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Fess up

Posted on by Shari Swanson

truthrare

Why do we lie? Why is the truth so difficult?

Maybe we are worried we are not enough. We arm ourselves with masks and layers to project a more successful, more perfect self. Meanwhile, the real self inside feels chagrinned. “Why is it necessary to puff. Am I not enough?” it whispers.

Maybe we are afraid. We don’t know so much–the future, the complexities of life, the secrets of our fellow journeyers. So maybe it makes us feel safer to pretend we know all the answers.

Maybe we don’t really want to tackle the problem at hand. We ignore it; we pretend it isn’t there; we sugarcoat it. If we don’t acknowledge it, maybe it doesn’t exist.  (But we keep stumbling against it, don’t we?)

Think what power there is in the truth. It provides a foundation that is stable enough to approach any problem head-on.  It testifies that each of us is enough, and, not only enough, but that the very weakness we are trying to hide is the vulnerability that gives our voices authenticity and value, that draws others to us as a source of comfort and strength.

No one really expects perfection from you. If they say they do, it’s because they are not fully grounded in the truth themselves. There isn’t perfection. It doesn’t exist. There is just all different versions and varieties of real.  That is your truth. Your real. Own it.

Have courage.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

couragemuscle

What frightens you? Is it holding you back from trying new things, meeting new people, going new places? Fear is a crippler. Your mind is extremely good at playing worst case scenarios for you in the wee hours. Habit seems safe, so we stick to the same things, day in and day out.

But at what cost?

What is out there waiting to be discovered? Who is a friend you have yet to meet?

Sometimes we have to push against our fear, take the first step, even if it is just a baby step. And then keep walking. Keep exploring. Keep learning. Keep opening up to new people and new possibilities. The world is full of opportunities waiting to be experienced. You are capable of growing and blossoming and stretching.

Take that step.

Splurge a little.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

chocolate

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a pause button for life? Just a little breather from the salacious headlines or the demands of the day. It is so easy to get wound up. For many of us, it takes conscious effort to unwind. And, even when you desperately need it, when can you pencil in unwind time in an already hectic day?

Today, give yourself permission for a little time to yourself, a time to reflect and renew, a time away from the hustle and bustle. A time, perhaps, for a bit of chocolate.

Savor it.

Read.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

read

Read a good book lately? In this day and age of sound bites and click-baiting, alternative facts and sketchy news sources, how many of us take the time to read? Really read–sink ourselves into a novel and lose ourselves in another world, look through a different person’s eyes, experience through the pages a life and world different from our own? Studies show that reading increases our empathy. It makes us more tolerant, open, and loving people. It expands our horizons. For a great list of suggestions, go here.

Love in all you do.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

vessel

Sometimes we just need to get out of the way. What if we think of ourselves as vessels to collect love and then pour it out–not just on ourselves and those close to us, but on everyone and everything? What would our days look like if every encounter with someone else was an opportunity to be loving and thoughtful? What would our world look like if we used our time and energy to love it? What would our relationships look like if we laid down all our weapons–anger, resentment, hurt, selfishness–and just took the time to love each other, as if our very lives depended on it?  They just may.

Pay attention.

Posted on by Shari Swanson

attention

Have you ever looked for someone in a crowd? A sea of faces, none the one you’re looking for until…..Pop! She is there- that nose, that hair, those eyes, those mannerisms, that laugh. You would know her anywhere, no matter the size of the crowd. Why is that?

Perhaps it’s because you’ve paid attention to that person. You know her as someone distinct from everyone else. She has become an individual to you. Paying attention, seeing an individual in the midst of the crowd, requires focus. It is easy to look past the individual to see the person before you– even if it is someone in your own family, school, church, city, whatever– as just part of a group. To discover the real person, that individual standing there, you have to zoom in your focus and pay attention.

In this heart-warming video, a teacher greets each of his students with a unique handshake custom-made  for that child. How can the students not see the special place they each have in his heart? What a warm and welcoming classroom that must be!

Zoom in your focus and give generously of your attention.

 

What’s your story?

Posted on by Shari Swanson

pencils

Are you the hero of your own story? What values do you stand for? If you look back at your life, do you see common elements–honesty, maybe, in the face of temptation; loyalty to family and friends, even when they maybe didn’t deserve it, strength of character?

If your life were a novel, what would be the turning points, the challenges? Who or what are the antagonists that fought you? How did you, as the main character, grow? Are you someone a reader would root for if they knew all your inner secrets?

Or, maybe, you’re not a traditional hero at all. Maybe, even, you’re a villain. Do you look back and see deceit, betrayal, unfaithfulness, selfishness?

Be honest here. No one is looking.

It never hurts to take a self-check and make sure you’re on the right trajectory to be the hero of your own story. No matter what, your life is– and don’t forget this– telling a story. Is it the story you were put on this earth to tell, or have you wandered off course?

In the case of St. Teresa quoted above, her life told a story of joy and faithfulness, even in abject poverty and working among the sick and dying. Her life told a story bigger than herself, of hope and meaning beyond the mundane. She was a hero.

What is your story?