“Life is Delicious. Devour it with joy in every cell of your body, mind and spirit. You will see it’s perfect qualities reflected back to you in many ways, seen and unseen.” -Debra Oakland
I like to remind myself that my life is the sum of my choices, and the more I enjoy life, the happier I am. It’s simple, yet can take a lifetime of self awareness to embrace life with open arms. Quite a journey we all share!
Use Courage to expand each and every day. Smile more often, be kind and loving to others, gossip less, let criticism of yourself and others go, be the joy you want to experience. Life WILL respond back to you. – Debra Oakland
Pablo Casals the famous Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor said “Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and never will be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know who you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
The children are our future, and what we teach them matters. By reminding children of who and what they are, we are teaching them to live from the inside out as the marvelous beings they each are. Sometimes we forget our uniqueness and the power in that individuality. Let’s all remind young children who they are, so they can pass it on for future generations who want to live in a marvelous world.
The song you will hear recently brought tears to everyone’s eyes on Korea’s Got Talent. Sung-bong Choi was a sad young man who called himself a ‘manual worker’ living on his own since he was 5yrs old. He represents Living in Courage in many ways, and stories like these always tug at our heartstrings.
This amazing young man has become an overnight sensation, and will no longer be living on the streets. The judges cried, the audience cried, I cried and you will too! Prepare to be blown away by this beautiful voice.
Are you in the flow or out of the flow? We are either flowing with our good or going against it. How is the energy flow affecting each of our lives and how can we harness it? Watch this video of Oprah Winfrey for some insight. Oprah is a woman who delivers gifts of love to the world. What a wonderful example of Living in Courage.
CHALLENGE “Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
Recently “Life By Me” described me as a writer, joyful experiencer and courage advocate. I will take that and run with it! In the article I wrote for them I said “We’re incredibly powerful beings, and yet, as Sting sings, “how fragile we are.” There’s a bridge between being broken and living in power. We get to choose which side of the bridge to be on and who we’ll assist to the other side. It takes courage to believe in ourselves, to be our true authentic selves, never apologizing for who we are. If we can create a spiritual space inside ourselves, a place where we can overcome life’s biggest challenges, we’ll truly live in courage. By navigating the bumps in the road wisely, joy becomes a very good travel partner.” I truly believe this. We are fragile, powerful, courageous beings experiencing and expressing ourselves in a multitude of ways.
Courage comes in many forms. I like to think of the everyday hero, like you and me. By making wise choices throughout the day, being the best ‘you’ is courageous, because you are making a conscious choice for good. Sometimes challenges are put in our pathway, not to discourage us, but to call up the qualities of courage that are required, to find the opportunity in the challenge. How you handle these challenges, and the choices you make determine how smooth or rough the experience will be. It takes courage to be harmless to yourself and others, to ask the question “Is the choice I am making in this moment for the highest and greatest good for myself and for all?” Life expresses out from us according to what is going on inside. Every cell of our body emanates what we are thinking, feeling and acting upon. You may be able to hide things from other people, but never from yourself. We all need ‘purpose and direction.’ Being true to yourself should be the first order of business, and that my friend takes great courage. You can grow and be strengthened by challenges. It is a choice, which can create a grand bridge to your joy.
In one of my quotes I say “Courage is required, down to the very fiber of our existence. Use your will, desire and persistence to develop the qualities you need to materialize your dreams, whether they be mental, physical, or spiritual.” You are more powerful than you realize. We all are. Step up to yourself, for yourself. Find your point of power and connect to it like your life depends upon it, and make courage your constant travel partner.
I think about what is going on in the world ‘outside’ of me. It seems very surreal out there. I grew up in a more peaceful world, or so it seemed. I have learned that the world ‘inside’ of me is the most important place for me to live, move and have my being-ness. It is also the best way I can contribute to the outer world. By remaining in peace and in my joy as much as possible, which can sometimes be challenging, I am making a difference. We are energy. What we give out, we get back. I refuse to live in fear, motivated by what the ‘outer world’ dictates. One by one, as we collectively take our power back, this world will shift. As you live from the ‘inside out’ from a place of peace and love, your personal world will shift, as well as your perspective on the world you live in.
I love my life. I am grateful for the joys and challenges that have made me who I am today. Although I have always wanted to help ‘fix’ things for certain people in my life, I now realize that is their responsibility. We each have our own path to travel, yet we can show up for others with loving support. My best contribution to the world is by being a living example of love, peace, joy, integrity, courage, really just by being my best ‘me.’ As we each hold a space of love for ourselves, each other and our world, we can be the change we want to see in the world. Think back to when you were very young. Remember the simple joy of just being you, the innocence, and wonder with which you viewed life.
I am honored to be featured in Life By Me this week. I would like to thank my wonderful friend Chris Cade for recommending me to Life By Me. Chris is featured on their site as a writer, speaker and empowerer. I am listed as writer, joyful experiencer and courage advocate. In fact I like the sound of courage advocate so much I think I will call myself “The Courage Advocate.”
Life By Me posts only one question “What is most meaningful to you?” Every day there is an original answer from all people such as Gary Zukov, Michael Beckwith, Judith Orloff, Dean Ornish, Leigh Taylor Young, Seth Godin, Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield and many others. It is a wonderful space to get lost in…a real gem.
Click the link below to read my answer to the question “What is most meaningful to you?”
This is a very inspirational video of a football coach and his team. It is important to be a team player in life. When you are someone people look up to, there are certain things that are required of you. This applies to all areas of life, not just football or sports. Being a living example to others takes courage. Do you have what it takes?
A few qualities that come to mind are Kindness, Determination, Leadership, Mentor-ship, Tolerance, Wisdom, Passion, Vision, Integrity, Persistence, Courage and Commitment. What is important is to take a good look your self imposed limitations. How far you are willing to push yourself to be your best YOU? Are you willing to put on a blindfold to all your limitation and allow yourself to cross the finish line? This video exemplifies inspiration and encouragement.
As I was catching up on Facebook today, I noticed the video “How To Be Alone” on my friend Pamela Dangelmaier’s FB wall. As Pamela says, this video carries a poignant message. I couldn’t agree more.
I quote Bravo, who produced this video – “A whimsical piece that explores the multi-faceted definition of “alone”; the relationship between solitude and loneliness; and the multitude of ways we can embrace being alone while negating the associated stigmas.” This video is by filmmaker, Andrea Dorfman, and poet/singer/songwriter, Tanya Davis.
There are so many lonely people in the world. Some even lonely in a room full of people. By learning to enjoy the moment for what it is, life can become more joy-full.
“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”
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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
www.SelfGrowth.com
