Gossip Gone Wild!

First I would like to say how grateful I am for those who see me as a trusted source to process some of life's messiest situations. I think I should also clarify immediately at the fore front of this blog that this is in no way directed at you reading this. This is for you reading this. If you think this is about you specifically in any way and at any point, just finish reading this, call me and we'll hopefully just clear that mess right up.

Let’s talk about gossip.

What's the difference between-

 

the destructive and energy draining forms of gossip, running our mouths, or self-seeking behaviors that put others down so someone else can move up 

vs .

the creative processing of what's going on in our lives with another human being?

 

My daughter often thinks I don't understand or remember what life is like as a teenager. This topic is something that happens quite frequently at her younger age. What's most unfortunate is that this behavior I'm discussing is hard to forget because it can continue way into adult life if we do not cultivate different ways to resolve situations we face.

Whether I am working with someone or speaking with someone that is a friend or part of my family, I make sure it is a completely open forum for this person to let it all out. They can share their perspective no matter how on or off point it is or seems to be. Let it flow and let it go. This is often an important part of the process for healing. Allowing someone to be authentic and honest with themselves and talking out situation with another human being can be extremely helpful.

What happens next is what determines whether this conversation is going to remain destructive or transform into a creative and beautiful process that changes everyone involved for the better. The most important and defining difference in the conversation of the gossip and someone who wants to process a situation, is the action. This is where creativity gets to come in, and I love me some creativity!

For the sake of this blog I am going to use my book  Embracing The Spark  and the chart found in Chapter 10, “Making the Most of Your Actions: Getting Creative.” Using this chart I can easily find words in the destructive column that align with the act of gossiping or self-seeking. On quick review of the list, here are some that could work in the destructive column:

Unsettle, Disempower, Invalidate, Ruin, and Misunderstand.

Whether the rumors are about you, or someone else, the negative talk could be affecting one or more people in the situation in sat least one or several of these ways mentioned above. Trust me, there were more. I chose to stop at five actions.

If we then look to the creative action on the opposite side of the list that correlates to each of these words we will find the words:
 

Establish, Inspire, Dream, Devise, and Conceive.

(Wow, do those words already sound and feel better or what??)

When we engage in a conversation about a rumor, speaking negatively about someone who may have hurt us directly or indirectly, or talking about someone who did this or that to someone other than us, we are acting more in alignment with destructive behaviors. These behaviors naturally develop into less favorable transition points for our energy, feelings, and thoughts. Our relationships with others can now become negatively impacted whether we are involved or not in the situation from this space forward.

Although we can’t always avoid a conversation like this, we can however find a creative solution and action that leaves us with a more favorable transition point for forward movement. Just because we are looking for a creative solution, doesn’t mean we are trying to control or manipulate an outcome. It means we are choosing to stop the ball the negative behavior from rolling down the metaphorical hill and transmuting it into a more sustainable form of energy for ourselves.

Let’s look at the creative words I found earlier with the chart and ways we can use them.

 

·         Devise- You may have already recognized that by Devising a plan of creative action is already pulling us out of the destructive behavior into a constructive one.

·         Conceive- You may want to contemplate the actions of the “offender” by trying to understand or Conceive where they were coming from when the “offense” occured.

·         Establish- If we don’t have any idea how to understand where that person was coming from, and the relationship in distress is a valued one, we may want to Establish a dialogue with the person to stop the rumor or gossip in its path.

·         Dream- Rather than letting the rumors invalidate you or your work or whatever the situation may be, keep Dreaming. A lot of haters show up when you start pursuing your dreams and self-seeking of others will show right up.

·         Inspire- Let the gossip Inspire you to be a better human being or let go of the people in your life that aren’t kind or care enough about you to Establish the dialogue with you. Let them be a reflection of what you'd rather not be.

Whatever you choose to do with your creativity, don’t worry about how the other person may or may not react. This is a gift you are giving yourself. You are choosing more favorable transition points for your energy and well-being moving forward. As we change, heal and love ourselves, we do this for the world. This is how we end gossip, self-seeking, and disempowering talk between us and those around us.

If at the end of the dialogue with your trusted companion, you find absolutely no creative action is necessary for you to make because what you’re talking about is really not yours to get involved in, try this-   

 

Establish a connection with your top and bottom lip

by shutting your mouth.

 

Oh, yes- creativity is always an option and it always works!

 

So much love and blessings to all of you creative souls!

-jodi

 

 

Here's the link to my website if you would like to purchase a copy of the  book! http://www.jodilynnlamure.com/book.html
 
 
 
 
 

 

Remaining Grateful Through The Pain

 

Back in December, I suffered a pretty bad fall from the top of a ten foot ladder. I was fortunate. Nothing serious resulted except for some extremely sore muscles and possibly a bruised or broken rib. It took about six weeks to recover from the pain. Of course, due to the holiday season, I pushed my way through the pain and tried to maintain a jolly spirit, nonetheless. Family was in town, I was in the finishing stages of editing the book, writing a book proposal for a major publishing company, and having two younger children, it's just what you do around Christmas when you don't have time to slow down. At least this is what I thought.

An injury recently came about as a sort of aftershock from the fall. This one took me down with the pain the way I needed. Driving caused pain and sitting caused pain, sleeping was frequent, short spurts, and so I was left with pacing.

A girlfriend of mine came by to check on me during this time to drink coffee and keep me company. Thank goodness she did, because she told me about a Matt Kahn video she had shared on her Facebook page, "Healing Space." Matt Kahn is a Spiritual Teacher out on the West Coast. I took a look at his videos when she left. Although it wasn't the video she posted, he gave me this little reminder of why I was experiencing my pain and what to do with it. I have to share this because it was so profound in my healing.

I have learned so much spiritual guidance in regards to pain, but a lot of it had me chasing my tail. Even in my own book I talk about all situations being viewed as gifts and opportunities, and I had forgotten. I had forgotten that even the physical pain is a gift.

I wasn't seeing the pain as a gift! I was judging myself for what I was missing in my own healing work. I was judging my ability to understand the lesson or the meaning of the experience. I was frustrated with how the pain pulled me into my physical body and detached me from my emotional and spiritual self. Anger and frustration would build up when the pain would peak, only to remind me of my to-do list and the many tasks I should've been taking care of. Instead I was lying around, dozing off because of the lack of sleep at night, and forcing myself into creativity through the only necessary avenue that couldn't be avoided, cooking!

Thank goodness for Spirit to bring the message and assistance I was begging my guides for through people around me. I was having such trouble hearing my guides from this cave carved from pain and suffering, and so they delivered my answers through other resources.

I had to stop using spiritual beliefs as my current abuser. I had to remember that all is love and purposeful. I had to start being grateful- even for the pain.

When I found gratitude for the pain, and started loving myself again instead of abusing myself through my thoughts, old teachings, beliefs, and inner dialogue, I began healing. I didn't just heal my physical self by doing this. I healed emotionally and spiritually as well. When I welcomed the actual pain to be the gift, instead of the pain being the negative result of me missing or not understanding something in regards to the gift, only then could the pain heal me. Only then, could I allow myself to heal.

 

I am grateful today to know there is guidance all around me, in the physical dimensions and beyond the dimensions I can easily see. I am grateful to have the trust, that even when my ears can't hear and my eyes are blinded with tears, I know the Universe is listening and wants nothing more than to help each one of us. Keep praying, and talking to your angels, guides, guardians, God(s), Higher Power, Spirit, Great Mystery, etc. They are all listening and ready to remind you (yes, remind you) of the information you need as you walk your journey.

 

 

It's such a beautiful Universe to be connected to! Take the time today to embrace it, if only for a minute. Thank it for all it provides for us. It deserves our immense love and gratitude for the opportunity to experience this thing called living.

 

Much love to you all,

jodi

 

Is Bigger Necessarily Better When It Comes To Creativity

Have you noticed everything has grown bigger over the past few decades: bigger T.V.s, bigger ideas, bigger fitness plans, bigger bank accounts, bigger houses, etc. Better, better, more, more!

Creative ideas come in and we judge them immediately. Is it perfect? Is it great? Is it going to make me rich? Is the idea enough? Am I enough? Will it make a difference? Will it be easy? Will it be worth it? Do I have the time for that? I couldn’t do that. Could I?

Whoa! Let’s stop.

Take a deep breath-

Allow yourself to stop for a moment and breathe.

 

We are constantly viewing in social media pictures with famous, brilliant quotes that are meant to inspire us, healthy lifestyle movements whether food or fitness, technology changing into bigger and better versions of itself, or simply hearing new music on the radio. We have the world at our fingertips at any moment. This can be a very powerful tool when used properly, but what if it’s stunting our ability to be creative. What if it’s all the great and better around us that is causing us to judge the subtle and the tiny nudges of the creative source within. The good news is once you realize it may be affecting you, the awareness stops the destructive backfire of the process.

Maybe the next creative idea or action you feel inspired to initiate won’t be better than Einstein’s ideas and discoveries. Maybe it won’t be what gets you the bigger house. Maybe the idea won’t get you fame. But acting on it, no matter how small, does change your world. It will change our world.

Allow yourself to begin remembering that all ideas and acts of creativity, no matter how small, are significant. Each inspired idea comes from a place within you, connected to your heart and soul and interpreted through the imagination. These ideas are guiding you and building the bigger picture of your journey.

By listening to these gentle nudges, you open the door for them to come through more frequently and consistently. You align your energy with the creative source you are made of by acting creatively. This naturally raises your vibration, energy, and vitality, giving you the ability to share this with the world around you. By sharing this with the world around you, this is what reveals itself in the reflection of the reality you see around you.

So the next time you rip out that recipe, make it. The next time you’re driving to a restaurant for dinner and see a new one you haven’t tried before, go there. The next time you feel you need a little nap, take it. Missing the sunshine? Just step outside for five minutes, close your eyes and feel it. If it’s cloudy, just pretend it’s sunny and use the imagination to see it and/or feel it.

Your imagination is here to help you shift your frequency! It is not something you only needed as a child. Use it! It is holding hands with your inner child, missing you, staring at you from within, waiting for the next tea party or fort building. As an adult these tea parties may be coffee with a friend or building the fort may feel more like the inspiration to paint the bathroom the color of the ocean. The energies of these are all the same if we embrace them with the same excitement.

Creativity isn’t only for the known genius. It is connected to the genius within. Creativity isn’t a thing for kids. It is a tool for living life and every moment fully.

Creativity is infinite! How much bigger can you get?

The secret is it may be getting overlooked in the tiniest of places!

 

The Step Ahead of The Struggle

Some of you may have seen my post recently about forcing my kids into creative mode through boredom. It works! My daughter has started to catch on without the unnecessary discomfort. If I ask her if she is bored while she gazes aimlessly around the house, she often replies “no, I just haven’t figured out what I want to do yet.”

Yes! I love this. I know she gets it by her response. Every day will be what she decides it will be. It can be a gift, or it can be a drag. Before she gets to a breaking point, she will often ask me for ideas or as I talk about in my book, “call for back-up.”

Asking for help isn’t weakness. It's creative. It’s creative when we act on the solutions found between minds working together on ideas. Both are constructive actions that weave colorful threads into the reality of the world around us.

My son on the other hand is a little more difficult in these situations. His typical solution to boredom is shopping. Does that sound familiar to anyone? He usually thinks the answer to all his problem is something else. This is when I get to step in and say “no.” I have six more years to get this point across before he doesn’t need to ask me and can get to the store himself, so wish me luck!

Spirit has had his best interest at heart of course and some of this lesson came in for him over the holiday season. Nearly every gift or “thing” he received for his birthday and Christmas this year either was lost, broke, missing pieces, or hasn’t even shown up yet! I must admit he has handled it with grace and understanding because to a ten year old, this could have been cause for a complete meltdown and pity party. It hasn’t been. He became more grateful for what he does have and has been more creative with activities like origami, building forts, and playing outside with friends.

The point is we don’t have to get hit with a lesson this extreme, into an uncomfortable situation, or bored before we make the decision to get creative because it’s the only remaining option. We have the ability to head off many of these scenarios by staying in habits that are creative.

One might ask what my son could have done to head off his lesson. Well, let me share with you what happened around this time. Originally, he asked for snow for Christmas. My kids have yet to experience this natural wonder first-hand living in Florida. Obviously, I explained if I could pull off this opportunity to go discover and experience snow, I wouldn’t be able to afford to put things under the tree as well. At first he was totally okay with this, but then something shifted as we got closer to the holiday. He changed his mind. He wanted stuff he thought would bring him more happiness. But did it? One was creative, the other not so much. Can you recognize why this is?

Soon, Embracing The Spark: A Simple Guide For Using Creativity To Live Brilliantly will be available for purchase. It will provide all the tools one needs to use this holistic approach to creativity as a way of living and transforming daily life into a personal masterpiece. These tools will not only help each reader move more in alignment with a vibration that benefits one’s authentic self but also benefit the world touched by the creative actions of the reader. I am so very excited to get the message out in a language that can be understood outside of my own brain this time! Let’s all thank my editor, Karen, for this one! I am so very grateful for her hard work and powerful questions.

Take the time to explore creativity in your life. Any idle time we find in our busy schedules is our heart's way of pulling us back to this natural state. Head off the hard lessons and wasted time. Use the time to do what would most benefit not only your vibration, but to the collective vibration. Explore, dance, walk, sing, write, discover, play, reconnect with friends, share, cook something new, learn something new, etc. The possibilities are really endless!

 

                            Embrace the Spark!

                                        love, jodi