What sparks the light in you?

Man o man, that was powerful.  I just finished watching Oprah's last show.  

I love the fact that her last show wasn't all glitz and glamour.  There were no surprises. No free cars given away. None of that.  She used her last show to thank everyone who has been with her throughout the last 25 years.  She also shared what I thought to be some profound words of wisdom.  Because the show left such an impression on me (and because I agree with all that she said), I want to share some of it with all of you.  So this is me paraphrasing tidbits from Oprah's last show:

Everybody has a calling, we need to figure out what that calling is.  Of all of the successful people she had ever interviewed, the joy they received in life was from doing what they were meant/called to do.  A calling lights you up. Live from the heart of yourself.  What sparks the light in you?  Find your calling so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.

Her platform was a stage in the studio.  We each have a platform.  Don't be fooled into thinking you have to be famous in order reach others.  Find your platform.  Your friends, your family, your co-workers, your circle of friends.  They are all your platform.  That is your stage, your circle of influence.  You are showing people exactly who you are every day. You are letting your life speak for you.  When you do that, you will receive in direct proportion to how much you give.  You have the power to save someone's life. Start embracing the life that is calling you.  Use your life to serve the world.

Nobody but you is responsible for your life.  What is all life? Energy.  We are all transmitting it, and the world responds in kind. try to connect to others and value the connection. 

~take responsibility for the energy that you bring to me~

Newton's third law of motion:  for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  All of the energy you spend trying to hurt someone else will turn around and slap you in the face.  Don't wait for someone else to save you, to fix you, or complete you.

When you "get" that you are responsible for your life, you are free.

We often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough, smart enough, pretty enough...worthy enough.  You are worthy because you were born, because you are here.  You alone are enough.

A common thread runs through all of us.  We all have the common desire to be validated. Do you see me?  Do you hear me?  Does what I say mean anything to you?  Make sure that those around know that you see them, that you hear them and what they say matters to you.

God is love and God is life.  Your life is always speaking to you. Be still and listen to it.  First in a whisper, if you ignore it it gets louder.  A thump on the head, a brick being thrown at you, and finally a brick wall falling down on you.  When you don't hear it, it gets louder.  What is your life whispering to you?

Thanks for that Oprah.  You've definitely given me a lot to think about. Some soul searching is in order.  What is your calling?  What sparks the light in you?  I'm working on trying to figure that out.   Thoughts?

Catchin' up ...

Admittedly I have been a bit lazy about keeping up with the blog lately.  There has been a lot going on!

The "year of reinvention"  - well let's just say that it's a work in progress.  

So here's where I'm at.  Even though I have set some great goals for this year, I realize that life happens and sometimes things don't work out the way we had planned. I'm trying to go with the flow and do what I can.

The journey to a healthier me---it's going well.  I'm not measuring my progress by a number on a scale but rather in how I feel.  I feel good.  That is what matters.  

Sign language class was a lot of fun.  Unfortunately due to some things going on with my Dad's health/family responsibilities, I needed to drop out early.   I know my friend Cheryl is going to stick with it and go into the next section of the class. I'm super proud of her!  Even though I wasn't able to complete the course, I understand what I was supposed to take away from it.  My instructor Suz was absolutely amazing.  The fact that she can speak perfectly even though she was born deaf was an eye opener for me.  I was witnessing a miracle.  God was showing his presence through my instructor.  Sometimes we need something to be right in our face like that to say hey don't doubt My presence.  Thanks, I needed that.

Even though this wasn't in the original game plan~I have found myself taking music lessons again.  Yep, I am bound and determined to learn the piano.  After seeing Carmen Nickerson sing (Michael and the Bystanders) at the Mold to Gold Benefit, I commented on a post Laura Kiley had put up on her page on Facebook.  Basically just saying how much Mom and I enjoyed listening to her.  This started a conversation which led me to taking lessons with her. I had my first lesson Wednesday and had so much fun.  Carmen is a doll and I am so thrilled that she is my teacher.  Right now I'm rockin' "jingle bells"...hey, ya gotta start someplace right?  It's an amazing feeling to play something and have it sound like the actual song.  My mom is so cute, she's already got a list of artists she wants me to learn...Elton John, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, etc.  I hope that I will be able to play all of those for her some day!

The biggest thing I've learned so far in my year of reinvention is that life really is too short to sweat the small stuff.  I know that probably sounds cheesey but really think about it.  I keep trying to put things in perspective by asking myself in the big scheme of things, does this really matter/is it such a big deal?  Usually it's not as big of a deal as I first thought it was.  I have said this more than once in the last week - I truly think that everyone (including myself) needs to just take a step back and BREATHE!  

On a side note I've almost had 1000 views of this blog.  That's kind of fun!  Thanks for reading!