Finding Yourself in the Midst of Being Lost

Stop waiting for someone else to do it. Whatever it is for you.

Here in Ellensburg, we might say, "Cowgirl UP!"

Somewhere we have recieved the idea that we are small and have little to offer - and that that is a bad thing, or at least not very powerful. I teach empowerment classes and still, on occassion, find myself waiting for something outside myself to make the difference.

This weekend I was at my sister's. I don't have TV, so I was channel surfing to see what's out there these days. Click. Suze Orman fills the screen as she demands that I (and everyone listening) take back my power and make my dreams come true. Little actions add up to big change, she tells us.

This is not new information to me AND it was good to hear it again in that moment. I have been a little lost in the last week or so. Being lost is a great way to lose track of the things that are not really helpful in your life. Feeling that sense of discontent, that craving for something, that knowing that you could do/have more - can be really uncomfortable. But if you don't waller in it too long and really listen while you're sitting in it, you recognize it as a blessed wake up call.

"Do something to make a difference in your life. YOU. Do it, now!"

If upon hearing this call you find yourself responding, "Me, I don't know how. I can't. Where would I start?" - then it's time for a healthy dose of inspiration and motivation. (Please, don't depend on the TV to provide that - it's not really reliable in this area!)

For years, I planned an annual dose of inspiration and motivational spark via the Women of Wisdom (WOW) Conference (every february in Seattle). Thanks to Kris Steinnes, founder of WOW, I now have it ready at my finger tips. It is a fount, a plethora, an overflowing cornacopia of practical, inspirational, motivational and beautiful wisdom culled together from 17 years of conferences. Yes, Kris has a certain brilliance! Thank you Kris.

Sometimes I just open the book to a random page and let the ally I need to hear from reveal herself. When I got back home from my sister's that's exactly what I did. Here's what Frances Moore Lappé shared with me:

In order to break free from the mental maps that threaten our world, I believe we have to bring them into consciousness and name them. Naming has power. So we can ask, "What are the dominant thought traps that we carry around in our heads, that we breathe like an invisible ether?" One thought trap I call the "scarcity scare". This is the notion that there is just not enough and that we're not enough: that there's not enough love, not enough jobs, not enough food. This message comes to us in image after image and word after word so that we don't even know that we're holding it in our heads.

Ironically,...the scarcity scare ends up creating scarcity. We end up creating what we most fear. I think this is a deep spiritual truth, and it is very real in the world today...We are creating scarcity out of abundance.

I sat with this knowing and saw how it might resonate with my own experiences. It helps me to know that I am not alone in my foibles - even within the my own area of expertise. It's important to understand the source of our mental traps so we don't move into self blame.

Brooke Medicine Eagle's words later in the book reminded me of my own purpose and knowing:

"...I was offered an interesting choice: to talk about community, or to walk my talk in my community. I chose to put my head, heart and hands into nurturing, supporting and being there for them. That was a wonderful opportunity, and I think the same choice is what we all have in front of us: to understand how to not just talk about it, but to actually be with each other in common unity. When we come together in community, the quality of our lives will multiply exponentially. Being together is so powerful."

As it happens, this week the Women of Wisdom book is doing a special promotion. I think it's worth checking out.

I invite you to go to this page - www.wisewomanpublishing.com/womenofwisdom.html - to access the order page and then go back to this page and enter your confirmation code and your email address. That will take you to the sign up page for the Women of Wisdom newsletter, once you join the WOW book group, you will be sent an email with a link to the bonus gifts that are available to the people who buy the book today. You can later opt out of being on the Women of Wisdom newsletter list if you choose.

Blessings on your journey!