Emily's definition of SUCCESS

SUCCESS

Sing Unabashedly, Creating a Conscious, Effective Story of Self

Sing 

Unabashedly, 

Creating a 

Conscious, 

Effective 

Story of 

Self

This "backronym" illustrates my idea of what fully inhabiting my Self would look like.  "Sing" does not have to be literal; I do like to sing, but "singing my song" is expressing my authentic self.  Success could have many definitions, but all of them amount to telling one's own story.  "Creating" indicates my active involvement in that story (not a victim of what happens to me).  The story needs to be conscious (aware, intentional, appreciative) and effective (if I don't like what my story is doing for me, I need to tell myself a different story).  S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

I originally submitted this definition to Abundance Tapestry.  She had asked for a definition of success, and my favorite game to play these days is to make up affirmations from names and words.  I've decided I love this one so much, I will repeat it to myself for the rest of the week.  I am telling myself what I need to hear.  You might notice how well this definition goes with my vision.  I have a theme song, too, but you'll have to hang tight until I'm ready to sing it for you.

Molting

When a spider molts its exoskeleton, it is vulnerable.  It has to pull its fresh legs very slowly out of its old, hard shells of legs.  If it pulls a leg up too fast, it could tear the leg, leaving it behind in the old exoskeleton.

I know this cool stuff from reading with a six-year-old when I was babysitting earlier this summer.

I started this blog over a year ago when I my spidey senses told me I had outgrown my old exoskeleton.  I had a new, soft one underneath, but I had to ever-so-slowly extract myself from it.  I have had to slowly pull my big ol' sausage thighs out of those painted-on jeans.  So slowly.  Sometime I needed to stop and rest and just hope no predator came by to find me.

So I haven't written since February, because my exoskeleton needed to harden first.  I sure have been working and growing in all that time, though.  It took starting a new blog to come back and post in this one.

I crack me up.  I never guessed that my journey through authentic life life would make me into an arachnid.

Oh what a tangled web we weave,

When first we practise to deceive!

Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.

Scottish author & novelist (1771 - 1832)

Oh what a tangled web I weave,

When I must of my skeleton take leave!

Me, Em

One Day My Trout Bum Soul Just Opened Up

Bathroom Reading

My son (age 12) commented that a person could learn a lot about my husband and me by looking at the two books we left perched on the edge of the bathtub this past week.  The young man is ever-so-perceptive.  Even if you couldn't read English, you could judge us by our book covers: mine brightly colored, patterned, effusive, full of symbols, and drawing your eyes toward movement, and his muted but intense, earthy, quietly beautiful and amusing, slower.  When I found my husband, one family member comments that he was good to keep me "grounded," because I had my head in the clouds.  On good days, he is my anchor and keeps me safe; on bad days, I feel weighed down by him.

I said to our son, "You know, Papa's book is about his soul, too."  He thought I was taking issue with the point he had made and quickly lost interest in the subject.  I will explain to you instead, using words from each book.  I alternated and in each case opened randomly and counted down to the tenth sentence on the page.

When you give of yourself for the sake of love, the impersonal, immutable, perfect laws of the universe demand that you must be rewarded tenfold.  On the other hand, it would be a tool that was lovingly and carefully crafted by an artisan of legendary skill for the sole purpose of catching trout.  All that I do, I do for myself.  I consider this one to be a local artifact of considerable significance, and I show it off every chance I get.  You must be strong in order to be compassionate.  The band notched comfortably against the worn spot on the foot of the reel-- so it was the one.

Well, now, if you know what that meant, you know he and I belong together.  If you don't know what that meant, but you like it anyway, then you're like me, at least a little bit.    If you don't know, and don't care, you might be my husband reading my blog for the first time, and you might give me a confused hug anyway.

        

Vision

I fully and enthusiastically inhabit Life through willing expression of my authentic self. 

I fill the world with joy through creative dynamism, sharing, love, brainstorming, imagination, and artistic presence. 

I sing my song, dance my dance, tell my tale, and celebrate.

There will be more, but I just need to break my silence and put my intention out there.  You are welcome to  tag along and see where I go with this, and it is not my intention to make you wait another 4 months for that.