Pure Soapbox » 9-to-5er

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: what do you desire?

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:44:47 +0000

“Few people know so clearly what they want. Most people can’t even think what to hope for when they throw a penny in a fountain.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver, novelist and poet

Such a simple question: What do you want?

Hmmmm. What do I want? What do I want? What do I want? What do I want? Any way you slice it, this little puzzler looks deceivingly quaint and harmless, as if it may indeed require little pondering… but it’s all a facade. And as the years fly off our mind-logged calendars, the four-word imp creeps its way into our daily lives…keeping us up at night, zoning us out at meetings, tying our tongues… furrowing our brows and ultimately graying our hair.

All that said, I stand side-by-side with you…without an answer for you, let alone myself. I, too, often want someone to tell me what I should want. But more often, I just seem to tune out the prompt for pondering my true intention and careen past the real source of joy. I let the malevolent minutia of a worldly existence distract me from facing the question straight-on. From diving into the deep end of my soul, welcoming the light, and waiting for the answers to reach out to me. Perhaps being driven isn’t such an enviable quality when the drive is into an abyss full of unanswered questions.

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SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: check yourself, dude

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:55:16 +0000

http://youtu.be/CNqSZOINoms

(Featured quote is often credited to Kingman Brewster also.)

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: Earth DAY…WEEK…YEAR…LIFETIME

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:31:35 +0000

Well, Earth Day and Earth Week have come and gone… and now what? Do you go back to your old habits of driving to the corner store instead of walking; tossing everything in the garbage because your apartment complex or office still doesn’t have a recycling program; running the water while you brush your teeth?! Folks, celebrating Earth Day isn’t supposed to be a party that you go all out for and then toss it’s memory into your rusty pile of annual “do-good” days. You should be celebrating what EARTH PROVIDES FOR US and, in turn, making lifelong changes to ensure that this planet CAN keep taking care of us. I hope that sometime very soon, all of us, as a connected human race, will have the ultimate paradigm shift and SEE with truly open eyes what evil we are doing to our planet and what good is IN US to change our mentality to one of appreciation, concern, and action…. every day! ~ KD

Here is a SOAPBOX® mini-motivation from 2008 that still echoes truth today:

“To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.” ~ Wendell Berry, philosopher, novelist and social activist

It’s about time we stopped snickering at Al Gore, the forewarning NPR folks and tree-hugging, hybrid hippies…because they might be onto something! It’s about time we stopped being so selfish and purposefully merged as Humankind for the simple Darwinian hopes of perpetuating our existence by strengthening our collective homebase – we call Earth! For, not seeing is believing. When a species of animal disappears, we must rescue braver. When a strain of plant disappears, we must think greener. When snowcaps are melting, swallowing up islands and life, we must conserve stricter. Amidst the chatter of economics, religion and war, don’t miss the underconversation of environment, culture and interdependent community. My fellow EARTH-lings, we must research cleaner, protect fiercer, commit firmer, explore broader, spend wiser, educate brighter. May we all look back after long, fulfilling lives to proclaim that we are survivors and all did our part. It’s our time to think globally…and act globally.

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: quel âge avez-vous?

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:20:36 +0000

“You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.” ~Douglas MacArthur, US General

Funny how birthdays devilishly sneak up on us. For some they are embraced with delightful dreams of frosted sweets, gifts galore and parties, parties, parties. For others (and I am in that boat for sure), the adding of another digit towards another decade doesn’t make for a happy camper. This last year seemed to not only careen past me but brought shackles of doubt, fear and despair… like I wanted to negotiate for a lower bid, after all, I’ve still got so much left to do!!! Alas, ’tis but a number, our age, right? So, those of us trying to swap our deli tickets for hope of turning back the clock… stop the madness! Embrace the potential in each day you’re given. Work on your faith, your self-confidence, your hope and understanding and the result might be longer days, longer years, and a longer life. ~KD

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: human being blessing

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:49:11 +0000

“The most interesting thing in the world is another human being- who wonders, suffers and raises the questions that have bothered him to the last day of his life, knowing he will never get the answers.” ~ Will Durant, writer, historian and philosopher

Enough with the cars, computers, collectibles… and crap, folks. You can’t take any of it with you when you go. And when you’re grey and gabbing about unforgettable memories… I’ll bet the farm and Buffet’s bank account that the human beings you knew will bring the most awe-inspiring images to your stories, not the stuff.

Get to know a few more human beings… really know them. Talk like there’s no such things as things more worthy than another breath. ~KD

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: guts for glory

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:18:35 +0000

“What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight –it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower, politician and former US President

And the political fight keeps going… round after round as the forwearning buzz of the ending bell draws louder, we begin to ask what it really does take to stay in the ring. Is it still really just unabashed guts… laced with rebel-without-a cause fire? Is it ground-to-the-bone perseverance… confettiied with blood, sweat and tears? Or, dare I say, is it just who has the biggest wallet (manpurse, pocketbook, or whatever is comprehensively acceptable!) Do we even remember the names of the already fallen? Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, Thad McCotter, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Perry… who presumably spoke for all individually by confidently proclaiming “I full well believe I’m going to win”.

Mind you, folks, I understand the rest of us are not currently in training to hold the revered yet risky title of US President, but perhaps something just as important in our own daily lives and devoted visions is driving us without rest. And we often find ourselves wondering and weighing if we have what it takes… yup, I know the feeling. I, too, have to remind myself that what’s burning and brewing nonstop in my heart and head is what will keep me landing punches…not force, fury or finagling. Just a “fight” for what life can truly be. ~ KD

http://youtu.be/pokvBteUNzs

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: fight or float?

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:10 +0000

“Each day it seems we have a gloriously befuddling choice: battle the wind with our oars, or let it guide us with grace and fill our sails.”

~ Kimberlie Dykeman, human being

Indeed to have the breeze at our backs we must first understand the quandary. Then, of course, we must be willing to surrender…

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: ode to the great LEAP!

admin — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:46:53 +0000

May this coming Leap Day prompt you to jump ship of your old ideas and habits… and land in the arms of a welcoming new world filled with so very much more glory, greatness and gratification! And who better that Mr. Miller to plant the seed! ~KD

“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience.” ~ Henry Miller, writer & painter

Can I get an Amen?! Man, is that good! Amazing how such an uncomplicated, yet purposeful pairing of words can reignite the profound sensation of discovery, fear, and perpetual enlightenment we all experienced as little kids. I call this your curiosity quotient: That indescribable yearning for knowledge, newness, and surprise; that willingness to test drive without experience, to journey forward without direction, to jump into the proverbial spotlight without inhibitions.

As children we eat, sleep, and breathe it, then we mutate into adults! So many of us awaken to find ourselves in situations because of our personal, professional, or familial obligations, where we purposefully and painfully go out of our way to avoid rocking the boat. We work ourselves to death just to keep our sights narrowed on our own backyards, filled with that which we are familiar, can juggle, and, perhaps, can control. God forbid a curve ball gets thrown into the works, let alone, we allow our minds to wander and wonder “what if” or “why not.”

Believe it or not, just peering over the barbed wire comfort zone of your current reality raises your curiosity quotient. In turn, you might then ponder the tethered state of affairs within the mossed-over walls. Do you dare stir up the daily minutia fogging the pillars of your temporal life? The 9-5 grind, beer and golf on Saturdays, scheduled fun with the kids on Sundays, the same treadmill routine, same breakfast, same date night, same family vacation, same circle of friends, same closet of clothes, same goals for the past 20 years. Are you asleep yet?

Maybe it’s time you challenge yourself with all your senses to examine this recycled lifestyle with the same wonderment of what might need a little shaking up. Then take that next step and put thoughts into action. Become a kinetic Being. Turn your curiosity quotient up a notch. And don’t stop to see if there’s an owner’s manual. Don’t ask for directions. Don’t worry about an audience. Savor the sizzle of spontaneity. Bask in the carefree sensation of renewed youth that ensues. And leap!

This is an excerpt from “Pure Soapbox“ by Kimberlie Dykeman.

Shop SOAPBOX® products & SUBSCRIBE to FREE ! “Pure Soapbox” book and audiobook available.

A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to charity. Book KIMBERLIE to confetti your company with OPTIMISM! info@puresoapbox.com

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: everything happens for a reason

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:01:18 +0000

“ You don’t lose your balance unless your life is out of balance.” ~ Arthur Smalls, jazz cat musician

Well, friends, it’s been a whole month since 2012 rang her bell with a promise to bring “change” into your lives. And so I ask, candidly…is anything different? If the answer is YES, and it’s deeper than simply a new brand of toothpaste, then I congratulate you! Keep it up! Now, if you answer NO, or have found yourself brewing in a mindbog of uncertainty, apathy, frustration or desperation, perhaps you take some time to assess your terrain to see the real culprit weeds that are tangling you up… and then reread my ditty on January 9th. Just a suggestion. ~KD

http://youtu.be/rgjU-QMlcyU

Shop SOAPBOX® products & SUBSCRIBE to FREE ! “Pure Soapbox” book and audiobook available. A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to charity.

Book KIMBERLIE to confetti your company with OPTIMISM! info@puresoapbox.com

SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: penny-pinched possibilities

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:12:47 +0000

“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”

~ Norman Vincent Peale, minister & author

Give me an “R“! Give me an “E“! Give me an “C“!

Give me an “E“! Give me an “S“! Another “S“

…and an “I-O-N“! What’s that spell??

OPPORTUNITY!

I’m not blowing sunshine, folks. Just stating the facts. Millions upon millions of people had or have it worse than you in their financial lifetimes. Yup, the sound of two pennies rubbing together has echoed in their sensitive ears, startled their hearts, and rattled their once-unshakable foundations. Yet of those countless, there is a glowing population of do-ers who refused to let their lack of green create a life of blues.

With relentlessly determined minds and passionately beating hearts, these folks chose to believe in themselves enough to find OPPORTUNITY amidst tragedy. Opportunity disguised as spending time with family and friends, learning a new trade, receiving help from neighbors, turning a hobby into a small business, becoming disciplined and free from wants, and strengthening one’s faith.

Our country’s current reality doesn’t need to dictate, dump-on or destroy your future-perfect! Rethink what you’re doing wrong and what you could be doing right… with your mind and spirit… and your perspective can indeed change to reveal perhaps that the best damn POSSIBILITIES are right in front of you.

Shop SOAPBOX® products & SUBSCRIBE to FREE ! “Pure Soapbox” book and audiobook available. A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

Book KIMBERLIE to confetti your company with OPTIMISM! info@puresoapbox.com