SOAPBOX of the week: lose the crown, folks!

“Extremes meet, and there is no better example
than the haughtiness of humility.”   
 – Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher and poet

Aaah, the precariously transient state between humility and pride.  None of us are excluded from being that unconditionally-loved child who’s still starving for attention…even moreso as fully-grown adults!  And rest never finds us on life’s perpetual teeter-totter of meekness vs. expectation.  The moment we even think in one direction, the balance shifts.  When we sport our sacrifices like invisible royal robes, we’re surprised with the ensuing gratitude and accolades.  Yet, blessings are tainted when we join in the applause, trumpeting our importance for more reward and approval.  In essence, our once grateful spirits are trampled by our ugly egos, to again reveal crowns of self-serving exaltation.  So, what’s the harmonizing solution?  Simple.  Separate the gifts from the real earnings from your efforts.  Bow to the unquestionable fact that you’ll never be humble enough.  Then, witness the marvels when being thankful becomes your sole modus operandi. 

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

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE your company!  310- 500- 9587

COMING SOON!  Pure Soapbox  audiobook!

SOAPBOX of the week: ode to Halloween

Folks, this was one of the very first SOAPBOX® vignettes launched on the site… but it bears repeating!  As kiddos, we’re constantly told to “GROW UP!”… but as adults we truly need to LIGHTEN UP and recognize what fun can still look like!  The upcoming holiday of dressing up for no damn reason and wrestling over “the better candy bar” is your perfect launching pad for the rest of the year.

“Fun has a sacred dimension.” – Adriana Diaz, life coach

As kids we set up camp in that realm, only coming out when paged or prompted by someone in charge. We experienced “fun” in just about everything -down to a Cracker Jack prize!- and saturated our present tense with laughter and a contagious carefree attitude. So, how now do you define “fun”? Where do you go to find it? Stumped? Well, perhaps you’re light on amusement TODAY because you’re caught up in creating TOMORROW. The “land of fun” is found in an entirely different sphere of your perception …but it’s always there, twinkling in the background. So choose to dip into its unending supply of amusement, uninhibited laughter, and memories of wonderfully pointless activities -and that special sparkle you bring back to the “real world” will confetti your perspective with the delightful new energy of a kid.

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

COMING SOON!  Pure Soapbox  audiobook!   SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: read between the lines

“The advertisement is the most truthful part of the newspaper.”     – Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President

You  heard me correctly.  Businesses openly tell us:  Yup, we plunked down a bunch of cash for a flashy ad to sell you something.  Yes, there might be some strings attached…but at least we’ve included it in the fine print.  See, not too complicated, because we know WHO’S talking, WHAT’S on the table, and WHAT decisions we can make.  Now, the news of the paper isn’t nearly as simple nor straightforward, and the behind-the-scenes is something the public is rarely revealed.  Competition yields sensationalism and selectivity, pitting ratings over research while the politics of placement breeds angles and agendas and skews headlines. Readers are left oftentimes confused about WHO’S talking, WHAT’S on the table, and WHAT choices we might need to make.  Funny how centuries-old sarcasm still holds truth today: news is a business, and they’re called “stories” for a reason.  So check your filtering system, listen to your gut, and don’t believe everything you read.

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

COMING SOON!  Pure Soapbox  audiobook!   SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: be a little curious, folks!

“The more unintelligent a man is, the less mysterious existence seems to him.”     – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher

It absolutely baffles me when a one-word answer is supposed to suffice an intricate, open-ended question.  Infuriates me when my further soul-searching queries elicit merely an “I don’t know” or “I don’t care.”  Do we live on the same planet, folks??  ‘Cause here’s the newsflash: Outer space is still uncharted, cancer still uncured, man’s evolution still controversial, prayer miraculously healing, jazz still indefinable, and love indescribably infinite.  And yet countless people numbingly walk the earth, unabashedly unfazed with this journey through time and space we call “life”.  The dimensions of their reality equals a monotonous grey amidst an endless Crayola-ed potential.  But with all this stated in truth, may we not mock the colorblind, though we might pity them.  Instead may we each task ourselves to seed their curiosity to explore; cultivate their excitement to experience more; nurture their hearts and souls with drive to find their own purpose.  For as their minds grow, so does your own mysteriously, glorious existence.

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

COMING SOON!  Pure Soapbox  audiobook!   SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: inertia’s affliction

“Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”     – Susan Ertz, novelist

Ironic, huh?  We complain that life’s too short –yet we piddle away days with pointless distractions.  “If only I had more time…” we whine, allowing our real priorities to fall victim to procrastination.  And when forced to sit still for patience’s sake, or quiet for purposeful listening, we witness real time echoing its deliberate second hand… and cry boredom!  With further insult to the gift of days, we convince ourselves that melodrama and minutia, micro-relationships and mindless activities are acceptable time consumers.  So, what do you really want to stick around for? If you can’t produce a list AT LEAST the size of your holiday wish catalog…then there’s a problem!  Folks, I earnestly suggest you create an inventory of passions and pursuits, puzzles to figure, and hard-core reasons to yearn for immortality.  Adopt a pet, become a Big Sister, go to church, launch a business, start a family, run a marathon…shall I go on?  Saturate your being with purpose and you’ll deplete those presumptuous pangs of boredom.

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

COMING SOON!  Pure Soapbox  audiobook!   SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: open sesame!

“A thick head can do as much damage as a hard heart.”     – H.W.  Dodds, former Ivy League President

Ever notice how, with age, some folks mellow out –revealing a welcoming softness to their once ego-driven, impenetrable personalities.  Something shifts inside, and an Aquarian flow brings malleability to their attitude and actions.  As their hearts warm and their minds open up, relationships are reconstructed, ancient wrongdoings are patched, and futures are mapped out with joyful participation.  Oh, but then there are the finger-pointing polar opposites whose minds and bodies harden with the years, and whose acidic spirits strip the delight from all lifelines.  The weight of their unyielding judgment and fear creates chasms that grow uncrossable, and they themselves- unapproachable and unlovable. If we’re to learn from others’ worn paths, mind this dichotomy with piercing attention.  Countless people will cross your path yearning to connect with your head and experience your heart.  Choose to let them in, and they’ll help gloriously shape your life.

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

COMING SOON!  Pure Soapbox  audiobook!   SOAPBOX® video subscriptions  for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)