When the Barn Burns Down.....

I find it hard to believe that it has been almost 2 full months since my last blog!! So much for my promise to myself to blog every other day! Somehow life simply gets in the way!!!!!


Recently after a particularly difficult time I found myself doubting my ability to find the good in the situation.....I'm usually pretty good at 'bouncing back'...yet this time was particularly hard.....


I found that I had experienced a series of disappointments, difficulties, and moments of distress and it simply caught up with me......I found myself walking to my vehicle and sitting in the deserted parking lot and crying......crying out of the frustration of not being able to make it all better....crying out of the hurt of feeling that sometimes trying to do the 'right thing' doesn't get you where you need to be in life......crying from disappointment in realizing someone you trusted could not be trusted.....crying at the idea of not knowing where to turn next.........


Yet after a few minutes of tears, I realized something more.....I felt better. It simply felt good to 'get it out'......it felt good to for a moment in the quiet and seclusion of my vehicle to simply 'let me guard down'.......it was ok....and I would be ok......actually......(I could feel myself 'bouncing back!')...I would be GREAT!

At that moment as I dried my tears my cell phone buzzed with a message from a friend....she shared with me a quote she had been given at a difficult time in her life.......the quote was: "The barn has burned down. Now I can see the stars.".......it was timely, it was profound, it was perfect!


Yes....I was at a point where I felt the 'barn had burned down'....I had no place else to turn.......yet despite that, I could see the stars.....I knew they were there....there were no more obstacles in the way of truly seeing their full glory! I realized that the stars had a unique quality. Despite their distance and the darkness, if we look, we can see their shimmering and sparkling qualities. We simply have to look.......


Too often we put our heads down and look at the barn that has burned..........at the ashes........we keep our eyes focused on what is in front of us rather than what is above and beyond us.......we get busy shoveling the debris and lose sight of the change in scenery and circumstances. We lose sight of the stars above.

Do you ever feel like your 'barn has burned down' and you're stuck with a gigantic ash pile? THAT is when instead of looking DOWN we need to look BEYOND! We need to look at what the barn was obscuring from our view. We need to look at the new lines of the horizon ahead. We need to look at what does sparkle and shimmer around us!

My wish for you all is when faced with an obstacle or despair......look beyond! When the smoke clears, there is always a brighter day! Cherish the stars in your life!!

Enjoy the day!

Glenna

Wonderful Diversity!

Today I spent the day surrounded by individuals from all around the world...what a fabulous sense of collaboration and diversity!! We are speaking at the 2009 Global Speakers Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. The other conference attendees are from places around the globe! We have enjoyed stories, learning opportunities, networking, and new friendships!

This photo is after we finished setting up our exhibit booth for the Let Your Life Speak Foundation that is on display for the conference.

What amazes me every time I'm immersed in such environments is that no matter where people live, what their background is, what their heritage may be....people are people. People have goals, dreams and desires. People have challenges, obstacles, and opportunities. People need other people.....no matter where they may be!!

All of us at this conference are striving to make our professional lives more prosperous and our personal lives more fulfilling. We are striving to give more of our true selves to the world! We are striving to make a difference!!

It has been an incredible journey!! My hope is that the spirit of collaboration continues as these individuals carry it back to their countries and have the opportunity to inspire others....

Choose to be remarkable!!


Glenna

Faith...do you have it?

How is it our minds can believe so strongly in what we cannot see? How does one’s heart trust what we cannot touch? How does one’s soul accept feelings over which we have no control? How do we go through our lives believing in the future for which we have no guarantees?

I believe it is the gift of faith. Faith in a power bigger than we can ever hope to be. Faith in the greater good of our actions and abilities. Faith that despite our best efforts to do what WE think we should be doing, ultimately what is best for us occurs through a direction not of our own.

Faith is a process of releasing the hold we have on what we think we should be doing and reaching toward the unknown….trusting in the outcome. Faith is the ability to close our eyes and walk through doors to unchartered territories. Faith is the ultimate manifestation of trust.
When we release our preconceived notions our worlds become bigger than we could ever have imagined. When we release our thoughts of form and function we expand our potential and possibilities. When we release our hold on convention and conformity, we ignite the spirit of endless possibilities.

Our belief in our abilities is endless, if we allow it to be. Our potential is limitless, if we give ourselves permission to reach further. Our spirits can soar to unimaginable heights, if we have faith in a purpose not of our own creation.

Let go of you doubt, let go of your fears.....BELIEVE in your individual purpose......have faith!!

Glenna Griffin
Remarkability Expert
www.glennagriffin.com

Gratitude.....makes the world go round....

Tonight I am feeling 'gratitude' and realizing that we often get so busy with our lives we forget the things for which we should be grateful!



A call from a friend, a note in the mail, an email from someone we knew years ago, a child who holds our hand, a teenager who gives us a hug (in public!).......gratitude.......



It is so easy to get caught up in our routines and activities......juggling too many things in too little time......we get busy 'reacting' and wondering how we can get everything in with so little time......one thing leads to another and before we know it the day....the week...the month.....the year has gone by and we have forgotten to be grateful for where we are, who we are with, what we have....right here...and right now.....



Today I am grateful...grateful for good friends in my life! Grateful for caring children! Grateful for health and well-being! Grateful that the phone rings and it's the caring voice of a friend. Grateful for being alive to be able to enjoy the beauties of the world around me.....my family, my friends.....it's a wonderful place to be!!

The Gift of Laughter!

Have you ever had the experience of laughing so hard your sides hurt? Have you laughed so hard you couldn't catch your breath?

Today I had that experience. Today I had the experience of 'gut-busting' laughter! It was wonderful! In themiddle of a hectic and busy day a friend started down the path of cracking one joke after another......before we knew it we were both overwhelmed with 'gut-busting' laughter! I'm not sure if we were simply at a point of being over-tired or overwhelmed with the amount of work on our plates, however once the giggles struck we couldn't stop them!!! We found ourselves connecting one thing to another and delighting in non-stop glee! We laughed! We held our sides! We giggled and guffawed!!!!

Of course we eventually settled down and returned to the task at hand.....now however I pause to reflect on the wonderful release and effect the 'gut-busting laughter' had on my day.......

The laughing cleared my mind. The laughing cleared my heart. The laughing cleared my soul! It was almost like the laughing had perfect timing in the middle of a crazy day to allow for a fresh breath of energy!

I'm not sure we value the effect of laughter! We curtail it....we push it aside....we disapprove of the co-worker who is giggling outloud........I question why! Laughter is contagious! Laughter is healthy! Laughter is an activity that connects us to our sense of reality!

Life should be so serious all the time. Life should have moments to laugh about and to laugh 'at'....sometimes we just have to laugh at the things we don't understand! After all......isn't it sometimes just FUNNY?

I wish you all a moment of pure 'gut-busting' laughter in the days ahead! Revel in the pure joy it creates!!!

Glenna Griffin, Remarkability Expert
Speak America
Speaker, Author, Person who loves to laugh!!!!

I'm curious......

What is it that PREVENTS us from feeling worthy of the feelings of happiness, gratitude, and joy? I'm not sure....I simply know that so many of us work so hard for the feelings of happiness, gratitude, and joy yet never feel like we attain them.....however they are in front of us every day!

Recently a friend and I spoke on the phone while I was simultaneously watching my 9 year old and her friends joyfully push mini-shopping carts through the grocery store...narrowly missing the tender ankles of all they passed! They were giggling with delight at their antics while I was trying to corral their energies when my friend called. I excused my laughter and explained to her the situation........she paused and asked me, "How can you possibly forget the other things you're dealing with right now and take such joy from the moment?" I responded with, "How can I NOT?"

What other way is there to be? What other way is there to function? I may have a very full plate right now of things that are not so pleasant, but should those things detract from my joy of the moment? Should what I am carrying on my shoulders keep me from enjoying the moments of what life is truly all about? Should the moments of pain and frustration when dealing with other things in my life prevent me from feeling worthy of the joy of seeing my child delight in the activities with her friends? I would have to say, "Not"!

The little moments of true joy are around us every day......the child who brings home a drawing from school.....the co-worker who stops by our office just to say hello.......the friend who calls to touch base......the teenager who stops and does the dishes without being asked.....these are all moments to stop and appreciate....yet we so often look the other way and forget that we are worthy of accepting the joy of the moment....of the experience. We get caught up in what the moment 'prevented' us from doing (such as completing a task, finishing a phone call, leaving something to the next day) that we lose sight of the fact that the moment is what made our day worthwhile...not getting the task done.......that part of the day will still be there tomorrow.......the moment of accepting the joy of the experience will not....

During a particularly trying time recently, a friend of mine was travelling to the other side of the world. We had a brief moment to catch up on the phone and my friend got me laughing.....laughing until my sides hurt...laughing until I thought I simply couldn't stand it any longer........laughing until I thought I couldn't stop!!!! When we finished our call I stopped and felt such immense gratitude.....gratitude that my friend took the time, the expense, the effort to connect with ME.....gratitude........gratitude for such friends in my life.......the gratitude of the experience truly is priceless!!

I've decided that we can make up our minds pretty much to be how we want to be.....if we want to be miserable we can pretty easily accomplish being miserable.....if we want to be sad, we can be sad.....if we want to be cynical, no problem.....why is it then that it is so difficult for some to CHOOSE to be happy? Why is it so difficult for some to CHOOSE to find delight in simple things around them? Why is it so difficult for some to CHOOSE to see the true joy and value of life? The answer? It's NOT difficult.....we just need to TRY IT!!!!!!! The more we try it, the easier it becomes!!!!

I challenge you! When faced with an obstacle this week, look hard at your options...find the option to be positive about. Find the option that is positive...not negative. Focus on the POSITIVE and see what happens......I believe it will all fall into place....you simply have to BELIEVE and be DETERMINED to make it so........YOU can make any life you imagine......Start today!!!! Start this very moment!!!!! ..........why not? What do you have to lose?

Please share with me your success!! I know you can do it!!!

Glenna

The Wonder of the Red Shoe!

Today I had the experience of watching a little girl try on red ruby slippers in the middle of a shoe department. I sat and watched and smiled as the 'Power of the Red Shoe' was as exciting for the 9 year old as it is for adult women!! There is something exilerating about looking at your feet and seeing red shiny shoes!

It's hard to explain, however I believe it comes back to the sense of personal choice. Whether we are 9 years old, 39 years old or 79 years old.....CHOOSING the red shoes to try on admist the rows of brown and black shoes just makes us smile.

Isn't this reflective of the choices we make in our daily lives? When we exercise the power of our personal choice admist the routine decisions we face every day, we smile. When we exercise the power of our ability to make a personal choice about what WE want it simply feels good! The power of personal choice feels as good as slipping into a pair of wonderful red shoes!

I would encourage you to try an experiment. On a particular day when you are feeling overwhelmed by decisions you feel are out of your control, when you are looking at the prospect of a long day of routine, when you're dreading the schedule of the day......pull out your secret weapon. Pull out your red shoes and wear them!!! It doesn't matter if they match your outfit! It doesn't matter if they're heels or flats!! The only thing that matters is that you slip them on and go after your day!!! Try it!! Let me know how it feels! I'd love to hear!!

Let me know if you felt as excited as the 9 year old trying on ruby red sparkly slippers today. Let me know if you felt armed with the knowledge of your ability to make the Personal Intentional Choice (your PIC!) and the wonders of your strength!

What PIC will you make today about other things in your lives?