Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Remembering Mrs. Wilson . . .
In 1970, my family moved across town and my sisters and I had to change schools.
I was a High School junior, so the transition meant that I left friends whom I had known for most of my life. I had also worked as a junior staffer on the prior school’s yearbook, aiming for an editorship in 3 years. When I moved, I thought I had to give up that dream.
On the second day of school, my sister and I were in Study Hall before school and the class had a wall of windows that overlooked the Library. The Librarian looked right at me on that morning and motioned with her finger to come in and see her. I told the Study Hall monitor and went in.
Her name was Miss. Walker and my first thought was that she knew my last name (also Walker) and had selected me based on that. No, she said she liked my demeanor and the fact that I was actually reading a book, while the other kids were talking, scribbling notes or cutting up.
“How would you like to work in the library?” she asked.
“Oh, you don’t want me,” I said. “You want my sister. She worked in the Library at Atkins Junior High for 3 years. We’ve just moved to this side of town.”
“I’d rather work in the principal’s office. I did that at Monterey,” I added.
“Well,” she said, “Go in and see Mrs. Fuller. She works with Mr. Gooch. Tell her Helen Walker sent you. Now, ask your sister to come see me.”
My sister DID work in the library every year of her three years in High School. I worked in the Principal’s office half of the year. But I digress.
When we moved to Coronado, I registered for Yearbook again. I told the sponsor, Mrs. Marjorie Wilson that I had edited the Sophomore section at my old High School. She told me that she could allow me to edit the Sophomore section again, to “prove myself.”
So, I did. I enjoyed working with the younger kids. As an older sister, it came second nature to me. With my sister in that class, it was easy to get to know the kids and earn their trust. I did a wonderful job managing the Sophomore section and, at the end of the year, when Mrs. Wilson announced the editors for 1971-72, she called out the name of another girl in the class AND me. We would be co-editors for the new school year. I was ecstatic! I would be yearbook editor after all!
Mrs. Wilson was a kind woman who gave a new kid a chance. She was always interested in our personal lives, too. She provided lots of counseling on matters related to school, love and home life. (I remember getting some sage advice from her regarding a boy I was interested in!) She was like a second mom to me. She was wise, compassionate and firm, which was necessary to keep us on deadline! My dad called the Publications office when my little brother was born and she sent someone down to English Class to tell me that I had a new baby brother!
Mrs. Wilson passed away last month at the wonderful age of 89. She was surrounded by her family and her memorial page has wonderful remembrances from students all over the US. (One former student is now an anchor on Network TV, Scott Pelley. I remember Scott as one of the photographers who helped us fill out our yearbook sections. He was a nice kid!)
I remember Mrs. Wilson’s kindness, her grace and her wonderful way of motivating and inspiring a bunch of teenagers to win awards year after year in communications. We could have easily gone to the movies, gone out and gotten drunk or other assorted things that teenagers do. I learned about commitment, about follow-through, about deadlines and about taking pride in a project with a long lead time. (We started work on the yearbook before school started in the Fall and didn’t deliver it until after graduation in the Spring.)
Many of the skills I learned from Mrs. Wilson have helped me manage marketing brands in Corporate America AND create websites for my husband and myself now.
Thanks, Mrs. Wilson. I know you are managing editor for Heaven's most popular magazine!
As you reflect on your success today, thank a teacher!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Mother's Day
Mother's Day was really sweet this year. We had a sleep over with our little angel, Avery, who is almost one year old. Then, we met our two daughters and our son-in-law for a great lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.
I LOVE spending time with Avery. The love that I feel when she is around me is so wonderful. I only remember feeling that one other time in my life: with my maternal grandmother!
When I went to meet my daughter to pick her up, she saw me and immediately started smiling and laughing. Her eyes twinkle! She knows me AND she loves me!!! How fantastic is that?
Why is the love so strong and so wonderful? It is unconditional and so very pure, don't you think?
There are no agendas, no "what can you do for me?" ideas hidden behind our relationship. There is just LOVE!
Friday, March 23, 2012
See Yourself as Whole
I found a quote today that I had scribbled down a few years ago:
Those who see themselves as whole make no demands.
From A Course in Miracles, this idea is one of the pillars of self worth. When I am secure in who I am, I don't have to demand that you behave a certain way or give me certain things.
Have you ever met a person who was just easy to be with? Someone who made no demands. Someone who was happy to just "be" and allowed you to be the same!
Norman Brinker was one such person. I had the good fortune to work with Norman for about 6 years in the early 90's, during a major growth period in the life of Brinker International. One of my favorite responsibilities was participating in "test kitchen" roundtables, where we reviewed new menu ideas for the Chili's brand.
There would usually be about 10 or 12 people around a large table and we would try different "new" ideas. Lots of free-flowing comments and critiques! Norman was always very open and asked everyone for his or her opinion.
In my 25 years in corporate America, he was the only CEO with whom I interacted who portrayed a man who was whole. And, he treated me as if I was whole, as well.
This is the focus of a "holistic" view of healthcare,isn't it? In holistic healthcare (and note it's not called sickcare) we focus on the well or whole person inside and work with the client to bring out or reveal that part. In medicine, they treat the "sickness" and focus on what's wrong. In holistic care, we focus on what's right and re-establishing that basis of health.
As Carolyn Myss points out, we may not revert totally to the earlier condition. Given aging, that may not be possible. But, we can recapture our vitality and a sense of being that is, in some ways, better than our prior state of dis-ease.
So, begin to see yourself as whole. Because, when you see yourself as whole, new possibilities begin to present themselves. And, you also give others permission to be whole, as well.
Those who see themselves as whole make no demands.
From A Course in Miracles, this idea is one of the pillars of self worth. When I am secure in who I am, I don't have to demand that you behave a certain way or give me certain things.
Have you ever met a person who was just easy to be with? Someone who made no demands. Someone who was happy to just "be" and allowed you to be the same!
Norman Brinker was one such person. I had the good fortune to work with Norman for about 6 years in the early 90's, during a major growth period in the life of Brinker International. One of my favorite responsibilities was participating in "test kitchen" roundtables, where we reviewed new menu ideas for the Chili's brand.
There would usually be about 10 or 12 people around a large table and we would try different "new" ideas. Lots of free-flowing comments and critiques! Norman was always very open and asked everyone for his or her opinion.
In my 25 years in corporate America, he was the only CEO with whom I interacted who portrayed a man who was whole. And, he treated me as if I was whole, as well.
This is the focus of a "holistic" view of healthcare,isn't it? In holistic healthcare (and note it's not called sickcare) we focus on the well or whole person inside and work with the client to bring out or reveal that part. In medicine, they treat the "sickness" and focus on what's wrong. In holistic care, we focus on what's right and re-establishing that basis of health.
As Carolyn Myss points out, we may not revert totally to the earlier condition. Given aging, that may not be possible. But, we can recapture our vitality and a sense of being that is, in some ways, better than our prior state of dis-ease.
So, begin to see yourself as whole. Because, when you see yourself as whole, new possibilities begin to present themselves. And, you also give others permission to be whole, as well.
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Language of Emotions
I spend about 2 hours everyday in my car, driving to and from the office. Since I moved almost 5 years ago, I've listened to quite a few books on CD or my i-Pod. Recently, I listened to a live seminar given by Karla McLaren on emotions, after reading her book on Chakras. Yesterday, I received from Amazon a "real" copy of her book, called "The Language of Emotions."
After enjoying the 7 hour seminar, I knew I just had to have the book, so that I could really incorporate some of these wonderful practices into my life.
What would you say to:
* Feeling your feelings, as you feel them?
* Tapping into "hate" and seeing what Shadow material is to be found?
* Learning that "fear" is a natural emotion and is often tied to INTUITION!
* Getting grounded and letting Mother Earth take in your sadness, so that you can
live in joy?
These are just a few of the concepts. It is a very comprehensive book!
Stay tuned, as I'm creating a workshop to share some of these processes.
After enjoying the 7 hour seminar, I knew I just had to have the book, so that I could really incorporate some of these wonderful practices into my life.
What would you say to:
* Feeling your feelings, as you feel them?
* Tapping into "hate" and seeing what Shadow material is to be found?
* Learning that "fear" is a natural emotion and is often tied to INTUITION!
* Getting grounded and letting Mother Earth take in your sadness, so that you can
live in joy?
These are just a few of the concepts. It is a very comprehensive book!
Stay tuned, as I'm creating a workshop to share some of these processes.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Forgiveness
I've been revisiting forgiveness this month. Why do we think that once we've worked with some forgiveness tools that "we're done"? Hey, I'm a coach, right? I SHOULD know better! LOL
I read a quote and reposted it on Facebook a few months ago:
"If you can't forgive and forget, pick one."
Wise words! Sometimes, we struggle with forgiveness, despite everyone telling us how good it is for the soul, the body, the mind.
One of my EFT Teachers suggests a strategy of forgiving just 1%.
She says, "If you were truly able to just let go of 1% of your anger, resentment and desire to punish, then you will be in a very different state of mind than you were before."
Allowing for this small change in your attitude allows you to entertain the possibility of opening the door to letting go of your resentments completely!
Dr. Pat is an EFT Master Teacher and I have enjoyed training with her. I use some of her techniques and EFT scripts in the forgiveness work I facilitate with coaching clients.
Maybe it's time I remember the 1% solution myself!
Write me and ask me to send you my free Forgiveness Toolkit:
coachpjspur@gmail.com
It's a collection of tools and techniques that will help you forgive yourself and others who may have hurt you along life's path.
Happy Spring!
I read a quote and reposted it on Facebook a few months ago:
"If you can't forgive and forget, pick one."
Wise words! Sometimes, we struggle with forgiveness, despite everyone telling us how good it is for the soul, the body, the mind.
One of my EFT Teachers suggests a strategy of forgiving just 1%.
She says, "If you were truly able to just let go of 1% of your anger, resentment and desire to punish, then you will be in a very different state of mind than you were before."
Allowing for this small change in your attitude allows you to entertain the possibility of opening the door to letting go of your resentments completely!
Dr. Pat is an EFT Master Teacher and I have enjoyed training with her. I use some of her techniques and EFT scripts in the forgiveness work I facilitate with coaching clients.
Maybe it's time I remember the 1% solution myself!
Write me and ask me to send you my free Forgiveness Toolkit:
coachpjspur@gmail.com
It's a collection of tools and techniques that will help you forgive yourself and others who may have hurt you along life's path.
Happy Spring!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Meditation - Find Your Own Inner Peace
I am really enjoying the Chopra Center's 21 Day Meditation Challenge. Each day, participants get a free meditation of about 15 minutes. Each day, there is a focus for the meditation. Today's introduction really spoke to me and I want to share it:
Releasing Negative Patterns and Addiction
As David Simon observes, we all are addicted to something. While you may not have a destructive relationship with alcohol, nicotine, or gambling, if you closely observe your thoughts, emotions, and behavior, you may notice that you have more subtle addictions, such as an addiction to approval, perfection, or control – or a compulsive need to be right. At the root of every non-nourishing behavior is a desire to fill unmet needs for security, comfort, self-esteem, and love. Yet acting out a pattern of addiction or compulsion will never fulfill our deepest needs. As the Sufi poet Hafiz advised,
“Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins that may buy you just a moment of pleasure,
But then drag you for days like a broken man behind a farting camel.”
One of the greatest gifts of meditation is the clarity and peace it opens in our lives, allowing us not only to recognize the counterfeit coins, but to no longer feel compelled by them. Meditation helps us realize that all our happiness, love, and wellbeing reside within. In meditation, we tap into our own, inexhaustible source of good as we release the need to seek it outside of ourselves. This doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy our possessions, relationships, and activities – only that we know we aren’t dependent on them for our happiness. In today’s meditation, we will experience the gifts within and begin to release any negative patterns in our lives.
This was especially touching to me, because about 8 months ago, my husband and I gave up red meat. Then, a friend told me about her sugar addiction and the mental and emotional clarity she gained by deleting sugar from her diet. Back in July, I gave up sugar myself. Of course, any meal plan that eliminates sugar also eliminates alcohol, so I'm alcohol free, too.
I guess I've been patting myself on the back for these healthy new habits and then today's meditation brought me to other patterns I am still dragging behind me: addictions to approval, perfection, or control. Make that and control!
Yes, I see how I allow these obsessions to fill my life and cause me to be anxious and fearful. So, today, armed with a new kind of inner peace, I am setting an intention to go within and rest in that sweet place and allow the real me to come out and play!
Oh, and a note about the other habit mentioned: the need to be right. I gave that one up a few years ago, when a wise mentor asked me if I would rather be right or happy. Anytime my sweet husband or a friend brings up a factoid that I may think is incorrect, I remember this and smile. It's so much more nourishing to myself (and them) to just let them think they are right! In the end, does it really matter anyway?
If you would like to join the Chopra 21 Day Challenge, go here:
http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/MEDITATION_WINTER_2012/register.asp
Releasing Negative Patterns and Addiction
As David Simon observes, we all are addicted to something. While you may not have a destructive relationship with alcohol, nicotine, or gambling, if you closely observe your thoughts, emotions, and behavior, you may notice that you have more subtle addictions, such as an addiction to approval, perfection, or control – or a compulsive need to be right. At the root of every non-nourishing behavior is a desire to fill unmet needs for security, comfort, self-esteem, and love. Yet acting out a pattern of addiction or compulsion will never fulfill our deepest needs. As the Sufi poet Hafiz advised,
“Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins that may buy you just a moment of pleasure,
But then drag you for days like a broken man behind a farting camel.”
One of the greatest gifts of meditation is the clarity and peace it opens in our lives, allowing us not only to recognize the counterfeit coins, but to no longer feel compelled by them. Meditation helps us realize that all our happiness, love, and wellbeing reside within. In meditation, we tap into our own, inexhaustible source of good as we release the need to seek it outside of ourselves. This doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy our possessions, relationships, and activities – only that we know we aren’t dependent on them for our happiness. In today’s meditation, we will experience the gifts within and begin to release any negative patterns in our lives.
This was especially touching to me, because about 8 months ago, my husband and I gave up red meat. Then, a friend told me about her sugar addiction and the mental and emotional clarity she gained by deleting sugar from her diet. Back in July, I gave up sugar myself. Of course, any meal plan that eliminates sugar also eliminates alcohol, so I'm alcohol free, too.
I guess I've been patting myself on the back for these healthy new habits and then today's meditation brought me to other patterns I am still dragging behind me: addictions to approval, perfection, or control. Make that and control!
Yes, I see how I allow these obsessions to fill my life and cause me to be anxious and fearful. So, today, armed with a new kind of inner peace, I am setting an intention to go within and rest in that sweet place and allow the real me to come out and play!
Oh, and a note about the other habit mentioned: the need to be right. I gave that one up a few years ago, when a wise mentor asked me if I would rather be right or happy. Anytime my sweet husband or a friend brings up a factoid that I may think is incorrect, I remember this and smile. It's so much more nourishing to myself (and them) to just let them think they are right! In the end, does it really matter anyway?
If you would like to join the Chopra 21 Day Challenge, go here:
http://www.chopracentermeditation.com/bestsellers/MEDITATION_WINTER_2012/register.asp
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Shining a Light
“Hell is the opposite of joy. It is unfulfillment. It is knowing
Who and What You Are, and failing to experience that.
It is being less.”
~ NEALE DONALD WALSCH, Conversations with God
When I look back on my life in Corporate America, I see that I was in a type of Hell; a Hell of my own making! Oh, I made the choices that put me there and I continued to make choices that kept me in that dark, lonely place. No one ever pointed out that I alone could open the door and let myself out. This was something I had to figure out . . . the hard way.
For the past six years, I’ve been a type of guide for folks. My specialty is helping you “get out of Hell.” If you’re interested in getting out of the Hell you’ve placed yourself in, contact me. Remember, I’ve been where you are now. Sometimes, all you need is a guide or someone with a light that is just a little bit brighter than the one you have to show you the way. For many people, I am that light, helping them see a new way to healing, and to a better life.
And, if I can do that for you, it will make my day.
I use a coaching style in my work, which allows you to ask questions, seek answers and grow. I don’t give advice and I don’t do the work for you. If you’re interested in clearing out some of your old stuff, give me a call. If you are interested in equipping yourself with tools and techniques that continue the healing long after your session is finished, I’d like to talk with you. If you are interested in learning new skills that make Earth School a little more fun and your life a lot more rewarding, contact me. If you’ve decided that Hell is no place to live, well you’ve found a friend.
Because what I really want you to know is this: THERE IS NO HELL, no prison, except the one you create for yourself. Truly. So choose freedom. Today.
And give yourself the gift of: FREEDOM
You truly hold the key. In this moment, you can choose to set yourself free. I offer you the potential for change, for healing, for transformation . . . It’s like I’m offering you a “get out of hell” card . . .I wonder if you will take the first step . . .
In the words of one of the world’s great Statesman:
“If you're going through Hell, keep going.”
~ Winston Churchill
Contact me if I can help in any way.
http://www.soulrevelations.tv
Who and What You Are, and failing to experience that.
It is being less.”
~ NEALE DONALD WALSCH, Conversations with God
When I look back on my life in Corporate America, I see that I was in a type of Hell; a Hell of my own making! Oh, I made the choices that put me there and I continued to make choices that kept me in that dark, lonely place. No one ever pointed out that I alone could open the door and let myself out. This was something I had to figure out . . . the hard way.
For the past six years, I’ve been a type of guide for folks. My specialty is helping you “get out of Hell.” If you’re interested in getting out of the Hell you’ve placed yourself in, contact me. Remember, I’ve been where you are now. Sometimes, all you need is a guide or someone with a light that is just a little bit brighter than the one you have to show you the way. For many people, I am that light, helping them see a new way to healing, and to a better life.
And, if I can do that for you, it will make my day.
I use a coaching style in my work, which allows you to ask questions, seek answers and grow. I don’t give advice and I don’t do the work for you. If you’re interested in clearing out some of your old stuff, give me a call. If you are interested in equipping yourself with tools and techniques that continue the healing long after your session is finished, I’d like to talk with you. If you are interested in learning new skills that make Earth School a little more fun and your life a lot more rewarding, contact me. If you’ve decided that Hell is no place to live, well you’ve found a friend.
Because what I really want you to know is this: THERE IS NO HELL, no prison, except the one you create for yourself. Truly. So choose freedom. Today.
And give yourself the gift of: FREEDOM
You truly hold the key. In this moment, you can choose to set yourself free. I offer you the potential for change, for healing, for transformation . . . It’s like I’m offering you a “get out of hell” card . . .I wonder if you will take the first step . . .
In the words of one of the world’s great Statesman:
“If you're going through Hell, keep going.”
~ Winston Churchill
Contact me if I can help in any way.
http://www.soulrevelations.tv
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