Staying the Course

Posted by Barbara Techel

(this is not the cover of my book– but I just like playing & seeing the title in print– it’s my encouragement to keep going)

My book has now officially finished the editing stage with editor extraordinaire, Yvonne Perry. What a ride!

There were times I didn’t want to stay the course, but I did.

I’m also in the midst of an intense 8 week on-line course with Dan Blank of We Grow Media.  This course is helping me to dig down deep as I transition from my children’s book series to my nonfiction book. It hasn’t been easy. I kept fearing I had to let go of what I worked so hard to build with Frankie and my audience of all the children we have mentored along the way. I kept wondering how I could gel the two together (children’s books and new book) and wondering how does that look in terms of my bigger purpose?  I wondered again as I did when I went through coaching with my life coach, Diane, How often do people really sit down and think all the way into the depths of their soul?

As with my new book, this course has really made me stop and think and I found myself not wanting to stay the course a few times. But yet I persevered. Why? It really hit home for me after lesson two of my class and really getting to the crux of what it is I stand for. And how can that help others?  Not only children, but adults as well.  I was thrilled after much intense work on re-doing my “About” page on my website as well as my tag line, it all came together to the core of what I want to share:

I encourage others to live with passion & authenticity & celebrate the human-animal bond which teaches us us to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

Reading my tag line is what keeps me staying the course.  Now begins the work of getting endorsements, someone to write foreword, write acknowledgements, have book cover designed, copyediting, and on and on the list goes… a list I’m happy to keep working on and moving forward.  Giving birth to a book is hard work, but it is also so amazingly rewarding.

We all have goals and dreams we are striving for in life. What keeps you staying the course?

Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate

Posted by Barbara Techel

I received the following quote  today (below)  from my dear friend, Julie.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’  Actually, who are you NOT to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.  It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” –Excerpt from Marianne Williamson’s book “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles”

I was touched beyond words that Julie said when she heard this verse during a movie she was watching that she instantly thought of me, and she shared with me that this is what I have taught her. She said that by letting my light shine and being me and believing in who I am, it has inspired her.

I write about how I played “small” often in my younger years because of my own insecurities (in my upcoming book) and didn’t grow tall until I was in my early 40’s. I wish I could change that it took me until a few years ago to do that, but I can’t regret the past– I can only move forward.

When we truly live into our authenticity we never know who we will affect around us, just like Marianne says. But we must do it because we are a piece of God- every one of us. Whether you call it God, , the Universe or higher source, it does not matter.  We are here to shine our light- to be the best we can be. And I think at the core of each and every one of us, we want to leave a mark on this world- to know that we mattered.  From my experience in the past 10 years and all I’ve learned since then, that when we let our light shine it truly is how we leave our mark on the world– and when we do that, the Universe automatically supports us.

I recently began an 8-week course that has me giving thought to my purpose (as I move forward with the release of my book) as one of the assignments. One of my purposes (of which I have many!) I’m writing about is how I want to help others not be afraid to live their own truth and to know and understand that joy is their birthright. I was having my doubts of how I was going to actually do just that. So there is no coincidence that I got this verse from my friend today, reminding me that this is part of my purpose…. and by just being me I am already living that purpose. Thank you to my friend, Julie for this reminder.

Now go out and shine your light! Each and every one of you!  And just imagine, what our world will be like when we all do just that. Brilliant, beautiful, and at peace.