My Heroine's Journey

[display_podcast] I had been so busy traveling the past weekend that I only listened to this recording a week after it arrived in my inbox. In that moment of listening I was able to feel the clarity and power of my own voice and my own story. Talk about a practice in acknowledgment!

I hope you enjoy Susanna Liller's expert interviewing skills, and some details from my journey that you might find helpful to you on your own hero's or heroine's journey.

The themes:

  • constantly leaving the comfort zone, finding my own edge
  • key conversations with people who catalyzed my "big leaps"
  • advice and (lack of) support along the way
  • following my own curiosity, being willing to learn and get involved in something, before getting paid for it
  • not having a "plan", but pointing in the direction of a desired goal and following a deep intuitive knowing
  • acknowledging what I want to do, versus what "everyone else" is telling me to do
  • from following the rules (and being rewarded for it) to finding freedom (and enjoying it)

What music will you bring into the world?

A few thoughts from my balcony this morning (including all the "and"s and "um"s of an unrehearsed, unedited vlog!):

And here's the clip from a group improvisation, created about 35 minutes into the workshop session. We had prepared ourselves through a series of listening meditations, breath improvisations, body work, and open sounding exercises.

The sacred space created from these collective activities is what enabled the pure freedom of sound you witness here. I post this with so much gratitude to the seven beautiful women who participated, and to my volunteer videographer!

Are you acknowledging or seeking acknowledgment?

I took a hike yesterday instead of gluing myself to my chair in front of the computer. Generated some clarity and some great ideas that I'm excited to share with you. Here's one of them:

My list got to about 30 items on that hike. Interesting how sometimes the hardest step in making lists like these is actually getting started. First there was a long silence. Then, once I set the intention of finding ways to acknowledge myself, things just started floating to the surface.

Today I'll set a time for 15 minutes and see how many items I can get to in that time.

Practice practice practice!

Revolutionizing Medicine...One Belief At A Time - Episode 4

Welcome to a weekly podcast where I’ll take physicians’ commonly held stressful beliefs and go through an inquiry process on each. I have recorded the questions so that you can listen and follow along, providing your own answers to the questions. It’s important to find YOUR OWN answers that feel true and genuine in your life. I’ve provided the recordings as a tool for slowing yourself down and taking the time to allow these questions to sit inside. [display_podcast]

*This process is based on The Work by Byron Katie. For more information, visit www.thework.com.

Today’s belief is “People need me to respond.”

The questions:

  1. Is it true?
  2. Can you know that it is absolutely, 100% true?
  3. How do you react, and how do you behave, when you believe the thought, “People need me to respond”?
  4. What is the payoff you get for believing the thought, “People need me to respond”?
  5. What are you afraid might happen if you didn’t believe the thought, “People need me to respond”?
  6. Who would you be, and how would you behave, if you didn’t believe the thought, “People need me to respond”?

Now turn the thought around, as I have done below. Find three genuine examples in your life for how each of these new thoughts is as true as the original thought.

  • People do not need me to respond.
  • I need people to respond.
  • My thoughts need me to respond.