What lights you up?
I participate in a Brain by Design Masterclass conversation each week and it is one of the highlights of my week! My heart feels full after participating in one of these weekly conversations. I love the space we co-create, the new knowledge and information shared and exchanged, as well as the questions that arise to challenge and expand my thinking. I also appreciate the support and connection with this learning community. We recently discussed the book, Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown, one of my very favorite researchers and authors, and a book I featured here last February. We kicked off one of our sessions with the seemingly simple question “What lights you up?” and took an opportunity in pairs to just listen to each other verbally ponder, brainstorm, and pay tribute to the things that light us up.
As we did this exercise, something I noticed afterward, was that I physically felt what it feels like to be lit up as I thought about the things I do and experience that bring me joy. To name just a few, running, reading, spending time with friends, engaging in deep conversations, teaching, skiing with my kids, baking, watching my kids play, and getting to write and do the work I love as a coach all fill me up and give me energy. I felt warm and joyful and full of light just acknowledging each of the activities, experiences, or aspects of life that make me feel full, happy, grateful, and satisfied. I often think about our unique purposes and ponder the idea of the things that bring each of us joy as holding important information about who we are at the core and what our purpose is in life. Or I consider if what we are good at and our passions differ, considering at least, how filling our joy and energy buckets can help us pursue our purpose and path if they aren’t one and the same.
During this month of love, I encourage you to reflect upon your passions and ponder the things, activities, and people you love and what you love about them. What lights you up? What activities do you do that bring you joy? What experiences do you seek and commit to that fill your cup? What does this tell you about yourself? Are you lacking in aspects of life that make you feel joyful? Do you do enough of the things that give you energy and light? Do you proactively make time for these activities, to notice and appreciate the joy something or someone gives you? What if you did more? Do you see the benefits of doing things, seeing people, and noticing that which makes you feel happy and alive? What if joy gives us direction? How might you begin to pay attention to the things that bring you joy and the information these observations hold?
Photo by Aswin Raj on Unsplash
Quote(s) I’m pondering:
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.”
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~
“I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’”
~ Kurt Vonnegut ~
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
~ Jack Kornfield ~
Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash
What I’m listening to:
How to Expand Time & Increase Happiness with Cassie Holmes
Hosted by Jonathan Fields
What does it mean to be time-poor?
We’ve all heard the old phrase, “time is money,” usually in the context of work and productivity. But, time isn’t just about money, it’s about happiness, health, and life. How we use it and feel like we have enough of it, is everything. Time is precious and, it is also our one nonrenewable resource. When a dollar is spent, you can earn another. When a day is gone, it’s gone for life.
So, how can we move forward, making sure that we live more intentionally and spend our time wisely so we won’t have regrets in the end? My guest today, Cassie Holmes, has done incredible research on making the most of the world’s most precious resource, time, and I’m excited to tackle these big questions and ideas in this important and timely conversation with her today.
Her new book, Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most, gives readers the blueprint to reframing their time and overcoming time poverty. And in our chat today, you’ll hear us dive deeper into this notion of having too much to do and too little time, how to distinguish between what matters and what doesn’t when it comes to our time, and what to consider and do if you want to lead a more intentional, happier life — which I’m sure that’s all of us.
You can find Cassie at: Website | LinkedIn
If you LOVED this episode: you’ll also love the conversations we had with Tim Ferriss about being present and intentional in life.
Photo by Josh Boot on Unsplash
What I’m reading:
By Matt Haig
I’ve been trying to make it a habit to not just read for work and research, but to also read for pleasure. I deeply enjoyed reading this book! The premise connected for me to the work I do as a coach, to my fascination with the midlife and the opportunity to craft the next chapter with intention, and to my belief that we are the authors and creators of our stories. The story also related for me, to the idea that the options are many, and until we try them we don’t really know the reality of the dream, but instead, we often torture ourselves with an idealized vision we’re too afraid to try. This book also made me think about both The Artist’s Way and Designing Your Life, and the challenges they both present in different ways, to prototype, dream bigger and do the work to uncover your purpose and give your dreams a chance to live – life is only as great as the life you dare to live.
What Amazon has to say:
The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon
Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year
“A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits.”—The Washington Post
The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Photo by Karine Germain on Unsplash
You can sign up to receive my Three Thoughts for Thursday post as an email on the third Thursday of every month by clicking here. If you’ve missed any of my Three Thoughts, you can find them all on my blog. If you enjoyed this post, take a look at January’s Three Thoughts.
If you are interested or know someone who may be interested, I also offer leadership and emotional intelligence coaching and workshops. You can find more information on my website, or you can use this link to set up a free 30-minute introduction to coaching session.
In September 2022, I completed a year-long, quarterly series entitled “EQ and WooWoo” with my colleague and Spiritual Coach, Katie Kay. If you are intrigued and would like to learn more about this year’s series, Yoga, EQ & WooWoo, please email me or click here to see what we have planned with Hola House.
This workshop series was designed to help you manifest action toward the year you want to live, the person you want to be, and the goals you want to achieve. These quarterly sessions intertwine the use of Yoga, Tarot (and other WooWoo tools) and Emotional Intelligence to help you and your clients step outside the box in order to take your coaching and personal work deeper.
Also in September, I hosted my first local, in-person event here in the Seattle area, Savor the Sweetness. It was a fulfilling experience and event, and I look forward to hosting quarterly events for local women in 2023 – stay tuned and contact me for more information or to join the invite list!
I have the privilege of hosting the Emotional Intelligence Special Interest Group for ICFLA. Please join me for another year of EI learning and growth as a part of these sessions. You do not need to be a coach or a member of ICFLA to attend.
If you are interested in joining and co-creating these learning communities, please use the links above to find out more about ICFLA’s Emotional Intelligence Special Interest Group and the EQ & WooWoo Workshops. I hope you will come along for the journey!
I’m always looking for new inspiration, new books to read, and new podcasts to listen to, so please send your suggestions my way or comment on this post to offer some new recommendations!
As always, thank you for your continued support and readership! Stay strong, stay brave, stay true to you!
Wishing you a season of joy, passion, love, and paying more attention to the things that light you up!
Desiree Briel Rodi Consulting & Coaching 