A great realignment
 (c) Lisa Galinski 2012 Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a month since I’ve written. Actually, I can. This whole autumn has been….really something. Movement inside, feeling big inner shifts. Some significant happenings on the outside – our Creating Infinite Possibilities women’s retreat, lawyering on the side for 1 month and what that opened up for me, and exploring new and exciting ways I can work with people. And creating, mapping, visioning, planning what’s coming into being as we move into 2013. Leaning in. This fall has been process of looking deeply. Looking deeply with clear eyes, an open heart and a desire to connect. A time of getting real. Asking myself: What do I deeply, truly want? Where am I’m holding back? What matters most when it comes to how I spend my days, my breaths and my life energy? I’ve been asking many many questions and noticing what questions the universe is asking of me. What’s really working? What’s not? What needs to shift to be in greater alignment with my self, my purpose, my soul, heart, mind and body? All of it has been deeply transformative & allowing me to see things newly and differently. I feel like a different person than over the summer (and before I got married). It’s oddly wonderful. But, by all means, it’s not all roses. It’s frustrating, disorienting, confusing. Noticing parts of me that want answers, that want to have it all figured out. And, simultaneously, knowing that there are no answers. Only experiments. Only actions. Only beliefs and patterns and choices and ability to see it differently and feel it differently and do it differently. Facing things I’ve been unconscious of, or consciously avoiding, has been an eye-opening experience. Seeing them, really, and staying. Not turning away. I see newly how parts of myself were not working in together in harmony, or even on the same team. My mind not aligned with my heart. My soul and body not communicating effectively. The energy it takes to work against myself in this way, and yearning to start to change that way of doing it.
I am really and truly asking myself what’s going to bring out the best in me, what is being called forth from me now. I don’t have any answers. I’m intending to do better with what I have and know (and don’t know) now. I am continuing to look deeply. I am continuing to foster natural alignment within myself. I am continuing to gulp and take another step. And for all of that and so much more, I am deeply thankful. Wild Heart is growing. She’s evolving. She’s taking in sights, sounds, smells and tastes from her environment, noticing what happens and asking important questions. She’s learning and maturing. I am thrilled. So you’ll see that evolution in this space and on my website in coming weeks and months. I’m awakening to a new experience of myself, my passions, my gifts, my offerings and my joy to share it with others. I am calling forth more of myself than I’ve ever brought forth before. I can’t wait to share it with you. Naturally, organically and from my heart. It’s thrilling, and I feel excited anticipation in my stomach. I remind myself to trust. Trust and hold this vision with deep care and love. Love, Lisa p.s. New News! On Wednesday the 28th I will be launching a sweet little treat that I’ve been working on for the holiday season and I can’t wait to share!! My heart is full.
The Depth of What is Within Us
I often wonder about the unexplored and unknown potential within all of us humans.
I’m sure you’ve heard the ages-old statistic that we use only 10% of our brains. So we know that we’ve got a whole bunch of untapped brain power – hooray!
And what about the rest? The ability of our bodies to tune into things that are happening within us and around us – our intuition, our gut instincts, the range of what we experience with our senses if only we paid attention. The ability of our hearts to open up – and the depth of love and goodness in our hearts that we could be putting to use. My sense is that we don’t have a clear idea of what’s possible in our own lives and the many forms those possibilities could take. What I do know is that a whole heckuva lot is possible, and that it’s worth the time to be with this question and consciously to stretch into our unknown depths. To put things in perspective, for a moment think back into the past. Look back one year or 5 years to who you used to be, at the time. Go ahead, think back 5 years – who were you then? What were you doing? · What surprises came up along the way that caused you to grow and expand? · What happened in the meantime that you didn’t know you were capable of back then? · What new things about yourself or your abilities have you discovered? This question about the unknown potential within each one of us fascinates me because it seems endless. Humans are ever-changing beings. We are constantly taking in new things, experiences and information each day. We are always adding to our experience, with each passing year, day and moment. Think about that. You are never the same as you were 1 minute ago, because something has happened in that time. Maybe that bit of time seems inconsequential, but something has happened nonetheless. You are not the same. Our lives are made up of minutes that turn into hours that turn into days, months, years, and so on. Now, take a trip into the future and imagine that you are 80 years old. Imagine your wrinkly hands and the color of your hair. Imagine that you can look back on 80 years of your life and see ALL that you have done, learned and experienced – a whole lifetime of amazing things that happened. Challenges that you went through, things you didn’t know if you could make it through… but you did. Imagine highs and lows and the capacity that you stretched into to meet those highs and lows. Look back on it all, just for a minute. Take it in. It was a lot. Throughout our lives we will all change and evolve in unimaginable ways. You have a part in deciding what you want to do with that life. Because you have so much potential within you. We all do. Deep, deep potential. Beyond our wildest imaginations. What would be possible if you knew the depth of your potential and accessed it? Yours in wildness, Lisa p.s. Interested in doing some exploring? Give me a call or send me an email and let's talk!
What Are You Going For?
What are you going for in your life? In your work?
(Because they’re really the same, aren’t they?)
What are you aiming for?
What do you want?
Go ahead, picture it. Okay, you’re living that.
What do you want beyond that?
What’s the wildest version you could imagine?
Double it. What’s that look like?
We need to raise the bar what we’re going for.
It doesn't have to be hard.
How much good can you do?
How much love can you create in the world?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
Why Nature Matters So Much (To Me)
If you’ve read my blog, you might have noticed that I use images of nature to illustrate the life concepts that I often write about. If you’ve read more than a couple entries that you’ve probably noticed that I use photos of nature very often in this space.
As I look back through my blogs over the last year I notice that virtually all of them use images of the natural world. And virtually all of them (99.8%) are photos that I take in my daily travels and select specifically because I feel that they resonate with the writing for the particular day.
You may be wondering...
Why so much nature, Lisa?
Isn’t it all a little too abstract?
Don’t you take photos of anything else?
Sometimes I wonder about these things myself. Yes, I do take photos of other things, but the majority of my photos are of nature. I mostly them on my iPhone, and I also take them on my Canon 50D. I take videos of trees blowing gently in the wind because I am awestruck. I take photos of grass and flowers and trees as if I were a scientist studying them – from different angles, capturing just-the-right light, documenting them.
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Why? Nature moves me. It speaks to me. It evokes my emotions – reverence, amazement, gratitude. When I go out into the natural world, somehow I remember who I am. My internal voice comes through loud and clear. My head empties out and I can hear what my heart is saying to me. I am at peace. I experience a different perspective of reality on this Earth – of tiny humans on a big planet, the vastness of it all, and how small a human life is while at the same time holding infinite potential to have an impact on this planet and its inhabitants. When I am out in the natural world and slow down, I think about how the air (oxygen) I’m breathing could have come from the tree next to me. How the sun shining on my forehead is the same sun that fuels the life of the grass beneath my feet and the food that grows in fields miles away from me. It makes me realize that the kale I ate in my salad tonight was grown with the help of the very same sun and the very same oxygen (and much more, of course), and that by eating it, then the Earth becomes part of me. The sun becomes part of me. The oxygen becomes part of me. It fuels me as I go about my day to day life. Same thing for the chicken that was on my salad. I realize what I’m saying is something learned in a middle school biology class, and yet when I experience it, I am amazed each and every time. Because everything is connected. There is no Lisa without the sun, just as there is no trees or air without the sun. What I breathe, eat and take in from my environment becomes part of me – literally! (And it leaves me and becomes part of something else, but truth be told I know much less about that whole process. But ‘nuff about that for now!) Thich Nhat Hahn says that when you drink a cup of tea, you can see a cloud in your tea. The simplicity and truth of that is so beautiful. So beautiful it feels beyond words and comprehension sometimes. And then there’s the effect that nature has on our souls, our spirits, our hearts – whatever you want to call it.
Nature heals.
Nature calms.
Nature brings us home to ourselves.
You know that sense of peace that seeps in when you walk through the woods when you’re mulling over a thorny issue? The quiet of the trees, the rustling, the breeze. It seeps deep into you and soothes. It helps you, and you may not even know why or how. But it does. You come home to yourself with help from the trees and the breeze.
What a gift we have to be on this planet. We can’t ignore that fact. And the power of nature – what it can do for our wellbeing, our minds and our hearts – is something that I’m going to be exploring more and more. In real life, and on this blog.
Nature helps us to know ourselves more deeply. It gets us in touch with the natural parts of ourselves, the wild parts of ourselves, the parts that are free and deep and knowing.
The world needs humans who are in touch with these wild, natural, free, deep and knowing parts. It’s how we’ll heal ourselves, our relationships with each other, and our connection to our planet.
Stay tuned for more :-)
How has the natural world spoken to your soul recently?
Yours in WILDNESS,
Lisa
At Your Core
Who are you at your core?
What makes you the unique being that you are?
(Write down some words, whatever comes to mind without thinking about it.)
What would it take for you to choose to live that truest part of yourself every day?
What is the cost of NOT living that way?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
What Else is Out There?
You want to change something about your life.
And it’s scary.
You don’t know whether you’d actually be happier doing something else.
You don’t know that something else could be.
You don’t want to give up your decent paycheck.
Your family says to stick it out because that’s the smart thing to do.
Making a change feels really risky because the future seems unknown.
So you don’t.
You stay right where you are.
(Even though you’re pretty darn sure that you want to do something else.)
When we want to change something important it’s often hard to let go of the known and step into the unknown.  i took this picture as I ran down the sidewalk, chasing blue sky as a storm approached from behind Because there’s no PROOF that what’s to come will be better than whatever is here now, right? Right. There isn’t any “hard proof” until you go out there and do it. That can feel like a really risky proposition. We would rather stay with known misery than taking a risk on an unknown future. We stay with misery just because it’s known. Have you ever done this? It could be in a job that pays you a comfortable salary and even though you're bored and your talent is wasted, you stay. It could be in a relationship that you know deep down is not right for you yet you’re afraid to be “alone,” so you stay. It could be living in a town that doesn’t energize or fulfill you, yet you’re afraid to try somewhere else, so you stay. I don’t have any answers about what YOU should do.* But I do know this: If I can trust, I can move forward.
Trusting an unknown future is easier when I have a vision of what I want to do and create. Trusting is even easier when that vision that comes from me . . . not a feeling of obligation or “should” that comes from someone else. Trusting an unknown future is easier when I take the time to listen. When I get quiet and really listen to myself and my heart. Without distractions, my heart speaks to me and I know I can trust what it’s saying. Trusting an unknown future is easier when I know that my dream or goal honors what is important and meaningful to me. Going into an unknown future is easier when I trust myself. When I trust that whatever in my heart is drawing me forward knows more than the fearful part of my human mind. When I trust that my soulful whispers are more wise than my fearful ego.  revealing more and more... Is there any other way?
I keep using the term “unknown future” – it seems like there is no other kind, is there? Sort of. After all, nothing happens until it happens.
But you can make things happen. Oh yes, you can.
Yours in wildness,
Lisa
*I do, however, help my clients find their own answers.
Honoring Your Internal Whispers
This week I’m thinking about those whispers we all have inside. What are they saying? What happens when we follow them? What happens when we don’t?
You know those internal whispers – the ones that tell you what you want, what makes you miserable, and what you really want to change but are scared to do. Those whispers that say, “I reallllly want to do this”or “I can’t f*cking stand this for another day!!”
What happens when you don’t listen to those whispers and just keep on as if they aren’t saying anything? For me, the whispers don’t stop. They don’t give up. They just keep whispering day after day. If I continue not to listen, I notice myself starting to get aggravated, frustrated and testy. My fuse gets shorter and shorter. I want those darn whispers to shut up! Can’t you tell I’m not listening? That doesn’t seem to help either. My energy drops and negative thoughts become more and more prevalent. I mentally defend the very situation that’s making me miserable, just so I don’t have to listen. I get exhausted and worn out from all the efforts.
I heard a saying (from Oprah) that when you don’t listen to an internal whisper, the message gets louder. It becomes a pebble, then a brick, then a wall falling down on you.
In short, if you don’t listen, the situation gets worse and worse until you finally have to pay attention.
This happened in legal career . . . actually, it wasn’t much of a career, more like “a series of jobs” I had in the legal field for about 8 years. Before I realized that work was something I could use to fill my soul, I thought that just getting a different job would satiate the whispers that said, “You want more than this. You should do something else.”
So I would do something else. I got new jobs in different areas of the law that seemed more interesting, paid more money, or were more challenging.
Along the way I was never really excited or passionate, but I did well enough to justify continuing on. It wasn’t until I found myself as an attorney working at a global law firm in New York City that I realized the wall had come crashing down. How I felt in that situation was no longer just a nagging whisper, it was a crushing blow every day. I finally realized it was time to do something about it. In that situation, what I saw myself becoming if I didn’t listen was more scary than the changes I would have to make. I refused to become the cynical, bitter woman hunched over a desk with failing health and no joy that I envisioned in my head.
Does this sound familiar to you? Have you ever waited and waited, ignoring your internal whispers until you were so miserable that there was no option but to finally change something?
Why do we do this to ourselves?! Yes, we humans and our egos and our fears love to maintain the status quo.
It can be so damn hard to change! It takes work, it takes tears, it takes pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone over and over again. It takes time and energy. It takes commitment. It takes charting new territory and being with uncertainty. It takes feeling fear and doing it anyway. It takes faith, trust and hope. It takes guts.
I’m writing this to share what I’ve learned with you, but I’m also writing it for myself. Just because I’ve created a new path in my life and career doesn’t mean that I have it all figured out! I’m walking this path knowing that it is a lifelong path, one on which I can’t become complacent. I can’t even begin to think that I have something 100% figured out – because that’s simply impossible.
I hear whispers every day. I keep bumping up against my edges. When I don’t listen, the result is always the same.
Memo to self: To live life guided by realness, authenticity and aliveness requires ongoing commitment and engagement to try new things, to go beyond what is known, to step into the unknown and just be willing to play and experiment.
Listen to the whispers and act.
I’m writing this one down.
What whispers are you hearing? What are you going to do about them?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
Showing Up For Your Life
- Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions?
- Do you eat quick meals because you’re tired and just want to feed your body?
- Do you come home and plop down on the couch to “veg out” because you don’t have energy for much else?
- Do you count the hours during the work day until you can just get outta there?
If you answered yes any of these questions, it’s possible that you’re not showing up for your life as much as you could be.
You may think: What do you mean, not showing up for my life? I do everything I’m supposed to do. I go to work and do my job, I take care of my bills, I see my friends and family. Things are not so bad.
Is “not so bad” really what you want for your life?
Who am I to tell you how to live your life? Who am I to tell you that you should want more out of life? Who am I to say that you must show up fully for your life?
Well, I’ll tell you who I am. I’m the voice in your head that says, I do want more out of life. I’m the part of you that says, I wish I loved my job. The part that says, I know I can be happy on vacations, why not all the time? That voice in your brain that says, There’s gotta be more that I can do.
Why should you care? (or even keep reading?)
Reason #1 - You only get to live this life one time. Just one. No do-overs. No turning back time. When it’s over it’s over.
Reason #2 - If you’re reading this message, chances are you have it better than most people on planet Earth. You have access to a computer and the internet, you’re probably interested your growth and development as a human being, and at the very at least you have the time and interest to read for pleasure and inspiration.
Reason #3 – That voice in your head saying, I want more out of life is onto something. It’s saying that for a reason. Something inside of you wants to more. Showing up for your life is a big way of getting more out of life.
What do I mean by showing up for your life? How does a person do that?
Here are a few ways that have helped me over the years:
First, feel your emotions. All of them. Human beings have the capability to feel a huge range of emotions – joy, anger, amusement, grief, love, frustration, excitement, anxiety, calm and so many more. We have such a range because we’re supposed to feel them, not only “positive” or “good” emotions.
We have the ability to have all these emotions because emotions tell us things. Emotions are information. They tell us what’s important to us, what we cannot tolerate, what touches our hearts, what doesn’t matter.
Emotions are meant to move through our bodies then naturally dissipate. (E-Motion, get it?) Emotions are a chemical response in your body that starts in your brain and goes through your blood. Most emotions have a cycle of 90 seconds. 90 seconds! They come & go in 90 seconds. (Note: This is not how grief operates. Grief has a longer cycle.) If you feel the emotion for more than 90 seconds, it’s because you’re choosing to hang onto it and preventing it from moving through your body. Emotions can keep moving when you feel them. So feel them when they come up! It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to sing from the rooftops when you’re happy. That is what life is all about.
Secondly, be honest. I’m not really talking about telling your parents that you stole cookies when you were a kid. I’m talking about being open and honest first and foremost with yourself. Be honest about who you are, what you feel, what you like and don’t like, what you want, and what is important to you. Take time to know yourself and know what you’re feeling. Journaling is a fantastic way to do this, or talk with a trusted person. There is no good reason to think you have to be someone else, act a certain way that doesn’t feel right, or hold in your feelings. You are who you are for a reason. That’s the person you’re meant to be.
If you feel like you’ve lost the connection to that authentic part of yourself, ask for help. Ask people who knew you when you were younger and unconditioned, ask a therapist, hire a coach, read about it, explore who you are. The Artist’s Way is a wonderful tool for reconnecting to this part of yourself. (And you don’t have to be an artist to use it!)
Third, slow down and use your senses. Your senses are how your body takes in information. Your brain uses that information to construct your experience of life. Slow your pace when you're walking down the street and tune into your sense of smell. Sit down and listen for a few moments to all the layers of sound around you. Feel the coolness of water on your skin, or the warmth of the sun on your face. It's easy to go on autopilot and use only what's needed -- but there's always more available. So slow down and notice what one of your senses is picking up!
Fourth, do the hard stuff. Stretch outside your comfort zone. Take the risk to do things differently, even when it’s not so easy. You always have a choice. You have a choice about what you do each day. You have a choice about how you respond to people and situations in your life. If you don’t like how you’re doing things now, ask for help. If you don’t believe that you have choices, hire me! Because you really, truly do. Stretch yourself into being the person you want to be. Stretch yourself into engaging with the people in your life in an honest way. Apologize for something that feels unfinished. Stretch yourself into doing something you’ve always wanted to do but have made excuses to put off. Stretch yourself into meeting new people and becoming a part of a community that resonate with you. It’s not always easy. The more you do it the more you are capable of, and the more your comfort zone widens and expands.
The more you show up for life, the more rich your experience of life becomes. The more you get out of life. The more you realize that life is this amazing, incredible gift that’s totally worth living as much as you can.
How could you show up more for your life?
What would it look like if you did?
Yours in wildness~~
Lisa
Steve Jobs Knew - Do What You Love  Steve Jobs back in the day (photo credit unknown) In June 1995 Steve Jobs gave a commencement address at Stanford University. After his death at age 56 yesterday, the speech has been widely publicized. Read his whole speech – It’s worth it. Right now, I’m just going to share this part of it:
"I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. ... Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs, June 1995 His words on that summer day are telling: “[T]he only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Imagine Steve Jobs toiling away each day at a job that he hated. (No seriously, imagine him sitting in a cube doing something boring and monotonous.) A job that made him feel lifeless. He stayed at this imaginary boring job because he believed he had to. Or maybe he stayed at this job he didn’t see any other practical options at the time. Regardless of the reason, he felt stuck there.
What would the world be missing if Steve settled for less than work that he loved?
What would you be missing if Steve Jobs didn’t do great work because he loved what he did?
I am writing this because Steve knew what he was talking about. He was really onto something with the necessity of doing what you love, and doing it so that you can do great work. It led him to creating some of the most visionary technological innovation that the world has ever seen, and that has changed the lives of billions of people.
I'm here to say that the world needs your great work too. Nothing is gained by you toiling away each day doing something that drains you, doing something that doesn’t use all of your natural talents and abilities, or doing something that leaves you unsatisfied.
Nothing is gained for yourself. Nothing is gained for the world.
In the words of a visionary: You’ve got to find what you love. Don’t settle.
Yours in wildness~~
LisaNeed some help finding what you love? Check out What I Do and the Authentic Path Coaching Program. I happily offer a free, no-strings-attached Exploration Session to find out if coaching would help you! Email me today to schedule your consultation.
How to Start a Ripple Effect by Saying Something Nice
I saw this sign in NYC’s Port Authority Bus Terminal yesterday. It's an advertisement for a greeting card store but deeper message came to mind. I wondered: When people see this sign, how many think about a person they actually want to say something nice to? And how many actually do it? About 200,000 people pass through Port Authority on their daily commute. What would change if 200,000 people said something nice that they wouldn’t have otherwise said? What if 1,000 people did that? What if even 100 said something nice? What would be different if that happened? I think: Something huge. When someone says something nice to me out of the blue. It changes my internal monologue, the physical sensations in my body, and even my mood. It renews my faith in mankind. It is a reminder that there is goodness inside every person just waiting to be expressed, if only we let it out. When was the last time you wanted to authentically speak with kindness and care, but didn’t for some reason? What was the thing that held you back from doing so? Was it worth it not to? Or do you wish that you had said the nice thing? I believe that it’s never too late say something kind that’s on your mind. Go back and do it if you need to, even if you think the time has passed. For when someone receives kind, supportive or encouraging words, you are creating an impact on that person. You can change that person’s day. Who knows – they may go forth and pay that kindness forward, creating a ripple effect that reaches more people than you could fathom when you said one nice thing. How cool would that be? There is someone you want to say something nice to.
Go ahead, do it. And share a quick note about your experience in the comments! Yours in wildness~~ Lisa
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