SOAPBOX of the week: life’s tapestry of teachers

“For every person who wants to teach there are approximately thirty who don’t want to learn – much.”     – WC Sellers, author and humorist

Ain’t that the truth!  And I wouldn’t doubt for a second that every one of you could rightfully confess a time when you indeed were that aggravating, non-receptive student.  But at some point, I hope, you’ve dropped the rebellious, disinterested, lazy attitude to embrace not only the teachings…but also the teacher.  Who, by the way, aren’t all huddled up in crowded middle school classrooms.  Folks who are driven to “teach” are everywhere.  They’re in boardrooms, churches, libraries and at conferences… just as they’re at the flea market, performing on stage, or cooking at a local restaurant.  That said, if you seek to learn, those who bless you with their experiences and worldly knowledge, will in turn watch their very own horizons expand.  Give them a chance to share and you’ll both profit for life.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to
LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09: SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile & a network TV talk show

SOAPBOX of the week: the fallacious fame game

“Blessed is he whose fame does not outshine his truth.”     – Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali polymath and poet

Like history’s icons, today’s rising starlets rush the limelight, shoving, sacrificing and scratching to bask in the pedasteled, gilded glow.  If only for the clichéd 15 minutes, they still choose golden-calf glitterati over admired greatness in anonymity.  And like starving plants, unyieldingly bent towards the sparkle, they contort themselves into heinous weeds.  Drinking themselves drunk, they kill their flowering inner beauty and poison their roots with vanity, greed and conceit.  Ironically, the hotel heiress and reality show wannabe might not be so different from the new executive, neighborhood hotshot, self-crowned gym Adonis or mid-lifer avec arm-candy!  For behind the inflated ego and pompous presence lurks the withering truth of who they really are and who they wish they were.  When fame facades one’s genuine identity, failure and fear-filled days aren’t far behind.   Folks, regardless of the stage or summoning, lies beget banishment, but truth begets blessings.  So choose wisely, when you take a bow.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to
LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09: SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile & a network TV talk show

SOAPBOX of the week: fears take flight

“There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.”     – Orson Welles, actor-director-producer

Puddle-jumper and jumbo jet alike, you’re packed in like sardines encased by fake air, fake food and fake hospitality.  Seated cheek-to-cheek, you resume the practiced process of popping gum and punching last minute texts.  Amidst a motley crew of complete stranger, you can’t help but wonder why each is traveling on the same skycap cruise and what they’re thinking as you taxi toward takeoff.  So what are YOU thinking?  Will the turbulence reek tremors in your tightly-wound mind?  Will you sit idle and unfazed?  As your own “shift” sets in, be it anxiety or apathy, you look for comfort in numbers.  But, whether you white-knuckle it or wade through it like a boring movie, the only common denominator in the used-to-be friendly skies is collectively surrendering your “control card” for a fake sense of security.  And that, my friends, puts us ALL on the same planet.  Whether you leave Earth or not, feeling a loss of control or not caring about having it all -is in every moment of this thing called life.  The flight ain’t the deciding factor at hand here; your choosing how to face the journey is.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to
LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09: SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile & a network TV talk show

SOAPBOX of the week: full-throttle wellness

“Your body is the only thing you are guaranteed to keep for a lifetime; if you have your health, anything is possible.”     -Dan Millman, author

YOU are the sole driver of that intricate vehicle called your body …whose care instructions are written clearly on the inside:  Fuel with nutritious foods and water; rev it up and run it outside daily, get regular check-ups, and rest when needed. Simple, huh?  Yet too many of you ignore the GLARING RED SERVICE LIGHT and wonder why the other crucial “parts” of your life …like family or career…are sputtering along as well.  Folks, if you want more LIFE out of your life, ante up at least the same amount of preventative maintenance you give your car!  Rewire your mind and body.  Get a tune-up.  Heck, get an overhaul and enjoy an even longer ride in luxury!  After all, there’s no such thing as being too healthy!

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to
LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09: SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile & a network TV talk show

SOAPBOX of the week: identity crisis cure

“He who walks in another’s tracks leaves no footprints.”     – Joan Brannon, TV writer and producer

Admit it.  You’ve been a follower of someone  at some point in your life.  Be it sibling, spouse, teacher, boss, best friend…even leader or icon.  And with high hopes, you’ve perhaps fallen into path out of loyalty or fear, ignorance or insecurity -for want or need of recognition or trade secrets, first dibs or fast track, attention or acceptance.  So, how has the walk in the shadows really served you?  More importantly, though, are you still trying to gather benefits at the cost of erasing yourself?  Think about how the mimicry, modeling and mistaking have even harmed you.  At some point, you may walk nameless to yourself and truly unidentifiable to all others.  Folks, don’t get blurred behind someone’s shadow; after all, who knows what may really lurk within it, the bad included.  Instead choose to create your own path.  Find you.  Honor you.  Stomp the earth and leave your mark and let ‘em know your name!

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to
LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09: SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile & Kimberlie’s own network talk show

SOAPBOX of the week: a humble request from Kimberlie Dykeman

Ok, folks.  What if I turned the tables on you and asked YOU to get on your proverbial soapbox?  Not because I have run out of quotes.  Not because it’s a contest to get your ditty into my next book.  Not because I felt lazy today.  But, honestly, because I need a cleansing jolt of motivation from you.  Yes, even the SOAPBOX Queen has off-days, let alone weeks and months, that throw a wrench in her life and upset her seemingly untiring positive attitude.  (Remember: Every doctor becomes a patient now and again.)  And in paradigm-shifting times like these, I believe it’s absolutely paramount to be honest, if not radically transparent, about these human-nature occurrences.  After all, covering up the truth only allows for it to rear its ugly head later…and we all know it ain’t pretty!  So, I am volleying the ball into your collective courts, friends; asking for your timeless and timely words of wisdom, mantras, and uplifting mementos for a needed boost of hope, excitement and unyielding belief that anything’s possible.  Thank you!

KD 

 

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to
LIVESTRONG.

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