Want to become a better person? Check out these blogs!

I'm honored that this blog has been included in the Massage Therapy Careers' list of 100 Blogs That Will Inspire You to be a Better Person.

Author Christina Laun says that "everyone needs a little help sometimes in getting motivated, feeling happy or just getting those creative juices flowing. Luckily, the Internet is full of places to find inspiration. These blogs can help you get moving towards your goals, whether you want to give back more to the community, feel better about yourself, or just get in shape.

Must Reads

These blogs are must-reads for anyone looking to get inspired. You’ll find everything from personal development tips to ways to be happier."

You'll find "You Already Know This Stuff" under the heading Personal Development.

Check out some of these blogs - they're outstanding!

Thanks, Christina!

Meeting the Aloha Lady!

I had the distinct pleasure to spend the morning with Rosa Say, author of Managing With Aloha: Bringing Hawaii's Universal Values to the Art of Business and co-founder of the blog Joyful Jubilant Learning, Say Leadership Coaching and too many other resources to mention.

I had a wonderful time with Rosa, who is just as delightful in person as I imagined her to be as a fan of her writing.

Rosa shared her Aloha with me and demonstrated Ho'okipa (hospitality) by meeting me at a Starbucks 45 minutes from her home and then driving me back to my resort after our meeting (which could have gone on forever if we didn't have other obligations).

Mahalo, Rosa, for your time and your wisdom!

The Audacity of Hope Alive and Well!

I just had to share this photo essay from the night before the election at a rally in Virginia. The photographer is Nida Vidutis. Click here for her Flikr link!

Enjoy!

What's Your Life's Metaphor?

I'm working on a feature story for a local magazine called OPEN and the subject is a wonderful woman who is multi-faceted and very beautiful. Of course, the first metaphor that brings to my mind is s diamond. But to me that is too cliche, so I got thinking about other metaphors that our lives represent, and that has led me to this blog post.

I'm in Hawaii today - and for the next 10 days - where I'm treated every morning to a westward looking view so I can see the sun coming up on the mountain outside my window, reflecting on the windows of the buildings in downtown Honolulu (not exactly an ocean view, but beautiful in its own right).

So I've been thinking this morning about metaphors for life. I came across a post from the Gaia Community called "What are your metaphors for life?" The author was talking about the study guide for What the Bleep and mentions ecophilosopher Joanna Macy's five central metaphors through which people in different spiritual traditions see the world:

world as battlefield,

world as classroom,

world as trap,

world as lover, and

world as self…

The authors added world as machine to the list…

There are many other metaphors for life…

A Journey

A Garden

A Battery

A Mission

A Prison

A Roller Coaster

A Mountain Climb

A Race

A Courtroom

What are your metaphors for life?

How much do you operate within each of these worldviews?

The metaphor I keep coming back to as I struggle to do justice to this wonderful woman's life story (in only 1500 words!) is a river. Rivers are always moving forward, even when we don't think they are; they're never a constant speed - there are rapids, floods, pools, eddies, reactions to outside forces; as humans we have cut new channels, meandered from the expected paths, migrated, evolved, carrying much to deposit elsewhere. Sometimes when the going of our lives gets tough, we need simply to turn around - not push the river but go with the flow.

What metaphors come to mind when you think about your life? Or life in general? How does that worldview shape what happens in your life - what happens to you?