Spirit In Gear

When Not to Follow the Crowd - Blog Spotlight

I notice a theme developing as I read diverse posts from Pat, Liz, Dick, and Jory.  Although each of these bloggers writes on totally separate topics, they carry a personal message for me about the cost of following the herd.

Without further adieu, the spotlight shines on these well-written posts.

Pat Ruppel's post on Fitting In - Cookie Cutter or Piece of Puzzle, provides encouragement for not fitting in when it really doesn't fit us.  The world needs the expression of uniqueness of each person.  I especially like the questions she poses at the end to help us understand our motivation for choosing to fit in or not.

Liz Strauss' The Danger of Old Think and the Dangers of Thinking New highlights two follies.  One is to attempt to interject old skills and perspectives into a new culture; the other is to throw out the old and follow the new because everyone else is doing it.  She ends the post with a killer sentence that nails the solution - it's like  Haiku for business.  I won't quote the sentence here because I don't want to give away the ending!

Sometimes I follow the crowd to fit in, or to prove something, either to "somebody out there" or to myself.  Dick Richards pens a candid post, Nothing to Prove, tracing what he tried to prove in the past with what he's since learned. 

Jory Des Jardins critiques Twitter in  If I Were Twitter's Agent.  Her analysis is both knowedgable and entertaining. 

You may wonder how Jory's post relates to following the crowd.  It hits a personal note for me because I feel conflicted about joining Twitter.  My conflict does not really center on Twitter.  It rests on my ambivalence about wanting to be a part of the "in crowd," and my desire to preserve my energy.

Nor does it rest on any concern about new technology.  I'm perfectly capable of 'twittering."  But I look back and see that I only joined Facebook and LinkedIn because so many people ceaselessly invited me to join.  I haven't completed my full profiles on either site, and don't utilize it as I should. 

I realize in writing this that there's a time to follow the herd, and a time to follow my energy.  If I do the latter, I'll lead a life that feels more authentic and rewarding.

When do you think it makes sense to follow the crowd?

Photo Credit:  Andre Mesker

 

Blog Spotlight - Resources for Spirit

Recent posts from Andrea Hess'  Spiritual Practice vs. Spiritual Growth, and  Slade's Psychic Shielding for Empaths, zero in on practical spiritual applications for daily life.

Andrea's post does not beat around the bush.  Pay attention to the results your spiritual practices (meditation, prayer, fasting, journalling, yoga etc.) are creating in your life.  Anything happening?  Why are we doing what we do?  She stresses that ideally spiritual practices lead to growth in other areas of our life.  Growth could be a new state of being, which of course leads to a new way of acting.

I'm hearing a similar message in a book I'm reading - Prayer Primer, by Thomas Dubay.  It describes a process of praying (beyond learned prayers) that leads to a deepening relationship with God.  Out of that deeper relationship with God, our aim is to take our reflections and translate them into improved ways of interacting with others.

What could be more practical, and essential, than protecting ourselves from energy-sucking people?  Slade's Psychic Shielding for Empaths is for anyone who interacts daily with people - from empaths, healers and teachers, to customer service workers and hair stylists.  The question is how to do this in a way that doesn't shut us down in the process.

Slade recommends the use of pink light as a shield (semi-permeable that is).  I find his distinctions between visualizing white light vs. pink light very helpful.  In day to day interactions, invoking pink light "allows for your loving energy — compassion, concern, good will — to pass through, yet the White Light (which is still present within the Pink) blocks negative energy.  Slade adds that the pink light is "a kind of filter — magnifying what you most hope to receive/ project, while still blocking psychic attack completely and absolutely."

If you're wondering under what circumstances to invoke this pink light, or how to do it, be sure and read his excellent post.

Both blogs noted above are filled with provocative and very helpful content.  Enjoy!

[ Photo Credit:  Christopher Rayan]

Welcome to Riding On Dragons

Although my blogging remains on hiatus, I must take an overdue moment to welcome Dick Richards back to the blogging world - he debuted Riding on Dragons in October.

I'm envious of the way he decided not to pidgeonhole his blog.  Perhaps I need to consider that too.  In any event, I like Dick's short, refreshing, and candid posts.  It's about time you showed your face again, Dick!

Blog Spotlight on Andrea Hess's Series on Negativity

Andrea Hess wrote a 3-part series of in-depth posts that I find illuminating and provocative:  What is Negative Energy?   Who Are Negative Souls? and How to Deal with Negative People.  Each post builds upon the other, and I'd recommend you begin your reading with the first post listed.

Andrea points out that negative souls aren't necessarily evil.  Some look kind and seem to say the "right" things.  She asserts that many people on the planet do not fit exclusively into the category of "lightworker" or of "negative soul," but work with either energy based upon convenience at particular times (free will).  However without choosing a definite path towards the light, life remains stagnant and little changes.

What if you suspect you have negative souls in your life?  As you read over Andrea's list of 11 defining characteristics, you may recognize friends, family, or work colleagues.  I found myself struck by several of these clues:  negative souls don't create anything, since creation is an expression of Divinity; they have a way of causing us to doubt and question ourselves; they show up when we are down, but not when we are happy and connected to our purpose.

In the 3rd part of this series, Andrea describes 7 strategies to deal energetically with negative people.  These strategies reflect a spiritual depth that goes beyond the typical "how to" list in popular magazines.  She concludes with the reminder that it is not our job to "save" negative people.  What a relief.  That's one less thing to feel guilty about!

Notable Blogging Links - 1/17/08

Part of the advantage of being "snowed" in Thursday was the time freed up from driving to various meetings.  Instead I did some blog cruising and found lots of cool info, wisdom, and inspiration.   Here are just a few juicy links:

You'll find light-hearted, yet profound insights in Barbara Sliter's Switching Computers is Like Life.  Does life imitate Mac, or Mac imitate life?  Barbara reminds us that creation is messy work, and we can get in trouble when we ignore our intuition.

Tracy Boatright's Cease Fighting and Get Into the Flow encourages us how to watch out for those "should" decisions we make.  Her post outlines how she used self-awareness to turn her life from resistance to being in the flow, attracting more than she ever dreamed.

What if we could import happiness at work like we import fruit from Chile?  Apparently we'd have to import happiness at work from the Scandinavian countries, the only ones purported to have an actual word - arbejdsglaede - to embrace this concept.  Alexander Kjerwulf's Karoshi vs. arbejdsglaede raises some sobering thoughts, or happy thoughts, depending upon which country you reside in.  Don't be deterred by the title.  The post is excellent at detailing the cost of overwork, referencing Japanese workers, and providing compelling evidence to change.

For there to be a giver, there must be a receiver.  For one to be heard, there must be a listener.  But not a listener that multi-tasks, as I have been guilty of.  Rebel Belle's Listening - A Gift of Health, succinctly lays out in brief fashion how to listen deeply, and what happens when we don't.  Being recently bereaved, I'm more sensitive to being heard.  I can tell you that my healing process has sped up through the deep caring of close friends who simply listened to me.

I saved the best for the last, because I want you to remember this in your heart.  See Alexys Fairfield's Wonder, because that is what we are in God's eyes.

Blog Spotlight On - Kissing the Dogwood

Photo by Christopher Rayan

About 8 days ago I discovered a gem of a blog, Kissing the Dogwood.  At first I couldn't define why I liked this blog.  I just knew that I loved the energy and feeling I experienced just being on this site, whose creator is Walks Far Woman.  Her affection for the camera also shows through in the evocative photography.

Today I returned to the site to read more posts.  What I love about the writing is the honest, inspiring, and transparent voice that comes through.  What makes a good blog great - when we speak in our True Voice.

For example, I feel connected to Walks Far Woman (whose name I have not yet discovered!) as a parent myself, as she articulates a dilemma in Making Waves.  In Good Will Always Outweigh the Bad, she shares a personal experience of how she moved from feeling dispirited and worthless.  As the commercial says, "When life comes at you fast . . .," we can get knocked down and deflated.  Walks Far Woman reminds us that we can be resilient by staying connected to others.  And may I extend a public thank you to Walks Far Woman for including my post on Eliminating Struggle as one of the posts that improved her mental state.

Now there's only one thing Kissing the Dogwood needs and that is a "Subscribe" button!  (Mea Culpa if I missed it.)

Blog Spotlight On - Think Simple Be Decisive

Elegant, practical, authentic, and visually captivating.  That's how I describe Tina Su's blog, Think Simple.  Be Decisive. 

In addition to being a full-time employee, Tina is also a professional photographer.  I find the photos accompanying the blog posts to be exceptional visually.

A recent post, The Secret to Self-Loving, has attracted 27 comments to date.  Candid and transparent writing draws the reader in.  As well as her practical, specific tips in posts such as 7 Hacks to Remember Any Name.

Tina Su writes with a sense of graceful wisdom beyond her 27 years.  It's no long shot to say this blog, which debuted a mere 6 weeks ago, will take the blogosphere by storm.

Welcome Think Simple.  Be Decisive.

Notable Blogging Links - 10/21/07

So many outstanding bloggers to read out there.  Here are a few whose posts struck that chord within me that made me think, feel, or go "Ah-Ha."

Tracy Boatright's post, What's My Motive, gives succinct advice on how to make good decisions by discerning the real motive driving our decision-making.  Good post for those decisions that are less clear-cut, or feel emotional.

Stephen Hopson's It's Not What Happens To You But What You Do About It includes a YouTube link about a young man who faces personal, daily challenges beyond our imagining.  Inspiring, poignant.  What a way to get some perspective!  Stephen has also been guest posting at Make It Great!

Courage has many faces, can show up in small ways, and often isn't recognized as such.  Perhaps you will recognize yourself in Rick Cockrum's Everyday Courage. 

For a breath-taking visual image - catch Alexys Fairfield's post The Paradox.  Wow!

I got a kick out of the pics Karen Lynch posted in Recycled Power - The Enigma.  In some parts of this country, people wake up to snow in October.

FYI:  Missing Persons Alert!  Dick Richards has been found.

Last but not least, Happy 2nd Blog Birthday, to our special Liz, for being the magnificent dot connector!

Happy Belated Blog Birthday, Chris Bailey

I read Chris Bailey's post, Three Years of Blogging and What I've Learned Along the Way, over 10 days ago.  I find it  noteworthy in its candor about the ups and downs, the mistakes along the way as it evolves.  Beg my pardon for not mentioning it sooner, and know, Chris, that we are glad you stuck it out in the Blogosphere.  Happy Belated Blog Birthday!

While I Took a 4-day Blogging Break, Here's What Happened

Rick Cockrum of Shards of Consciousness created an adventure story in his post Spirit in Gear. He incorporated other blogs into his story and titled the post with my blog name!  Thank you Rick, and thanks to Liz for coming up with the story idea.  Check out the link and you'll discover some blogs new to you.

John McKenna at The Leadership Epidemic has tagged me in his post Does Most Leadership Suck?  He requests candid viewpoints.  I'll be posting on that in the near future.

Our great Phil at Make it Great is currently hosting 100Bloggers, another blog I contribute to.  He kicked off September's theme there - which involves a "3-fer."  All this month 100Blogger contributors will post on "What I learned from Change," "Make a Difference with Learning," and "Positivity/Attitude."  Interested in contributing to 100Bloggers, a loose-knit group who write on personal development and connections?  Email me and I'll forward you our latest newsletter with contact info.