March 21, 2018

If you are a soft-hearted soul, these characteristics probably ring true for you;

You are:

• Compassionate
• Kind
• Gentle
• Empathetic
• Understanding
• Good-hearted and
• A major over-thinker! 

If you are like me, overthinking is a natural way of life. At any given moment when you look in the mirror you might see a reflection of someone who looks angry – however, the truth is you are deep in analysis paralysis, you are not present in the moment, and you are overthinking big time.

I cannot tell you how many loved ones (and honestly, complete strangers) have told me I am too much in my own head and I looked angry – but it was not until I actually saw my “thinking face” in the  mirror while waiting at a stop light did I realize how I always had my thinking cap tightly on my head.

Do you always try to solve a problem or create a strategy 24 hours a day 7 days a week to the extreme where your mind wakes you up in the wee hours of the morning to find a solution?

In order to create balance between thinking, feeling, and being, I had to seek out inspiration – intentionally seek out inspiration.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Sometimes we get so caught up in wanting to create something extraordinary, we miss out on the beauty and majesty of the ordinary.

I invite you to take some time to notice things this week. Make noticing a habit. What does noticing have to do with miracles? Everything. When you begin to notice the things which make you smile, jot them down. Please don’t use the excuse, “I don’t have time.” God made sunrise and sunset and what we do in between is up to us. There’s so much to inspire us every day if we simply (and I do mean simply) take a moment here and there to notice. We can then string those moments together like a string of pearls.

Record into your phone the beautiful butterfly flying by your nose or the way your cat purrs. Whatever it is which makes you smile, notice it and record or journal it somewhere. Notice the inflection of someone’s voice, the way they concentrate while reading, how a grandparent relates to a grandchild at the playground. Notice it all and, better still, take it all in. These are all moments of inspiration.

Take some time this week to share and declare what you’ve noticed that is beautiful and good. Create a conversation around gratitude; start your day with a happy song, a text amongst friends asking the question: “What’s great about today?”

When you become (what I like to call) an “awareness expert” of all the good, the beauty, and the bounty in the world, you find no excuses for not feeling inspired or even motivated to share your spiritual gift with the world.

The birds and the insects have their jobs to do which contribute to the beauty in this world and so do you.

Take time to notice what inspires you and focus more on that then any negativity in your head. Choose where and how to spend your energy and choose when and how to focus it. Expect a miracle every day.

Spiritual Gifts

We all have spiritual gifts to bring to the table – His table; let’s all have a feast. For some of us, it’s the gift of compassion while for others it’s the gift of leadership. Whatever your spiritual gift is, don’t return it unopened. Even better, share it with the rest of us, please. Your soft-hearted soul will soar and replenish, and you’ll have the opportunity to stand up, show up, and make a difference.

So Be It