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

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.
Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman.
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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: keeping it weird for love

“We’re all a little weird.  And life is a little weird.  And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it love – true love.”     ~ Robert Fulghum, author

 

And so, as we approach le jour de l’amour …I only hope that you look beyond the obvious to see how love cannot be confined, let alone definitively defined.  LOVE exists between you and another when things just ….click.  Period.  Think about this fabulous “weirdness” that is already living in your life… for it goes beyond you and your sweetheart or parent.  It reaches uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, mentors, coworkers… the list goes on.  You know who “clicks” with you… now think of the joy, delight, peace, laughter, perspective and relief which those relationships confetti into each of your passing days. 

Sure, Valentine’s Day may be just for lovers, but maybe this year you should break prescribed customs and Hallmark card categories and act a little WEIRD!  Choose to tell all of those other folks who complete you on this journey called life… that you love them too!     ~KD

 

 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.

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SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: everything happens for a reason

 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

 
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SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: penny-pinched possibilities

“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.
 
 
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SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: tell me the meaning of life

“We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone, we find it with another. ” Thomas Merton, author and social activist

It’s that time of year.  Don’t deny it, folks.  Every single one of you could attest to finding yourself wondering, albeit for a minute or a whole CSI Miami marathon, how this year will be …DIFFERENT.  How you will be different.  How your situation will be different.  How your goals will be different.  How your priorities will be different.  How “things” will be just be DIFFERENT.  Well, you will not find the answer inside your tightly wound, analytical little noggin, I theorize.  Nope.  For answers and meanings and fixes and fresh ideas and new perspectives can only take their quintessentially divine shapes if shared with another person… or, heck, a hundred others.  Think about.  Now …DO something about it.  Life ticks by with or without the ball dropping in NYC.  Find your meaning… your purpose, your peace and joy… by simply opening up and sharing. 

Between you and me: this is something I realized a looooong time ago.  It may still be a work in progress… but the progress is incredible!  So, the quicker you “get it”, the quicker you can bring more meaning into your life!  Amen.      ~KD

http://youtu.be/vzxma5CD5bU 

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.

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SOAPBOX® mini-motivation: New Year, Same Brilliant YOU

“Remember, the light at the end of the tunnel may be you.”     Steven Tyler, musician & wordsmith

Cheers to 2012 for all who fall upon this little ditty and drink it in with celebration!  Tis just one day past yesterday, which is no different from the day before.   And if it weren’t for calendars, Hallmark, and Dick Clark,  January 1st would feel just the same, year after year.  That is, unless you take on the aerobic challenge of changing one thing.  No, not your toothpaste, nor your weight, job, bad habits, zip code, or last name.  Nope.  That omnipotent, omnipresent, blessed thing called your  perspective. 

I beckon you to sweat it out until you shift your outlook to see that YOU indeed are the light in your own life.  YOU have the real answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems, and the intrinsic brilliance to your extinguish your darkness.  Quick fixes, shiny new toys and winning lottery tickets are meaningless if you still think you’re your own dilemma.

So, this is my wish and prayer for you, folks.  That you remove the bushel to reveal your golden glow for your own optimism and opportunity… day after week after year.  Just imagine if we all took to beaming our gifts to create peace and joy with domino effect. What a world this would be.  Isn’t that right, John?        ~KD

 

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

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