Light the light...smile!

HIGH NOTES

December 2014

Tis the season:)  Linda

Many say that this is the season for light overcoming the darkness.

Midst all of the realities of clouds…in the sky, in lives, in the world's lack of love…there are smiles this time of the year!

Creativity is just like that! 

It's going the extra mile.

It's seeing things just a little differently, even upside down like kids do.

It's doing something a bit unusually that may even bring a smile to yourself or someone else.

A smile is the least expensive yet maybe the biggest gift you can give someone.

For whatever reason, find a way to celebrate life this December with joy.   

Let your eyes twinkle with the light.  Smile:)

"It's not what you have on the outside that glitters in light, it's what you have on the inside that shines in the dark."

― Anthony Liccione

Poetry and Life

A collection of alphabetical letters

Scrambled together to make words.

A collection of words

Scrambled together to capture ideas.

A collection of ideas

Scrambled together to reflect visions.

A collection of visions

Scrambled together to build lives.

A collection of lives

Scrambled together to share hope.

Faith, hope, and love

Scrambled together to share beliefs.

Poetry, messy like life--

First the mess, then the beauty.

October High Notes

Are your thoughts uplifting and inspiring… just like a good book?  Notice what you think about!  Your mind guides your days and ways.   Linda

TRUST:

Steven M. R. Covey has just written a book called the Speed of Trust.  In essence, he says that in professional and personal outcomes, we pay a higher price in dollars and time if we do NOT have trust in relationships.  It is a useful read and good for discussion.  One easy application is to ask for counsel and expertise from people you trust.   Everyone has opinions, many of which will not encourage or thrust you in positive ways.

CLOUDS:

The warm days are gone and the colored leaves have been blown away by the fall winds.  It is easy to say that the clouds create a dark and gloomier day.  But what about thinking of the clouds as just vapors, beyond science, lifting our gratitude and collecting it to soon shower the beauty of winter?  Pollyanna?   Maybe, but empowerment gathers our verve and wits in ways that hopeless resignation never can.

THANKS:

Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  The very first article I ever wrote for a newspaper was done when I was in high school: Let's Put the Thanks Back in Thanksgiving!  It's still a good idea.  Maybe the gratitude we lift to reframe our perception of dark clouds will also prepare us in wonderful ways for the upcoming traditional gathering of thanks.  As you plan for dinner with your family and friends this year, think of the title of the hymn tune—
Come Ye Thankful People Come!

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in big matters.

Albert Einstein

Perspective...

HIGH NOTES

By a child we can be led.    Linda

UPSIDE DOWN

Ever watch a young child tipped over and looking at the world upside down through his legs?  Adults generally don't do that, but it certainly provides a new perspective on the same world.  My friend, James, suggests snapping the photo you have just framed and then turning around 180 degrees to catch the view with your camera that is directly behind you.  It is another lesson in perspective.  Increase or change your view and you will have a larger scope of life.

SIMPLY TIP IT!!

I have carried a birthday card propped on a holder in my car for a very long time because the giver was so right about my enjoyment of the colors.  I recently was temped to take it out but instead just tipped it over, which meant the words were now hidden but not the colors or images.  Tipping things upside down is standard operating procedure for kids.   Try it!

NEED HIERARCHY

I have forever been inspired by the wisdom found in the Basic Human Need Hierarchy developed by Abraham Maslow.  I have always drawn this paradigm as stairs, highlighting that the step up is accomplished with greater ease when the lower steps are completed.  For example, it always made sense that basic physical safety and emotional security must be satisfactorily met before anyone can successfully benefit from a circle of belonging.  And completing all of these steps shapes our ability to master life's learning needs and feel totally assured about individual uniqueness.  This matrix has always caused me to focus on the concrete issues first.

But recently I looked at it all upside down!  It occurred to me that the concept of LOVE is the most abstract and draws our thinking and decision making to the highest level.  If we engage at the top and most abstract FIRST, it will totally increase the effectiveness we have in tending all of the other need levels.  Loving myself or loving someone else heightens my awareness and my fulfillment capacity, exponentially.  The tasks become important in new ways.

Why you do something powerfully impacts the what!

"Why was the burning desire to not quit because they were on a mission that was far bigger than themselves.  If you have a big enough reason to do something the "how" will simply show itself." Three Feet from Gold, Sharon Lechter and Greg Reid

The blessings and bane of gold...

Fall is in the air...

Any day is a good day...

Highnotes             

July 2014

Do you know that declaring it will seed it?   Linda

Your body might be more sluggish with summer heat.   Mine is.  Or your body may just be more relaxed with hammock and lemonade time.

But every farmer knows that the roots of seeds planted in the spring are working hard and growing deep during summer months.   The crops are growing tall with sun and rain.  In my area of MN there are farmers who are disheartened because rain and wet fields prevented their seed planting this year.  It made me wonder if my understanding of seeding is as deep and urgent.   It's easy to be ho hum about setting goals and developing visions.  But there is a Biblical statement that says, "Without a vision, people perish."

Undoubtedly you have planted some seeds with your pen, your spoken words, or quietly in your heart. Your visions are growing too.  As you declare them you seed them.  As you believe for them, they do grow.   They may be visions for yourself, personally or professionally.  They may be visions for your family, specifics of growing and thriving.  The Universal sun and your mind provide the energy of blessing as you wait expectantly.

The outcome of visions seeded can surprise, which is good and not just all right.  I have a one-degree theory.  Look just to the left or to the right of what you were "going for" and you may have found your surprise discovery.   Your goal will manifest in delightful ways…especially if you don't give up!

Keep watching!  Wait, hope, and stay expectant.   Visions are taking shape out of sight.

Harvest will come!

Genesis Creative Concepts

www.ltcarlson.com

Promoting Natural Wonder

how About NOW

High Notes Trills

May 2014

Do you have a tendency to think most often about yesterday(s) or tomorrow(s)?  I know I do.  Staying in the present isn't always natural or easy.

I have also felt Spirit nudges to do things that seem valuable but quickly come in the category of "later."

It was clear that a reminder in either circumstance would be helpful to me, so I recruited my graphic artist friend, Randy Herget, for his assistance.  I want to pass along the image he created for me.  I hope this message and vision will be useful to you, also.

Feel free to cut and paste or ask me for cards if our paths cross or you want some to give away!

"The only point where eternity meets time is in the present.."  Maryanne Williamson

Touched by nature's beauty...

Treasure the old, welcome the new!

Welcome Spring Blossoms

I Am Loved

I am loved
My heart is filled;
Happiness
Brightens my world.

Each step I take
Each choice I make,
Starts with
Being loved.

High Notes

Reading ideas of inspiration is always uplifting. But, being human means that it is easier to read than to do what we read…which often doesn't happen unless we are intentional.  Linda

MEDITATION

We are all different, but in whatever style, we do need to allow time every day to read or meditate on some value or belief that helps us to grow in positive ways. It doesn't matter if we are in the car or in the kitchen, or maybe just falling asleep. Everyone has a favorite uplifting phrase. It might be: All is well. It will work out. It will be OK. I am loved. Be at peace. Fear not. A very small shift, or recalibration as I am prone to say, makes a huge difference. A small amount of time daily in meditation and focus makes a difference in our lives…for the better.

BOOK INSPIRATION

A trip to the library with children often means bringing home a stack of books. This grown up kid reads in stacks, too. A snowed-in winter has surely contributed to this process.

I promised more. Perhaps the part I liked best about Stephen Covey's book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is reflected in the testimony given by Ken Blanchard. He recognized that in this book, Covey integrated what he knew and believed about living a successful life. Stephen Covey believes in integrity and in using communication tools for healthy positive relationships with others, at home and at work. So, this is my take away for anyone: learn, be inspired and motivated to live the high road, and then pass it on.

SPRING

The calendar and spring list both say it is time to get outside and move. Maybe the weather will be enough to stir up the "gung ho" in you. One of my reading adventures was a book by Tom Rath called Eat, Move, Sleep.


Research shows that many people are sitting too much because of watching TV, using computers at work or at home, or movie watching on any variety of tech tools. Maybe we have been unsuccessful with organized exercise programs, but setting our iPhone or mental timer to move every 20 minutes can be a manageable recalibration. Starting is the hardest part of implementing any new plan, but maybe awareness can get us off square one. In spite of ourselves, we may just continue our commitment to MOVE.

April snows bring flowers.

New day, new dreams...

Pick a new dream!
Impossible it did seem.
Yet, time has dried
The tears on my face.
I'm stepping out
in God's grace...

Dreaming!

Silver Linings

FAMILY

LOVE

Faith
Future
Adventure
Unknowns
Wisdom
Wit
Discovery
Growing
Celebration
Gratitude
Fun
Tending
Sharing

FOREVER

Investing in love...

It was only a phone call, but I could hear the raised eyebrows in her voice as she said,  "Oh, you're one of those!"  Yes, I'm an investor!

What does investing mean?  The dictionary says it means to use resources to participate in an enterprise that offers the possibility of gain.  I think it means pouring one's heart, soul, and mind into something you care about.   It also involves money, time, and knowledge.    And it happens at its best over the long term.  It's really about LOVE.

Ask a parent:  he or she will tell you that this is true with growing children.

Ask a spouse:  he or she will tell you that the long road is the one treasured in the world of relationships.

Ask a banker:  he or she will tell you that this definition is true with money.

Ask a Realtor:  he or she will tell you that it is also true with property values.

I love the story of the Velveteen Rabbit.  Read it if you haven't ever.   Investing will mean losing some of your fur because your cause will require ALL of you.   But you won't care.  Because over the long term in the seeming imperfection, the goal is met!

How will you invest in 2014?

Happy 2014

In five years you will be changed by what you read and whom you meet.    Linda

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey, suggests that we read differently if we are planning to teach others what we have just read and learned. Sounds like a good New Year's habit to me! It does change how we read. It is also a very powerful way to teach children. Empower him or her to teach someone or something else that's inanimate, the very skill or behavior we want him or her to learn. I first read about this strategy in a favorite book for two year olds written by Azrin and Fox many years ago. It is obvious that I have been around lots of children this holiday. While I am culling my historical library shelves, let me tell you about another favorite book written by Smith and Smith. This is appropriate for the New Year and reading about habits.

Most of us evaluate some part of our life that we want to improve when the New Year rolls around. We may resist New Year's Resolutions, but there is quietly some behavior that we hope to improve slightly in the New Year. I bring you two new ways of looking at this resolution process.

New habits build in twenty-one days if we actually engage in a daily small change behavior. The earth is not flat. Life is not flat. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson says we curve upward or downward in our life process depending on our daily choices. Here's the second thought that comes from Smith and Smith. Brushing your teeth daily probably happened because you learned event time. This is different from clock time. Brushing your teeth happened before the event of going to bed. Which brings me to the event time of new behaviors for 2014.

Before I go to bed I will….
Before I leave the house I will….
Before I have breakfast I will…
Before I shower I will…
Before I whatever, I will….

I love choices. I also know that accountability builds with commitments. I can't tell you what I will be doing every morning at 9 a.m. but I can tell you that my unconscious mind will not let me leave the house unaware of a commitment to a certain behavior….before I go.

So, that is my challenge and new thought for you. Add EVENT TIME to your lives and resolutions for slight changes for the better in 2014. Slight changes give you the slight edge and make a difference over time. Everyone likes to experience success. I think that using event time aligns all personal resources to master a commitment.

Now for Seven Habits…you'll hear more about what I have learned as I finish the book.