Over the last weekend I attended a Women’s Retreat where the theme was “Passion: I will not die an unlived life!” We were challenged to risk and reveal ourselves, to be authentic. Living from our most authentic self opens the doorway to living more fully. Three gems I gained over the weekend are:
First, revealing oneself has rewards. As I stepped up to the challenge of revealing myself, I found that in talking about hard things, things I regret for example, I became softer, more compassionate with myself and others. I also was freed up to begin anew, choose how I would like to be different going forward. A refreshed sense of strength and vitality came with that.
Secondly, how do we deal with life’s disasters? I have just chosen to use the most DRAMATIC word for effect! (>:) The truth is, we all have hard times, heavy losses, and set- backs that are significant to us. Reinhold Niebuhr,an American theologian, suggests that there are stages in dealing with our “disasters” that allow us to claim value from them. The three stages are: (1) shipwrecked (2) gladness, and (3) amazement. A colleague and I decided that we would modify this to read: shipwrecked, relief and amazement since gladness seemed to sweeten things before we were ready. For example, my most recent experience of burn-out did not provide gladness for me, however, it did provide a sense of relief when I finally owned up to the fact that I had fully participated in creating the burn-out. Thus, I could also climb out of the hole that I created. Amazement has arrived as I have experienced a new sense of joy and resilience out of living through that burn-out and learning from it.
Third, Ram Dass was quoted as saying “You have to take the curriculum as it comes to you.” This message definitely struck home. I can be so enamored with the way I’d like life to be, that I sometimes resist embracing it as it is. What if we embrace life as it is and look for the treasures that are here in front of us? Another option offered by Ram Dass is: “Everything in your life is there as a vehicle for your transformation. Use it!”
I invite you to use these tools as stepping stones to living abundantly.











