigger tips, better compliments, and more good feedback to the bosses.

You may not be able to control if your job gets cut, but you can control whether you're a high performer who your boss is fighting to keep. You may not be able to control how quickly you get another job, but you can control the number of daily contacts you make in your search and how you "show up," future-focused, at the interview. You may not be able to control the amount of work you get, but you do control whether you're responding as a victim or taking action toward developing your skills and contacts for a new future.

People who are winning at working ascribed to composer Irving Berlin's philosophy, "Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it," he said. This is a pretty good time to be focusing on that ninety percent.

God's Megaphone

"Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

C.S. Lewis

Smile

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,
but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."

Thich Nhat Hanh

A Pearl

"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."

Stephan Hoeller