Today is the Day!!!

TODAY IS THE DAY!

If we keep putting off our good until tomorrow, nothing will ever be good enough.

We do this all the time. We save the good china for guests and special occasions. We hold onto that thingamajiggy for the day we feel worthy to use it. But all we end up with is lots of wishes for tomorrow. We push our good out to the future because we are afraid if we give it to ourselves today it might not be as special, or as good.

Isn't it time we all came to the realization that life is right now. That there aren't any tomorrows that are guaranteed. You are worth the fine china, even if it's only mac and cheese being served up! You are worth using that thingamajiggy today! Don't put off for tomorrow what you can have today. Is it living if we are always looking outside of where we are? What are we doing to ourselves when we look to yesterday for today's answers and how much power/time/energy are we giving away by pushing our good off until tomorrow?

You are living today. You're the miracle waiting to happen right now, not tomorrow, not the next day or the day after that. Give yourself this daily bread, carbs and all. Living in the moment is being present in your life. No more unconscious living. No more scarfing down the robust and plentiful dinner without tasting it. Take this moment now to feel the air brush across your skin, the smell of the rain as it dissolves into the sidewalks, listen to the sounds of your life with a new ear.

I'm not saying we won't have days where comfortably numb isn't welcomed. We all have those days. They are valid because your feelings are valid. But to live every moment comfortably numb isn't living, it's just existing until the next tomorrow. Take up thy bed and walk. If you're like me and have days where you look up and wonder what happened to the last week, month, or year, it's time to take a deep breath, be grateful you came to the realization that you deserve more. YOU DESERVE MORE!  Take a second in the day to find one small thing to be grateful for. Find a sliver of something beautiful in the heap of comfortably numb.

When you discover that there is beauty around you, that there are moments to celebrate even if they are the most ridiculous things, you'll begin to see that the outcome of your experience isn't in the hands of the world, it isn't perched in tomorrow's ideas, but in this moment now, right where you are. It's time to celebrate the fact that you are important in the scheme of your life. YOU hold the thoughts that power your experiences. HUGE. You are the creator of your day, the maker of moments, the only person who can decide how you're going to react and interact with people, places, events and things.

I understand it's not the easiest thing to do when you've spent your life looking at the glass half empty. You don't want to feel the pain of being let down, you'd rather rely upon the reality of the world around you. I get it, we all reside there sometimes. But, what's life if we don't give ourselves moments to experience the breath-hitching wonderful. What are we robbing from ourselves by numbing ourselves to the grandeur that is waiting for our arrival? You're created out of the same substance that created the stars. That's no joke, look it up. Every element they discovered in the creation of stars are all elements found here on earth. Therefore, you're soaked through and through to be a STAR! You knew it, there is that burst of brilliance at the center of who you are. Find it, make that your next adventure, discover that tomorrow is nothing more than more of today. You are a mighty moving force in your life, no matter how it may appear. YOU have the right to a do-over, a restart, a re-boot. Find your star and burn brightly my loves!

LOVE and PEACE be with YOU today!

#BeTheStarYouWereMeantToBe #BrandYourStand #FindYourSpark #YoureNotAlone #YouAreBeautifulJUSTtheWayYouAre #BeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInTheWorld #Love #Peace #BigO #O

Today is Mine.

Today is new! Yesterday is down and in the books. It's something you can't go back and change. No matter how wonderful or how pain-filled it was, the key word is ... WAS.

I can't fix, take back, change, or remove the feelings, experiences, memories, and reactions of yesterday. All I have any control over is what I do with them. I choose to learn from them, and then move forward with that knowledge obtained. It doesn't do anything to wallow in yesterday's mistakes, misfortunes, triumphs or tribulations. I'm not going to rub them across my bosom, or sleep with them under my pillow, and I DON'T WANT TO!

I choose to take the knowledge of yesterday and do what I can to be a better person from the lessons taught me. Today, is new. An opportunity to make better that which I may have failed at in my past. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I know it's hard to let go of burdens or pain from your past. We all know our past is what paints our future, however, it doesn't have to define it. What I was yesterday, a month ago, a year ago, a decade ago isn't who I am today. Because today I choose to be free from the need to make excuses for something I can't change. I own my past, take responsibility for it, and MOVE forward.

There are people who can't move out of it. They decide that their past, present and future is who they were and not what they have to potential to become. We've all felt this way, at some point in our lives. But, it doesn't serve you or your future to cling to your foibles of your past. The failures of yesterday are the stepping stones to the successes of tomorrow.

I choose to stop reaching outside of myself for who I am. I decide to look within and make the necessary changes within me. Because, truthfully, that's all I have any control over. People's reactions aren't mine to own. It isn't heartless, on the contrary, it's being heartfelt. Because when we come to the realization we can't control others, we begin to understand that the only thing we can control is our reaction to their actions. Somehow we begin to embody the compassion, love and understanding of where they may be coming from.

Take the time today to celebrate your breath, the thunderous heartbeat in your chest, the thoughts that swirl through your head when you really love someone. Embrace today as if you have no access to yesterday's files. When your feet hit the floor, know that everything from your past is forgiven. That you learned from what bones are buried in the soil of yesterdays battles.

YOU are magnificent! The miracle of another opportunity to grow, learn and expand your consciousness. Why not wake up with the expectation of something wonderful is about to happen. Even in the darkness, when the light appears, the darkness dissipates, EVERY TIME!

You are the light of this life, my friends. It's time someone told you that.No matter what. No matter the situation, emotion, reaction or interaction, you are the light of your life. Okay, I'm gonna get a little bible-bangin' on ya, but it's such a powerful metaphor, "When God said, "Let there be Light", there was light." God demanded the light, he didn't ask, beseech, question or guess there would somehow be light. With the conviction and authority of the Almighty, you have that same right to demand it from the Universe. LET THERE BE LIGHT. The Universe gives you only what you are capable of embodying. If you're only capable of a small flicker of a spark, then celebrate that you have a spark. If you're a raging fire, then you celebrate that. It's time to give yourself permission to just be who you need to be today. Because that which you focus on grows.

May LOVE and PEACE find you in everything you do today! #ILOVEU #TakeAMomentForGratitude #EvenIfImHeartBrokenIFindMySoulsSong #LoveAndLight #LightDissapatesTheDarkness #LetThereBeLightAndThereWasLight.

Knocking on Failure's Door

We have to stop looking at failure as a reason to quit! Stop looking at the hurdles as impossibilities. We lose too many talented people in too many industries because of the belief that failure is a one way ticket to doom and gloom.

Failure is a form of success. Hear me out, if you don't like my explanation, then we'll talk about it later.

We need to reconfigure the definition of what failure means to us. It doesn't have to be something that rips you to shreds and ruins your ability to carry on. When we fail at something, or if the results aren't what we wanted, we grow, we evolve and we learn in the midst of that failure how NOT to do something. We essentially succeed in gaining knowledge when we fail.

I'm not going to say it doesn't sting, hurt, discourage or down right turn us sour, because failure has the ability to do that. But when we step out of the chaos failure creates in our thinking, and we approach the results from a different mind set, failure can become a springboard of infinite possibilities. Let's face it, failing at something can be one of the biggest motivators in our lives. Aaannnndddd, that's because we all have something called EGO.

I couldn't talk about failure without talking about ego.

DEFINITION OF EGO: Your ego is your conscious mind, the part of your identity that you consider your "self."

Ego is a tough thing because it can play into the hands of failure. When we identify as that failure, our ego hands us that failure on the most beautiful shiny platter around. Our thinking takes a turn into the idea that we are our failures and our ego serves it up.

Think about it, how many times have we worried about other people's ideas about who we are and what we do? That's our ego, that's us being conscious of our "selves".  When we approach failure from the outside in, from a different view point, the power failure once had over us, becomes nothing more than a fleeting thought and we begin to figure out a different way of succeeding at something. We can fail once and give up or hundreds of times, it's only those of us who dig back in that will eventually find their way to success.

Just as in nature, we must flourish or parish, (not necessarily in a physical sense). It could be an idea that parishes, a way of doing something, an action, reaction or even a thought process.  When we let go of the "ego-ness" of failure, and we embrace the idea that through being unsuccessful at a particular action or event, we are cementing the stepping stones to creating something greater and more expansive. We are taking the knowledge we just obtained and applying it to the process of becoming successful.

You know failure and success is in the eye of the beholder. It's your eye that defines what your failure and success is. It isn't in the power of those outside of your mind, who define who and what you are, That is your job, your responsibility to take. I keep saying this because it's true; YOU are the only one who has access to your thinking and thoughts 24/7. Nobody can fix your definition of what you believe is success and failure. That, my dear friends, happens to be an inside job.

Take a moment today, to look at something you believe failed at, something that didn't turn out quite as you had planned. Look at it from a different thought process. Maybe you'll see that if you had succeeded you might not have what you have now, Maybe you'll see that through failing you learned compassion, understanding or cooperation. There's always something to learn and grow from, and isn't growing and learning a step toward expanding your consciousness which in turn is a step towards your success?

I say the next statements a lot, and I MEAN A LOT, but I think we just don't hear it enough today, so I'm gonna keep saying it until it becomes as natural to you as breathing. Here goes. YOU ARE A MIGHTY MOVING FORCE IN THIS WORLD. YOU ARE THE MIRACLE YOUR LIFE IS WAITING ON. YOU ARE THE CHANGE THE WORLD NEEDS. YOU ARE AN INFINITE POSSIBILITY WAITING TO UNFOLD. It's time you started to believe in your inner power and strength and stop waiting for others to label you. YOU ARE NOT YOUR FAILURES, you are GREATER than that, you possess within you the same energy that produced the universe. It's time we all started seeing what we are, instead of what we aren't.

Go, take on today, knowing that what you put out into the world, comes back multiplied, and stronger than ever. Make today, the best Monday, January 25th, 2016 ever!

Love,

Gretchen

#YouAreNotDefinedByYourFailuresYouBelongToSomethingGreaterThanThat #BeTheChange #MightyMovingForce #SuccessIsntMeasuredByHowWellOthersSayYouDidButHowYouFeltDoingIt #BigOLove #BigO #O

Take Your Life By the Horns

Your strength doesn't rest in an outcome, or a result, rather your strength resides in the power of your decision to do something.

You hold the key to your own happiness, nobody or nothing has the authority to take your power of decision away. We often find comfort in blaming others for the results in our lives. It's so much easier to look outside of ourselves for how f*cked up our lives are.

We walk around casting blame for what's so wrong in our lives and yet, when something goes right, we find it easy to look within. Take credit for the good and blame others for the bad. Isn't it time to discover that the outcome of our lives is measured by the responsibility we take for it?

If one person ... ONE person can prove to rise above the disharmony and discontent in their lives, then it shows that any one of us can. It's in the decision to do something. People that over come horrific events in their lives do so by changing their way of thinking. They don't blame past pain for where they are in their lives. They move beyond the pain, suffering and anger into a state of consciousness soaked in forgiveness, peace and love.

Everyone has been a victimized in this life. I'm not trivializing the event that has caused you so much pain. TRUST ME, I know what it feels like to suffer at the hands of someone else. But if we don't find our inner strength through forgiveness, through empowering ourselves, through taking responsibility for how we act NOW, we will live out the rest of our lives tortured by events that can never be changed. If we keep residing in our painful past, how can we embrace a greater future?

Events of your past shape who you are, I'm not one to argue that. I'm also aware that in order to overcome the tragedies in your life you have to work through your anger, fear, guilt, shame and doubt. Some people have more work than others, that I will not discount, nobody can tell you how to grieve or heal. All I'm saying is once you decide to move beyond the pain, you find there is an entire life waiting for your discovery of it. A life filled with love, peace, harmony and compassion.

Sure, you'll have days where you're mentally stronger than other days. You'll have setbacks and spring-forwards, we are human. However, as you learn to look within for your answers, look within for your strength and power, you'll see that blaming others, or looking to others to make you happy is a dead-end road.

YOU are MAGNIFICENT, you are the result of a miracle made manifest! You were created out of the goodness and grace of a Infinite Power seeking to know life. In seeking to experience life, this Infinite Power, (call it what you feel comfortable calling it), gave you volition, emotions and consciousness. You're equipped with everything you need to be empowered in your own life. It starts by recognizing that you are a mighty moving force that is worthy of love, peace, forgiveness and a limitless abundance of goodness.

I'll be the first to tell you, it isn't the easiest thing breaking the bricks which have created the walls that imprison you. It isn't fun working through your past, it's uncomfortable, tiring, icky, painful and downright debilitating at times, BUT when you decide to take back your life, eventually there will be more good days than bad, more moments of triumph instead of defeat. Take the time you need, a little each day is better than trying too much at once and giving up.

I'll leave you with this, "You can't fix a problem using the same consciousness that created it." Albert Einstein.

Keep changing the way you've been thinking about or approaching a problem, and eventually you will find a solution.

May LOVE and PEACE by yours today.

Love,

Gretchen

As You Give, So Shall You Receive

For the last couple of years I’ve been changing. Okay, well, I’ve been changing and growing my entire life. But lately, for the last several years I’ve gone through a mental growth period. A Spiritual journey that if I look back, I can see how its unfolded slowly, sometimes painfully, sometimes perfectly, sometimes even prolifically.

In the last couple of months, intentionally or otherwise I’ve really started to embrace the idea of trying to live a selfless life. See, I’ve been wrapped up in the idea that if I produce or do something, I look for what’s in it for me. Normal, or what society has trained me to think. If I do something for someone, what’s in it for me? Whether it comes from that person or someone else, if I give, I’ll be given back to right?

Such a delicate balance/dance with the Universe. We are told give and ye shall receive. You sow what you reap. BUT, what if we aren’t meant to? What if we aren’t designed that way? What if we are designed to sacrifice, surrender, and give without expectations? What if in the act of giving selflessly, without expectations is the key to eternal mana from heaven?

“As you give, so shall you receive.”  

What if it isn’t about WHAT you give but HOW you give?

I think about that, ponder that statement for a deeply, personal, real moment and decided it isn’t what I give, but how I give. It’s about my attitude when I give. Am I looking for something in return? Am I giving because I believe the more I give the more I get back? Or, am I in the right state of selflessness when I am giving? Am I doing the act of giving so I will be acknowledged for doing something? Do I post inspirational posts to get the responses that feed my ego or do I give my words to people selflessly? It’s a real dilemma for someone who wants to give without restraint. It’s a real moment of awakening when looking back at my life and evaluate myself honestly, openly, and without judgment.

This isn’t a moment designed to make me feel guilty, or helpless, actually it’s empowering to discover where my true power resides. My real, raw, inner power doesn’t reside in the giving of the “thing”, my real raw power resides in the thought behind it, my intention.

Am I being selfless in what I give? Am I giving without restraint? Giving without conditions? Giving without any forethought of, what’s in it for me? If I can’t honestly answer those questions with a yes, then the actions, the condition, the idea of a selfless, enlightening, freeing moment won’t exist in the action.  

It’s the Law of Cause and Effect. My giving, whatever it is, time, talent, treasure is the Cause and what is produced, what happens when I give is the Effect.

“As I give(Cause), so shall I receive(Effect).”

When I give, that is the reward! No matter what. The smile, hug, the thank you, the “things” that return to me are just an added bonus.

I know this seems radical to some. Some people may think, “But G, people will take advantage of you.” Well, to those who believe that I will say this … not really. If I’m not focusing on the effect of my action, but the cause of my giving, those things “added unto me” will be wonderful but not the reason I did the act in the first place. If I am truly pure in my intentions the results can be nothing less than pure. If appearances are on the contrary, then that is in the eye of the beholder and not the one acting out of pure intention.

Listen, I’m far from perfect in this concept. This is what life is for, to practice and keep practicing and when I feel I’ve gotten pretty good at it, continue to practice this concept. Does it mean I say yes to everything? Absolutely not. But when I am inspired to give, inspired to help, asked for something, and I find I’m doing it for nothing more than because I want to, without conditions, and without expectations then I’ll know I’m on the right track.

I strive for freedom from disappointment, from expectations, from pain, hurt, jealousy, suffering, conditions. Living in the moment, being present in a moment, without worrying about 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days from now. How empowering would that be?

I must let go of ego. I must let go of outcomes. I must let go of expectations. I must be fully present in the moment with the person, or people I’m with. It’s about striving to live a pinpoint, in the moment type of life. If I trust the Universe to put me where I’m supposed to be, then I need not worry about the future. Every action and reaction, every intention will build, put in place and be made ready for me.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and rely not on your own wisdom. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

It’s time I started trusting in the power of intention, trust that the Almighty has every answer to every question I could ever possibly ask. It’s time to let go and let God. This Omnipotent Presence will not lead me astray but point me in the right direction to my highest and best good. I don’t have to rely upon my own idea of what I believe should occur. I don’t have to try and figure it out. All I have to do is know, with all that I am, right and perfect action is taking place and the path of my journey will be made easy, straight and with ease.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

LOVE, Gretchen.

 

Fear of Failing

FEAR OF FAILING 

When we stand on the precipice of a new day, a new moment, a new way of thinking and leap off into the unknown there's a moment of uncertainty that arises. It's that particular point in time as we're flying through the vast open space of the moment, where our future is just a speck below us, and our past is left up on the cliff, and we ask ourselves, "What the hell did I just do?" 

At that moment of realization we discover fear is a real powerful emotion. So powerful in fact that it has cemented us into the exact space we struggle to overcome. 

People holler to us ... don't worry, be brave, discover your passion, do your best. And as we are sailing through this wide open point of discovery we ask ourselves, what if regret appears to be my best? What if crippling fear shows up as my best? What if buckling to the pressures of life seems to be my best? What if failure is all I am going to experience?

To those of you who are sailing through the vast space of "oh sh*t", let me say this... Sometimes we don't have to be the best, all we have to do is show up and be willing to participate.

In order to manifest, produce or overcome the results of the world we have to stop looking at the world as the barometer of our life. We become so caught up in the fear of failure, that we lose the idea that it's our inalienable right to do so. When we glide through the air in our leap of faith and the wind is catching our hair and it is brushing our cheeks, and causing our eyes to water, there's a point in us that will discover that in order to move forward we must be willing to first leap and second be okay with failing. 

It isn't the act of failing that dictates our outcome, it's our reaction to it. ~ G. de la O.

In other words, well, actually in Albert Einstein's words, "We can't change a problem with the same consciousness that created it." 

When you fail at one thing, own it, hold your head up high and be proud of it, because it that point of failing, you leapt. You took a chance where you invested in something greater than fear. You opened yourself up to growth and you expanded your consciousness. You succeeded at knowing what NOT to do the next time.  

We live in a society where our children are terrified to fail. They are scared to try because they don't want the world to crush them, judge their attempts, or shame them for not succeeding the first time. 

It's time that the pendulum of discovery swing back the other direction. We must let our Future see that it's okay to fail and that fear is okay when you know what to do with it. We must show the young that failing is inevitably the biggest sign of living. They need to see that we can bounce back, regroup and try again. Failure isn't the last train station of your life. The track is endless, the train keeps going. 

Failure is nothing more than a jumping off point to discover you can rise up from the ashes and start anew. We don't have to fear the act of failing because in every action and every reaction there is a gravity of love, compassion, intelligence, openness, discovery, and growth.

Leap off the edge of who you were yesterday and embrace the feeling of letting go of the process you think it must do. There is a power greater than you, that knows what to do and how to do it. 

Let today, be the best November 24th, 2015 ever!

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings! 

Love,
Gretchen

Truth is When You Are Done Proving Yourself

You don't have to sacrifice yourself in order to be brilliant, you just have to be willing to do the work.

Be willing to be vulnerable, be willing to let go of being right, or being something to everyone. Be something to yourself. This isn't self-indulgence, it's self-reliance, self awareness, self-fulfillment. It's diving so deep into who you are, that when you come up for air you gasp at what you discovered. You marvel at the idea that you are not the body you are housed in, or the material things you accumulate. You discover that within every experience you've had, there was something greater at work than your own ego, ideas, beliefs or wishes. You discover that your connection with others is a stronger bandwidth than you anticipated.

Your Truth is complete abandonment of your ego and need of having to be right. It’s letting go of the idea that you must be heard, or be proven. What in the world do you have to prove? Stop talking and people will suddenly listen. Stop arguing and people will take notice, stop the riggers of discontent and people will stop feeding that monster. 

When you let go of your need to be right, be heard, or be proven it can be scary. Suddenly you're floating in an ocean of uncharted territory. Instantly you have to tread water where before you swam a strong stroke. You have to float on your back and not foresee where you are going. But in doing that, it begins to create an understanding that what is happening to the world outside of you, isn’t what is happening to the world inside of you. You will discover that you are more than enough.

But, you have to learn how to silence the voice inside your head. You know the one that tells you, “You must fight to be right!”  

Let me clear something up for you, YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT TO BE RIGHT. 

Your Truth, who you are will be revealed the second you stop trying to prove who you are. Truthfully, the mere fact that you were born is proof enough that within you is a power at work greater than anything you feel you need to prove. There is nothing more to prove, nothing more to argue about. How you live your life, how you cooperate, coordinate, facilitate and participate is nothing more than a reflection of what you’ve been taught to expect or believe to be facts. Well, and we all know facts can change.

Your Truth is unchangeable, it’s non-negotiable, it isn’t fiction or woo-woo. Your Truth is irrevocable, it’s dynamic and never stagnant. It is who you are when the world turns away, it’s the Divine spark that never stops burning, it is your creative process, it’s the connection you have with nature. Your Truth is love. Pure, unadulterated, non-sexual, unconditional, irreplaceable, bigger than child/mother connection, LOVE. It’s not explainable, it’s undefinable, it’s limitless in its totality. Your Truth is the omnipotence of God acting through you.  

When we see our Truth for what it is, we begin to understand why we don’t have to waste our breath explaining who we are or feel the need to prove anything to anyone. We don’t need to because the Universe is doing it for us by acting through us.

So today, I stop trying to prove I’m right. I stop arguing for the conditional when the unconditional is at my fingertips. I let go of the idea that limited definitions, or the human condition creates any part of my Truth. I am a child of God, carrying out my life the best way I know how to. I let go of the need to fight to be right. I let go of those people who feel the need to fight to be right. I embrace the Truth of who I AM and I approach everyone, (and I mean EVERYONE) with kindness, compassion, empathy and understanding. How freeing it is to know I don’t have to play in the muck and mire of discontent. That my Truth is ultimately their Truth too.

It’s so empowering to know that there is a greatness in each and every person I come in contact with, and I have the ability to connect with them at that level. Even the people who hate me, even the people who hurt me so deeply. Everyone has this capacity, and it’s in our willingness to discover it, nurture it, come from it, and embrace it that will give us the most freedom. Freedom from the bondage of pain, suffering, hate, anger, jealousy. It is an evolving process, a life’s work that will never be done. It’s a forever process of enlightenment, unfolding discovery, involvement, evolution and continuum of growth.

Today, if I have a millisecond of clarity and experience a sliver of my inner Truth, I know that I have moved closer to the pinnacle of my life’s work. It isn’t the instant we hit the ground that we are searching for, it’s the thrill of flying through the air after we've jumped.  That’s where we find the most growth in our humanity, and our spirituality. It isn’t about sticking the landing, but what we do while we are flying through the air that matters.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Love,

Gretchen

No Matter a Mountain or a Molehill, The Outcome is the Same

When you stand at the base of a mountain and look up, it can appear to be insurmountable. You can feel insignificant and too small to climb the face of something so massive.

Life can feel that same way at times. But if you lower your head and face forward, you will see the ledges, roots, rocks and crevices you can use to pull yourself up. When we give our attention to that which is right in front of us, the mountain that towers above us, doesn't seem so huge.

Every once in a while, you can look up and see the magnitude of work ahead of you, and in the same token you can look down and see how far you've come. But your resiliency isn't measured in where you came from or how much further you have to climb. Your resiliency and strength is measured by how you move forward from where you are.

You can't look up or down the face mountain and at the same time be successful in placing your hands and feet in the best positions to climb. You must focus, be aware of the moment and make the choices that will keep you clinging and climbing that mountain!

In other words, you must be consciously aware of what you're doing. It's a matter of life and death, success and failure, and eventually reaching the crest of that mountain.

If you are too busy worrying about what's to come or what you've already been through, the significance of the moment you have right now will be lost on your past and what hasn't happened yet. You have an opportunity right now, to either reach for that ledge and pull yourself to the next phase of your climb, or keep clinging to the edge until your hands and feet become tired. You know what to do and how to do it. It's time to start trusting your intuition and let go of the needling fear that's like weights around your ankles.

You have been given the best climbing equipment, ever, it's state of the art and it costs you nothing! You have been trained and equipped for climbing those proverbial mountains your whole life.

You've always possess the ability to think, reason, deduce, and understand. You've always have had the ability to choose, to love, to forgive and to forget! You have everything you need right where you are to reach up and pull yourself to the next section of your climb.

YES, sometimes you'll lose your footing, or grab a rock that's loose, you'll slide and have set backs, but guess what? That's part of being alive. Who doesn't have experiences that seem to kick you when you're down? But it's important to remember that you have a safety rope, a lead rope, and that rope is the one thing that's strong enough to keep you from falling to your death. That lead rope is called faith. It's that faith, in which you have for yourself and others. Faith allows you to start again, keep going and reach for your potential that resides within you. Faith's that still small voice inside of you, faint as a whisper which tells you, that you're worth it, that you can do it, and that love, compassion, peace and strength resides right where you are.

You're a child of God, a reason why life is happening. You are the most valuable person who's climbing the massive mountain called, Your Life! Don't you think it's time to start embracing your strengths and finding the strongest rocks and roots to grab?

Listen, it's not what you were, or what you can be that defines who you are in this moment, you are not yesterday's news and or tomorrows headlines; you are the decisions you make right now, at this moment of your life. Empower yourself and know that you are love, life, joy, peace, compassion, harmony, light and abundance. Know that you are the perfect expression of life, living life to the best of your ability, right where you are.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Love,

Gretchen

There's No Place Like Home (Wizard of Oz Pt. 2)

 There's No Place Like Home. (2nd Installment)

Dorothy Meets the Scarecrow...

(Highly recommended you read the 1st installment--- here)

There are moments during Dorothy’s journey where she finds herself walking or skipping along the wide winding road laden with bright yellow bricks of promise without issues. Her journey is a peaceful one with Toto (her little dog), scampering at her feet. And yet, just as the moment where comfort outweighs her fear, she comes upon a fork in the road. Undecided on which way to go she talks to herself out loud, and that's when she's startled by a talking scarecrow in a field of corn. The Scarecrow tries to direct her the best way he knows how, but in the end comes off as confused. However, Dorothy listens to his story, and shows empathy for him by bending the nail down on which he is hung and frees him from his paltry existence. The Scarecrow asks if he can join her on her journey to see the Wizard, his hopes pinned on the idea that the wizard might give him some brains. It’s the perfect situation which allows her to express her compassion for something unlike herself. She tells him that she has a wicked witch after her and shows concern for his safety but when he tells her he’s determined to go with her, she agrees to his joining her and Toto’s journey to Emerald City.

I believe miracles show up in all different ways. Now, I’m not saying on your journey down your ‘yellow brick road’ you’ll come across a talking scarecrow that only wants a brain, I believe in a lot of things deemed miracles, but that ain’t one of them. What I am saying is, you may come across someone during your life's journey that may need your help, or need your attention, or someone who may not be as fortunate as you. It's wise for you to remember, it isn’t the work of your hands that makes you memorable, but how wide you open your heart.

Like the scarecrow, there will be people in our lives who feel dumb, they believe or have been told they aren’t worthy, or they’re stupid and have no business doing what they are doing in life. It’s a sad fact in which the words flung upon the young and innocent leave the deepest wounds. For all I know you could be reading this and blurt out, “Gretchen, Oh.My.God, I’m the scarecrow!”

But let’s make something clear, something we should all be aware of … people come into our lives for a reason … PERIOD. Sometimes they are fleeting, sometimes they come in and stay for a short blip of time, and sometimes we meet people and they’re in our lives up until we take our last breath. It’s my belief that everyone’s brilliant and life affirming and intelligent with a special place in this universe. I know, I know, we’re all measured to a standard that for some is unobtainable, but let me say this, some people are book smart, while others are street wise, some may have mastered how to run a household, while others are better building things with their hands, but the fact of the matter is, we each have something to contribute to the betterment of this world. Each and every one of us possess this capability; it’s just that we’ve lost our confidence along the way. As a society, we’ve lost the ability to connect with the potential which resides deep within each and every one of us. We’ve been told not to be vulnerable, or show weakness, we’ve been told we shouldn’t be too confident, or come across arrogant. We’ve been “shoulded” on our entire lives! 

It's time to STOP “Shoulding” on yourself and others. It’s vital when people come into our lives to remind them of how brilliant, loving, dynamic, joyous, and smart they truly are. It’s imperative that we keep reminding ourselves of how brilliant, loving, dynamic, joyous and smart we are too. Dorothy, never once agrees with the scarecrow! She heard his woes-me story, gave him her ear to listen , and then when he invited himself into her journey, she agreed to his company, wholeheartedly.

Every answer to every question we’ve ever had lies deep within us. Either we’ve never been told about our potential or or we keep forgetting about it because we are constantly bombarded with definitions and phrases that convince us or train us to believe we are limited, less than, or weak. When Dorothy asked the scarecrow questions he answered, when she couldn’t free him from the post he was nailed upon, he told her what to do. Maybe it’s the simple fact that we’ve never been taught how to stop and listen, or we merely forgot the mechanics of becoming still and knowing. Self confidence, inner peace, love, harmony, and personal strength can’t happen so long as we keep building soundproof walls that continue to isolate us in a self-induced prison of shame, guilt and blame.    

Why do we look upon the less fortunate as “less than”? Who wouldn’t fall in love with a singing scarecrow without a brain? Why must we define others by what they don’t have or what they are lacking in their lives? When our actions speak louder than our words we will truly understand the dynamics of reaping what we sow. When we celebrate the strength in those around us, we are uplifted in our own lives. Dorothy’s heart was large, bigger than those whom she met, and yet never once did she make anyone feel inadequate.

You see, even though the scarecrow thought he didn’t have a brain, he sang about all the things he’d do if he had a brain. The scarecrow had his entire existence all “plotted” out if he ever “got himself some brains”. What he didn’t realize was he already possessed the abilities he sung about. He had within him the potential to do everything he wanted, if he’d let go of the idea that he wasn’t smart enough. Could it be that we too, have our own ideas of what we need or should be in order to be, successful, happy, healthy, loving, abundant, and joyous? We, like the scarecrow believe we don’t possess the potential to be greater than we are right now. Doubt aside, how often have we talked ourselves out of something because we believed we weren’t worthy enough, strong enough, intelligent enough? If we keep following the same patterns that got us to where we are, we’ll never embody our true potential.

It’s time to bend the nail that pins us to the post of our past beliefs and slide off the splintered beam that keeps us bound to our old ideas of who we used to be. Stand with those people who believe we possess the capability to be whatever our heart’s desire.

You and only you know what’s right for your life. You may start your journey heading one way on the, ‘yellow brick road’ and find it’s not the right path. That’s okay, because at least you’re starting to recognize what you want and what you don’t want. You’re beginning to live life consciously! Strengthen those legs you thought weren’t strong enough to carry you through, start believing that within you lies infinite possibilities in which you have an all access pass dangling from a lanyard for all to see. You are the believer that creates the beliefs in your life. You have the ability to change your mind and dance on the ‘yellow brick road’ of your journey.

It’s your life,and your opportunity to be anything you want to be. When you stop allowing others to define who you are and what they think you should be, you begin to embody your true potentiality. When you discover the limiting ideas, which have been seared across your brain are nothing more than a false belief you’ve unknowingly allowed to be planted there, you can begin to uproot them, weed them and replace them with the fruit producing positive ideas that strengthen who you are.

Dorothy never once believed what the scarecrow told her about his plight of being brainless. She heard him out, disclosed to him the struggles he may encounter if he went with her, and then let him decide for himself if he was going to join her or not. It’s time to have someone in your corner believing in you, telling you, you can do whatever you set your mind to; it won’t be the easiest thing you’ll ever do, but what’s gained if nothing is tried? You can climb back up on that rusty ol’ nail and hang from that splintered post, or you can tread along the ‘yellow brick road’ of your existence and see what happens. The choice is yours.   

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings. 

***Stay tuned for the 3rd installment when Dorothy meets the Tin Man.

There's No Place Like Home. (Wizard of Oz)

We Are More Like Dorothy Than We Realize.

This morning while I was getting ready for work a scene from the movie, The Wizard of Oz popped into my head. You know the one where the wizard dives head first digging deep into his big black bag only to pull out attributes for three of the lost wanderers. The qualities none of the eclectic gang thought they had. The same scene where Dorothy pipes up and quips, “There’s probably nothing in that big black bag for me.” I thought to myself, “holy sh*t, that’s it! We’re ALL Dorothy in our journey of life.”

As a matter of fact, the whole Wizard of Oz story/movie exists in a parallel motion to our lives. We all have dreams, ideals, beliefs and when we’re young they are big, huge, dynamic, and sometimes even scary. When we’re little children we believe we can be anything we want. We may daydream about how it feels to save someone's life, accept an Oscar, a Grammy, a trophy, the championship title. We see ourselves as doctors, star athletes, actors, singers, musicians, speakers, even the president of the United States. But as we get older we begin to lose the dream, we begin to loosen our grip on what we thought we could accomplish, we begin to listen to the people telling us to get down, stop balancing on the thin edge of that rickety ol’ fence and get back to work. We’re told that life is hard, so get your head out of the clouds, because ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ doesn’t exist. We start to believe that we aren’t worthy of our dreams and that we need to shove them back down into the place where childhood memories collect dust and dreams are better left forgotten.

When Dorothy (who’s in a dress mind you), falls head first off the fence and into the mud that's where our lives become parallel to hers. Tragic as it is, we’re raised to fear life. We’re clothed and draped in the experiences of those who have lived before us. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, mentors, people who have their life experiences tattooed across every let down and failure they’ve ever had. These loving people never planted fear within us out of malice or for the sole purpose of squashing our dreams; it was done with the honest intention to protect us from pain, to thicken our skins to the big bad world outside. It was done so that we wouldn’t be devastated when our dreams appeared to be out of our reach. They instilled fear in us so we’d be stronger when we stumbled on our way to catching a glimpse.

Now, listen up, I’m not writing this post to debate on how to “ready” your child(ren) for this world. I’m not in a position to pass judgment on anyone. And as much as my parents supported my dreams, there were plenty of naysayers outside of my protective cocoon that didn’t waste a moment’s time to tell my how ridiculous my dreams were. I’m paralleling our lives to the Wizard of Oz (movie version), so we have something to reference outside of ourselves. A visual prop, so to speak, to identify with and relate so we can recognize the fear that paralyzes us, call out the unworthiness that we dress ourselves in everyday as we follow our dreams, and overcome the guilt we shower in when things don’t work out as we thought they should.  

There are moments when Dorothy faces the harsh realities of life in a microcosm, where times are tough and people are even tougher. When the innocence of their simple but hard life on the farm becomes disrupted by the oppressive hand of the unforgiving people who scare her and spit demands at her family. As if in the same manner we may have been battered, bruised and squeezed for property we didn’t possess or situations we couldn’t rectify. But isn’t that the way of tragedy? As if things couldn’t get any more deplorable, a twister comes and rips Dorothy’s house from the dust riddled parched earth of Kansas in a turbulently violent moment that seems to last forever.

Eventually, the modest farm house lands hard, smack dab in the middle of a luscious forest in the Land of Oz. There's a metaphorical brilliance in that scene that’s undeniable. We’re faced with twisters in our own lives, moments even when we hold on, they seem to rip us from our foundation. Could the house that flew through the air, tossing and spinning so recklessly represent our lives? Could the scared girl named Dorothy, who watched the world pass her by through a single pane glass window be a significant moment we hate to identify? Amongst the chaos and turmoil, we’ll always see the good and bad come out in people. When we live in expectations of lack or desperation, we’re living a monochromatic experience. We become comfortably complacent in our lives until something devastatingly dramatic comes along and shakes us up. And what better metaphor to represent the upset than a tornado in the dust bowl of Kansas?

Life seems melodramatic, filled with the pain of what we despise and yet we can’t seem to get enough of it running through our veins. Just as the world Dorothy was fearing in her monochromatic life, eventually it takes on a different shape translating into technicolor dreams planted in her head. We are constantly pulling and pushing ideas from what we thought was supposed to be into what we feel needs to happen. Fear’s been seared into our souls so completely, that while life’s being painted across a fresh new canvas of possibilities we shudder and cling to the idea that the first stroke of the brush could be the last. Yet, just as Dorothy pulls open the door of her wind-bent farm house, she's met with a vibrant world filled with brilliant colors and vivid imagery all her own. A world created by her thoughts, her ideas, her fears and her strengths and you want to know the twister? She’s completely oblivious that she has created it.

Cautiously, yet curiously Dorothy leaves the confines of her transplanted farm house and braves this dynamic world she’d never seen before. Faced with actions beyond her control, when her house lands on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East Dorothy is thrust into a position that requires her to put on her big girl panties, and find the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. Fanfare ensues because let’s face it, if a house landed on the one person or experience that keeps tormenting you, you’d be partying too! Sometimes breaking away from that which brings you so much pain sends you off onto a journey you never expected. People around you could be celebrating the accomplishments or growth you’ve experienced, while deep inside your gut you are scared to death of what just happened. It’s understandable that there will be fear of backlash or repercussions when you’ve knowingly or unknowingly accomplished something so empowering. Even if the success you’re experiencing wasn’t planned!

Here’s Dorothy, in the middle of Munchkinland, celebrating the new adventure she’s about to embark on, when Glenda the Good Witch, in her delicate and loving manner, tells Dorothy how good can overcome evil, and how sometimes in overcoming that evil you can have more problems arise, when VOILA! … The Wicked Witch of the West, appears in a green puff of smoke! (I never understood why green represented evil. It’s my favorite color) Anyway, instantly Dorothy’s life becomes riddled with problems, ideologies, and fear. The Wicked Witch of The West is pissed because Dorothy’s house has killed her sister, the Wicked Witch of The East. That’s right, innocent, pretty Dorothy was blamed for something out of her control. How many times have we’ve been blamed for circumstances beyond our control? How many times will we have to drown in our self-inflicted guilt because we succeeded or failed at something?  

Poor Dorothy, riddled with guilt and confused on what to do is completely unaware of her inner power and where it resides. She stands scared because the Wicked Witch of the West has targeted her as her next victim. Especially, since Glenda the GW←(Good Witch), magically put the ruby slippers upon Dorothy’s feet. ← Take note, the ruby slippers represent a HUGE AH-HA moment later in the story. Dorothy didn’t ask for these ruby slippers, she didn’t come in all gangsta like and demand the beautiful shoes, Glenda decided to give them to Dorothy to protect their magic and the person wearing them.

Listen, we don’t have control over the actions of others. Sometimes we are thrust into moments that affect who we are or what our purpose might become. Glenda magically took those ruby slippers from the WWE (Wicked Witch of the East), and unbeknownst  to Dorothy, placed them upon her feet. Once the ruby slippers were on Dorothy’s feet, nobody but Dorothy could take them off. Could those ruby slippers represent our self confidence? Could something as basic as the shoes thrust upon Dorothy’s feet metaphorically represent our faith in ourselves as we walk, dance or run through our journey? How many times have we heard the quote, “don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a thousand miles in their shoes”? Maybe those ruby slippers stand for something more than pretty shoes for a pretty girl? Maybe they represent the faith we must have in ourselves and the journey we are embarking on.

Then GTGW, with some help from the Munchkins tell Dorothy in order to find her way home (via the Wizard’s wisdom), she must ‘follow the yellow brick road’; a road paved with bricks, curving and bending through all the different aspects of Oz, leading to the Emerald City (Yay, finally Green represents good!). But, let’s not forget, any road paved with intentions is always going to take us through uncomfortable situations, maybe even lead us through moments that we’ve never thought we’d ever experience. 

Could it be, the yellow brick road represents the foundation of our lives? Maybe those beautiful bright yellow bricks represent our intuition, the path we must build our future upon as our ruby slippers click and clack along the way? It takes a lot of guts to follow our dreams, it takes the realization of our inner power to stay focused on the pathway to our success. And, hey, if we have a little extra help from our very own GTGW along the way, who are we to stand in the way?  Let the light and love of someone willing to help fill your cup, top off your tank, and give you a moment of true deep appreciation. We never do it alone, there’s always someone who will be your advocate. Just as Glenda was Dorothy’s advocate, there's always someone waiting to be yours.

TO BE CONTINUED…

***Keep an eye peeled for my next blog post when Dorothy meets the scarecrow in the 2nd installment of, There’s No Place Like Home.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!