Archive for November, 2009

If you didn’t read part 1, go there first so you’re not completely lost!

Blessing or a curse?

Last Sunday, I attended a Sunday morning service at the First Spiritualist Church. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the theater-like seating. There were no pews, and no place to kneel. We were there to sit on chairs with arm rests. Interesting! They handed me a song book – a binder full of photocopied songs, with their mission on the first page. Simple.

The main event of the service was delivered by a Pastor from another Spiritualist Church in Salem, Mass. She came for the morning to deliver a sermon about time, and how we see it. She gave great analogies about this time of year in particular and noted hearing Christmas music on some of the local radio stations the day after Halloween. She also talked about the amount of retail circulars she was receiving that touted big Christmas sales before we had even seen Veteran’s Day. This is great for the retail giants who are capitalizing on the early promotion, not so great for the rest of us who are trying to live in the moment and appreciate each day while it’s happening; not spend each day waiting for the next to come.

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This leaf is in the sweet spot, as is all of nature.

I have this little voice inside of my head that often likes to tell me that I can’t do something. I think it’s there to help me think through what I’m about to do, not stop me completely. One thing I think about often, and consult with the inner voice about, is the concept of age. I’m 28, and I’m constantly reminded of this fact. In the last month, I’ve had three clients say “you’re so young, but you know so much!”. I’m honored that they feel this way, but also fascinated by the wording of the compliment. The fact that they throw in the piece about my age makes me know that they are also aware of it, and they may be wondering if I know what I’m talking about. This could be an insecurity on my part, or it’s a fact of life. People judge you based on things you can’t control, like how old you are. After all, with age comes wisdom and life experience, right?  So, it makes me wonder, what is the best age to be so that age doesn’t matter?

Where is the sweet spot?

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Yesterday, I gave a speech in front of the biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken in front of. It was exciting and a lot less scary than I thought it would be. I posted the video online if you’d like to see the presentation. I delivered the speech in front of around 170 people at the District 53 Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest in Saratoga Springs, New York. If you’re considering joining Toastmasters, hopefully you’ll see why it’s so much fun when you see this video. Enjoy!

PS-If you live in the Springfield area, come check out my club! Here’s the info on when and where we meet: http://pioneervalley.freetoasthost.net. If you don’t live in my area, you can go to www.toastmasters.org and enter in your zipcode to find a club near you.

I want to know: What do YOU want more of in 2010? I’m putting together a video of responses to motivate, inspire, and bring everyone together in their pursuit of their goals as we start thinking about how we can lead happier lives in 2010.

Create a short video of yourself stating what you want and post the link to your video you post online. I’ll contact you to talk about including it in Project 2010!

This video is a work in progress, but you can check out the start of it below.

If you know me or you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you know I’m always looking for ways to expand my mind by seeking new experiences. My newest endeavor to expand the mind is to start a church tour, which I’ve titled “Church Tours” to avoid confusion. The Church Tours are for me (and for my boyfriend, if he’s up for it) for exploration. I was raised Roman Catholic, but let’s just say I didn’t buy in. Up until now, I only attended church when I had to, for things like weddings and baptisms. Other than that, I was at a loss when it came to understanding why it was so important to be there. I always felt that if I believed in myself and treated others with respect and dignity, I was all set. That all changed recently when I decided that the religious world is one I should explore.

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