Jonathan Mead is the first one to admit he isn’t very good at doing things he doesn’t want to do.

But here’s what I love. . .

To him, this is simply an authentic way of living. So authentic he’s actually designed a program to help others do the same, specifically around work. But not just any work – work in which you get paid to be who you are. Sounds a bit radical, doesn’t it?

He’s talking about the kind of work we all dream of. The kind of work that seems to many, an impossible dream.

Jonathan’s here to tell you it’s not.

His message is that you can live and work on your own terms.

That is what he’s committed to, and not just in a that’s-a-good-idea kind of way, but more like the warning on the header of his blog,

“Don’t read if you want ordinary.”

He’s given his life to this message, boldly stating that his purpose is to remind you that you can create a life and business based on what’s important to you. That’s really just a nice way of saying he’ll kick your ass in order to help you pursue your dreams.

Gotta love it!

Jonathan’s work reminds me of one of my favourite quotes. It’s actually the quote that inspired me as I started my coaching business over 10 years ago.

“The person who is a master in the art of living makes little distinction between their work and their play, their labour and their leisure, their mind and their body, their education and their recreation, their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which. They simply pursue their vision of excellence and grace in whatever they do, leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing. To them, they are always doing both.” – Zen thought

He is a waker in the best possible sense, which is what appealed to me most as I began following his work. His genius is helping people quit their jobs to create work they love and given my desire to crush someday thinking. . .well, you get the connection.

Having worked through his Trailblazer program (a six month program designed to guide you to making an unforgettable mark on the world) I can tell you I wish I’d had a template like this to follow when I began my business.

It would have made a huge difference.

The structure and strategies he shares in the program are profound, and combined with the dynamic community he’s developed, I can’t think of a better way to trade in work you tolerate for work that makes your heart sing!

His genius is helping people shine and in my world, what could be better?

It’s why he’s here sharing his own greatness in the spotlight. Enjoy!

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One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

Whether he meant them to be or not, when my father-in-law threw these items into the box at the back of his closet they took on new meaning. Did he ever think that one day I would go through the box and wonder?

For I did wonder at these treasures. Why had he kept them? What meaning did they hold? What did they tell me about this man I loved and admired?

And so I examined Malcolm’s treasures.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” – Paulo Coelho

They spoke to me of a life of curiousity and passion, a life of many and varied interests. They spoke to me of values.

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A guest post by Jason Benoit.

I want to tell you a story; in this story lives a little boy.

He lives in a small town with his father and a little brother. He doesn’t excel in sports and isn’t some sort of prodigy, or savant.

He doesn’t meet the girl of his dreams and ride off into the sunset, and won’t master chess or teach himself Latin.

The list of things this little boy won’t ever do could swallow the pages of an entire library.

What makes this story worth hearing is the list that holds the things this boy will do. The world doesn’t need another Superman; I think one is quite enough.

The world needs to know about little boys that will lose faith in themselves.

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How will you live today to the fullest?

Tell me in the comments, I’d love to support you.

When you look in the mirror what do you see?

Some days it’s not easy.

You look at your reflection in the mirror and feel an onslaught of thoughts, many of them negative as the lizard brain sings its song of seduction.

Maybe you barely look, glancing just long enough to comb your hair, brush your teeth or apply make-up.

Or maybe you use one of those scary magnifying mirrors so that all you can see are your parts.

eyes. . .brows. . .nose. . .ears. . .lips. . .teeth. . .skin. . . limbs

“If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?” – Rumi

And you are irritated by those parts; the ones you judge and assess, or compare against others.

Do you ever really see YOU?

Some days it’s not easy.

I know. I get it. But I have a different view.

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Once upon a time you were comfortable in your skin. 

It may have been a long time ago, but you were.

You were born that way – fully, completely at home in your skin.

And then something happened.

Someone did something, someone said something. Self-consciousness was born and with it discomfort, as if your skin had become too tight.

What if you could go back to that time and remember the glorious feeling of “bien dans sa peau”?

Bien dans sa peau – literally translated means feeling well in your skin, at ease with yourself.

Well in your skin. 

I want that, don’t you?

“As if you were on fire from within. The moon lives in the lining of your skin.” – Pablo Neruda

Well in my skin. . .I’m not sure I know what it means.

My curiousity aroused, I want to find out.

“it ain’t no sin, to take off your skin and dance around in your bones” – Tom Waits

If you’ve resolved to become more fully yourself, this is an invitation to explore and rewrite the story of who you are in your skin. For what gets in the way is most definitely a story you’ve listened to and repeated far too long.

Now is the time for a new story to emerge - a story of wholeness and being in your skin exactly the way you are.

And exactly the way you’re not.

You.

Fully yourself.

In your skin, on fire from within.

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brene Brown

Over to you:

• Feel how your old story shows up in your body.
• Now imagine wellness in your skin.

Which do you want more of?

I want to hear from you.

Tell me your thoughts in the comments below. 

Prompted by Week 3 of A Year With Myself, a year-long adventure in empowerment.

{Today is the last day to get the Full Adventure Kit at the launch price of $97. Join me in this year-long adventure and let’s begin writing stories that empower.}

It’s time for another damn wake-up call!

Do you really need to have a health crisis or extreme emergency before pursuing what you want in life?

Really?

Many people live that way, but you?

Is it really that important to stay safe, look good, and maintain the status quo? None of those things are making you happy or fulfilling your dreams so why are they still getting so much air time?

If I could reach through the screen and give you a shake I would.

And no, I’m not a violent person. I’m just really passionate about living without regrets! I admit this may seem a bit of a rant, but I’m committed to something over here and I want to make sure you know it.

I’m committed to living out loud, as fully and as authentically as I can and sometimes that gets messy.

But I’m OK with messy, and I’ll admit I even like to stir things up! Occasionally someone will suggest I tone it down a bit (“Do you really need to say those things, Sandi?”) and sure, I could. But I don’t want to live that way.

I don’t want to live a toned down life. Do you?

Life gets messy. It’ll never be perfect. You’ll never get it all handled.

And so fucking what.

I’m not saying it’s easy. God knows, some days I want to throw in the towel and take the easy path just as much if not more so than you do. But the truth is the easy path bores me to tears.

It’s not why we’re here.

I’m talking to you. . .the one who’s wasting your genius in that life-sucking job.

And you. . .the one oozing creativity in everything you do except for your work.

And you. . .the one who daydreams of living a life you love.

Someday. Maybe. Can you hear the death bell toll?

Replace your fear.

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The good news is

what you can be, you must be.

The bad news is

you can not change your roots.

An acorn must become an oak tree, 

and you must become you.

Set aside your resolutions,

unleash your resolve and rest.

The space in between is patient,

the outcome is assured.

Then repeat after me. . .

“I resolve to become more fully myself.”

Prompted by A Year With Myself, a year-long adventure in empowerment.

Space. 

Vast and immeasurable, but not out there.

A space unlike any other.

A space not yet clear.

Not like the space that shows up reliably every January; a space that compels you to think of what you want for your life.

And not like the space of completion; an invitation to look back, reviewing and learning from what’s been.

This is the space in between – the unexamined field.

As often happens when I begin to explore an idea that’s been niggling at me, it seems to show up everywhere.

First, in my research on lightning, I learned there’s a word for the space between the moment you see lightning and when you hear the thunder -svaha – a word of mysterious origin, some say Native American, I say intriguing.

Then the space of anticipation, waiting for the first prompt of the year-long adventure A Year with Myself, and a question from Patti Digh that took me by surprise:

What spaces are you standing between?

When was the last time you thought about the space in between?

I let the question sink in until the hair on the back of my neck stood up, the magic of the prompt working its way through my consciousness.

The space in between.

Think of the times you’ve been uncertain or the moments of discomfort as you stretched way beyond what you know.

In between.

Did you rush to step into a more familiar, tried and true space or or pull back paralyzed by fear?

What is so terrifying about the space in between?

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Today’s spotlight shines on a very special person. She’s someone I connected with about a year ago, but it’s only in the past couple of months that we really clicked, and I’m so glad we did because she is magical. She is C.A. Kobu and she’s just launched an extraordinary project called A Year with Myself.

You may remember her from the month of self-care; her contribution The First 66 Days of Taking Better Care of Yourself was not only a very popular piece but she generously shared a free workbook to help you on this path.

My first conversation with C.A. left me inspired, energized and buzzing with ideas. She calls herself a creative alchemist and project midwife, and that was certainly my experience of her. She’s also an idea generator!

But she’s so much more. She’s one of the most generous people I’ve met; sharing her gifts with others, showing up as a resource and bringing people together in ways that instantly work. Could be that alchemy she speaks of!

Can you tell? I’ve got a serious friend crush on this woman!

She is up to some extraordinary things and I’m delighted to have her here in the spotlight.

Enjoy!

1. Why are you here?

I’m here to serve my kind. That means serving courageous and wild women who want to grow, create and change their world. These are women who have entrepreneurial spirits. They are venturesome and fertile in heart and in mind.

I want to hold their hands and make it easy to rediscover their wholeness and their powers, to reconnect with themselves, and to translate their authentic gifts into fulfilling and change-making feats.

I want to wake them up and help them flourish.

{Note from me: You can see why I’m crushing over here, can’t you?}

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