My Life Class
How are all the this and thatters today? I hope you're ready for today's entry because it is a little bit on the hippie side....you've been warned! :)
I have to tell you that this past weekend I stumbled upon Oprah's Life Class on the OWN channel. I was busy doing other things and had the TV on for background noise. And let's be honest I wasn't at church and felt I needed a little spiritual uplifting, it was Sunday after all. Very quickly I was siting down enamored by what the speaker and Oprah were discussing.
Apparently I've been living under a rock because I had never heard of Bishop T.D. Jakes until this weekend. The Bishop is not only a minister but also an author of several books.
What struck me was his raw and honest take on life and living on purpose. The Bishop talked about several things that hit home with me.
First and foremost he talked about having talent. That just because you are good at something or in his words have a "modicum of talent" doesn't mean that it is your life's destiny. To illustrate the point he sat on a speaker and discussed how he could use the speaker as a chair or bench but that was not its intended purpose. He went on to say that this often happens to us in life. That because we are successful, or make money at something we assume it's our purpose when it really isn't. He went on to say that maybe where you are right now is the transportation to take you to your destination (your life's passion and purpose). Loved it!
He went on to talk about finding your passion. The Bishop pointed out that often our passion is lost in the day to day life we live and often we exist vs live. I have felt this way so many times! He discussed that your passion is the doorway to your purpose in life. Oprah pointed out that a lot of people don't feel worthy of finding their passion or just think "that's for other people". The Bishop agreed but went on to say that it is never to late to find what you are passionate about and to make a change.
All of this get me thinking. Several years ago I read a book by Kathy Freston and she talked about the power of meditation and prayer. In her book she discusses how meditation and quiet time lead her to reconnecting with the man who eventually became her husband. Her point was that you have to slow down and listen to yourself so you can hear what you want.
The Bishop and Kathy were both speaking to something that had been on my mind for several months. Every night as I was saying my prayers I was thinking I really need to start meditating again. I use to meditate a lot (back in the day). I have heard this little voice telling me this for a while now.
I finally listened to it this weekend and began meditating. Now I'm not telling you I wear white, sit in the lotus position with crystals and candles and hum. What I do is sit on the floor, normally in front of a window. I close my eyes and quiet my mind (the fing hardest part of meditation). To quiet my mind I have several tricks but mostly I envision a long knotted rope and I count the knots until I feel peaceful.
I sit there in the quiet for as long as I want. I then list words that mean something to me like happiness, love, passion, kindness and then I pray to God. This works for me for a number of reasons. I feel that the meditation opens me up to God and makes me vulnerable. It is quiet. There is nothing but me and him and in those moments I can be honest. I also think that if he is trying to tell me something I must be a hard one to talk to as I normally have a TV, radio, Ipad, blackberry etc. going all the time and mostly two at a time.
The final point I took from Oprah and the Bishop is that you can't wait until your life is in order to change. You have to do something a little every day to change. My meditating isn't earth shattering but my prayer is that it is perspective changing for me. My meditation time isn't always perfect as Mae often thinks I'm on the floor to play with her, or my phone rings etc.
These things have all taught me that I have to work a little bit harder for this time and that's ok. I hope I haven't completely lost you and that whatever you do that you take some time each day to take care of you!
And most of all I hope you enjoyed what I consider to be my life class.
xoxo
I have to tell you that this past weekend I stumbled upon Oprah's Life Class on the OWN channel. I was busy doing other things and had the TV on for background noise. And let's be honest I wasn't at church and felt I needed a little spiritual uplifting, it was Sunday after all. Very quickly I was siting down enamored by what the speaker and Oprah were discussing.
Apparently I've been living under a rock because I had never heard of Bishop T.D. Jakes until this weekend. The Bishop is not only a minister but also an author of several books.
What struck me was his raw and honest take on life and living on purpose. The Bishop talked about several things that hit home with me.
First and foremost he talked about having talent. That just because you are good at something or in his words have a "modicum of talent" doesn't mean that it is your life's destiny. To illustrate the point he sat on a speaker and discussed how he could use the speaker as a chair or bench but that was not its intended purpose. He went on to say that this often happens to us in life. That because we are successful, or make money at something we assume it's our purpose when it really isn't. He went on to say that maybe where you are right now is the transportation to take you to your destination (your life's passion and purpose). Loved it!
He went on to talk about finding your passion. The Bishop pointed out that often our passion is lost in the day to day life we live and often we exist vs live. I have felt this way so many times! He discussed that your passion is the doorway to your purpose in life. Oprah pointed out that a lot of people don't feel worthy of finding their passion or just think "that's for other people". The Bishop agreed but went on to say that it is never to late to find what you are passionate about and to make a change.
All of this get me thinking. Several years ago I read a book by Kathy Freston and she talked about the power of meditation and prayer. In her book she discusses how meditation and quiet time lead her to reconnecting with the man who eventually became her husband. Her point was that you have to slow down and listen to yourself so you can hear what you want.
The Bishop and Kathy were both speaking to something that had been on my mind for several months. Every night as I was saying my prayers I was thinking I really need to start meditating again. I use to meditate a lot (back in the day). I have heard this little voice telling me this for a while now.
I finally listened to it this weekend and began meditating. Now I'm not telling you I wear white, sit in the lotus position with crystals and candles and hum. What I do is sit on the floor, normally in front of a window. I close my eyes and quiet my mind (the fing hardest part of meditation). To quiet my mind I have several tricks but mostly I envision a long knotted rope and I count the knots until I feel peaceful.
I sit there in the quiet for as long as I want. I then list words that mean something to me like happiness, love, passion, kindness and then I pray to God. This works for me for a number of reasons. I feel that the meditation opens me up to God and makes me vulnerable. It is quiet. There is nothing but me and him and in those moments I can be honest. I also think that if he is trying to tell me something I must be a hard one to talk to as I normally have a TV, radio, Ipad, blackberry etc. going all the time and mostly two at a time.
The final point I took from Oprah and the Bishop is that you can't wait until your life is in order to change. You have to do something a little every day to change. My meditating isn't earth shattering but my prayer is that it is perspective changing for me. My meditation time isn't always perfect as Mae often thinks I'm on the floor to play with her, or my phone rings etc.
These things have all taught me that I have to work a little bit harder for this time and that's ok. I hope I haven't completely lost you and that whatever you do that you take some time each day to take care of you!
And most of all I hope you enjoyed what I consider to be my life class.
xoxo
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