January 10, 2012 | Category: Uncategorized
Billy Idol showed up first. He wanted to install a pull-up bar in my bathroom. Awesome. A few weeks later, Jon Bon Jovi invited me to lunch. Awesome AND delicious.
Okay yes, these extraordinary events happened while I was asleep. And now I am publicly sharing my music groupie tendencies for your entertainment. Everyone has bizarre dreams, but I found it remarkable that two rockstars had walk-on roles in my subconscious. I don’t usually remember dreams so why did Billy and Jon make solo appearances? I’m no dream expert, but felt I should pay attention.
I tried to tease out the message. Okay, they are musicians. And sure, I love music. Actually, I really REALLY love music. It is my drug of choice and I crave it the way any reasonable person craves a hot Krispy Kreme.
I kept digging. What is better than loving music? Playing music. What would be fun to play? Oh definitely the drums. I’d love to play the drums. Welllllllll…that answer stunned me. I had pretty much forgotten about my dream to be a drummer. What?! That goal was buried deep in my mind and those big time rock and rollers reminded me it was there.
I’m not one for bold, sweeping New Year’s goals. I find that the tiny ones are more likely to stick. And speaking of sticks, I’m gonna get me some.
What about you? What message is your soul sending? I invite you to listen for a whisper (or rebel yell). Stay open to subtle signs and synchronicities. You may be tempted to instantly dismiss what you see, hear or feel. Hold up – and try to tease out valuable information about your heart’s desires. I promise that the messages from your intuitive mind are the ones that will generate the most joy.
Thirsty for more inspiration? Well, lean in.
Martha Beck has written a new book, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World, and I’m hosting a virtual book club to celebrate.
Oh, it’s going to be wild.
Wild and FREE.
Martha Beck is smart – three Harvard degrees smart – and yet she is still hilarious. More importantly, she is sharing tools that can transform your life. And since I want to be smart and hilarious, I plan to read her book immediately and repeatedly. Won’t you join me? Pour yourself some tea, wine or Rockstar and get on the horn with your tribe.
Feb 9, Feb 16, Feb 23 and Mar 1: 6:00p – 7:15p Pacific Time
FREE!
To join, send me an email. You have plenty of time to dig in before book club begins. You can get your copy of the book right here:
Finding Your Way in a Wild New World is a remarkable path to the most important discovery you can make: the knowledge of what you should be doing with your one wild and precious life. It’s a journey to the thing that so fulfills you that, if someone told you, “It’s right outside-but watch out-it could kill you!” you’d run straight toward it, through the screen door without even opening it. Life coach and bestselling author of Finding Your Own North Star Martha Beck guides you to find out how you got to where you are now and what you should do next with clear, concrete instructions on tapping into the deep, wordless knowledge you carry in your body and soul.
Who can resist all that? Hope to find you there.
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December 16, 2011 | Category: Uncategorized
Looking for some inspiration? Well, lean in.
Martha Beck has written a new book, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World, and I’m hosting a virtual book club to celebrate.
Oh, it’s going to be wild.
Wild and FREE.
Martha Beck is smart — three Harvard degrees smart — and yet she is still hilarious. More importantly, she is sharing tools that can transform your life. And since I want to be smart and hilarious, I plan to read her book immediately and repeatedly. Won’t you join me? Pour yourself some tea or wine or Rockstar and get on the horn with your tribe.
February 9, February 16, February 23 and March 1: 6:00p – 7:15p PACIFIC TIME
FREE!
To join, email me at wendy@damnthirsty.com.
Martha’s book comes out on December 27 so you have plenty of time to dig in before book club begins. You can get your copy right here:
Description
Finding Your Way in a Wild New World is a remarkable path to the most important discovery you can make: the knowledge of what you should be doing with your one wild and precious life. It’s a journey to the thing that so fulfills you that, if someone told you, “It’s right outside—but watch out—it could kill you!” you’d run straight toward it, through the screen door without even opening it. Life coach and bestselling author of Finding Your Own North Star Martha Beck guides you to find out how you got to where you are now and what you should do next with clear, concrete instructions on tapping into the deep, wordless knowledge you carry in your body and soul.
Who can resist all that? Hope to find you there.
Wendy
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November 17, 2011 | Category: Desire, Letting Go
Ready for something crazy-cool? Last month I attended a workshop on leadership and communication for entrepreneurs. What was CRAZY is that the teachers were horses. No fooling. Sure, there were two-footed facilitators, but I was going to learn from horses.
The frustrating thing about horses is they don’t understand English — or any spoken language for that matter. So, how can I learn about leadership and communication without speaking? You neigh-sayers won’t believe this, but I was able to get horses to walk, run and stop without saying a word, using gestures or touching them. COOL. And I was able to do this more than once — and with different horses. Yee haw!
How does this work? It may sound bananas, but I visualized what I wanted and that freakin’ horse responded. The trick is, I had to be in “the flow”. You may be thinking, what the hay is flow?
And so….COACH WENDY PRESENTS: The Lowdown on Flow.
Flow happens when:
* You are present and completely into what you are doing.
* You are perfectly challenged – the task is not too easy or too hard.
* Your intention is clear.
* You cue it up and let it go.
So what does that ACTUALLY look like? I settled into the moment by focusing on what I was thinking and feeling. I watched the horse. I slowed down my breathing. I imagined the horse “joining up” with me and then I released any expectation that he would actually do it. I was willing to experience any outcome.
This is key, people. If I am anxious, the horse will be anxious. My job is to stay peaceful and clear.
When the horse senses that I am clear about what I want to do, he becomes comfortable with me as the leader. Once this connection is established, the horse follows directions without me saying a word. AMAZING. Since he doesn’t understand English, the smarty-pants horse is focused on subtle, non-verbal cues. I could also share some facts about conscious versus subconscious perception, but who really cares? Boeing 747s fly through the air all day long and that makes no sense.
We don’t have to understand something for it to work.
Are there places in your life where you are not getting the results you desire? You may want to consider whether or not your intentions are clear. Do you feel anxious about things going a certain way? Imagine letting go of the need to control what is happening and see if you feel calmer. I guarantee that your perspective will change when you decide to loosen up on the reigns.
Start using some horse sense and you can become a crazy-cool flow rider. If you need help, I’ll be standing by – with boots on. 
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July 25, 2011 | Category: Letting Go, Peace
I’ve been saying this a lot lately — mostly to clients who are acting all graspy and tight. My chiropractor was stressin’ about his new relationship and I said, “Loosen your grip, man.”
I say it to myself all the time so I figured I’d better write about it. To prepare, I asked a client what this particular prescription did for her and she sent back a short essay. Shazam! See what happens when you let go? Hope you enjoy her response-
Loosen your grip, man.
Relax
Breathe
Step away
Let it go
It is not a question, request or threat. It is a command – but a cool one.
This is one of the most powerful tools I use. It connects directly to my ability to calm down physically and emotionally. It provides a mental picture of loosening my grip – either on a steering wheel or something I am holding with my hand. Sometimes I imagine my hand dropping something. Having that visual gives my brain a distraction – and snaps me out of my stress or fear or whatever for a split second. And that is usually enough to provide some relief or to ground myself a bit so I can look at what is bothering me from a more relaxed and peaceful place.
I usually take a deep breath when I hear that phrase. My hands relax; my shoulders sink. The “man” at the end sets the tone of beach, surfer, enjoy the day, mellow, vacation type of thing. And I can hear Wendy saying it – and she is a surfer, beach girl living in the land of perpetual sunshine and that also makes me relax because my brain associates Wendy with calm, support, peace and validation.
I like the steering wheel scenario best because it gets my mind going (in a good way). I see my hands on the steering wheel and feel them relaxing – then I think about enjoying the scenery or the song on the radio. I can feel the breeze or savor the quiet of the muted outside world. I want to experience joy on the journey – not squeeze it out because I am gripping the wheel and focusing on stressful thoughts. After all, it’s just a thought, man.
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May 5, 2011 | Category: Dreams, Inspiration
I have always wanted to be a surfer girl. Most of my childhood was spent in the Midwest so I dreamed of living near the beach. I longed to be an athlete who could dance on water. Surfers are undeniably cool — ask anyone.
When I was 40, I moved from Seattle to San Diego for the warm and sunny benefits. My new home was three blocks from the beach and surfers were everywhere. They rode beach cruisers with surfboards under their arms. In fact they surf all year long. I admired their passion, commitment and above all, their guts. Even the old guys were out there — while I watched from the sidelines.
I bumped into my surfing dream every day, but I was not getting in the water. Instead, I watched surf documentaries, attended surf competitions, and bought surf books, Hurley sweatshirts and Roxy bikinis. I wandered into surf shops to gaze at the gear and speak to 17 year olds about board design and dynamics. I was moving as close as possible to surfing without actually touching it. So what the hell was going on?
I did not want to be disappointed.
I did not want the experience to be less than what I had imagined. What if I was a surf dud? What if my inner athlete/rock star/daredevil failed me? What if I was deficient in guts and grit? There is no vitamin for that.
Oh wait, yes there is. Turns out you can transform fear into fuel.
First, I realized that NOT SURFING was a big, fat drag. Avoiding disappointment was only causing more disappointment. Ironic? You bet.
Second, I remembered that anything worth doing is worth doing, period. The heart wants what it wants. Turning away from a heart’s desire felt like I had my jeans on backward – uncomfortable and wrong. The moment I accepted any and all surfing outcomes, my resistance evaporated. And once I was in the water and on a surfboard, I was ridiculously happy. I had engaged the dream and anything beyond that would be a bonus.
And now, here is the Official List of Wendy’s Surf Dream Bonuses:
1. We were the first ones on the beach.
2. The waves were just my size.
3. I was not cold.
4. Also in the water were whales and Luna, a surfing dog.
5. Although I crashed a ton, I actually rode several waves.
6. Even when I crashed, I was fine.
7. I laughed a whole lot.
8. Cheap champagne never tasted better.
From my dream-avoidance state, I could not envision a kickass outcome such as this. My brain could not even imagine surfing with whales or a dog. I did not allow room for how good it could be. Makes me ponder where else I am limiting my dreams by seeing only part of what is possible.
Instead of pushing off your dreams, suck ‘em up and become a Dream Hoover like me. Eureka!*
*eureka [yoo-ree-kuh]: used to express delight on finding, discovering or solving something, or finally succeeding in doing something.
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