Wry Vita

Finding Happyness

I must admit that if I'd had a babysitter I'd have left Jake at home but I didn't so he had to come too.

I dashed out tonight to see The Pursuit of Happyness.  It was only showing at our local cinema for one night and I didn't want to miss it.  I didn't realise this was a preview showing and it's not really opening till Friday.  (Am never quite sure why cinemas do this.  It's either opening on Friday or it's not).

I went in pursuit of happiness and found happyness indeed.

My Sacred Journey Along the Yellow Brick Road

I am rather chuffed with the wonderful journal Judith has given me for 2007, called The Sacred Journey, a picture of which you will find in my book list, below left.

It's a chunky multi-faceted 'daily journal for your soul' with loads of space for everything from the pragmatic stuff - annual and monthly goal-setting, highlights and insights, mid-year reviews etc, to the more mystic and spiritual - symbolism, spiral spreads and paths of service, which I'm mostly still trying to get my head round.

And it's the symbolism aspect I've been focussing my attention on.

Get Big Fast - The Amazon Story

I've been reading Robert Spector's book, Amazon.com - Get Big Fast, the story of Jeff Bezos and his world famous internet book store.  Though the reviews of the book (on Amazon!) are not that good I thought it was brilliant, so compelling that I actually enjoyed my 4am unscheduled wake-ups as an opportunity to switch the light on and read a few more pages.  Read it if you enjoy ambitious success stories and are interested in outstanding customer service.

Bezos was a high-flying Wall Street vice-president in 1994 when his research into Internet business opportunities uncovered that web usage was growing at a staggering 2300% per year and that book sales were growing faster than any other product.  When his boss rejected the idea, he tendered his resignation in order to "do this crazy thing - start his own Internet bookselling company".

"The Pain Passes But the Beauty Remains"

Our new baby is now almost three weeks old.  Big brown eyes, long legs, funny little tail, born in a stable...  Gerry was just about to load the very pregnant mare into the horsebox and drive her to the foaling unit when he realised it was too late, she was already in labour.

There followed 40 minutes of tugging, a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears and finally they delivered the horse of a strong healthy colt.  Strange thing is, eleven years ago when I was pregnant, Gerry decided to forego the 'ringside seat' in the delivery suite on the grounds that "I'm no good at that sort of thing". 

Did he think he'd have to deliver the baby, I wonder?

Proof though that there is a God (divine retribution for his past misdemeanours) and that when the chips are down - and the waters break - we can all do so much more than we would have believed possible. 

My planned birth partner was my sister's boyfriend.  An unusual arrangement but Sue couldn't even wash out a chicken without feeling faint and sisterly love just didn't stretch that far.  Besides, Brian was a plumber and I felt he'd probably be quite an asset to the midwife. As luck would have it, he was out on call when I went into labour, ten days early so I ended up with a newly-qualified midwife and a sister so hyper that in between contractions I had to negotiate a deal: she got the gas and air and I got the epidural. 

But she was there for me when I needed her and she ended up actually enjoying the whole experience.  As I said, it's quite surprising what we're capable of when our escape route has been bricked up and plastered over.  And that's got me thinking of the whole area of motivation and what it takes to get us into action.

Good Vibrations

My fascination with the law of attraction has been growing since picking up Ask and it is Given - Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

Two clients today have quite coincidentally (NOT!) been expressing the core of the problem that many of us experience.  As Linda Perez said:

"Why is it that when I decided to stop coaching [this particular group of people] the Universe keeps sending me more?  I think I need to focus on what I do want, not what I don't!!!! LOL"

I love it when clients ask a question then answer it in the same breath!

What's New Pussy Cat? Fantastic Week, Day 2

Another amazing day is in process.

I have four cats who, though I love them, can be pretty dysfunctional in the bowel department.  And some are worse than others. 

Monty is a delicate little tabby with a cute head who thinks if it's cold or windy outside then it really is ok to just find herself a quiet corner and... go.  Monty has better toilet manners but a more offensive  visual and olfactory output.  And Blackie and Junior are also anally challenged.

But this morning when I came downstairs...

Releasing Your Limiting Beliefs

I was chatting to one of my neighbours recently about going back to school after the long summer holidays.  Here in Ireland our primary school children get three whole months off and the secondary schools get four months!

She admitted that every year, she gets constant nervous butterflies in her stomach from around the middle of August as she anticipates and dreads the return to school in the first week of September.  They wake her in the morning and throughout the day her stomach churns endlessly at the thought of a new term.

Interestingly, though, Alice hasn't been to school for more than fifty years!

When You're Tired of Being a Crap Magnet

I'm in cracking good form this morning because I'm on day 1 of a fantastic week to come.  How do I know?  Because it's what I've chosen for myself, that's why.

It's started well too.  I found a lovely email from a complete stranger in my inbox this morning who wants to give me 30% of $10.5 million that sadly has been abandoned in a bank account somewhere a long way away.  Tragic story; whole family wiped out in road accident leaving me heir to the fund because no next of kin has come forward.  Sure, I could complain about the $7 million of my inheritance that has gone into some bank official's back pocket but I'm feeling particularly abundant today and I say good luck to him.

Good things like this always happen to me!

Time to Declare Independence?

I received this personal Declaration of Independence today in my inbox from Ken Donaldson.  It was written by Tama J Kieves, the author of "This Time I Dance - Creating the Work You Love".  This isn't a book I've previously come across but if the following is a good example of her writing, then I could be hooked.

Happy Independence Day!

Tama's Declaration of Independence

This Independence Day, why not write your own Declaration of Independence?

What do you want to declare or break free from?
I want to break free from holding back my power.
I no longer want to live with only my low beams on. 
I want to shine so unequivocally that others decide
to abandon their own shadow choices.
I want to break away from the undermining thinking
of the "realistic" world - and choose some
independent thinking, some firecracker,
celebrating, birth-giving thoughts. Here's an
excerpt from my DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Want
to come and live in my country?

As of this very second, I allow myself to be
blessed.

I allow myself to be uncorked, unabashed, and
showered with delicious good in every facet of my
life.

I don't need to fit in anymore, in the world of
struggling, suffering, complaining, belittling. I
am going nova and that's okay. I am willing to
have things be easeful and brimming with sheer
wonder and I am willing to deserve this. None of
us deserve this. That's why it's grace. It's not
about deserving. It's about allowing Spirit to
love and give to us.

Action, Not Perfection

I've had the great pleasure of coaching several clients this week who understand that the quickest way to be successful is to follow the principle of action, not perfection.

Jerome K Jerome was certainly speaking my language when he said:

"I like work: it fascinates me.  I can sit and look at it for hours.  I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart".

He was obviously a bit of a role model for the procrastinater because he also said: