The Truth of You

“I can’t tell you what your next action will be, but mine involved a full stop. I had to stop living unconsciously, as if I had all the time in the world. The love and good and the wild and the peace and creation that are you will reveal themselves, but it is harder when they have to catch up to you in roadrunner mode. So one day I did stop. I began consciously to break the rules I learned in childhood: I wasted more time, as a radical act. I stared off into space more, into the middle distance, like a cat. This is when I have my best ideas, my deepest insights.

Obviously, it is in many people’s best interest for you not to find yourself, but it only matters that it is in yours—and your back’s—and the whole world’s, to proceed.

There’s always something ending and something beginning. Yet in the very center is the truth of your spiritual identity: is you.Fabulous, hilarious, darling, screwed-up you. Beloved of God and of your truest deepest self, the self that is revealed when tears wash off the makeup and grime. The self that is revealed when dealing with your anger blows through all the calcification in your soul’s pipes. The self that is reflected in the love of your very best friends’ eyes. The self that is revealed in divine feminine energy, your own, Bette Midler’s, Hillary Clinton’s, Tina Fey’s, Michelle Obama’s, Mary Oliver’s. I mean, you can see that they are divine, right? Well, you are, too. I absolutely promise. I hope you have gotten sufficiently tired of hitting the snooze button; I know that what you need or need to activate in yourself will appear; I pray that your awakening comes with ease and grace, and stamina when the going gets hard. To love yourself as you are is a miracle, and to seek yourself is to have found yourself, for now. And now is all we have, and love is who we are.”
- Anne Lamott

Take this and read it again and again and again until you have absorbed it all. I have read it every day for 2 weeks and every time I feel my spirit lift. May it do the same for you.

Love

Donna.x

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Don’t Get Lost Along The Way

From Abraham-Hicks Daily Quote:

You have been oriented that you must pay a price in order to get somewhere, and in the process, you’ve come to believe that getting there must be really important, therefore, it must be your purpose. And we say, but if you’re not getting to joy, then you’ve gotten nowhere. Joy is really where you’re going.

Yes! I couldn’t agree more! We want most of the things we want because we think we will get more joy, freedom (joy), peace (joy), love (joy), security (peace…joy)…but it is putting the cart before the horse to go ‘there’ to get joy. Get joy right here, then skip, hop, laugh, run along to the next place in joy. Don’t get lost along the way and turn away from joy – make joy your highest intention, your biggest goal, your most important thing on your ‘to-do’ list.

Love

Donna.x

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Leisure by W H Davies

Something to think about this weekend…

W. H. Davies

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Love

Donna.x

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OnTheBeach – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

“Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.” So sang Judy Garland in 1944. 64 years later, can you imagine a Merry Little Christmas? Can you imagine your troubles being miles away? Or is Christmas going to be just another stressor on a long list of stressors? Many people I have spoken to in the last few days are at breaking point –enormously stressed out. The cold weather, the economy, the money worries, having so much to do and so little time has brought many of us to the point of screaming.

I must admit that losing a friend, losing a car, and trying to pack in 5 weeks work into 3 while Christmas shopping, car shopping and so on has made me slightly fraught too. My shoulders are up around my ears, I am even more short tempered than usual, and I’m not sleeping (which regular readers will know is a recipe for disaster). Thinking back on Christmas’s past, this stress usually lasts until Christmas Eve, at the point when I can do no more…and when the old movies come on the telly.

White Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, Meet me in St Louis. Sigh. Even thinking about them makes my entire body sigh into a sofa-ready position. I love a feel-good film, it helps me to relax and enjoy my Christmas. I love the cheesiness of Christmas films, the light-heartedness that comes out of the telly and into me. I love that sense that Christmas is a little break for everyone. I love the hush that comes over the world on Christmas night, when everywhere is closed and most of us leave the freneticism of our normal lives behind just for a few hours.

Often that break is so desperately needed that we only let the relaxation in unconsciously. This year, why not decide to let your heart be light, and just for a few days, let your troubles go. You can pick them back up again in 2009 – it’s only a few days away now. We’ve all been waiting so long for Christmas (in the UK it’s been building up since August – insanely), why not decide right now to make damn sure you enjoy it as much as possible.

Once the decision is made to let go and enjoy your Christmas, make sure you back up your decision. Take a deep breath and say to yourself “I am going to have a Merry Little Christmas, my heart will be light and my troubles will be out of sight…and out of mind!” If your troubles come back to mind, tell them you will look at them again in the New Year, and that they should have a Merry Little Christmas too. You never know, you might even get used to having a light heart and decide to keep it into 2009.

Something to play with
If you were going to have a Merry Little Christmas, what would need to change this week? What can you do to ensure that your Christmas is Merry and your heart is light? Go, do it.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Leave me a comment below.

A note from Donna
Wishing each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas, and all the luck, love and laughter you deserve in 2009! Thank you for being with me in 2008, and I look forward to continuing to entertain, inspire and provoke thought for you in 2009. This is the last OnTheBeach for this year, but do check into my blog if you get a chance over the festive period – there you will find little festive snippets, ideas on seeing out the old year and welcoming in a faaabulous New Year. See you next year!

Can I help you to make your life even more amazing in 2009? I have a very special festive offering for you, 20% off all coaching packages – to get more details, or to apply, go to Festive Offers. If the idea of getting some coaching appeals, don’t wait, places will be limited and the offer will expire in the New Year.

To receive the OnTheBeach newsletters directly into your inbox every week, go to the sign up page.

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OnTheBeach – Please Sir, The Dog Ate My Newsletter

A note from Donna

Tomorrow I am off to Barcelona!!!! Mostly I am enormously excited, but there is also a tiny frisson of utter terror – I am not the best flier in the world. If they’d let me drive, I’d be fine (can’t speak for the other passengers though!). So tomorrow early evening UK time, send me some positive vibes…I need them! Other than that minor inconvenience though, I shall be having a marvellous time visiting my friend for a few days – I don’t know about you, but I really need some time just chillin’!

Please Sir, The Dog Ate My Newsletter

The hugely observant among you may have noticed a complete lack of newsletter last week…I do apologise! Right up until Monday, I was fully intending to write a newsletter for last week. Then, right up until Thursday, I was fully intending to send it late…and it just never happened! I have to confess that I don’t feel bad at all. In fact, I’ve been interested to notice that I am enormously relaxed about missing this deadline.

Normally I’d at least feel a little guilty, thanks to the conditioning that started when I was 5. Remember that? You had to hand your homework in on time, you had to hit your deadlines, you must do this by this day. Now, I do understand that schools have to do this, or let’s face it, maths homework would never get done! But then I think we carry it just a smidge too far. I have heard friends talk about a deadline for doing the washing, for shopping, for cleaning the car.

Everyone is working to a to-do list on a timetable that keeps us all busy ‘doing’ all the time, no respite, no break, no rest. Not only is there always something to ‘do’, but if we miss a (self-imposed) deadline, there is the attendant guilt for not having done it. I often used to say that I was the worst boss I ever had, and many of my clients (whether self-employed or not) can echo that sentiment – simply, we are our own harshest critic!

Obviously things have changed a little for me – I no longer consider myself a wasteful slacker who is a drain on the payroll, but someone who, given the right encouragement and inspiration will enjoy her work and ‘get things done’ as an added bonus. I’ve also come to realise that YOU NEVER GET IT DONE. The to-do list will never end, the chores will never end, the things that you want to do will never end. Shelves gather more dust, even more books get published, and before you know it, another Monday is rolling round and OnTheBeach is expected again!

So sometimes you can just let go of the reins just a little and allow time to pass without ‘achieving’ something. Not every moment in every day needs to be filled with the minutae of tasks – in fact, the most peaceful people on the planet spend time just ‘being’ – watching a sunset, or a flower, or the stars…just allowing themselves to not be doing. But won’t the world fall apart if everyone starts having this slack attitude to life? In rural Ireland, in the Caribean, in many other places, they seem to get by just fine without the deadline culture. And if you high-flying folks will forgive me for saying so…they seem just a tad happier too!

Something to play with

This week experiment with missing a self-imposed deadline, and letting it be ok. Play with the idea that it’ll all get done in it’s own good time (don’t do this at work! I am trying hard to get workplaces to understand…but for now, by and large they don’t!). Sit back, relax and notice that the world did not end when you let yourself off the hook!

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Was That Worth Giving Up Your Peace For?

I was reading a blog entry at http://blog.yourangelsmessage.com/2008/06/26/june-26-2008.aspx today and this question caught my eye “Was that worth giving up your peace for?” What has made you give up your peace today? What has made you angry, irritable, stressed, freaked out? Was it worth giving up your peace?

For me, it was a lorry drifting into my lane on the dual carriageway, prompting a furious beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep and a lot of swear words. Was it worth giving up my peace for? No, absolutely not! A little ‘hello I’m here’ cheery beep would have done the trick, and wouldn’t have had the same negative impact on my blood pressure!

So, next time I get in the car, I have to remember that no matter what the other drivers do, I’m not giving up my peace for them!

In peace and love

Donna.x

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OnTheBeach – Your True State of Being

- A note from Donna -

Oh, I was so enjoying that weather, I went out and bought a WICKED sun lounger (white and floral – it’s so cheery!) and it’s rained ever since. Aaaah, c’est la vie! But you know, whatever the weather is doing – get out and enjoy the outdoors. I was walking the dog today and everything looks so GREEN and gorgeous – because of the rain. Don’t let the rain get you down – get your wellies on, jump in some puddles and enjoy the green lusciousness of the country. (if you don’t live in England and you have decent weather – just enjoy that!)

- Your True State of Being -

So I was wondering what to write this week, and I was reminded of a message I get a lot (from my intuition, soul self, upstairs, whatever…from somewhere!) – be who you truly are. Do you know who you truly are? Not just your true personality, your true state of being. Most of us touch our true state of being occasionally – big occasions like weddings, births, and incredible experiences bring us close to that purity of feeling.

Sadly, most of the time our true state of being is hidden under a lifetime of worries, irrelevancies and distractions. So what is our true state of being? Love. Peace. Joy. Freedom. Bliss. Notice how you feel when you just say these words. Does one resonate with you more than others? For me, it’s joy. The very word tugs at my heart strings, and I KNOW that joy is my birthright.

As is love, peace, freedom and bliss. That is our true nature, our inner being, our soul is pure love, peace, joy, freedom and bliss. Easy to forget when the kids are screaming, the mortgage needs paying and you are stressed to the heavens. But we humans are pure love…just with lots of layers on! Take those layers off often and get in touch with who you truly are – you are an incredible, gifted, wonderful, gorgeous being with an immense capacity for love, joy, freedom, peace and bliss.

- Something To Play With -

I kept the article short this week so you’d have time for this quick meditation – breathe deeply, and as you breathe in imagine you are breathing in love from all around you (from spirit/God if that appeals to you). As you breathe out, imagine you are sending love out to all around you (or Spirit/God). Do this until you feel your heart expand with love…and if you can, keep going for a few more breaths and revel in this love!! Repeat often – you can even do this while staring at your computer screen…and no one will ever know!

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OnTheBeach – Powerless

- A note from Donna -

Well, the day I’d set aside for putting the finishing touches to the Torturer’s Bible and setting up the webpage is a bit of a washout. We had a fuse burnout and the entire fuse box is being replaced as I speak! So, I am without Power. So you have another short wait before you can get your hands on this free ebook! If you are not already in the queue and would like to be among the first in the world to get a copy, e-mail me with “What’s that queue for? Must be something good, I’m going to join” in the subject line. Spookily enough, today’s subject fits well with this month’s recommended read – check it out.

- Powerless -

So I’m writing this article in the old-fashioned way – pen and paper – by daylight as I have no electricity. But for the sound of cars going by, I could be in another century. The house is incredibly still – not just quiet, but still. It’s rather nice actually! When I first discovered I would be without power for hours on end, I was lost! No computer, no radio, no light, no tv, no phone. I can’t even make the electrician a cuppa or myself a toastie.

So I took the dog for a nice walk. It was lovely – the sun was shining, and because I had no reason to rush back, it was very leisurely. Normally I am walking along thinking of what is going to happen when I return, but today there was going to be nothing happening without Power. I did think of several things I could do with the ‘powerless’ time, but there’s a curious feeling of ease and patience about it. There’s no rush to ‘do’ anything, no sense of time passing. There is just a curious serenity about the day.

In this world in this century, we are constantly being assaulted by technology. There is too much to do and too little time and we have very little ‘down-time’. Proper, quality down time, where there is no hurry to get anything done. Even on holiday, if we are so inclined, we can fill up every last moment with things to do. I feel quite sleepy, and yet also feel that I am being energised by this curiously calm space. Although I could break the silence with my MP3 player, I am happy enough to enjoy these hours of peace. After all, they are so rare; I may as well enjoy them!

- Something To Play With -

Notice today how much electricity adds to your busy life. Imagine just switching everything off for an hour or two, and only ‘doing’ what you feel like (that isn’t powered by the electricity board!). If that imagining feels good, switch off your computers, phones, tellies and radios and enjoy being powerless! Want to share how this article affects you? Leave me a comment below.

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