Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise intentionality today!

The Seven Social Sins, attributed to Mahatma Gandhi:

Wealth without work.

Pleasure without conscience.

Knowledge without character.

Commerce without morality.

Science without humanity.

Worship without sacrifice.

Politics without principle.

As a nation, as humankind, we appear to be drifting deeply into depravity, cavorting with corruption, endorsing inequity, and sanctioning insignificance. If we’re wondering where to begin to turn things around, the list above may be a good start.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise birthing today!

James Baldwin, an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist wrote:

An old world is dying and a new one, kicking in the belly of its mother, time, announces that it is ready to be born. The birth will not be easy and many of us are doomed to discover that we are exceedingly clumsy midwives.

What’s begging to be born? What would serve us best as an echo of the past and a stimulus for better? The birthing process may not be easy; however, the future calls us to endure the contractions and facilitate the delivery of what it takes to become our individual and collective better selves.

Activist Baldwin reminds us that:

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

We are challenged to stare into the face of our struggles and address them with intelligence, empathy, and grace. No matter how inelegant our doula skills, let’s open opportunities to be brave parents of a better tomorrow.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise health and happiness today!

Earlier in the week my brother-in-law, a retired doctor, sent me this:

It is a poor government that does not realize that the prolonged life, health and happiness of its people are its greatest asset.

It is possible for a country to become great and sustain significance while creating poverty based on inequity, access and quality of education based on zip code, limited or inability to access effective health care, policies and practices that support injustice, economic structures that ensure wealth for a few and scraps for the majority?

America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good America will cease to be great.               

  ~ Alexis de Toucqueville

To survive, let alone thrive, it appears we need to look to our collective goodness and revisit the ways in which we live.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise unplugging today!

The notion of: Life is fast whether you’re wasting time or not has sabotaged any attempt to unwind my entire life and constantly riddled me with guilt into a need of doing at all times. This, my birthday month, is always one of deep reflection. I’m reminded of how grateful I am for another way to think about time, efficiency, and life itself:

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it, even you. ~ Anne Lamott

Why was it so hard for me to press pause, unplug and let go of being productive for over 6 decades?!

Today I give myself permission to read those books on the bottom of the pile, take a stab at all kinds of art even when the end result is unsatisfying, do things for the for sheer pleasure of it, let go of concerns and “to dos” for a while, luxuriously ponder without remorse, and indulge in moments of doing absolutely nothing.

During those times that I ran so rapidly through life I not only missed the scenery, sometimes I completely missed where I was going and why. It’s invigorating to stop, relax, and breathe more in.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise, intelligent transformation today!

Is there anyone who did not, with genuine awe, experience the inaugural artistry written and delivered with amazing grace by the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history? 

Amanda Gorman completed her poem “The Hill We Climb,” after watching extremists storm the Capitol, stating, “I’m not going to in any way gloss over what we’ve seen.” Beginning with:

When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

Change begins with awareness, acceptance of the truth, and a sincere commitment to transformation. Perhaps, as a nation, we stand at the brink of reformation.

This 22 year old poet reminds us: We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace

Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished

We’re simply unfinished. As a nation, we continue to write our story. And, in that process we can lean on, even depend on government to be responsible for holding the pen. However, we share the responsibility in creating a future that holds opportunities for all as we attempt to create the yet completed more perfect union.

When day comes we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

Will this republic we share survive? Will we finally begin to listen to the chronicles of generations who have been left out of the great American dream, no matter how hard they’ve tried? Shall we sit in brutal honesty and accept the truth of policies and practices that have restricted specific citizens, marginalizing them, pushing them to the edge of society, not allowing them a place within it. It requires a good amount of us to take a deep and truthful look in our collective mirror for the healing process to have a glimpse of a chance.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise action today!

Hank Aaron left us last week at the age of 86. He was described as a kind, modest, gentleman who endured severe racism, especially on his journey to break Babe Ruth’s home run record. This would have been a glorious time for most players, moving toward achieving a dream. Instead, he was booed on the field and couldn’t go anywhere without security, constantly worried about his family because of all the death threats.

When asked, “How do you want to be remembered, he talked of being a husband, father and grandfather, then continued:

God gave me the talent to play the game. And, I did everything humanly possible to play the game as it was supposed to be played.

I pray that the white supremacists that we’re seen surface over the last few years, committing horrific acts, including the storming of our own White House, armed with ammunition, lynching ropes, and handcuffs are only a sliver of our population. However, I fear too many are unable or unwilling to acknowledge their white privilege, condemn the actions of such hate, and involve themselves in helping to make things better.

Step number one to change is awareness.  The wake-up call has been loud and clear for too long. It’s time. It’s beyond time.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise change today!

As I live this first month of a New Year, I contemplate specific changes I want to make as the rest of the months unfold. 

Although I may not remember when I first read who said what, there are thoughts that have stayed with me from the first time I read them:

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.

Change is painful, but less painful than staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.

Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

All things are difficult before they are easy.

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but few think of changing themselves.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

All change starts with self.

God willing, we’ll have 11 more months of 2021 to make changes that will make a difference with what matters most.

No better day than today to start the process.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise healing today!

If you’re reading this, I will imagine you love this country as much as I do. And, the events over the last week have been gut wrenching. Democracies are fragile and need to be understood and sustained by their people. Former first lady Michelle Obama, in a statement addressing last Wednesday’s violence at our sacred US Capitol reminds us of OUR responsibility now:

The work of putting America back together, of truly repairing what is broken, isn’t the work of any individual politician or political party. It’s up to each of us to do our part. To reach out. To listen. And to hold tight to the truth and values that have always led this country forward. It will be an uncomfortable, sometimes painful process. But if we enter into it with an honest and unwavering love of our country, then maybe we can finally start to heal.

Many have felt the need for healing for quite some time now.  The restorative process is not easy nor without pain, however, if we want our republic to sustain itself, the great experiment we are experiencing needs our help. If not you, who?  If not now, when? If now together, how?

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise habit forming today!

Here we are . . . 2021. Reflecting upon the past and welcoming the new, many think about things they began doing differently in 2020. Some we did so routinely they became new habits. It’s now time to make intentional decisions about what to carry into the New Year and what to leave behind. Centuries ago, Aristotle reminded us:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Character rises from an amalgamation of our patterns . . . as you sow, so shall you reap. January 2022 will appear faster than we expect. We will, once again, look back with satisfaction or regret. So, let’s welcome the New Year with deliberation, purpose, and resolve as our behaviors become expressions of who we are through the consistent, unconscious patterns in our daily lives.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise creation today!

Well, here we are, about to turn the page on another new chapter. A New Year awaits; empty pages lie ahead. Pick up your pen and intentionally inscribe each day with purpose and clarity as you give attention to that which matters most, with the knowledge that all will not evolve as we want, rather as it will be. Eckhart Tolle reminds us:

Accept – then act.

Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.

Always work with it, not against it.

This will miraculously transform your life.

Hum . . . not certain I can always practice this notion; however, intuitively know it has profound power to convert frustration and anger to hope and increased personal governance.

.

.

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

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com