Category Archives: unemployed

SOAPBOX of the week: Pleasure in the pilgrimage

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“To live only for some future goal is shallow.  It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.”     – Robert M. Pirsig, writer & philosopher

On “the journey of life”, we aspire to reach countless goals, marked by flashy finish lines.  Strapped in, we hit cruise-control, determined to follow our self-made map.  En route, though, we must stop for fuel, get caught in speed traps, miss street signs, and sometimes end up entirely lost!  Our course?  Looks more like an Etch-a-Sketch drawing!  But, folks, it always will.  The beauty is found in the scribble, not the spreadsheet.  Finish lines get blurred and even replaced by the surprise successes that pop up.  Sometimes we’ll forget where we were heading in the first place!  How fabulous is that?!  So, go on: pull over for gorgeous sunsets.  Chat with the locals.  Get distracted by the luscious landscape and pack a camera for a wonderfully unmappable journey!

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online, where books are sold.

SOAPBOX of the week: Spirit of survival

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“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.”     – Gospel of Thomas

Our entire lives, we’re consumed with acquiring “the right gear” to survive “the game of life.”  We prepare for rough terrain, erratic weather, restless natives, and, of course, limited supplies!  Then we create safe havens in which to hide and hoard our gear.  It’s always all about “the stuff’ you can “stuff” around you.  Yet, when it comes down to brass tacks, the toys and tools aren’t your saving grace.  What is…is the “stuff” within you.  Gut instincts, a sense of humor, personal faith, the drive to succeed, integrity and the ability to love.  Trust that it’s exactly what you need to navigate safely, and your abundant stash will never run out.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online, where books are sold.

SOAPBOX of the week: Transcend the abyss of remorse

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“The only thing you live to regret are the risks you didn’t take.”     -Anonymous

All the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s… confetti your life with little black holes of what might have been storybook memories.  A laundry list of experiences you’ll never get to laugh about, only shake your head in wondering what if.  So was playing it safe worth sleepless nights?  Not speaking your mind.  Declining that dance.  Not voting.  Not graduating.  Leaving the New Year’s party early.  Not quitting that horrible job.  Not going back to school.  Not telling the truth.  Not saying “I love you”.  Regardless, it all comes down to choices, not circumstances.  Stop stockpiling the regrets…you’ll block out the light of promise and possibility, and probably a heckuvalotta tears of joy and laughter.  Instead, leap with the faith that you’ll land on both feet…and stomp out that burning curiosity.  Then pull out those celebrations plans!

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox  now available!   Nationwide 07.22.08

SOAPBOX of the week: Humility is priceless

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 “Poverty is a lot like childbirth –you know it’s going to hurt before it happens, but you’ll never know how much until you experience it.”     – JK Rowling, author

If you know the frightful sound of your last coins rubbing together… then we’re on the same page.  And it’s tough to say which is more painful – not having the basics for civilized living, or having to ask someone, especially family, for some of theirs.  Losing everything at once or stuck struggling to fight the bleakness of poverty is humility in the making …and stinks of pride and judgment.  Pride of the suffering.  Judgment of those who label, shun and ridicule the population of have-nots.  Ironically, though, those who survive and rise up from the trenches are both blessed and truly aware.  Alas, it is the “privileged”who are cursed with the naivety of just how close they themselves might be to the bottom rung.  Lesson at hand, folks?  Take the high road whatever you bank account reads.  And remember to always count your blessing while counting your pennies.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox  now available!  Site of TV Personality Kimberlie Dykeman

SOAPBOX of the week: Change is gonna get you

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“Everything will change. The only question is growing up or decaying.” – Nikki Giovanni, poet and social activist 

Hey “fence-sitters” of the world!  Is you’re butt asleep yet?  Well, you chose to park it there and insist that it’s “comfortable” …after all, “up there” you don’t have to grow up nor face up to the tough decisions lingering below.  And things will remain exactly the way you like them: Familiar.  Un-changed.  Safe.  Well, here’s your newsflash: if you think sitting still means your little world is “frozen in time”…you’re sorely mistaken.  Literally.  Both your physics teacher and Mom were right: Change is the only constant.  And, since there’s no better time than the present, leap off the fence before you become a permanent rotting fixture!  Grow and thrive with the fabulous mix of change, and you’ll see, the view down here is grander than you ever imagined.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox launches June 25 2008!  Visit site of On-Camera Personality

SOAPBOX of the week: Work hard to play hard

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“Discipline is doing what you are supposed to do in the best possible manner the time you are supposed to do it.  And that’s not such a bad thing.”       -Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Structure ain’t a four-letter-word.  Some of us run from it like the plague…we picture a list of authority figures who doled out responsibility, hard work, and timelines …with a side of intimidation.  Believe it or not, their hearts were in the right place…they wanted you to get ahead in life…not just get by.  The difference here isn’t just one word …it’s a whole perspective.  Embracing it means rising above mediocrity.  Being disciplined means digging in for the battle ahead, doing more than what’s expected with what you’re given, and focusing your efforts on ringing the bell.  Don’t bet on the “right place, right time” scenario, the Fairy Godmother, or her cousin Lady Luck.  Instead, build a strong hand by relying on yourself and your work will bring great fortune.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Book launches 06. 25. 08!