Category Archives: mid-lifer

SOAPBOX of the week: proclamation of emancipation

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“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”    – Janis Joplin, singer- songwriter

Are you living cage-free?  Sounds like a silly question, right?  But think about it.  After all, we are all divinely blessed with sovereignty over our choices.  And yet, so very many of us invest out time, energy, efforts, and emotions in obsolete, inconsequential “things” and, unknowingly, impound and chain ourselves to their immovable, valueless positions.   SO I ask you: 

If you are not free of debt, have you lost your priorities?

If you are not free of pride, have you lost your place in society?

If you are not free of distractions, have you lost your discipline? 

If you are not free of conflict, have you lost your communication?

If you are not free of guilt, have you lost your value system?

If you are not free of fear, have you lost your ability to love?

If you are not free of worry, have you lost your faith? 

If you are not free to speak the truth, have you lost your voice?

A “yes” to any of these doesn’t forever fence you in.  Heck, if anything, a confession of self-containment might just smack you upside the head and prompt you to fly the coop without hesitation.  And in acknowledging what indeed needs to be shed, you’ll understand just how to swaddle yourself in what is worth becoming your second skin…and immediately notice how much “lighter” living can feel.  So, start sloughing, bust through the barricades and embrace the vitality of emancipation.

 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: devotion to the dream

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“The very least thing you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for.  And the most you can do is live inside that hope.  Not admire it at a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”     ~ Barbara Kingsolver, author

Aaah, words that would make Walt Disney smile.  At some golden, defining moment in your life, a glorious vision plants its seed in your heart and mind and begins to branch through your imagination.  An unflickering image of a person, place, event, achievement, or experience -it eclipses your fears and ignites your future perfect with wild hope.  Over time, as it grows from idea to driving force, you flip-flop it from top priority to back-burner ideology in reaction to life’s roller coaster, yet you remain steadfast to its potential and focused on its eventual fruits.  And that’s the part that the average person can’t grasp.  The ones who staple a shelf-life on childhood dreams and adult ambitions alike, in turn projecting their own insecurities and unforgiving failures.  It’s these hope-deficient naysayers who toss prickly words in envious aim to pop the faith-filled balloon that lifts you up daily.  And they turn up amongst friends, family and strangers, chancing that you’ll question mark your passionate pursuit of purpose and join their crowd of cowards.  But, each day that you face them down, your wish seemingly comes closer to becoming true, as if it champions the cause of YOU.  That said, never divorce from the dream, folks; for there is joy, love, excitement and priceless memories in the house of hope…and it’s safe inside. 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

 

SOAPBOX of the week: families valued

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“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.”  ~ Anthony Brandt, author

…and on that note, this week I take reprieve and leave tech and task to sit idle for a few.  Family calls across the country and my heart sings to follow.  So, perhaps this prompts you to ponder the connection with your own Alpha and Omega and do the very same.

 

 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: the melody of epiphany

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“Never underestimate the power of listening.”     – Anonymous 

So, you’ve heard that song a million times, tapped your foot to it, even sang along.  But one random radio-logged day, your steel-trap mind somehow sifts through the memorized words to unveil eerily profound meaning and magic…and something just shifts.  A veritable musical masterpiece colors your eardrums with a delightful enlightenment as the crooner sings directly to an audience of one.  At once, all other soundful distraction is eclipsed; your mind’s attention is fully focused; and understanding floods through every ounce of your being.  Amazing, you think, as the a-ha’s widen your eyes and lift your heart!  All that from just a simple song you’ve heard a million times.  Now, just think of all the points and perspectives you may have missed not truly “tuning in” to the sounds that hold much greater importance –like the voice of your loving spouse, hopeful child, overwhelmed business partner, needy friend, or special stranger… but most importantly yourself.  Prick your ears to hear the music of life and listen closely to embrace the power in its blessed lyrics whispered just for you.  

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: life’s luscious roulette

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“Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”     –  Forrest Gump, shrimp boating captain

Hollywood may have etched these lines of script in their Canon, but I think many of you need it tattooed in your mind’s mainframe.  So, mull with me and let the sweetness of its monumental meaning melt in your mouth.  Life is  like a box of chocolates –each day offers up a square to devour whose core confection may impact us for a flash or forever.  Indeed, some are truffles of petty delays or divorces; pralines of pitfalls or pink slips; and caramels of hangnails or heart attacks.  Oh, but do not forget that time’s beautiful gift box also offers up manna in the making …of breakthroughs, best friends, birthdays, big raises, new babies and blessings beyond words.   Deemed “good” or “bad”, they all offer the sustenance to challenge, change, and ultimately define us.  Point being, even the crappy ones ain’t so terrible.  And when given a choice between a chocolate of mysterious midsection or none at all… fifty bucks says you’ll take the treat, and probably find the surprise inside  worthwhile for the future of your family, faith, career, relationships and place in this timeline we call life.   And that, my friends, is the meat of the sweet.  

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: memorial for motivation

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“All the same, we take our chances, laughed at by time, tricked by circumstances. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.  The more that things change, the more they stay the same.”      – Geddy Lee, musician, & Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, journalist and critic

Stumble through this quote, and you’ll swear Yogi Berra concocted yet another puzzler. And though the labyrinth of lyrics wax ironic, the message nails the undercurrent of life in one fell swoop, regardless the language.  Change and her relentless rhythm unashamedly convicts and collectively connects us as we stand in awe of the seeming bombardment of negative events that the past decade has delivered: The tragedy of 9-11, the failing markets, the additional violence throughout America, the war in the Middle East.  You name it and it’s more than just front page worthy. And as the media cumulatively frightens the bejeezus out of us, many of us find ourselves re-evaluating, re-booting, and re-promising to re-unite and make this world a better place.  Geez, what’s the scurry all about, now?  Why are we feverishly trying to concoct our own band-aid therapy, while still fearing that the worst has yet to come down on us?

Folks, whether it’s  the 21st century or the 1930s, the barefaced backdrop may have changed along with the countless events of devastation, but we as a nation remain the same. We’re all still just a bunch of folks living on a big plot of land called America.  That said, there has never been a right time to share fellowship, take care of each other, go to church, invest in ourselves, our families, and our businesses; respect our elders, donate to charities, take time off, question our value system, show our emotions, pray for one another, or stand together.  Every day is the right time. So, fling open the doors, settle down and keep the home fires burning.  Change your perspective and, believe me, you’ll see how it doesn’t really matter where your assigned seat is.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman. This article contains a copyrighted excerpt from Kimberlie Dykeman’s book PURE SOAPBOX.

SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE your peeps! info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587