Imperfect in an Uncertain World: Being Nonviolent

Imperfect. Uncertain. A Gate.  Original Unity. My Message. My Life. What do these have in common? Each is a component of living a nonviolent life. When we accept that each of us is imperfect, live in awareness of the uncertainties in the world; when we live without the barriers of divisiveness, our life becomes a message of hope, compassion, and nonviolent engagement. We recognize that through our imperfections, we can fashion a nonviolent response to the uncertainties in the world. 

This journey of nonviolent presence begins when we accept that we are imperfect beings living in an uncertain world. Our imperfects may be illusions about our self. They may be judgments or deep seated fears. We recognize that our imperfections are not who we truly are. They are opportunities to become who we truly are. 

Illusions are at the base of our reactions. When we acknowledge that another person is not the trigger of our reactions and subsequent violence, our illusions, judgments, and fears at the base of our imperfects are revealed. For example, we might have very different political beliefs than another person. We may react because we feel attacked by that person during a conversation. Or, instead of feeling attacked, we might recognize how our imperfections are triggering us, hear what the person is saying, breathe through the potential reaction, and respond with compassion. 

No matter how much we ignore our imperfections, they do not disappear until we meet their challenges and learn their lessons. Shifting our perspective from imperfections as unwanted flaws to important life tools, we get unstuck from feelings of failure and unattainable expectations for our self. We become our best, authentic self.

Our paradigm shifts from imperfections as a bane of our existence to imperfections as vehicles of growth. This paradigm shift is paramount to healing our woundedness and living nonviolently in an uncertain world. Healing our woundedness, we break free from our imperfections. Our authentic self is then reflected in each thought, word, and action. Any acts of violence are met with a self compassionate response. We heal the world by first healing our self. 

Ready to heal your self and the world through nonviolent living? Join us beginning January 2, 2019, for 4-week online course: Imperfect in an Uncertain World: Being Nonviolent. 

Excerpt from the book Imperfection in an Uncertain World: Being Nonviolent by Vanessa F Hurst, ms. Available on Amazon. 

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

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018

Don’t Stop Believing

Don’t stop believing. The world may resonate harshness and despair, but don’t stop believing in the beauty of your soul. Life is uncertain. It is easy to slip into noticing the harsh; to become hypercritical. It bogs you down until that one precious moment where the twinkle of another ignites the ember of your spark. Don’t stop believing in the goodness that resonates from yourself and others. 

What we think has been extinguished in a downpour of suffering flairs to life through one act of kindness. The hope in goodness, the belief in better fuels the flame of our self on its climb to authenticity. As our soul burn brighter, we attract souls both dim and light to our self. We become the twinkle of hope in a desolate world. Joining with others, we become one flame in a bonfire of hope.

Belief burrows beneath the fragile crust of anger-irritation. We recognize what lurks just beneath the surface of suffering. And, we vow not to allow suffering to diminish the flow of compassion from our heart. We understand that unless we lower the shield of our compassionate presence, our light will not be lessened. 

There is always a choice to burn brightly or for our flame to ebb. When we choose compassion and nonviolence, we become a light of determined hope that cuts a widening swatch of light through a barren land. We understand that we cannot bring life back to every centimeter of the world, but we can minimize the impact of violence in our corner of the world. 

I believe that the only way to extinguish the suffering in my soul, is to cultivate quiet peace. The quiet is a beacon that lights the way with sounds and sights of pure joy. It rolls over my disquiet. I am sustained by my light. You can be, too. 

I believe that at the foundation of all the good that we do is found in the calming of our chaotic heart. For within the calm, violence leaches from us. What remains is love. Love tempers even the greatest violence and prepares our heart to respond with compassion. 

Belief is what propels us from the light of day through the dark of night back into the light of day. Journey with me. Together our lights shine brighter. Together our lights lift us from the disparity of uncertainty and launch us into a place where the power of nonviolence and compassion thrives. 

I believe. What you do believe? 

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

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Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018

Compassion Asks, “What Do We Really Need?”

Let’s reframe “how much do we really need?” to “what do we really need?” Or, how do we live a truly abundant life that has little to do with the size of our bank account and everything to do with the size of our heart?

To answer these questions, we remember that we are body, mind, spirit, and heart. To truly live in abundant simplicity, we engage the rhythm of living in the physical realm, listen to the roots of our thoughts, embrace the wild passion in our emotions, and understand life’s unfolding through our connection to all. 

Body. This is perhaps the simplest yet the most difficult aspect to address. There is so much stuff in the world; so many shiny things that tempt us until self imposed clutter overwhelms us. Bit by bit, we seek ways to live simpler while asking, “Do I really need this?” before bringing home another thing or giving away what we have.  

Mind. Of course, it is inevitable that we clutter our physical life. Instead of shaming, getting frustrated, or being angry, we listen to the rant of our internal monologue without reacting to it. We rescript the words to be gentler, kinder, to our self and others. We listen for the words that create scarcity driven by harm, hurt, and suffering. Changing our internal monologue creates a new avenue of responding to the world.

Heart. We feel emotions and identify those that raise us up and those that harm us — the fears, anger, angst, sorrow, and depression. We feel but do not allow our self to be caught in their trap. We dig deep within us to find a spark of compassion. Blowing gently on this spark it flares up incinerating the hurtful emotions through acts of self compassion.

Spirit. We are connected to every person, each part of creation through the sacred thread of self. Compassion flows upon these connections touching sacred in all. Within our spirit is the unifying power of our four aspects. But, compassion is greater than that — it nurtures an abundant community where there is plenty for all.

What you need, what I need, what we need collectively, is fluid and shifting. It is never scarcity creating; it is always abundance growing. To discover our needs, we look deep into our heart, discover with our mind, connect with our spirit, and live our choices through our body. The simplest yet most difficult path to abundance. 

May each of us honestly discern our simple abundance and live with joy. 

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

 Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / 

Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018

Compassion, Imperfection & Being Who We Truly Are

I awoke to the realization that I could navigate this crazy jumble of life. I could follow any tangle, slip through a knot, and be exactly where I needed to be. This realization took some getting used to as I often found myself not where I wanted to be but exactly where I needed to be. I chafed at my needs. Wondered why they couldn’t align with my wants.

The chafing caused friction. Soon sparks flew and my internal violence erupted into the external world. “Not again,” I thought as the world lit up with my reactions. Humbled I realized that I was not so different from those I had othered as a result of their harmful and hurtful behavior. I was a transgressor, too. 

I awoke to the knowing that I was as imperfect as others. And, I acknowledged that I did not fair so well in the uncertainty in the world. I wondered with more than a tinge of despair how I could learn to navigate the uncertainty without being triggered. How could I calm my internal life so that I did not explode outward? 

The answer to that question lays in a life long challenge. We have to be prepared for a detour or twelve on the journey of soul purpose. As we enter into the adventure of detour, we understand that a detour is not a path of avoidance. Rather, they force us to acknowledge our imperfections and learn from them. The detours are avenues of rescripting our life to reflect our best self. 

In doing so, our imperfections become less unwelcome strangers and more faithful friends. They tell us the cold, honest truth that we do not want to admit. We fear that truth will break us into a thousand shards of unquiet. In reality, the honesty is a wake up call for us to set aside who we do not want to be and become who we truly are. The honesty does not break us; it makes us stronger.

Imperfections cannot be ignored or wished away. In order to grow, we must acknowledge them, learn from them, and lovingly let them go. When used as tools, imperfections are impermanent means to live our soul purpose. When we no longer have need of them, they vanish — another knot loosened in the tangle of our life. 

What are your imperfections? How can they help you live an increasingly nonviolent life? That is to be found in the fashioning of your lived experience. (Want to learn more? Join us for Imperfect in an Uncertain World: Being Nonviolent. A four week course beginning January 2, 2019. For more information: (Tickets on sale December 9.)

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

Website / LinkedIn Profile / Facebook / 

Twitter: @fyrserpent / ©2018