Tag Archive for: understanding

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Valuing Your Independence: A Journey to Self-Empowerment

Independence is a powerful concept, evoking images of freedom, self-reliance, and the ability to shape your destiny. Whether it is achieving financial independence, emotional autonomy, or breaking free from limiting beliefs, claiming your independence is a transformative journey.

Here is a guide to embarking on this empowering path:

1. Understand What Independence Means to You

Independence is subjective. For some, it might be about living alone and managing their finances. For others, it could involve making decisions without relying on others’ opinions or external approval. Reflect on what independence means to you personally. Define it clearly for you and your journey.

2. Assess Your Current Situation

Take an honest look at your current state. What areas of your life do you feel dependent on others or external factors? This could be financial dependence, emotional reliance, or even dependence on certain habits and routines. Identifying these areas is the first step toward addressing them.

3. Set Clear Goals

Once you have a clear understanding of what independence means to you and where you currently stand, set specific, achievable goals. These goals should be aligned with your vision of independence. For example, if financial independence is your aim, a goal could be to save a certain amount of money or reduce debt by a specific percentage, and by a certain date.

4. Educate Yourself and Always Be Learning

Knowledge is a powerful tool in claiming your independence. If your goal is financial independence, educate yourself on personal finance, investment strategies, and budgeting. If emotional independence is your focus, learn about self-care practices, emotional intelligence, and coping mechanisms. The more informed you are, the better equipped you will be to make decisions that support your independence.

5. Take Responsibility for Your Choices

Independence means owning your decisions, both the good and the bad. This involves:

  • Making informed choices
  • Accepting the consequences of your actions
  • Learning from your mistakes

6.  Develop a Support System

While independence implies self-reliance, having a support system is also helpful. Surround yourself with people who encourage and support your journey. This could be friends, family members, mentors or advisors, or even online communities. They can provide guidance, encouragement, and a safety net as you navigate your path to independence.

7. Take Concerted Action

Knowledge and planning are essential, but action is where the transformation happens. Start taking steps toward your goals, no matter how small they may seem. Each step forward is a move toward greater independence.

8. Build Resilience

The road to independence is rarely smooth. There will be challenges and obstacles along the way.

You may face:

  • Fear of failure
  • Uncertainty about the future
  • Pressure from others to conform

Remember, these challenges are normal and can be overcome with persistence and self-belief.

Building resilience is key to overcoming these hurdles. Cultivate a positive mindset, practice self-compassion, and develop problem-solving skills. Resilience will help you stay committed to your path, particularly when things get tough.

9. Reevaluate and Adjust

Your goals and circumstances may change over time, and that is okay. Regularly reevaluate your progress and adjust your plans as needed. Independence is not a static state but a dynamic process. Being flexible and adaptable will help you stay aligned with your evolving vision of independence.

Celebrate!

Finally, take the time to celebrate your achievements. Acknowledge the effort, dedication, and growth that have brought you to this point. Celebrating your independence reinforces the positive changes you have already made and motivates you to continue your growth.

For your consideration:

Take a moment to reflect on your own journey. What steps can you take today to claim your independence and live life on your terms? The path may not always be easy, but the rewards of personal freedom and self-realization are immeasurable. Here’s to your independence!

Okay, your turn:

Where in your life do you feel your independence has served you well, and in what ways have you made the most of it? Does your independence ever get in the way of what you would like to bring into your life? If so, what steps have you taken to move past the roadblocks?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2024 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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Deconstructing what we construct

Structures

What does it mean to have a structure?

It is a framework

A template

Something that holds something together?

 

To deconstruct–

Is that to destroy?

To “unbuild” what was built?

 

What then is instruction?

To in-build

as in to build-in

a set of instructions

to follow

To create

something consisting

of parts

of lessons

that make up a

curriculum?

 

What is the source?

Who is the source
of these courses

 

And who are they built for?

Who does the creating

Who does the teaching

Who does the learning


Is it a symbiotic

relationship

 

Is it a giving

and a taking

an exchange

 

of value

of sorts?

 

For the purpose of mutual benefit?


Does it stem from or flourish from

A foundation of mutual recognition?

If not, should it?

 

Are we one with each other

With nature

with the planet

with the sun, the moon, and the galaxies

 

Learning and weaving together

as separate parts of one whole

Of one organism, truly?

 

Comity

Not comedy

Awe-ness

Not aww-ness

 

Yes.

 

Please

and

thank you.

  

For your consideration:

When we hear (or say) that we are destroying our planet, are we not indeed acknowledging that we are destroying ourselves? Does not nature (and we are nature) come with its own divine structure?  When we build up artificial structures, only to dismantle and destroy them, what value remains, if any?  When you hear the word infrastructure, what does that connote for you?

Okay, your turn:

Do these lines of inquiry present any new awareness for you?  Would you rather not pay them any mind?  Is there a risk in doing so?  How about in not doing so?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

 © 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

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April showers

April Showers

Showering me with

 

Raindrops on noses

and young sisters with kittens

 

Freshly washed sheets

and soft white flowing linens

 

Hung on the clothes line

out in the Spring air

 

With hopes that warm breezes

soon will be there

 

These are a few of life’s

wondrous blessings

 

so simple

so basic

and

yet

so

satisfying

 

For your consideration:

During the pandemic, do you find yourself all the more appreciating the simple pleasures?  I do. I have. I will continue, I hope.  I love hearing the birdsongs each morning, gently awakening me from my slumber.  The city din of rush hour traffic that is no longer rushing has given way to a clarity of chirping, instead.

Okay, your turn:

What about for you?  What are some of the simple pleasures you find along the way, during your day-to-day? I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

 P.S. Poetry inspired ‘with a wordsmith’s twist’ by My Favorite Things and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.

 © 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

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Wash away

Wash away

Wash away

With the tides

all that no longer holds us

in our victimhood

 

All that is too salty

too painful

in what was once upon a time

an open wound

 

No longer open

But now healed

and firmly held

in abundant love

and full forgiveness

 

No longer open for business

Closed for the winter

not to be reopened

not to be left gaping

or oozing

for attention

 

Smoothly soothed over

Encased in the promise

of an oh perhaps not always familiar 

sheath of protection

translucent and glorious

in the natural light.

For your consideration:

During these times of global as well as for many of us local, uncertainty — in both the physical and political realms — it begs the question for each of us to consider:

What does this mean for me emotionally and spiritually? Where in my own life have I been met with uncertainty and challenges that may trigger previous wounds?  Have those wounds been healed through my physical and spiritual growth?  Am I willing to accept that healing and embrace the current (and future, because there will always be more) uncertainties and challenges from a place of healing and not open wounds?  For me, the answer is yes.

Okay, your turn:

What does it mean to you to read words like these? What, if any, emotions arise for you?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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Transition of power

Transition of power

Transition of power

Power through

the transition of power

with transitive properties

 

Moving from one phase

to another

From one hand

to another

 

Amidst

the mist

of misty

eyed

mystics

 

Among

the shadows

and the light

of the waiting

and the wading

 

In pools

of disappointment

only to be moved

to movement

and action

 

Proceeding

to lead

by

example

 Okay, your turn:

Is there something about a major transition that leaves you feeling disappointed? Or, do big transitions instead leave you feeling hopeful, inspired, and eager to move forward?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2020 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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All things being equal

All things being equal

 

 

All things being equal

EQUINOX

Equal days and nights

Welcoming in with delight

and a bit of fright

the insight

that comes with the rotation of the planet

the turning of the seasons

All amongst the haze

And daze of shortened days’

light

 

Not unlike fallowed farmland

we allow room to rest and restore

and

root down

to stabilize

as the harsher winds

of Winter will be

approaching

 

Leaving behind

the lazy dazy

daisy

days

of Summer

 

Autumn brings harvest

 

Thankful for the harvest

(did you know Thanksgiving used to be observed during early October and not late November as it is now in the United States?)

 

Yes, thankful even this year

2020

and its

harvest

of

stillness

reflection

eye opening

tears inducing

heart opening

heart closing

heart wrenching

heart healing

 

Awareness

and the time and space

to embrace

thoughtfulness

consideration

discerning

what’s

true

and real

and real(ly) important

For your consideration:

Notice, without jumping to quick conclusions, what this unusually strange and often unsettling year has brought up for you.  What are you harvesting?  Not from the surface-social-media-finger-pointing-mud-slinging level, but at the level of deep rootedness…feeling into what your heart knows to be true?

For me, among other things, I find myself doing an ongoing life review of sorts. I’m viewing my earlier experiences in a new (dare I say “novel” as in a novel virus) way. This time affords me an opportunity to be not only reflective but more inventive, more innovative, more imaginative, more creative.

Maybe Plato* was on to something!

(*Reference to his dialogue, the Republic and the idea that from necessity comes invention.  More on that perhaps in a future blog post!)

Okay, your turn:

What’s been coming up for you during these turbulent times? Are you feeling less rooted? Are you nervous that you’ll be blown over by the winds of change? Will you join me in my pledge to stay rooted throughout it all?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2020 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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It is a matter of what matters

It is a matter of what matters

Isn’t it?

Don’t you think?

Actually,

don’t.

Don’t you,

think.

 

Don’t think

Instead, feel

into what

matters.

 

What matters to you, to your soul?

A few things that matter to me:

 

In addition to money as currency

(not to be confused with ‘currentness,’ which is something different, altogether)…

 

Love as currency

Caring as currency

Compassion

Respect

Understanding

Empathy

Oneness

Wholeness

 

The sustainability of each of us

And the planet

Depends on it

On us.

 

What matters to you?

Does it matter?

Yes.

It matters

No matter

what.

For your consideration:

Set a countdown clock on your phone or computer, for a quick 11 seconds.  Without thinking, blurt out (and write down on a piece of paper), the first three things that matter to you. They can be lofty or grounded, simple or complex.  No editing allowed. No filtering. No worrying about what others’ opinions may be. This exercise is for your eyes and heart only.

Repeat this process as many times as your heart desires.  By the end of the day, take the entire list or sets of lists (remember, no editing), and put the paper under your pillow and sleep on it. Dream on it.

The next morning (again without thinking, without editing), jot down anything that arose for you since the previous day.  Anything new that you discovered really matters to you?  Anything that really doesn’t matter to you, after all?

On each new moon, if you so desire, revisit your list and see what still matters.

Okay, your turn:

Have you really felt into what matters to you?  If not, why not?  If so, what has been revealed?  Anything surprising? Anything unusual? Anything you’d like to reprioritize?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2020 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

 

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Messages from above

Messages from above

When birds circle

tightly in the sky

and lower

than usual

 

They are providing a message

to all who will notice

Wisdom

from above

 

Their circling is nature’s way

of bringing news

of a change

a mighty change

in weather

 

In physical terms, it’s their inner ear sensing

a change in barometric pressure

 

They don’t “see” the change

They sense it

They feel it

 

Their ease of flight

depends on it

They are uniquely sensitive

to anticipating the storms

and adjusting midflight

 

Whether or not

we pay attention

is up to each of us

 

Nature gives us signals

every day

 

Does it take a once-in-a-century

pandemic

to get us to pay attention

to the signals

that a mighty change

is on its way?

 

Will we adjust midflight

and circle up together

or fly in separate directions

missing the flow

missing the ease

the grace

the beauty

the natural

ability

to listen

from within?

 

Okay, your turn:

What does easing into a major change mean for you?  When have you benefited from paying attention to the signals and adjusting midflight? Where have you suffered from making no adjustments along the way, and instead struggled forcefully against the wind?

 

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2020 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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The new normal and the value of patience

The new normal and the value of patience

 

The new normal

The old normal

What is normal, anyway?

 

Different styles

A unifying approach

To the pandemic guideline

To wear a face covering

When out in public

For essential life preserving tasks

Such as grocery shopping

 

On the sidewalk

Along the length of the parking lot

We stand dutifully

Six feet apart from one another

Prompted by orange plastic traffic cones

Marking our spots

As the sparsely populated parking lot

Is unusually quiet

And shopping carts are handed off from one person to another without

Touching each other

The shopping cart exchange looks like

A passing of a baton in a 400 relay race that we

Won’t be seeing in the 2020 Olympics

Until 2021

 

I watch this going on

As I step forward when prompted by the attentive

And helpful grocery store clerk who keeps order

Along the line of shoppers

Waiting their turn

 

Oddly scenes juxtapose for me

As they appear in my awareness

 

For example, as I step together, pause

Step together, pause

I remember the times entering a church

In a wedding procession

Or the times I waited my turn

In a congregant line to receive communion

 

I feel a deep sense of poignancy

And notice an even deeper sense

Of patience

Which is not normally a strongsuit

 

Normally…

Huh

 

What is normal

What is new about this new normal

I have time to consider this

As I stand in line

For my turn

To enter the grocery store

 

Mask on face

Heart on sleeve

 

Quiet

Reverent

 

In no rush

to enter

the store

 

And yet

happy

to

receive.

Okay, your turn:

What does the new normal mean to you?   What are you noticing?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2020 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

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Forced oneness

Forced Oneness

COVID-19 doesn’t care where you’re from

It doesn’t check for your passport

Or your citizenship

Or your next of kin

 

It doesn’t ask whether you have the new state-issued “Real ID”

With the special star symbol on it

 

COVID-19 doesn’t care how great you were

Or claim to be

Or whether you will be great again

 

From everything we know so far

It doesn’t attack plants

Or rocks

Or dogs

Or cats

 

It doesn’t go after

The winged ones

Or the finned ones

Or the creepy crawlers

 

COVID-19 attacks us as a species

It seeps into us as a human

It takes over our respiration

(Maybe it’s time for a re-SPIR-ration).

 

It forces each of us to come to terms with the fact

that

we are truly all in this one together.

 

So, to whom do you turn as your trusted news source?

Yourself

Your mind

Your discernment

Your wise judgment

Your body

Your heart

Your spirit

Your inner knowing

 

If it sounds like a duck

Walks like a duck

It is well, you know,

A duck

 

And so it is.

We’re all in this together.

Don’t lose heart

Or common sense

Which seemingly is not so common

Right now

After all

 

For your consideration:

Despite the challenges, and even because of them, this pandemic provides an opportunity for each of us to take a humility break.  Let us be sensitive to what unites us rather than divides us. It’s what first responders do. Take heed. Let’s all be first responders. As humans. Let’s reSPIRate.

During this time of the stay-at-home directive in California, I’ve found myself giving the flowers and plants in my garden a little extra attention and tender loving care. And, the rainbow this morning appearing as a semicircle of rays of light above the roofline during the early mist reminds me that not all things beyond our control are unwelcomed.  Even in the most trying of situations, there can be much beauty to behold.

Okay, your turn:

What does the phrase “forced oneness” mean to you? Is it an opportunity, or a curse?  Or, is it something else altogether?

I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2020 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

 

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