I am so inspired by people right now. I see people around the world coming together for great change. In the face of change I see Courage. It is deeply ingrained in our essence, our soul. Courage can be tracked through the history of the world, it is an essential part of our humanity.
Maybe you think courage is reserved for heroes, yet it is a quality in each one of us that drives us forward, moving us in a new direction – it whispers in our ear. What is courage? You are, I am, we all are. I am here to remind you, just in case you may have forgotten. Never forget – courage in one is courage in all.
Think back through your life. You will remember many times when inner strength and courage were required. These qualities helped push you forward through whatever was challenging you. We are here to live our best life. In doing so we encourage those around us. Let’s all live our best life together as the true Architects of Courage we are.
The wind tasted like sweet wine as I walked through the vineyard. I noticed a feeling of excitement as I moved forward. The courage to accept something new. My body tingling with anticipation. Each step into the vineyard spoke volumes about my life. Years of crazy adventures moved behind me. A sense of purpose even I did not understand pushed at me. My path was set.
I started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Life is full of surprises, twists and turns. I exited the vineyard, along with my deep thoughts. I began to laugh, rolling my eyes upwards in full agreement with this turn of events. I surrendered to the inevitable conclusion that had been before me my entire life, yet somehow set aside. I stepped out of the vineyard into my new life as a writer.
I am so proud of the American people for having the courage to choose Barack Obama to lead us into a new future for this country. The healing of America can now begin. This nation is in good hands. May we all support our government as it now partners with a great leader.
The Inauguration was extraordinary. It was history in the making. The depth of the experience includes all the people of America. We are ready to answer history’s call. We have come together, now our representatives will come together to work for what is in the hearts of the American people. The world will come together as one. Obama asks that we come together. He is confident we can do so.
Let us all now Live in Courage. Each one of us has a responsibility to support our new President – Barack Obama. There will be tough times ahead, but as we forge forward, never giving up on our goal, peace will prevail. Obama will never give up or let up, until his goal is reached. His goal is our goal. Today is a great day on this earth to celebrate.
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr – who is the ultimate of Living In Courage, I share some of his wise words with you that are very timely. This is from his commencement speech “The American Dream” delivered at Lincoln University on June 6, 1961.
All this is simply to say that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot expect to live more than twenty or thirty years, no man can be totally healthy, even if he just got a clean bill of health from the finest clinic in America. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way the world is made.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is a party going on and I am not going to miss it, how about you. Everyone loves a good party. This party requires Courage. Where’s yours? You may want to dust courage off and try it on.
We the people have been putting up with a “Comedy of Errors” – a ridiculous farce that is coming to a screeching halt. It seems we have been lied to by our government, religion, corporations, education, family, friends – simply the life we have been living. Why have we put up with it? Maybe conditioning, learned behavior, fear or simply we that have temporarily forgotten our true power.
What’s your story? How is your life going for you? Are you living in peace, do you love, are you living a life of harmlessness to yourself and others? Are you Living in Courage? Most are not, but millions are making a different choice. There is a movement of momentum building toward peace. Can you feel it? I can, it is everywhere. People are tired of the bullshit we have been spoon fed.
You are seeing and will see old world systems crumble, evil exposed in all the nasty versions that have played out. There is a huge shift in consciousness taking place on our planet. Yes, our planet. How exciting this is! We are witnessing the downfall of an old world that does not serve us as a human race. Old patterns that have harmed Mother Earth. Healing is taking place amongst the chaos that appears real. We are approaching a New World in which to live.
We are not going to take the shit that has been flung at us any longer. There’s courage for you. We are standing up and flinging that pile of poo back at the sender (with love, of course.) As the liars and evil manipulators of the world are standing in a steaming pile of their own evil crap, fully exposed, we who choose peace and love are rising in great numbers – Making this world a place worth living in and remembering.
There are magnificent changes coming to the earth. What is your vision? What do you see reflecting back at your beautiful courageous self? Will you be part of the New Civilization coming very quickly or stuck in the quicksand? This is a time of courageous decision making. Choose wisely (never from ego or fear, which is illusion.) Always choose from Love, from a place of Peace.
You will eventually have to make the right choice. If you choose quicksand, you will discover there is no way out, without the choice for peace and love. We will be waiting for you. Please don’t be late for the party.
Ego & Control – Nasty duo those two. Difficult to control and always on the move, looking for new blood.
How about this. Give yourself permission to control not being in control. What do I hear? Oh – Freedom? Really? I forgot you were there. Peace – is that you? Wow, it’s a party. Are you sure I can relax? Maybe I’ll just sit over here and think about it. Oh, that is control trying to crash my party. Well F*** You Control, you were not invited and you are not getting in. I am actually having fun without you. I should have left you’re sorry ass a long time ago. Go find another fool to pimp. You are out of here. I am feeling fine, very fine indeed.
Control is an interesting word. A broad expansive word that evokes different feelings in everyone. One may feel in control, another controlled. Life is an endless supply of control.
When out of control, we feel weak, threatened, fearful, even free. When in control, there is a feeling of power, confidence and an assurance that we are on the right track.
Funny really, because it is only a feeling. Just something we made up, to make life make sense – to give it purpose. What if we let go of control? Does that scare you? Why? Controlling is Exhausting. In giving up control, perhaps there lays a greater freedom. Just imagine not having the urge to control ANYTHING ever again! You can’t even get there can you? It is such a deep seated need for humans to control each other for dominance or a sense of preservation of ego. I suggest you try it, for this is a party for freedom you may never want to leave.
I am reading “The Voice Of The Muse” by Mark David Gerson. For anyone who wants to write, I highly recommend this book. It is not your average book on writing. This teaches you to write from the inside out, not the outside in. You learn to answer the call, give your words a voice.
I chose a word as directed in the book, which came to me. The word was “Feathers.” I was then encouraged to pick a word randomly in one of four ways. My word was “purple.” I felt the need to combine the two. Here is the result of trusting my inner Muse. I hope you like it. I would like to thank Mark David Gerson for trusting his inner Muse in writing this wonderful book.
Feather, purple feather. Have you ever seen one? I hadn’t until now. It was my first exquisite sighting of such perfection. As it floated to the ground beneath my feet, I heard it’s song. The softest of all melodies played just for me. My heart began to beat faster, my senses alive.
I felt an opening in my mind like a blinding light. Sharp clarity holding me in its grasp. I waited, not knowing what to do next. My body began a dance unknown to me. A rhythm stirred within me that felt familiar, yet ancient. A smile crossed my lips as I surrendered to the moment. Each movement became a celebration of Life. I began to see beyond the veil. Time was of no consequence, mattering not in the least.
Only the rhythmic music stirred my soul. The movements of my body slowed as I felt myself wrapped in feathers. Feathers of purple flames caressing my body softly. Such a deep contentment floated around me as I began to pluck the feathers from the space surrounding me, where they teased my senses.
I gathered them all up into a bouquet. The beauty stole my breath. I knew I would never be ordinary again.
Nick Vujicic has no arms, no legs and more enthusiasm than 10 people. If you fall down, if you fail, what are you going to do? Good question. Watch what Nick has to say about it. This is just another person who represents Living In Courage to me. Nick and people like him make this world a better place for all of us. Click Read More To See Video
My Favorite Book of the Month – Movie of the Month: “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
As a child Pablo Picasso was trained to paint like an adult. As an adult he enjoyed painting like a child.
This makes me reflect on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” As Kate Blanchett describes “You live your life forward, but you can only understand it backwards.” This book and the movie are about accumulated family memories. These memories are one step from our reality, but you come away with the belief that it could happen. This is a deeply moving film. Gentle, kind, full of love and all the wonders it holds. I would not be surprised at all if it won an Academy Award. Please share your comments on the film. I would love to hear your thoughts.
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Endorsements
“Debra Oakland has clearly written Living in Courage from the heart. This is a book that guides people to summon the courage to face life's biggest challenges. You will find wonderful nuggets that you can apply to your life now.”
~ David Riklan, Founder of SelfGrowth.com,
the #1 Self Improvement Website on the Internet
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