Embracing Our Passions or Playing It Safe

Sedona, Arizona

There are no guarantees in life except change. But will we jump on and embrace change and see where our passion will take us, or will we cling cautiously to the past and to that which is known and safe? Passion dies in an environment of fear and a yearning for guarantees and certainty.
~Brene Brown

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. ~Sydney Smith

I've never regretted getting in the van and driving around the country with my camera and paints or taking plane trips to far away places. I have deeply regretted staying at home and becoming more comfortable in my surroundings.

Have you noticed that as you allow small regrets to accumulate, like the gym you never work out in or the book you never start, it becomes easier to allow the larger ones to take place...like the vacations you never take or the career change or relationship you never went for?

However, if you demand to see a little progress and risk daily of yourself, then it's much more likely that you'll embrace your larger hopes and dreams. So why not start today?!

Your Wildest Dreams

"If you abandon all restraint, carry your wishes to their furthest limits, open your heart boundlessly, there is not a single moment when you will not find all you could possibly desire.

The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams."

Jean-Pierre de Caussade


Quick oil sketch/study of a dog who won't sit still for very long! (9x12" oil)
I'll try and finish this up or start another soon. I see a bunch of things I need to fix on this one.

Discouragement. It will stop you in your tracks, if you let it. Imposing and intimidating, the voices of discouragement jeer at us, often disguised as our own thoughts, "You can't do that! You're ideas are stupid! Who do you think you are? You call yourself an artist?!"...embarrassing us in front of our biggest hopes and dreams.

We forget that our dreams come from one foot being put in front of the other, from building on moments before they become days, weeks, months and years.

So after a hearty dose of feeling really low last week, I'm thumbing my nose at this discouraging bully today!

Despite last week's failed bank loan on the RV, I am encouraged that I have a meeting with a bank loan officer this week to see if I can get prequalified for a smaller, newer model; discouragement from feeling like I'm starting another week getting no where fast, I'm encouraged to spend 1 hour daily redesigning my website; feeling like I completely forgot how to paint/draw, I pledge to get myself in the studio daily for quick master studies; not happy about being late on a couple of paintings, I'm dedicated to making at least 2 of them complete this week and following up on a possible portrait commission; discouragement that I got off course all week due to pet emergencies, I'm exceedingly grateful that Zoe is alive and well and will spend some time painting her portrait this week. (See the study for her portrait above.)

OK, so that's my week's plan. But what can I do in this moment that makes me walk in the direction of my dreams? Maybe it's to vacuum the house to clear the cob-webs of the mind; maybe it's to blog to set my thoughts straight; maybe it's to walk the dogs and listen to a new audio encouraging me to live my dreams; maybe it's to see how fast I can paint a 16x20 while jamming to Zeppelin with too much java. Maybe the point is to enjoy each moment of the day as if it IS your wildest dream. Not just thinking Sedona when in Austin, but living Sedona in Austin.

A side note, I must express my gratitude to the friends that hung out or made vet runs with me during the difficult week of nursing Zoe back to life, and for the many prayers said on her behalf by friends and family. And most of all to Zoe, who is such a great example of unstoppable love. Thank you, one and all.

Have you noticed that gratitude kicks discouragement's butt?

So let's kick butt this week, my friends. Your wildest dreams are waiting in each moment of today!

Dreams: Stepping stones to awakening

"This life is for awakening to who we are–
co-creators with God.
Our dreams are the stepping-stones to that awakening."
–Mary Manin Morrissey

............

From Daily Word for Women:

When I stop trying to make something happen and just allow myself to be in partnership with God in letting it happen, I am amazed with the results. Obstacles to my goals disappear and doors to opportunities open to me.

What may seem too simple is absolutely true: There is nothing more I need to do than to be open to and cooperate with God's presence in order to experience divine wonder in all matters– from daily routines to life-changing events.

I release all to God and remind myself, "I am in partnership with the one power of the universe." As if transported on the wings of spirit, I move from feeling concern to being one with God in creating a life order and peace.

In partnership with God, I experience divine wonder.