Video: Stories Change the World
May 31, 2010
My Fabulous Fifties Fitness Challenge
May 30, 2010
groovy green pants
Oh no! After the third pair of pants that is too tight, I had to admit that I’ve gained some weight. Eeek!
This is the first time in my entire life, other than when I went to Italy for a summer, that I have ever gained weight. It came as quite a shock. Me who has been tiny and svelte all my life now has a (dare I say it?) – a little paunch.
Double eeek!
This is fine for other folks. Most people seem to have at least one paunch around their belt line, but it’s not ok for me. I am not a fitness fantatic, nor obsessive about my weight or my body, but I am heeding the call that my body is delivering to me.
What it is saying loud and clear is: Annie it’s time for your over fifties fitness challenge.
I could try to ignore it, but I don’t like that my three favorite pairs of pants don’t fit. At first I thought they had just shrunk, which they did, but on pair number three I suddenly realized the truth.
Pair number three is not cotton and thus they can’t shrink. As I tried to button the top button, I horrifyingly had to admit that something had changed and it is my waistline.
yummy green smoothie
The reason I was so immune to this fact is that I have a nearly perfect diet. For years I’ve had only fruit and green smoothies for breakfast, mostly salads and grains for lunch and veggies for dinner.
I have a way of eating that I’ve honed over many years and is both pleasing and works for my body. I’ve been naturally slim all of my life, but the reality is that over fifty something definitely changes in the inner metabolism bank.
Those little metaborators (the creatures that metabolize your food) just aren’t chewing up the calories like they used to be. I guess they’re tired and if I’m honest so am I. I’m not nearly as active as I used to be (sigh).
So here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m signing up for three entire months of fitness classes at the personal fitness studio nearby.
Thank God it is only 3 doors down from my house. I can imagine rolling of bed and getting my body pumping even when I don’t want to. And I’m pretty sure that, at least in the beginning, there will be many times when I don’t want to!
Let’s be realistic here.
Taking on a new fitness routine is no easy deal, especially for that old lizard brain who’s gotten himself comfortable in his routine. His idea of a good time is not pumping iron or having someone shout instructions at you while you’re sweating.
He likes the couch
Mr. Lizard likes to read, knit and sit on the couch. I’m going to have to wake him up and get him to the studio whether he likes it or not.
But that’s cool. I am prepared to hate it, want to give up, be embarrassed, want to slink out the back door or wish I had never signed up.
But I’m going for it anyway.
My sister who is a marathoner and supremely fit is gonna help me. She’s going to keep me going and get me jogging as well.
After the summer, I hope to be in a routine that will let this be my fabulous fitness for life. I’m up for the challenge. I want to grow and change and take myself to the next level.
I hate the idea of going downhill as we get older. I only want to get better. I’ve been lucky all these years, naturally thin and at ease with myself, I never had to diet or work out in an overly vigorous way. But now it’s time for the push.
That’s it Mr. Lizard time to get off the couch!
I’ll let you know how I do. If I end up slinking out the back or giving up entirely, I’ll just delete these blog posts and pretend I never started! Just kidding.
There’s no back door escape, only going forward.
A New Paradigm for Writing
May 27, 2010
change the world
If I could change the world, I would. I mean change everything. It’s really screwed up from the top to the bottom.
But I can’t overhaul the world overnight. It wouldn’t be fair. We must be patient and let it evolve slowly.
But still I’m working as hard as I can to change everything I can and this is definitely something that’s gotta change – we need a new paradigm for writers.
The way that it has been up until now has been an unworkable mess. In the past you would spend a year or two (or more) writing a book and then you would spend many desperate attempts trying to get published.
Those lucky few that would get published would then consider themselves in the elite category and anyone who was unpublished or self-published was down in the dregs.
NOT a workable paradigm for our future.
Writers, authors, artists, storytellers and those who express themselves through the written or spoken word, are the prophets of our future. Writers tell the tales, share the stories, point out societies ills and provide new solutions.
We need that.
speak up
In a right world they would be revered, not because they had successfully published something, but simply and strongly because they dared to speak up. Authors tell the truth and point out what we don’t want to hear and we need that to keep our world in balance.
So as I’m going off to write my own book, I’m working to create the proper mindset from which to be an author.
Here’s what I don’t want:
- for it to be all about me (a big fat ego trip)
- my own fame and fortune – i.e I’m striving to be noticed, be on Oprah, get famous
- for it to be about whether I ‘get published’ or not. That’s not the deal breaker
Here’s what I do want:
- a sense of collaboration even though I’m writing it myself
- that the words I write be less important than the thought, care and energy behind it
- to change the paradigm for writing
- to get that success is in the in the doing, the rest is icing in the cake
Is that easy? Heck no! Societies pressure is all against my new paradigm. Society says that it means nothing if you just write a book – you have to be a published best-selling author in order to succeed.
I don’t agree.
sharing
I am reversing that. My whole point of writing this book is to share my wisdom, knowledge and love. If it benefits anyone that will be a secondary gift to me. But if I die with all of that still left inside of me, I have not really lived my purpose.
I’m pushing myself to do the hardest thing ever, because I want to change this world.
I want a world in which it is enough just go out of your comfort zone, think of others and be brave. This is the world I want to leave behind.
What about you? Is there something you’re longing to share, express, write or otherwise articulate? Then you must. Don’t wait for the right moment, don’t believe what people tell you – it’s not impossible.
Today whatever it is that you long to do, start doing it now. Don’t wait. The world is waiting for your expression.
If we want to change the world and create a better way for all we need to break the barriers and step out beyond the comfort zone.
GO FOR IT!
Each step that we take, makes it easier for the next person to follow. This is the new world we’ve been waiting for.
Video: Life is A Mystery
May 25, 2010
The Real Gold of Life
May 24, 2010
the real gold of life
I used to think that my life as less than others but recently I’ve come to the awareness that I have the real gold of life.
How about you? Are there areas where you feel your life is lacking and you wish you had more?
Mine was but then I realized that it’s just because I was looking in the wrong direction. I was looking towards the material things that all of us are conditioned to accomplish – family, cars, children, wealth etc.
These are the markers that our culture gives us for success and accomplishment but in reality these markers are fairly meaningless. They can go away in the blink of an eye.
So what do you have that is eternal and lasting? Unchangeable by time and circumstance?
I have peace of mind, health, well-being and a strong sense of life purpose. The desire to share with others, make a difference and contribute to this world, fuel my days and sometimes even nights.
the real gold is enduring
These are the real gold of life – things that are not going to go away no matter what you do. Yes you can temporarily wreck your peace of mind and get stressed out, but if you live from a foundation of peacefulness, nothing can take it away from you.
The real gold in life endures.
This become clear to me when I talked to a friend I had known in college. We hadn’t spoken for nearly fifteen years and in that time he had been accumulating all of the above statuses that anyone would want.
He had a prestigious job traveling around the world, a big house, children, a beautiful wife and vacations in deluxe places. But was he happy?
I’m not sure.
When I spoke to him, he was frantically driving his children to somewhere or other. In fact it took us several weeks just to have our initial phone call because of his busyness. So if you ask me, this was the real story of his life – the frantic busyness and not all that he accumulated.
He told me the story of what he’d been doing and on one level it sounded wonderful. We’re all conditioned to believe in the dreams of what our symbols can mean to us.
But when I listened more closely I didn’t hear anything beyond those things. He had the acquired accumulations but not much more than that.
I didn’t hear happiness, fulfillment, meaning, contribution or peace of mind.
In fact when he asked about my life, I was temporarily dumbfounded as to what to say. I didn’t feel like would understand that the things things that have made my life rich and meaningful are ones that you can’t see.
what are you contributing?
So I didn’t share that I have changed peoples lives, contributed to a better world and worked on transforming myself from top to bottom.
These things don’t rank in the modern book of accomplishments.
So I simply said, “I don’t have any of that (what he has). What I have is peace of mind.”
There was stunned silence on the other end. He was completely floored. He’d never even thought about achieving those things. They were at the bottom of the list, or not on the list at all.
Peace of mind, happiness, contribution, meaning and fulfillment should be on the top. Everything else can disappear in a nanosecond.
He said, “Oh that’s something I don’t have.”
I already knew that. I already knew in the first five minutes that he was stressed, anxious and unhappy. He’d followed the trail of what we believe is the yellow brick road in life, but is really a dead-end trail.
the gold inside
The real gold in life is in the things we can’t see and will never be able to measure.
Today, check where your gold is – how much have you accumulated in peace of mind, happiness and making a better world?
It’s always there. You just have to look.
Tune in to my Radio Show show on this topic.
Be Creative in Your Communications, Or Else!
May 18, 2010
creativity counts
creativity counts
Or else what?
Or else be left behind in the dust. These days we can no longer afford to poo-poo creativity. Time is ticking and creativity is the wave of the present and the future.
Those who are still thinking in the past will be left behind in the un-creative dust.
So you do want to be on the wave of the future, don’t you? I’m sure you do.
Being creative in your communications requires thinking outside of the box. Communications is a wide field of expression – everything from print media to video, to public speaking, to billboards.
It is everywhere we go and in today’s fast paced world, we need to use our creative brains to keep up with the pace.
It can at first seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have, because using your creative brain is actually enjoyable and energy saving. It’s your old, stuck-in-the-rut left brain that’s getting in the way.
your lizard brain
So who is this old brain that keeps you doing the same old same old? I affectionately call him Mr. Lizard and he loves doing the same things over and over again.
Mr. Lizard is the master of repetition, but needs to learn some creativity.
Why? Because he HATES change. He hates being original and he does not want to stand out in the crowd. He enjoys being one of the boring pack.
But do you?
Do you really enjoy expressing yourself like everyone else? I doubt it. You might be used to doing that but it’s probably not what you really want.
Try this test – if you’re tired or bored with what you’re putting out in your communications, then it’s a likelihood that you’re relying to much on your old lizard brain (cousin to your left brain).
Mr. Lizard doesn’t mean to but he enjoys keeping you stuck. So you’ve got to override his ideas and try something different. That’s what creativity really is – it’s the art and science of doing things differently.
Originality is creativity’s middle name.
Thinking outside the box means trying things that you haven’t tried before. And often, those that are most successful, come up with something that at first seems totally ridiculous!
Think of Se
think outside the box
th Godin’s purple cow. Silly right?
Silly but effective. Imagine yourself putting a big purple cow on your website, business card or brochure. You’re probably cringing right?
Well I’m not suggesting that YOU put a purple cow on anything. That was Seth’s original idea. But I am suggesting that you take risks like he does and think outside of the routine.
Here are some ideas to get you started, but feel free to improvise:
- Think in color, that was part of the purple cow’s effectiveness, it catches our eye and is interesting and different.
- Think ‘difference’ – take a look at something that you’ve done and ask yourself, “What could be different about this?” One small change often makes a big difference.
- If you really want to go out on an edge, and I suggest you do, then ask yourself, “What is the last thing that I’d want to do?” You can decide whether you want to do that or not, to do that or not but at least you’ve gotten yourself to think way outside of your usual box.
That’s the idea. Stirring up your creativity is good for you and good for the world, because no one wants to read or engage in your boring, ordinary communications. They just don’t, so don’t kid yourself about it.
be creative
People today, especially the younger generation like things snappy, quick and interesting and so do you if you’re honest with yourself.
Sometimes we’re afraid to make change, try something different and live outside the box. But that is old Mr. Lizard again asserting himself when he should be off taking a nap.
Today wake up Mr. Lizard and try something new. You will be glad you did.
Creativity in communications is everything. It is the wave of the future and I know you want to be on that wave.
Don’t you?
Thanks to my friend Jeannette Paladino of Write, Speak, Sell for inspiring this post!
Video: Falling in Love
May 17, 2010
Why I AM Writing the Book That I Don’t Want to Write
May 16, 2010
Nope, it’s not what you think. It’s not for the usual reasons. I’m not trying to make more money, get more business or be on Oprah – although my blog fan Brian thinks I should!
I am writing the book that I don’t want to write because I must. Yep that’s right I have no choice. I have to do it.
What no choice you say?
Doesn’t that go against everything you believe about choice, free will and the use of language to create your reality Annie?
Not in this case.
The lack of choice is this – there are some things we want to do because they feel good to us, a natural step in our growth. But there are other things that we need to do but that are out of our comfort zone.
These things that don’t feel comfortable are often for a greater purpose than we know. We need to grow, not just for ourselves but for the evolution of humankind as well.
That’s why I’m writing this book.
When we do not grow according to this uncomfortable urging, we stay stuck and stuck is not what I want. I want to grow and I imagine you do too.
So why I am writing this book is because it’s a must-do urging of my soul, not a wanna-do urging from the easier side of life. I want to grow so I’m willing to leap through hurdles to do it.
And this has been a HU
GE hurdle! Like an elephant in my bedroom It’s been haunting at night. I have tried to ignore it but it won’t go away.
Imagine a tusk-bearing elephant trumpeting loudly in your ear while you try to sleep.
Not so easy right?
That’s how these stories have been speaking to me – LOUDLY. But loud is good. If it wasn’t loud I would keep trying to ignore it. You know those things that just won’t go away?
It’s an urging from the depths of the soul and I am heeding the call (hear bugle call here).
In June I’m going off to Arizona to write my book in only 8 days. Why waste time after something’s been haunting you for years right? Right.
Eight days and the baby will be birthed and I will be free of the torture. Just kidding, but it is torture in the sense that I have a muse who is haunting me. She has chosen me for this book and once they choose you, they won’t let you off the hook.
So who is this not-so-amusing muse that is haunting me? Well she’s a kind of Love Goddess. I know that sounds silly but I actually have a voice in my head who talks to me about the screwed up state of love on this planet and what she wants me to do about it.
Me who has considered myself a total failure in this regard! It’s kind of like flunking math – now you want me to teach it??
But according to her, that’s exactly why I have to write this book – because of my experiences that have seemed more like Chinese water torture than love, SHE feels that I have gained some wisdom.
Anyway, she feels that something is seriously screwed up down here on Planet Earth in the realm of love and relationships and she wants me to do something about it.
What an irony right?
Hardy, har, har. It’s a great cosmic joke (start laughing now).
Yes I am going o write a book about an area of life that I have totally failed in!
Or have I??
According to my Chief personal consultant who keeps me on track he says, “We all need experience to create wisdom. A great Captain learns on the seas of outrageous fortune – never from sitting all day in a small, safe harbor. You are meant to live large and prosper – to suck the marrow from your huge, wild experiences – then share the resulting wisdom.”
Beautiful!
And my niece Devon who was the catalyst for my getting started told me, “Annie you need to write these stories. We need them. We need your wisdom in this area so we know we’re not alone.”
So here I go folks, leaping off the edge of comfort and into the raw and real zone. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Your gifts don’t always come from what’s comfortable for you. Today, take a leap with me and find the zone that is beyond what feels easy, good or comfortable. Why? Because we want to change the world.
And if we get on Oprah then we’ll share together.
Mike Shares About Retreat 42
May 12, 2010
Here is a wonderful story from one of our first Retreat 42 voyagers, Mike Blackstone of Phoenix, Arizona. Here’s what he says about his experience on the retreat.
I was fortunate enough to be invited on the first Retreat 42. I couldn’t wait because I had a significant life project that had stalled. Retreat 42, the way Annie and Ian described it seemed to be exactly what I needed and the timing was so perfect, as well.
Going on that virtual retreat turned out to be so much more than I expected, and it was simple. All I had to do was carve out a small amount of private time each day to go inside and “stand” face-to-face with my “critic and pessimist” and talk my greatest fears.
Annie and Ian’s support was so important at that point because I could have given up. Sticking with it, I was really surprised that lasted only a few days, when optimism and peace of mind slowly began to show up, and within another few days I easily and effortlessly resurrected my project.
And wonderful things in my life way beyond my project started to happen. If you have never had the experience of getting more than you imagined and hoped for, get ready for a new “first” in your life on Retreat 42.
There were still rough spots before the end of my Retreat, and each one got easier and easier to get past, stronger than ever each time. Annie and Ian had been through theirs and they shared and warned of what we could expect. Knowing what to look for and what I might be up against was just everything. I had such confidence in their care. They are truly “from the heart” people.
If you are determined but just can’t get something going you really want and care about, Retreat 42 will be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Thanks Mike!
If you’re interested in learning about Retreat 42 or how you can join the next one, please email me at annie@anniehart.com.
Or join me and some of our Retreat 42 community on the Radio Show this Friday March 14 at 11 am. The show can also be downloaded later.
Video – Perfectly Imperfect
May 11, 2010
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