The Sun Is Shining

The sun is shining rippling across pools of water. Gone are the downpours that beat relentlessly on the sodden ground. I rescue an earthworm that had taken refuge on the wet concrete and rejoiced that, through the sun’s rays, the ground once again became a safe haven for the earthworm.

The sun is shining providing sustenance for plants rising from the earth. The ground transforms from shades of crisp brown to variegated green. I see within the aftereffects of this flood the arrival of spring — not according to the calendar but in the smells, sounds, and sights of earth. 

The sun is shining bringing recognition that we have made it to the other side of cold, dreary incubation. I rejoice in the promise of possibility twinkling on the dewdrops hanging from each grass blade and on each unfolding petal. Earth whispers, “Time to grow into who you are.”

The sun is shining calling us awake. Coaxing us to wake to the celebration of new while appreciating the old. As I follow a path alit with each blade of grass and each unfurled petal, my courage and determination echo with rebirth. The transformation from winter to spring resonates within me.

The sun is shining offering hope that the seemingly unending winter is over. Spring teems with unending possibility of transformation. When I open the eyes of my body, mind, spirit, and heart, I am the possibility of my own transformation. I am renewed.

The sun is shining welcoming not only my change, your change, but also the transformation of each person. Through this transformation of one and all, the whole world becomes a place of peace and compassion.   

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is a Mindful Coach, Neural Synchrony™ facilitator, Professional Speaker, and Author who weaves her inner wisdom into all she touches. Vanessa assists clients in navigating their life paths with intuition. Her books are A Constellation of Connections: Contemplative Relationships and Engaging Compassion Through Intent & Action. Contact Vanessa @ vanessa@intentandaction.com for keynotes, programs, and consultations. 

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018

Persisting: Hold ‘Em or Fold ‘Em

 I am a recovering habitual persister. (A habitual persister is a person who continues on the same course convinced if they try something different, that the end result will change.) Instead of staying on the same path, I have begun to consciously see my life as full of possibilities waiting to be experienced. With this perspective it is easier to let go situations that I cannot change no matter how much I persist.

As I write this, lyrics from The Gambler rise to the surface of my mind — “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” And, I think that maybe I don’t know that I have been living within the same tired parameters that lead me to persist instead of renewing my life. 

Looking back, I name many creative ways that I have persisted in the face of tough odds — how I have managed to be innovative and entrepreneurial without climbing to the apex of transformation. I persisted in much the same way that I fought the good fight. (Read last week’s i&a blog).

Late last week when a friend of mind told me not once but twice to Persist!, I sat with that word because it didn’t seem a good way to make the necessary changes to a stagnant situation. In fact, that word tied in knots. I thought to myself, “that is the slogan of many women today, why does the word bother me?”

Perhaps I am bothered by a blanket “Persist!” Because persistence in is not always the right avenue to bring about change. I need to feel confident in my plan of action to know when to continue steadfastly persisting and when to know when to fold ‘em, to walk away, to run. Only when we leave an untenable situation can we truly persist in transforming our self and others. 

Persistence is possible through discernment or the ability to distinguish between what is true to our life course and what is preventing us from being our best, most authentic self. Through discernment we understand the futility of continuing as we are or are given the energy to transform through persistence.

Only we can decide if the path we are on is one we should walk or if we need to change how our intent is mirrored in our actions. When we refine the connection between our intent and action, our ability to persist strengthens and evolves.  We evolve from being a habitual persister to an actualizing persister who knows exactly when to hold and when to fold.  

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is a Mindful Coach, Neural Synchrony™ facilitator, Professional Speaker, and Author who weaves her inner wisdom into all she touches. Vanessa assists clients in navigating their life paths with intuition. Her books are A Constellation of Connections: Contemplative Relationships and Engaging Compassion Through Intent & Action. Contact Vanessa @ vanessa@intentandaction.com for keynotes, programs, and consultations. 

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018

Instead of Fighting the Good Fight

The world is a frenetically energetic, wildly daring place. As we glide from grain to chaotic grain, we get stuck in the knots of drama. Forgetting to breathe, we miss the opportunities within the grain — the places where we foster peace. 

Late last week, I found myself once again preparing to “fight the good fight.” Sanding down the uneven boards in the world floor even when I do not have the right tools or the am not even invited into the house with buckled floors. I forget that I have no control over the outcome of much of what impacts me. Instead of being a change agent, I get twisted in the drama. My fight is less about good and more about being reactionary.

Fighting a good fight tears in to the fabric of a nonviolent stance. In fact, when we fight, we often find ourself reacting in anticipation of the violence that may be perpetrated by another. Instead of ping ponging from one good battle to another, I take a breath and rest in one of the sanded places of peace. I remind myself that it is time to let go of my desired outcomes. I accept that my only control is in my response or reaction to any given situation. 

Instead of fighting the good fight, I act within my circle of influence. Only within this sphere am I able to choose who and what I can impact. I recognize that my sphere of influence grows organically not by force but by personal power. I am organically drawn to what I can transform. Others are drawn to me as they transform. The boundaries of my sphere blur — it evolves as I impact others and they impact me — together we are peace. 

Maybe next time instead of fighting the good fight, I will be more discerning about the “good” in which I expend my energy. I will no longer fight — instead I will be a shining light of peace that illuminates a different path. 

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is a Mindful Coach, Neural Synchrony™ facilitator, Professional Speaker, and Author who weaves her inner wisdom into all she touches. Vanessa assists clients in navigating their life paths with intuition. Her books are A Constellation of Connections: Contemplative Relationships and Engaging Compassion Through Intent & Action. Contact Vanessa @ vanessa@intentandaction.com for keynotes, programs, and consultations. 

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018

Be An Oasis of Peace in an Uncertain World

I want to be an oasis of peace, but the kudzu of fear-fueled reaction twines around my being. I am anything but peace. Will ever eradicate the kudzu root of fear that has burrowed deep into the ground of my being? Will I ever be an oasis of nonviolence and peace in the world? Perhaps the better question is, “Will I ever cultivate an oasis of peace in myself?”  Because, really, if I cannot be peace inside myself, I cannot be peace in the world.

Gandhi believes, “We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in our thoughts, words, and deeds.” Even believing this, he does not give humankind a pass. He continues, “We must keep nonviolence as our goal and make steady progress towards it.” No matter how many times we get stuck in our reactions, we continue to nurture a peaceful, nonviolent oasis in our self.

I can only bridge my intent to be nonviolent to my thoughts, words, and actions through mindfulness — focusing my attention on the unfolding world. Through cultivated awareness, I recognize the ways my fears trigger microbursts of reaction. I ask myself, “Instead of those microbursts of reaction, how can I use an awareness of my triggers to cultivate macrobursts of compassion? 

The answer is found in my quiet mind. Mindfulness brings clarity. Our quiet mind identifies our “tells” — somatic, mental, and emotional signs that provide clues to how our unconscious beliefs, judgments, and fears fuel our reactions. When we are mindful, the clarity of those tell  rumblings give us pause. Within those quiet spaces, we form responses. 

When we are mindful, we recognize the raging internal battle. Alert to our tells, we defuse the internal violence. Defused it is less likely to be expressed externally. When our violence does not burst into an unsuspecting world, the tangle of fear-kudzu is easier to eradicate. 

Through mindfulness, we calm the rage within — remove that kudzu root of fear — uncover what is really bothering us. We identify what we are not as we increase our awareness of who we are. When mindful, who we present to the world is who we really are. 

We are imperfect beings in an uncertain world. While we may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent, our imperfections, manifest through microbursts, allow us to see who we truly are. Our authentic self is revealed through the mindful vigilance necessary to eradicate the kudzu of fear and violence that grows nourished by fear in the ground of our being. 

Vanessa F. Hurst, ms, is a Mindful Coach, Neural Synchrony™ facilitator, Professional Speaker, and Author who weaves her inner wisdom into all she touches. Vanessa assists clients in navigating their life paths with intuition. Her books are A Constellation of Connections: Contemplative Relationships and Engaging Compassion Through Intent & Action. Contact Vanessa @ vanessa@intentandaction.com for keynotes, programs, and consultations. 

Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / 
Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018