To Just Survive Life or To Live Life….

  • Posted on April 11, 2009 at 9:15 pm

surviveorlive2

sur·vive to survive -Verb

1. Of a person, to continue to live; to remain alive.
2. Of an object or concept, to continue to exist.
3. To live longer than.
4. To live past a life-threatening event.

live[ liv ] verb

1. to have life: to be alive
2. lead particular type of existence: to spend your life in a particular way
3. to fully enjoy life: to enjoy life to the fullest, to really know how to live
4. experience something: to experience or go through something living a dream

Surviving and living seem like they mean the same thing but think about it.

To Survive is to be in existence - heart beating, lungs breathing, to physically be alive.

To Live is to be passionate about and enjoy life for all it has to offer.

Re-Read the definitions above….

I want to share a story of a friend of mine that really drives this point home.

My friend was diagnosed with uterine cancer 2 years ago.

She went through surgery, chemo and just found out she is officially in remission.  Yeah!

Was it an easy road to recovery?  No

Cancer treatment is not easy anyway you look at it, but she ended up with some side effects.   The main side effect that limits her is that she cannot feel her feet and has to use a cane.

When she was at her doctor’s visit recently, she was telling the doctor about what aliments she is encountering now.

After listening to my friend for a bit, the doctor finally said “I understand your frustration but I want you to know that if you did not come to us when you did, you would be dead!”

Then the light bulb went on in my friend’s head and she said “So what you are saying is quit my bitching and be glad that I am alive!”

My friend survived cancer.  She has recovered as best she can.  She had the realization that she is alive and now it is the time to live

She then shares with me a story of living life…..

A few weeks ago when we had a lovely warm spring day, My friend decided to take in some sun by Horsetooth Reservoir.

She remembered this place she used to go where there was a perfect rock to recline on.  This place was down a steep path.

Now remember, my friend cannot feel her feet and has to use a cane.  Along with that, my friend is not a small person.

So she proceeds down the path at her own pace with people asking if she needed help.

She said, “No, Thank You.” and proceeds on her journey.

It was a difficult descent but she was determined and arrived at that perfect rock to soak up some sun!  What a fabulous reward for her efforts.

She told me “Christine, I have a choice.  I can choose to let this limit me or I can choose to live life.  I choose to live life!”

What a great attitude!  We all have a choice in life….

Recently, I read about the Event + Reaction = Outcome Formula.

We will all have events that happen in our lives.   These events can be as simple as a traffic jam or as big as a health issue.

We have a choice on how we react to these events.  Our reaction will then determine the outcome in our lives.

My reaction to my divorce was to learn, grow and heal and become a better person!  I chose this reaction because my parents went through a divorce when I was in the 6th grade.

And my mom’s reaction was the complete opposite.  I saw her unhappiness, anger and depression.  I did not want to choose that path for myself.

As I told my mom recently, “You carried my cross for me so I could learn to handle this better, Thank you Mom.”

So open your minds and make the choice to live life fully instead of just surviving.

I close with the Lyrics from this song,

Sung by Matthew West called “The Motions”


This might hurt, it’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care if I break,
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
“What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?”

No regrets, not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something
‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

‘Cause I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
“What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?”

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way (’cause I don’t wanna go through the motions)
take me all the way (I know I’m finally feeling something real)
take me all the way

Take Care,

Christine

Don’t just go through the motions in life, Embrace, Enjoy and Feel Life for all it has to offer!

And this does mean the good with the bad experiences.

The troubled times are necessary in order for us to rise above, grow to a better place and a better life!

Humble Gratitude!

  • Posted on March 13, 2009 at 2:08 pm

gratitude2

humble[huhm-buhl, uhm-] adjective, -

1. not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.
2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.
4. courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.

grat·i·tude(grt-td, -tyd) n.
1. The state of being grateful; thankfulness.
2. a feeling of thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received; thankfulness

Humble Gratitude is a true deep emotion that comes from the heart.   I say emotion because you can surely feel it when you have a moment of humble gratitude.

Why did I put the word humble in front of gratitude, you ask?  Why just not plain old, gratitude?

The word humble has a sincerity about it.  Read the definition again…

The definition states  “be not proud or arrogant.”

Ok, I had a self discovery this week about the type of people that rub me the wrong way.

I am not saying that this type of person will not be part of my life or that I will try and avoid them, it is just a personal observation.

I have a hard time with people who “talk themselves up”.    As artists, business people, musicans, or whatever it is that we do, We do have to do a little self promotion.

Keep the word “humble” in our mind, It is important.   If we talk about our physical accomplishments all the time, What are we hiding?  …….

We are hiding our hearts and who we are!

People want to know who we are!   And if they don’t want to know who we are then those are people who just won’t get it anyway, so no big loss!

When you are showing your artwork and someone comments about it, be humble.

Say “Thank you!”  Create a story behind the piece, a positive story

AND NEVER talk about the stuggles and trials that happened along the way of creating the piece.

AND NEVER say “I don’t like this one because……

Listen to the person observing your work.   At some point stop talking and listen…  You never know what inspiration for another piece of art that you will get from them!

Ok, I feel I just went off on a tangent, so I am reeling myself back in!

My point is to notice all the things in life, no matter how big or small, that we can be grateful for.

At the end of each day,  remember each of these moments with gratitude. 

And be thankful for the ability to recognize these moments!

To take it one step further……..

Write down your grateful moments! 

I find that we all tend to forget things.  I know big surprise!

What a wonderful thing to be able to re-live these moments of gratitude by reading them in your journal the next day, next week or even years later.

We need to remember all the good stuff in life, embrace it and let it fill our hearts!

Take Care,

Christine

And Then Some…..

  • Posted on February 3, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Give Beyond Expectations

Give Beyond Expectations

give (gv)
v. gave (gv), giv·en (gvn), giv·ing, gives
v.tr.
1. To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.
2. To place in the hands of; pass.

be·yond (b-nd, b-ynd) prep.
1. On the far side of; past: Just beyond the fence.
2. Later than; after: beyond midnight.
3. To a degree that is past the understanding, reach, or scope of: an evil beyond remedy.
4. To a degree or amount greater than: rich beyond his wildest dreams.
5. In addition to: asked for nothing beyond peace and quiet.

ex·pec·ta·tion (kspk-tshn)n.
1.
a. The act of expecting.
b. Eager anticipation: eyes shining with expectation.
2. The state of being expected.
3.
a. Something expected: a result that did not live up to expectations.
b. expectations Prospects, especially of success or gain

The Rebekah Principle is a wonderful story about how by going that extra mile in life, you will be rewarded!
To do more than what is expected from you, Go that extra mile and Give beyond what is standard to those you interact with every moment of everyday is what the Rebekah Principle is about.
The Rebekah Principle:
1. We are not to live our lives by the measuring rod.
Christine’s thoughts: We are not to live our lives as compared to others.   Today it seems that people try to do as little as possible in life.   We are not to measure up to what everyone else is doing.  We are do more than what is expected from us.

2. We cannot walk the second mile until we’ve walked the first.
Christine’s thoughts: We need to realize that everything we do -and I mean everything no matter how mundane, seemingly non-significant, or presenting as a mistake- is an important part of our “first mile”.    We cannot get to the “second mile”- the rewards or ultimate goals in life- until we experience or live the “first mile”.  We cannot jump ahead. We can learn from our experiences of the “first mile” to bring us to our “second mile”.  Learning and making better is something we all need to do as we travel along in life.

3. Extra blessing comes from extra effort.
Christine’s thoughts:
I strive to reach out to everyone I meet.  Not only does it make me feel good, I get great experiences right back!

I talked about “Engaging People” in a previous post.   The story in that post is a perfect example of The Rebekah Principle.

No, I did not get physical rewards as in gifts, but I did get gifts of the heart- blessings of the heart!
It should never be about, what will I get if I…….

Just knowing you gave and helped someone is the best gift of all!

I challenge you to take this approach by starting today!
Do what is asked of you AND THEN SOME!

If you want to learn more about The Rebekah Principle:
Carl Sutter spoke about this in reference to the your job.
You can hear the full podcast at: http://www.crossroadscolorado.com/podcast
Subject “Take this Job and Love it!”

Take Care,
Christine

To Fear OR Fear Not Change…..

  • Posted on January 23, 2009 at 10:39 pm

fearnotchange2

fear (fîr)n.

1.a. A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.

b. A state or condition marked by this feeling: living in fear.

not (nt)

adv.
In no way; to no degree. Used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition: I will not go. You may not have any.



The content for this post has been brewing in my head for about a month!
My last post about “Taking a New Direction” brought many good comments and insights!
You never know where you get insight.   Stay aware and be present to your surroundings!
The common thread in the comments of the last post was “change is scary…..”
But then I got a comment from Barbe Saint John ….
Barbe said “People say “change is scary”, but I find change exciting, not scary.”
Well, that got me thinking!
If we think that change is scary,  does that mean we are still holding on to the thing that we are trying to change from?
If so, then we are not changing, we are  just clinging onto what is familiar…..
Are we not?
I can totally relate to this…..  I am trying so hard to process and grow from my experiences but????…..

Being aware of this helps me.   Being aware that change should not be scary but should be embraced is the first step.

But to Leap… Into the unknown, And know that it all will be alright.

Maybe not at first but to have true faith AND  is to wait for it… wait for it…. wait for it….  this is the test, truly!

Isn’t that what it is all about?

More on Change….

I was watching the highlights of the Inauguration and I realized Barack Obama’s Campaign is about “Change for America”
First, I want you to know that I am not a political person.   I do believe in Barack.  It comes from a gut feeling of trust and faith!
Last year and especially this coming year is about change, many ways over!
We need to realize what is the most important for the overall change for America.  We need to really reflect our life standards.  We cannot compare and judge the big “bailouts”.   We are not any better than that on a smaller scale…
we need to look at this in our own perspectives:
Are we…
Working so much that we are not there to experience our families?
Where can we change to be there more?
When we are home after that long day, can we sit, release from our “job” responsibilities to experience our life, our family?
Yes, it is hard, it is scary but it is what we will have at the “end of the day”!
It will be what will carry us through the hard times, the times of uncertainty.
We have to stop and take note of the wonderful things each and every moment of every day!
SO ASK YOURSELF
WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT……
And when you answer…  Ask again and really be sure.
1) Does it follow my vision of life and family?
2) Is it practical?
One last parting thought….
I feel we as Americans are relieved to have hope for change in the new leader, Barack Obama, but one huge thing we need to be aware of is…..
Barack can do what he can in his position but it is up to us to do, live and believe in our lives to make it happen!
We cannot sit and wait to see what happens.  We need to make it happen on our home fronts
Live with positive belief and Live with substance
Are you up to it?
 You need to be if you want to live life!
Take Care
Christine