by Diantha Harris | October 2015
This says it all. It’s our mistakes and errors that allow the light in! Ahh, I think I can relax a bit now. I hope you can too.
SPIRIT
How Being Imperfect Is Perfect
I don’t think anyone has been able to avoid knowing that my second book on color has just been unveiled. I’m so excited about this volume, and if I have overdone my introduction to it, hopefully I can be forgiven – because with 25 contributing professionals, the energy around this book has been so amazing!
But here’s the thing: there are plenty of errors still in the book in spite of having it professionally edited, in spite of reading and rereading the book several times, in spite of having several of poreover the copy time and again looking for errors. There are punctuation errors, grammar errors, spelling errors and on and on….
How can that happen? Well, you know what they say: Stuff Happens. And indeed, in spite of trying my best, the book is not perfect. It has helped that people have reminded me that there is no such thing as a perfect book. Or a perfect anything for that matter.
I believe that to be true. In spite of all our efforts, there is generally something, however small, that keeps things from being perfect. The Amish make a deliberate mistake in their art because they feel that no one and nothing is perfect except God and God’s creations. They feel it would be too presumptuous for anything that a human makes to be perfect, so they deliberately make it imperfect.
That got me thinking about how hard so many of us who tend toward perfectionism try to be perfect and what a strain that is.
There are some areas of my life in which I am completely content to be imperfect, but more areas in which I tend to strive for perfection. Really? How presumptuous of me!
So where and why did this drive for perfection start? To be noticed, even though I was safely tucked away in the middle of 3 children of the same gender? To live up to my high personal standards for myself? To be as good as I could be to please my parents and grandparents?
I’m not really sure.
What I do know is that my journey has included a great deal of letting go. And one thing I have had to let go of is the disappointment and shame I feel when I am not perfect or do not produce a perfect whatever (book, dinner, clean desk – fill the blank).
I am sharing this to let you know that if you also have a drive for perfection or if you ever feel you have let yourself or someone important to you down because the results were not perfect …
You are not alone.
In fact, I recently received a delightful email newsletter about embracing imperfection from Enchanting Marketing’ Henneke Duistermaat.
Henneke, a wise, engaging author, instructor, illustrator and marketing guru, graciously allowed me to include the art that accompanied her recent email. (That’s her drawing at the top of the page. Thanks, Henneke!)
Subscribe to Henneke’s newsletter to get free content marketing and copywriting tips (and more of her charming illustrations)!
NAMASTE
by Diantha Harris | September 2015
WELLBEING
Chakras
You have many energy centers, or chakras, in your body. The main ones align with your spine, from at the base of the spine and to the crown of the head following the colors of the rainbow.
Red represents the energy first chakra, at the base of the spine.
Orange is in the sacral area, just below the navel.
Yellow is in the solar plexus.
Green is at the heart.
Blue is at the throat.
Indigo is at the forehead.
Violet is at the crown of the head.
Understanding Chakras and Color Depletion
Each chakra relates to a gland, a system in your body, and physical, emotional, mental and spiritual issues. As you go through your challenges, you deplete the colors that relate to those challenges and need to replenish them, much as your body needs to replace nutrients.
You can use color from various items such as clothing, food, items around you, and other sources to replenish the colors that you need.
Two Resources for Your Color Supplementation
It is helpful to have a good book on color healing to consult when you need to figure out what is missing in your world.
Simply Color, Second Edition, is almost sold out. I have very few copies left so if you are considering the purchase of a good book on healing, I suggest you order one soon. Once they are gone, they are gone.
Simply Color for Everyday Living does not go into detail as deeply as Simply Color, but it gives so many, many ways in which to use color to your benefit.
Created with love, presented with love, our intention is that you find things in Simply Color for Everyday Living that will support your heart and healing and thatit becomes an adventure that creates joy.
Click here to buy the books!
Make Space … for More Understanding
We often find ourselves in situations that are challenging and we do not understand why, or what we are to do, or how to move through. These are the times when we might need more insight than we can find ourselves.
If you find yourself in a challenging situation and want to gain insight, wisdom, peace and relief, I invite you to have a reading with me. You can select an Akashic Records Reading, or a Shell Reading. Click here to read about them and click here to book an appointment.
Red to the Rescue
Any time you are feeling lethargic reach for the red Simply Color Spray. It will help energize you and support you throughout those days where we feel sluggish and slow!
MANY BLESSINGS
by Diantha Harris | February 2014
One of the things I have loved best about working with coach Deirdre Danahar these past few months has been her passion about helping people connect with their core essence and how that essence enhances their professional lives.
I know for myself, it wasn’t until I linked into my special gifts and the things that I do best that I was able to excel professionally (and oddly, personally as well).
In this spirit, I offer Deirdre’s second guest column.
How a Seed Catalog Can Help Your Career
February. Steel-gray skies, frozen lakes, white-cold fingers and toes. And yet it’s a gardener’s favorite time of year: the seed catalogs begin to arrive with their flashy covers and pages and pages of divine possibility.
As you’re leafing through the pages, imagining the fruits, the scents and the colors in your own back yard, I’d like to encourage you to take time to consider your personal and professional “garden.”
Is it time to plant new “seeds” of professional development? Of personal growth?
The seeds in your personal “catalog” are your best-of-self traits, like kindness, Social Intelligence, appreciation of excellence and beauty, honesty (and others). All natural and organic, your best-of-self traits transcend your skills and competencies: they’re the foundational character strengths you were born with (versus skills you learned over time).
Your Seeds Come in a Variety Pack
Your “variety seed pack” is a unique-to-you mix of 24 best-of-self traits. (Research ((http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx)) shows that we all share the same 24 character traits and that each of us has our own mix of top, middle and lower traits.)
- Top-level traits (hardy perennials) are the 3 to 5 traits you use so innately and effortlessly, you often take them for granted as personality traits, not the high-level character strengths they truly are.
- Middle-level traits (perennials that need specific sun and soil conditions) are the strengths you can easily and reliably call upon when needed.
- Lower-level traits (delicate perennials that bud only in precise situations) are those that you call on least often and that take the most effort for you to do so.
Using your best-of-self traits with intention and thoughtfulness is essential to cultivating a fulfilling career (and to living your best life). You learn faster. You feel energized, satisfied and most true to yourself when you use your best-of-self traits. You have greater confidence when you take on new projects, and you have more compassion for yourself as you learn new skills.
How to Cultivate Your Best-of-Self Traits
When I work with clients to cultivate their best-of-self traits, we use a two-part approach: (1) identifying your best-of-self traits in concrete terms and (2) bringing them fully into your work and life.
I’d like to share a simple way for you to begin identifying your best-of-self traits.
Sort Your Seeds
Take a few minutes to write down your answers to the questions below.
• What do people consistently say you do well or compliment you about?
• What do you most value about yourself and the way you work? (Don’t be humble!)
• Which of your traits are sometimes too much, even for those who know you well?
Sow Your Seeds
Now read through what you have written and highlight, circle or underline the words and phrases that feel most true to your heart. Cluster the words and phrases that seem alike. Those clusters reflect your best-of-self traits. Perhaps you see a knowledge cluster (perspective, curiosity, creativity) or a relationship cluster (generosity, compassion, kindness). Brainstorm 3 to 5 ways you can use each cluster more purposefully in your work (or personal life).
Tend Your Seeds
This week, commit to taking on one of the ideas from your brainstorm session. Don’t worry about creating a plan or a schedule, just start by taking one step. By the way, feeling awkward or messy is a normal part of the process. It means you’re stretching, growing. And it doesn’t matter if your step is small or big, a quick sure stride or a tiptoe. What matters is that you take the step.
I’d love for you to email me to let me know about the seeds you planted and what’s sprouting for you.
Deirdre Danahar is a business, leadership and life coach for entrepreneurs and creative professionals (www.inmotioncc.com). She’s a transplanted New Englander living in Jackson, Mississippi, with her husband and alarmingly large cat.
www.inmotioncc.com
newsletter & free workbook http://tinyurl.com/inmotionnewsletter
deirdre@inmotioncc.com
@deirdredanahar https://twitter.com/DeirdreDanahar
601-362-8288
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Thank you Deirdre for again sharing your wisdom and passion with us!
You can get more of Deirdre’s goodness in her free workbook, 7 Rules for Making a Life, Not Just a Living, when you subscribe to her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/inmotionnewsletter
