RHG Magazine & TV Guide TM - New Year 2019 © All rights reserved.
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afraid of something: heights, snakes, spiders, ghosts, public speaking, water, and the dark to name a few. Some fears like being afraid of the dark began in our childhood, and we’ve outgrown them. Do you still sleep with a nightlight? Others somehow we manage to overcome those phobias to live full lives. We take swimming lessons to feel safe around water. We say “yes” to a request which has us grappling with personal and/or professional challenges.
“According to most studies,” comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, “people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’d rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
Fear holds many people back when it comes to making the many opportunities. My older brother’s adult children came to me after he passed away and asked me to write his eulogy. I don’t have many childhood memories that do not include my brother so I felt I would be the only one who could write something that would really show who this quirky guy was. He was the one who teased me constantly about having to haul me somewhere when he had to give me a ride. He was also relentless in trying to find (and read) my journal. He was someone who marched to his own drummer.
Writing about him was one thing. Delivering the eulogy was another story. Yes, it was emotional. Several people suggested I let the priest read the eulogy. I could have had an out. I had the privilege of delivering the eulogy I wrote so that the whole church was laughing through their tears hearing about my brother napping on the roof while adjusting the T.V. antenna. Yes, I cried. I did it!
Outwit inner chatter. Do you ever hear voices in your head saying, “who do you think you are?” “You can’t do that!” “You don’t have the right (training, certification, equipment) ____________ ) fill in the blank.”
My solution to counteract that chatter is to create a new inner dialogue. I start every morning with new chatter to replace those other voices: “I am amazing.” “My gifts are needed in this world.” “I am enough just as I am.” “I am a blessing.”
Rewrite the future. The story so far may have been one of trial and error. Now It is your chance to create not only a vision but also the story of your happily ever after. Write down the details of all your detours and what changes you are putting into place to plot your new destiny.
Growing up in Southern Minnesota, I never imagined I’d be living a mile away from the Pacific Ocean. My biggest dream then was to move to the Twin Cities two hours away from the farm where I grew up. My reality is that I’ve lived in Colorado and California and loved both adventures. However, that attitude took some time to obtain due to the reason why we came to live in those beautiful places. Two jobs lost resulted in two major moves across the country far away from family and familiar surroundings. I rewrote my story to focus on the positive of being able to explore new environments and learn new facets of myself.
Your Story Matters. I believe the secret to unleashing your 2019 story is in your journal. I have been keeping a journal since I was an 11-year-old girl swooning over who was the cute actor on T.V. last night and what I read in Tiger Beat magazine. Everything I have done personally and professionally started in my journal. (Yes, the one I’d hide from my brother.)
Journaling offers a chance to dream on paper, resolve old issues, develop coping strategies for current issues, and make a wish list for the future. Writing in a journal for as little as five minutes every day will invite new ideas to flow and expand your capacity to thrive. Make a date with yourself to show up on the page at the same time every day for at least 30 days. Always write the time and date on the top of your page, use a fast-writing pen (I like to use a fun fast-writing ink pen with purpose ink), and set the timer so that you are not looking at the clock while you write. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Just write and take dictation from your soul. Writing things down makes them happen.
Welcome 2019! It’s time to greet the brilliant incarnation of yourself God created you to be.