Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise loving today!

Like many, I watched portions of the royal processions for Queen Elizabeth II, with vivid memories of William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin years ago. Grief is a heavy emotion; however, the feelings of deep loss linger in the experience of profound love. As The Queen expressed:

Grief is the price we pay for love.

Through the pain, sorrow can serve as a reminder of the enduing impact that those we cherish have on our lives.

Let’s remember another message The Queen left us:

Of course, every generation faces fresh challenges and opportunities. As we look for new answers in the modern age, I for one prefer the tried and true recipes, like speaking well of each other and respecting different points of view; coming together to seek out common ground; and never losing sight of the bigger picture. To me, these approaches are timeless, and I commend them to everyone.

Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com                                                          

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise celebration today!

Seth Godin, entrepreneur, former dot com business executive, and best-selling author recently asked the question:

If today was a holiday in your honor, what would it be about? 

Well, today is our firstborn’s birthday, and, just like every year since her birth, I reflect upon my respect, awe, and gratitude for the person she continues to choose to become. Today, I celebrate her relentless courage, uncommon grace, consistent patience, deep compassion, her pursuit to understand, her never-ending learning, and her desire to make life better for others.

I honor her intentional work to be an exceptional mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, family member, business woman, and responsible citizen. I stand in awe of her learned mastery to manage it all, especially when it’s difficult, with rare kindness and optimism often mentioned by her NYC clients, colleagues, and friends. One of her clients calls her “Sunshine with legs.” I completely agree.

So, let me ask you: If you examine everything about yourself – your attributes, your work, your impact, your reputation – what would be the positive picture that would be created? What sort of slogans, banners, or greetings would be used to celebrate you and your contributions to Earth?

We are complex humans and it’s never accurate to boil down a person or organization’s work to a simple sentence or two, but we do it anyway. And, perhaps it’s a step in the intentionality of creating the reality of your choice. If you could distill your essence in a concise, succinct statement, would it be?

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com                                                          

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise patience today!

Thank goodness for gardening. There’s something sacred about digging in dirt, perennially anticipating beauty and splendor, and enjoying the blooms of loving labor. Since learning is transferrable the process reaches beyond the garden beds and into daily life.

Like many others, I often notice myself ranting about slow progress, pushing against obstacles, and impatiently attempting to force results, sometimes in direct opposition to life’s natural rhythms.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century reminds us:

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.

Ah, the lesson and the difficulty!

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise learning today!

We’ve all heard that mistakes are a critical part of the process of learning and success. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to take the risks the course of life requires.

In moments of hesitation or after I’ve made the “error,” I’ve found the words of Miles Davis, trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz, beneficial:

If you hit a wrong note, it’s the next note that you play that determines if it’s good or bad.

I guess it’s a version of It’s not how many times you fall down, it’s how many times you get up. And, HOW you get up.  What’s the next step?

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise learning today!

In moments of feeling confused, tired, annoyed, even exhausted in a world that changes daily and is so often fraught with intentional misinformation, I try to remember Leonardo da Vinci’s words:

Learning never exhausts the mind.

When the mind feels cluttered, frustrated, or exasperated, sitting down with a good book, conversing with a wise person, staring at nature, savoring a different culture, or sitting in silence to listen to your higher self can reduce the exhaustion, increase the calm, and may result in exceptional erudition. Time for a needed brain break?

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise appreciation today!

Like most of us, you’ve probably coveted someone else’s looks, skills, or other attributes you perceive you do not possess. And, like many, you may have even had a few moments of ugly envy. In those moments, it may be helpful to remember Judy Garland’s notion:

Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of someone else.

There are absolutely no benefits in comparing ourselves to another. However, there is significant value in appreciating who we are, what we have, and all we bring to the world.  Celebrate who you are, what you offer, and the puzzle piece you contribute to make the world complete.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise loving today!

If you ever find yourself worried about the plight of our existence and the seeming triumph of evil, you may find benefit in Helen Keller’s advice:

It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount loving their fellow men, the devil would die its own tracks of ennui.

Looking around at today’s world, Helen’s suggestion that we give power to “the devil” by our attention and lack of intentional focus on purposeful love may be worth pondering.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise love today!

In a volatile world of turmoil, hostility, and destruction, it’s easy to bend toward extremes of giving up, depression or frustration from feeling helpless and powerless. Mother Teresa offered us advice:

If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.

Every thought we entertain, every decision we make, and every action we take influences more than just our individual life. When we judge, compare, hate, extend compassion, help, or love we welcome more of it into the world.  

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise happiness today!

Michael J. Fox first grabbed attention with his role in Family Ties, continuing hissuccess with popular films such as Back to the Future and Teen Wolf.  While working on the sitcom Spin City, he publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In the decades that followed, and despite worsening symptoms, he continued to act and do voice-over work while advocating for people living with the disease. Perhaps as a result of his circumstances he stated:

My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations.

Every human has their challenges; some more demanding than others. It might be beneficial to reexamine our relationship with expectations and our ability to accept.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise doing today!

James Dean, a hot actor in my youth, starred in the film adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel East of Eden, for which he received a posthumous Oscar Award. Later, he played a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause, in which he starred as troubled teenager.

Killed in a tragic car accident at the tender age of 24, James understood a wisdom beyond his years:

The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.

Fully experience the tasks, the responsibilities, the boring routines, the repetitive practice of what it is we do. This will not only inject increased, intentional joy into the process, it welcomes us to simply savor the expedition of experiences rather than fixate on production. Profound learning I wish I understood earlier.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com