Category: encouragement to foster growth and love

Thoughts and ideas to support others in their quest to be of value to the world.

Your humanity and healing.

Your humanity and healing.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Part of being a human is dealing with the hard parts of being human. There are times when the Band-Aid we apply to our emotional wound is just what we need to stop the bleeding. There are times when the Band-Aid laughs in our face, because it knows a tiny bit of gauze won’t do when a tourniquet is needed. The thing is, humans are responsible for figuring out what they need to help stop the bleeding and ease the pain. You do that by taking the time to listen to your own knowing. It’s helpful to talk to others about what works for them in their moments of trial, but it’s necessary to check in with yourself too and talk openly and honestly to see what’s going on. Understanding what helps in your healing means taking the time to know what salve to apply, what treatment to undertake and how much time you need to foster your own healing. Believing that you are worthy of that time and attention is where you have to start. We spend our time and energy on those things we deem valuable even when some of those things clearly do more harm for us than good. Look at what you use to cope and be sure it falls under the healing category and not the hurting category. Look at where you invest your time. Look at what you polish and shine. And make sure that you are a major recipient of those healing things, time, polish and shine. When you regularly practice caring for and loving every part of your own humanity, you will come to learn your own value and have a much easier time seeing it in others. You’ll start to just know with every bone in your body, that you deserve loving attention and time to heal just for being born. That is the birthright of every human being that graces this planet and no matter what, you will always be worthy of that promise.

When we’re physically wounded, we tend to give ourselves more understanding and time to recover. When our emotional wounds cause our suffering, our patience and understanding isn’t always what it should be considering our brokenness. The struggle for recovery from the things that hurt us emotionally is very, very real. Speeding through that healing and not taking the time to fully heal, may lessen the pain, but not move you into full recovery. You just go into remission. Physical and emotional healing is a step-by-step process. It requires grit and traveling to a place where you lay it all out and keep it very real. Sometimes it’s healing, then setback, followed by the same pattern until the bones knit back together or the soul stops aching when the wind blows. Humans in pain want to end the pain, because of how much it hurts. That makes sense. But, to recover from pain, you’ve got to listen to what your humanity is telling you to do, not what you’ve been conditioned to do. Being a human-doer to avoid, gloss over or quickly move through a process of healing may, at its best, only bring on remission. Allowing yourself to be a human being promotes a more complete healing step by painful step. In your human being-ness, you honor the time you need, the treatment you require and you take the pill of self-compassion as needed.

Being intentional in your search for respite when you need it, will sustain your recovery. Practicing strategies like pushing away negative thoughts and behaviors with positive thoughts and actions is one way to help keep you on track. Making time to meditate as a form of respite and learning may also help too. When you check your heart rate, just check your soul rate as well. We have all kinds of gadgets and gizmos that tell us how hard we’re working physically and help us monitor when to push and when to ease back. Doesn’t your emotional and spiritual health deserve some monitoring too? Put your hands on your heart, take some slow deep breaths and feel. That’s how you check your soul rate. Taking the time to monitor your human being-ness is how you check in to see and feel how hard you are working and when to push and when to ease back. Be honest with yourself. If you believe in the readings you receive from your physical health monitors, then by all means believe in what your soul is registering too. You may not like what it says all the time, but answers and healing abound if you take the time to look at it and listen. Let go of what you believe your healing timeline and progress should be and focus on what could be. You need patience, not pressure. You need hopefulness, not negativity. You need mercy, not judgement. You need self-love, not self-loathing. You need every part of your humanity to love, heal and grow to become all you’re meant to be, so do it in a way that benefits all of you. Value your human being-ness and give it the time, attention and love it deserves no matter how messy it gets. Bandage your soul with what you know it needs, so when it’s time to shine again, they’ll be nothing holding you back.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. Are you aware of those things that you need to foster your own healing? Why or why not?
  2. Deserving love and attention is your birthright. What gets in the way of honoring that?
  3. Do you allow yourself more time/struggle to heal from physical wounds than emotional wounds? Why/why not?
  4. What’s the difference between always being a human-doer instead of a human-being?
  5. When do you fall into that space of “what should be” concerning your efforts or accomplishments? Does it add to or negate your efforts?

Safety.

Safety.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Making yourself smaller doesn’t necessarily make you safer. If you’re crouching in the woods hiding from danger, maybe rolling into a tight ball and burrowing might keep you unseen and safer. But if you’ve learned to make yourself “invisible” because you’ve done so in the past to seek safety, it’s time to rethink that strategy. Hiding may feel safe sometimes, but is it all the time? Your body may be safe crouched in that tight ball, but your mind is far from feeling safe. You can only experience what you invite or see in your confined space and that can make everything else unknown, intimidating or scary. You don’t know safety until you take a chance, unravel yourself out of that tight ball, and learn that you can do tough things and figure stuff out. It’s the only way to develop trust in yourself and others. You learn that for the most part, things work out pretty ok if you take a chance, because it’s happened to you or you’ve witness it with others. You’ve got to leave the safety of your confines to see that and know it’s true. That truth provides a very meaningful sense of safety, encourages you to step out into the world and leave your footprint proving you are here, ready to go and try. Maybe you’re motivated to leave your self-imposed confines because you’ve come to the realization that if you never step forward, you’ll always be in the same place and that place is starting to stink. That’s a good reason to step out and take a chance too.

You took a big chance, a big step when you were defenseless and reliant on your caregivers. You walked. You were fearless and you had faith that viewing the world from your feet instead of your knees would change everything. And it did. You pulled yourself up by holding onto someone or something and moved towards the cheers of those calling your name. Your gait had a Frankenstein-like quality but you kept your eyes on world from a new perspective and moved from the safety of your knees to your two tiny feet. You fell a lot and maybe even got hurt too. But if you’re walking now, it’s proof that you cried, pulled yourself up and walked again. You were the bravest walker ever. You focused on progressing from two steps to thousands, one day branching out and walking towards other babies as courageous as you. You didn’t stop walking because you feared you weren’t going to do it perfectly. You progressed step by awkward step eventually running, skipping and dancing towards a new space, a new experience and new people. Because of your willingness to step in a new direction, the whole walking thing brought about relationships and experiences that allowed you to trust in yourself and others. That feels safe, so you took more chances like jogging, playing basketball or riding a bike. Your progression never would have happened if you chose to stay in your comfort zone and on your knees. By taking your first step you connected with people, nature and the world. Healthy connections allow us to feel safe and remind us why we fight to remain standing.

If you never take the chance to experience something new and see that you can handle it, then everything is going to seem scary. It could go well or it could go not so well. When it doesn’t go well, you get the chance to make things right, chart another path or learn that it’s ok to accept help. You join the group of other brave souls that left the safety of their rooms, because they believed like you, that we all can find a deeper sense of safety when we experience life with each other. Alone in our own heads and space never gives us the opportunity to build the social callus we need to strengthen our resolve and take another chance on this world. We are not alone in our fear of taking the first step. Most people we encounter are good, doing the best they can and they mess up sometimes. The thing is, you’ll never feel comradery with that group if you stay inside your space or your own head believing that’s the only way to feel safe. You’ll never know what it feels like to be secure in your own abilities or feel the love and support of others who are working on feeling secure too.

The universe shivers when you say “Aw hell no!” to taking a chance or moving in a different direction because of fear. Fear didn’t stop you from walking when you were a baby. That’s why the universe shakes her head in confusion and patiently waits. Fear will have you believe it’s safer staying on your knees, because you’re less likely to get hurt or feel embarrassed. Maybe that’s true in some cases. But, if you never take a chance, you’ll never know love or witness how the universe will guide you if you’re open to all possibilities. The Divine and her universe will always wait in hopeful anticipation for your consent, since it’s the only way to catch her flow and get started in doing your life’s work. The Divine will give you the time and space you need to fall, to be held and get up again even when your reply is a scared, meek “Yes.” There’s a sense of protection, safety and security in knowing we can rise and figure stuff out when we hold hands with others and the Divine as we ride the current of the universe. That’s scary and safe at the same time, but much less scary then never trying at all.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. Do you feel a sense of safety when you isolate? Why or why not?
  2. Think of an instance when you moved out of your comfort zone and took a chance. Why did you do so and what have you learned because you did?
  3. How would your life look if you focused more on your progress instead of perfection?
  4. What does it feel like or what are you reminded of when you speak to other folks who express fear in taking chances too?
  5. Do you believe the Divine and the universe provide you opportunity? Why/why not?

Rise and shine.

Rise and shine.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The sun doesn’t race its way out into the sky every morning hell bent on being the first one awake. It’s a paced, steady, slow process. No matter how loudly we complain about the sun being hidden away by clouds, she breaks through into full majesty in her own way. If you watch her ascension closely enough, the sun’s colors change in and around her as she takes on the process of rising. That means there’s much going on inside and outside the sun’s being. She’s not affected by the inpatient and fast-paced wants of those who suggest she move quicker or take a different path. The sun would never alter her grand entrance and give up her “ta-da” moment for anyone. She knows that if the world just lets her be, she will gracefully emerge whole and bright with a power to shine gloriously on everything around her. If the frantic could just slow down and relax, then maybe she’d have an easier time shining brightly with dazzling colors illuminating from her own light. The sun needs to follow it’s own process because if not, life on this planet would be so different and not nearly as beautiful.

Take a tip from the sun and slow down. Some answers or next steps don’t come that quickly and require discernment and a look around. Letting the process of your life unfold in a steady manner may leave you feeling like an outlier. You may have been told that if you don’t have a concrete plan that keeps you powerwalking 24/7 or don’t require a post it note to remind yourself to pee, your life will be a mess. They’re wrong. Oh the sun has a plan. She just lays it out on her time using her methods and inner-knowing. She keeps it moving, trusts herself and the universe. She knows the clouds will eventually fade away or knows that she’ll find a way to put out more life-giving light to evaporate what hinders her from shining. The process of the sun rising is the sun’s business and no one else’s. She’s the best one for the job because she works everyday trying to get it right. The sun follows her own path and that keeps her grounded in the universe despite what’s orbiting around her. As she lives out her purpose in the sky, her dazzling light beams radiate all the energy inside her and she openly shares with those willing to bathe in her colors. The sun doesn’t let anyone stop her from her own revolution. She has the answers to what’s right for her deep inside her core every step of the way. It’s never a good idea to rush through the magical moments of a sunrise. You miss a lot of your journey if you’re only focusing on the ending all the time. You miss a lot of wonder and never glean the wisdom found in every step of your rising.

Figuring out what keeps you from finding your place in the universe is your job. Begin with stopping the voices in your head that tell you it’s not possible. The power of our own words affect the amount of light you put out into the world. Every time you practice self-compassion, you feed the light inside you which is always waiting to radiate. When you speak words of love to yourself, the authentic you has a much better chance of busting out because it’s being fed energy that’s pure and life-affirming. Words of kindness, compassion, understanding and love is rocket fuel for your heart and confidence. That energy helps you stand strongly in who you are and the choices you make. This is how you stay on course with your life’s path even when that road gets rocky and rough. That energy of love helps to drown out the voices and expectations placed on you by the world or the unrealistic ones we sometimes create ourselves. Words of self-compassion and love remind us that every step of this journey is important because this is how you learn, grow and shine brighter. Some steps hurt. But self-compassion manifested from your own soul, using your own voice keeps you rising and shining when you don’t get it from others. Live each moment like it matters understanding that your growth and wisdom add beautiful colors to each step of the journey. Own your light and its impact. Notice how the colors change as you rise, each presenting itself to the world with a uniqueness that is spectacular because it’s yours. Invest in your way of doing things with self-compassion to keep you grounded and moving at a reasonable pace. The world needs your light all the time despite how dimly it shines sometimes. Your light is a life-force and a necessity to this planet. Do your best to take care of it, listen to it, feed it what it needs, shine it brightly at your pace and rise. The sun is a star after all.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. How have the expectations of others affected your ability to follow your own path?
  2. What can you learn from slowing down your pace? How might you begin to focus on each step of your journey?
  3. Do you feel you carry many of life’s answers deep inside your core? Why/why not? What keeps you from hearing their calling?
  4. Do you regularly practice self-compassion? Why/why not?
  5. What mindset or thoughts would you like to manifest which will propel you to shine?

A meaningful life.

A meaningful life.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When you ask most people what they want out of life, many will say, “I just want to be happy.” I get that. It’s not that I don’t want more moments of happiness for me and the people I love. But to really excel at living and build a life of meaning, I need to pay homage to all aspects of this journey. If I’ve been given all I need to build something beautiful, then that must include all the feelings and experiences that are common to every human being. If I have them, then I need them whether I like it or not. Living means that joy, sorrow, pain and comfort share the same space and will always be a part of what it means to be alive. Joy carries me, sustains me and fills me when I’m empty or just adds to my heart reserves. The vault of happy moments I keep in my heart bolster my boldness when I’m hanging on by a thread and help me dig through. Staying present in those moments of positive flow gives birth to gratitude too and that’s a very good thing. When we’re happy our light shines brightly and the white, dancing beams can change the vibration in a room and allow us to connect in a meaningful way through our collective joy. It is an amazing gift.

But when I think about what’s taught me the most about myself, my strengths and what’s really important, it includes loss, challenge, pain and the will I muster to get back in the game. The tempered soul I bear and stories of its time in the fire glow with a different type of light. It’s a light that comes from the embers of my heart as I achingly wait for time to pass and pain to lessen. That light is a orange and red glow that burns hot and intensely for awhile eventually fading to grey. The pain glow may easily reignite when the wind picks up or when someone blows on it. I’m the one who has to figure out how to deal with that. Still, what I do know is the process of reheating and cooling has the potential to give birth to growth, empathy, compassion and an ability to create a meaningful connection even in my suffering. When I witness the deep glow of pain in you, I see it, smell it and feel it. It compels me to help you hold the hot coals as best as I am able until they slowly extinguish because I know about that burn. Joy is much more joyful when shared and pain is less painful when shared too. A life of meaning involves connection with others in all aspects of this life. When put into practice, the most important things will automatically rise to the top of the pile among all the clutter in my head and scream, “Pay attention because this stuff matters!” I want to work hard to stay on top of that pile no matter how difficult it may be sometimes because that’s where real life lives. I want to rest contently at the end of my days, survey the traces of what I’ve left behind and hope my time here made a difference to someone. Some of the stuff I’ve left behind isn’t pretty, but I will continue to do my best and forgive myself for the things I may have done better. I’ll just keep on trying to learn from all of my experiences and continue to stay in the light of connection whatever color it may be.

It’s up to me to build a life of meaning that is worthy of me. Every choice I make, whether easy or not, affects the portrait of my life. Sometimes it turns out great and sometimes it looks like a finger painting. It typically depends on my intention going in. Taking a magnifying glass to why I do what I do, helps me see if I’m fostering a positive flow and in alignment with my purpose or giving into the worst side of me. Is the fear of not being good enough driving or is the true me behind the wheel? Am I really listening and seeing what’s going on inside me and around me? Am I being curious about your life story or being judgmental? Am I comparing or contrasting my journey with yours or standing in appreciation that we both have a path equally worthy of being recognized for what it is? A life worthy of me begins with self-love and acceptance because it creates more love and more acceptance. Humans can’t give what they don’t have or speak a language they’ve never chosen to learn. I have to connect and take action for myself to ignite the light of love inside me, get to know it and figure out what to feed it so it thrives. I have to learn its language, listen to its wisdom and find value and acceptance in what I see. Investing in myself and fostering self-love in me and encouraging it in others adds depth and meaning to all of our stories. We were all born with the instinct to live, thrive and let the world know we are here and we need each other to do that. No one makes the world any better by making themselves smaller.

Loss of someone I love who I believe got it right, compels me to look to at how they lived. For sure they left numerous piles of love all around them hoping someone who needed it gathered it up. And because of that, they got a lot of love back too. Love begets more love and they knew it was worth the risk. They built lives that made a difference by spending a lot of time being present noticing people, nature and the world around them. They found appreciation and acceptance in every aspect of this life no matter how joyful or painful. They concerned themselves more with living life instead of posting it. The leavers-of-love smiled at strangers, helped out friends, served others, heard you, laughed a lot, cried and gave off the purpleish-pinkish light of contentment and peace. Like the colors that proceed a sunrise. They were just curious souls who didn’t want to miss a moment, an encounter or an opportunity to learn, love, connect and grow. And because of this practice, they became comfortable doing what makes us learners uncomfortable sometimes – they were true to who they were while living and loving courageously and whole-heartedly.

I suppose I’ll try my best to stop the worries, lists and tasks in my head long enough to keep me present in most of my own life and to truly be there for others. I can’t do it all the time but I’m working on it and I imagine the leavers-of-love had to work hard on this too. I am responsible for seeking out the healing and quiet I need to bring myself back to what builds a well-lived life – staying in the now. I’ll try to walk my life’s journey being curious, connected and of service while holding pain sometimes. I’ll try to leave this electrified world of chaos and noise to find myself in it, separate from it and invite others to this safer, more peaceful space. I’ll try to slow down and notice my breath more. I know that as I gather the simple beauty of what is always before me and collect it in my heart, the chatter in my head will quiet and feelings of contentment take up the empty space left behind. I’ll notice more joy and happiness because they’ll be room inside me to see it, feel it, touch it and taste it. I use the word meaningful and hard a lot as I examine lives well-lived and reflect on the best and worst parts of my journey. It’s because life is both of those things and if I’m building something wonderful on my own, it is rewarding and hard at the same time. I’ll keep on trying and not give up on the things that matter because the world thinks differently. The world doesn’t have all the answers, I do. No one or anything can create the life I want to live and the stuff I leave behind. It’s a solo endeavor. But when I’m doing it right, I never feel alone because I’m always connecting to other souls trying the best they can to build a life of meaning too.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. Think of a time where you were present in your happiness. What did you learn about life in that moment?
  2. What lesson/s have you learned from your pain? Could you have learned it any other way? Why/why not?
  3. Have you ever had a moment when you knew what you were experiencing/doing really mattered? What was happening in that moment?
  4. What’s the most powerful lesson you’ve learned from someone you’ve lost and how did it change you?
  5. What changes can you make to stay more present and connect with others? How will these efforts help you build a life worthy of you?

Intend to lead with love.

Intend to lead with love.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 2 Comments

There is no one nor will there ever be another you. You are a one-shot deal and a big deal. Your biology collided with your life experience and here you are. It’s awe-inspiring to think about how every detail of your life, every thought in your head and how every cell in your body has the potential to harmonize in unison when you examine, accept and let go. When there’s disharmony within you, that’s ok too. It’s your true self telling you to look inside and figure out what’s making that wretched noise, understand why it’s happening and wake you up. Disharmony is uncomfortable, sometimes downright painful and powerful. It’s the thing that will eat you alive if you let it or the thing that will teach you some of your greatest lessons about life and yourself. Your search for harmony is a big deal because it gives birth to wisdom and amazing which will always lead you back to who you are and why you are here. Examine your life when in harmony and examine your life when in disharmony. How else do you become the best version of you? Embrace all of the wonder and all of the struggle and perform your most amazing song. Your purpose and why you are here is intrinsically tied to this melody. Try to listen closely to the song inside you and practice to be sure you’re getting it right. You’ll frequently need to examine the sound you make and be sure it’s in alignment with the music you want to write.

Heaven is a place of indescribable beauty and harmony. It’s why people who’ve had near-death experiences don’t want to come back to here. But while you wait, try your best to ask yourself every day, “What is my intention?” Unexamined pain and fear lead to a painful, awful noise. And when it’s not dealt with, that vibration will hurt others. Examine that noise and go back to embracing all of you and the sound you are making. Do you want to create the noise of hate or the noise of love? Will you allow the tide of negativity to pull you out to that dark sea or will you swim against that current to a more peaceful shore? There are many others on that shore waiting for you to join the collective chorus of love who will hear you and support your song. You may get sucked into becoming what you don’t want to be. It happens when you’re tired, overexposed to media, disheartened by what you see, in fear and negligent in the area of self-care. But when you’re in that place where the sound hurts your ears, stop, look and listen. Examine your intention, where you are and what you are thinking. Wake up and decide to work towards creating a better sound and not become the sound you disdain. Our true purpose here is aligned with creating a piece of heaven not hate and our job is to do so until it’s time to check out of the earth hotel. Intend to leave behind a beautiful song.

Loss can inspire us to look at our intentions too. Think about a person who despite all their struggles, still left a trail of love behind upon their passing. There may have been a ton of people collected to honor that person or a few. It doesn’t matter. What matters is what they left behind in their space that inspired you to examine your thinking, your choices and change your life for the better. This person left you with no other option then to lead with love. It’s not always easy to lead with love. You’re not a jerk because you don’t want to sometimes, but there’s a cost. You’re not in alignment with your true self or in alignment with the Divine’s plan for your life when you intend to bring about more disharmony. Intend to lead with love for your sake, and for your loved one’s sake because joining in with the people that make an awful sound will ultimately hurt you and everyone around you. Learn from your loss, your wounds and the wisdom of those who have made this world a better place. Be in training to live your best life by looking inward and outward. When your intention is peace, go inside and look at your choices to get there and align them with your gifts. Look outward and learn from the wisdom of other love trail blazers too. Some of those choices you come up with may be freakin’ hard to employ. Just breathe, pray and think about what you want to leave behind when those in your life gather to honor your journey someday. Heaven awarded you a box of love before you arrived here. Intend to share it so your box always stays full and you have the energy to play your most beautiful, harmonious song. Miraculously, you’ll find that the more you share, the more you get back. When in community with others making a harmonious sound, it will be enough to drown out out those who create disharmony and discord. There are pockets of harmony here on earth if you intend to look for them and take them in. If you’re struggling to find them in this world, do what you can to make your own. Then you’ll know you did the best you could at the most important job we have as humans – to embrace all of who we are meant to be and to leave the best parts of us behind. Intend to leave a trail of love behind you in whatever fashion it takes. One breadcrumb of love makes a big difference too. There will be people that will follow your trail, gobble up what you leave behind and inspire them to join the Divine’s orchestra of heaven here on earth. Examine, practice and train while you are here. It will prepare you to sing in perfect harmony with all the angels who went before you. Your intention of love and practice will become perfected when you arrive home, so share it. We could all use some beautiful music now.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. What does it feel like to be in harmony with all that is? What does that state inspire you to do or think about?
  2. Disharmony may be a gift too. Do you see it that way? Why/why not?
  3. Think of a time when you got sucked into a state that is not you. How did it change your view of the world? How did it affect your thinking and your body?
  4. Who that has passed has inspired you to embrace the beauty of all of you? How have they changed how you present to the world?
  5. Think of big ways and little ways you may leave a trail of love behind you.

What do you expect?

What do you expect?

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Things may not always work out as you’ve planned. Maybe you carry formulas and steps around in your head and believe if you follow the suggested protocol your desired outcome will prevail. That mindset may work for some things like making chocolate chip cookies, but it doesn’t work when it comes to the story of your life. In fact, unexpected outcomes and events happen all the time. You may even find yourself in a space where you’re grateful you didn’t get the ending you originally wanted. Having expectations isn’t a problem unless you believe you can expect a certain outcome at every aspect of your journey. Angst, frustration and prolonged disappointment occur when we force our logic – abounding in “shoulds” – to be in constant battle with the universe and what is. When you let go of your original plan and amend it to work in harmony with what is, then you can expect beautiful things to happen. That means accepting where you are right now and reminding yourself that you are capable of digging in or digging out so you can flow with the present moment to that next place. That means trusting yourself and believing that eventually you’ll fall into a place where you’ll be given the opportunity to thrive in a new way – your way. Not the ways of others or the world’s way, your way.

So, what can you expect? For starters, you will not be on this earth forever. Does that expectation drive you to see your time in a different way? Drinking in the universal truth that our time is limited forces you to look at the things that hold you back from living the life you were intended to live. Dive into what those things are. You’ll most likely see those things are based in fear. Fear of not being good enough, fear of failure, fear of judgement or fear of change usually top the list. Imagine not having those fears. What would your life look like? How would you approach each day? There’s a good chance you’ll spend less time comparing and contrasting yourself to people on social media. There’s a good chance you’ll try new things, step out of your comfort zone, love more, stumble more and pick yourself up off the floor more too. There’s a good chance that every time you rise from the floor, you’ll remember you can rise and learn which direction to face and what to carry on this life journey. There’s a good chance you’ll face the light where there’s possibility, expansion and light beams showing you different paths. You’ll run from the land of “Whys and Shoulds” which is one dimensional, linear, self-defeating and lonely. There’s a good chance you’ll expect that the universe and the Divine will always be that hand on your back that holds you up or gently nudges you towards the light too. Have the expectation that life will be one of your most important teachers if you are willing to learn, let go of fear and take chances. In doing so, expect that you’ll spend more time in the present moment knowing those moments here are precious because they are finite. Upon clearing the fog of fear from your eyes, expect to see the world and all that’s possible in a new, more amazing way abounding in opportunity and grace.

Expect that there are universal truths that we cannot control. There will be struggle and unrest, but it’s possible to follow up those things with adaptation, growth and reinvention. When you think you can medicate, isolate, avoid or burrow forever in an attempt to bypass struggle, expect that true healing and being all you were meant to be will never occur. Surrendering to what is, which includes pain sometimes, will always be a part of this life because change is constant in this always moving universe. Just keep searching for the path of light no matter how battered or bruised you are. Maybe just stand there for a while until you muster the strength to move. Stay in your struggle and feel. Expect it to pass and notice what comes next moment to moment and what changes inside and outside of you. Tears fall from the sky because the clouds cannot contain all they’re holding and neither can we sometimes. But noticing what follows a storm and how you’ve weathered it, can change everything too. After a storm the world and you have a chance to grow, learn and adapt to what just happened. Reinvention may feel scary, but it can also be freeing, exciting and move you one step closer to revealing the real you. The world is always turning, moving and responding to what is and it does its best to adapt and reinvent. Expect that you have the ability to do the same.

Most people do the best they can to make the right decisions based on what they know. Often those decisions are good ones if they are flavored with the best parts of you which include: your dreams, your desires, your gifts, an intention to create good and what you know for sure. Stay in the here and now more often to keep you grounded in what is and plan from there. Trust yourself and all the wisdom you’ve acquired by rising. Know you are held by the universe and the Divine even when you can’t feel it all the time. Always remember life here has a beginning and an end. Let that expectation light a fire under your butt which involves letting go of fear and the mindset that struggle and hard work can be avoided. Expect to learn from the world around you about adaptation, reinvention and the value of being who you were meant to be. Face the light, catch beams of possibility, know you’re going to be ok and expect you are capable of amazing things.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. Think of a time when an expectation you had did not happen. How did you initially react? How do you feel about that outcome now?
  2. What does it feel like to face the light? When looking at all that is possible, what feelings rise to the top and why?
  3. Does the thought of reinventing yourself sound exciting? Why/why not?
  4. When you’ve made decisions based on your desires, your gifts and what you know for sure, how have things worked out in the short term? In the long term?
  5. When has the acquisition of wisdom happened in your life? What event/s occurred that fostered your growth and why?

Pockets of peace.

Pockets of peace.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Sometimes it’s hard to feel at peace. There might always be a tiny hurricane that resides in the heart that wakes up from time to time and reopens some of the holes that you thought healing had plugged tightly. When that dormant heart hurricane picks up speed and does some damage, the hurt may come again until repairs take place. Time, acceptance, gratitude and love are the best tools to use to plug the holes with the hope of bringing calm winds and relief. Some may call that peace. It often comes and goes dependent on life and if we work hard towards seeking it. Total peace will come when our spirits return home to the giver of all peace. But for now, rely on pockets of peace while you wait. If you’ve loved deeply and had loss, you know all about the search for pockets of peace. Acceptance that peace comes in and out of our lives and it is in our best interest to accept the grace in that moment, is how we harness more peace. When we know what peace feels like, looks like and how to foster it, we’ll have more of it.

Peace begins with acceptance and that may be hard when we’re used to finding answers after a couple taps on our phones. There will always be unexplainable events that defy human understanding where no logical answers are to be found. Acceptance of an experience and accepting that it will never make sense, may lead to pockets of peace. Inevitably, we all experience pain because that’s a part of life and running from that truth won’t work towards healing. In these moments of tragedy we sit in the presence of our pain weeping, cursing and screaming about the unfairness of it all until the storm passes. Sometimes that’s all we can do to help us move towards acceptance. Sitting with our tragedy, letting emotions flood us and stream from our bodies will drain us empty. Here we are left broken and still after the hurricane has left the area. In stillness it becomes evident that to be at peace with anything, we have to acknowledge the event and accept that answers are not always forthcoming. At least in this lifetime. We float in an ocean created by our tears that doesn’t hold all the answers but holds us while we repair from the storm that tore us apart.

The Divine is a constant presence in your pockets of pain and your pockets of peace. Your path to this knowledge is unique to you and your life experiences. How you feel supported by the Divine and how you foster peace, may not look like anyone else’s. Often that’s how you know you’re on the right path. Peace does not come by way of self-harm or tearing down your own temple. Peace comes from learning what it is you need to do to create rooms in your temple where acceptance lives in harmony with the present moment. Self-awareness will help you create these rooms and decorate them to your liking. Your quest towards peace requires that you be ready to note when you have felt present and accepting of what is. Be on the lookout for when you have felt held by the Divine and wallpaper your rooms with that knowledge. So, when you close your eyes and enter your rooms of peace, you’ll feel surrounded by the presence of love, acceptance and peace. Preserve, protect and figure out how to get to these rooms in your temple where no hurricanes exist. In these rooms you start to plug the holes in your heart and you are able to put down your pain for a spell and feel at peace. Even if your visit is a short one, it still counts towards healing.

Focusing on the now, which includes your everyday coming and going, helps foster peace too. That may include putting down the to-do list sometimes so you can be a more active participant throughout the course of your day. If you’re always driven by outcomes and checking things off your list, you miss the details of your journey. We often plow through whatever we feel must be accomplished and lose sight of the things that provide us pockets of peace. Accomplishment feels good, but not at the cost of missing out on your own life. If you’re going to keep a to-do list, then keep a not-to-do list too. Peace is fostered when we actively take the time to notice and accept. And while acceptance of what is may cause pain, acceptance of what is fosters gratitude too. What will you put on your not-to-do list? If it’s more peace you desire, your not-to-do list might include: worrying about what could be and getting caught up in all the “shoulds” and “musts”. Hurricanes will come, go and pass eventually. They may carve deep crevices, cracks and holes in your heart. It is by way of acceptance, self-awareness and self-love that we repair those holes so we can find relief. Do take the time to be present and do let go of all the things that keep you from noticing wonder. Gather those moments in your heart and fill the inner sanctum of your temple with life’s most precious treasures. Only then will you be on your way to building your own temple of peace where the Divine presides and where admission is free.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. How do you define peace?
  2. How often do you experience peace? What prevents you from having more “pockets of peace” in your life?
  3. Have you spent too much time in that space of searching for answers when there are none? If so, why did you stay there? What did you do to leave that space?
  4. How does self-awareness play a role in your ability to experience acceptance and peace?
  5. What would be included on your not-to-do-list?

The business of hope.

The business of hope.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I want to be in the business of hope. Building an empire of light within me is how I lay the groundwork for my business. As hope accrues, my eyes catch more light, more possibilities and different perspectives. It’s like seeing the entire rainbow and not just a single color. In hope, I witness every nuance in each color as it spills itself down from heaven. I store in my heart the magnificence of being witness to hope in the sky and know that light will show up again and again. It is up to me to gather this treasure and line the shelves of my spirit with these gems of hope. I’ll remember they’re free for the taking and on full display after a turbulent storm and act as a salve to my wounds. Hope drives me to remember light will follow a bumpy ride and all that is required is often a single, tiny beam to create a prism that screams out, “It will be okay.” Maybe even more than okay. Staying in the business of hope may even lead to big and beautiful things like a boom in the market of you.

If I’m in the business of hope, I’m grateful. I count every dot that connected in my past and stand in amazement over how things typically work out okay. I feel grateful that I was held and continue to be held by the universe and that my well-thought-out master plan followed the course of the Divine’s plan and not my own. In hope I trust love because we originate from love. I am grateful for all the reminders that love is present in the midst of struggle. Light always makes its way into darkness by way of nature, strangers and even animals when human travelers and tragedy let you down. In those moments, I am so grateful for the light that dances on my ceiling and my dog’s soft fur. I’m grateful for any reminder of miracles and mercy because that always leads me back to hope.

In the business of hope, I rely on things that really matter. They are the things that pretty much always give me a good return on my investment. Hope is the belief that light will prevail and has the ability to permeate even the murkiest of waters. Every hand on my back, every masterpiece created by nature, every time things “click” and every time I just know I can do the hardest of things, the light of hope is in the room. It is the Divine, nature, people, faith and my own spirit that deserve my time and investment. We come from the ultimate spirit of love and fostering that love in my spirit and sharing it with others, keeps us all tied to the Divine. And where there is love and connection, there is always hope. Stand up and defend those things that keep hope and love alive in you and others. Be sure to use and share the right tools that give everyone the opportunity to build their business of hope too.

I will stand in the hope line and always look around as I wait for my invaluable dole of the elixir that keeps me holding on. Sometimes the people standing with me will have to hold me up for a bit as I wait because their faith may be more abundant than mine. It’s okay, because I’m ready to hold them when I have hope to spare and will always be willing to share. I will try my best to stay out of the line filled with those souls who wait on not enough, apathy, negativity and hopelessness. It’s lonely in that line because I’ve been in it a time or two. There may be people willing to share in this line, but what they put out doesn’t bring more light. They don’t invest in what could be and have a very hard time seeing miracles and light. They’ll always be invited to cut in to the hope line but it’s up to them to switch lanes. So, the hopeful wait and stand in faith, love and gratitude knowing it’s not over. I will not hang the “Closed for Business” sign at least not for today. I’m “Open for Business” and will do my best to sell hope. I will stock my miracles, mercy and grace and try to give away my inventory for free. Investing in the light within me and sharing it with others will always bring it back to me in buckets. Staying in the business of hope is a worthy investment for me and other hope entrepreneurs brave enough to ride out life’s market of ups and downs. I want to be all in when it comes to hope. I hope you do too.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. How can you build an “empire of light” within you to foster hope?
  2. How do you define “big and beautiful things”? Do you believe you are meant to do those things? Why/Why not?
  3. What miracles and mercy within your own life have led you to feel more hopeful and why?
  4. What does it feel like to be in the line of not enough, apathy, negativity and hopelessness? Why did you stay? Why did you switch lanes?
  5. Do you get a positive return when you invest in hope? Why so and/or why not?
You matter.

You matter.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

You matter and that’s all that matters.  That may sound like a selfish sentiment, but it’s not.  Your effectiveness in this world and the amount of love you put out is dependent on you knowing your value.  What grows from feeling, seeing and knowing in your heart that you matter are miracles.  A seed planted in the ground breaks through soil and sometimes seeks out cracks in concrete to find its way to the sun.  This seedling will twist, turn and bend in search of sunlight to thrive and make more of itself because it knows what it is meant to do.  It is here to become part of an interdependent system that includes sharing its beauty and helping other species reveal their beauty as well.  That seedling sees its value in the garden of life from the moment it breaks out of its shell casing until the end of its time here on earth.  And even when it withers into the soil, it still leaves some of the best of itself around to help the next seedlings thrive.  Its life from beginning to end mattered.

You matter because you were created by the Divine.  The Divine poured love into your cup of light and handed it off to the angels who ushered you into this world.  The angels carried your love-filled spirit on their wings and followed the beacon of light emanating from the Divine and leading into the home of you.  Once they delivered your spirit, they danced, twirled and celebrated your spirit’s arrival into human flesh.  They partied because of all they know about what is possible within you.  They believe in miracles and your place in this magic.  These angels will always celebrate the majesty of you because you matter.  Even if the humans responsible for your care didn’t see the value of your light, the angels always will.  Every time you struggle to find your way, deal with pain and seek out why you matter, the Divine’s team will carry you when you are beaten down and care for you when you heal.  Look around you for what the angels have placed on your path to keep you going.  They are busy dropping hope packages in your space because you matter.  When you know that, you will fight for you, seek out why you are here and come in direct alignment with the gifts that were placed in your heart.  You will no longer always be traveling against a current and up a river that was never meant for you.  When you discover even a drop of your purpose, you will feel the ease of what it is like to flow with the current that is your life.  This current carries the treasure of you and leads you to the ocean of humanity filled with all the other brave souls living out their value, their purpose. This is how we create harmony and a world more like our original home.  You matter because creating a world with more love and modeled after heaven is the only thing that matters.

You matter because kindness and compassion matter.  You have the ability to change a moment for the better by exercising the best part of you.  Decide what keeps you from sharing kindness and compassion with others.  And think long and hard about what keeps you from being kind and compassionate with yourself.  When you know you matter, you feel ok about making mistakes and holding yourself accountable.  You recognize the human in you and the human in others.  You know that messing up, dusting off and making things right as best as you are able is a sign of courage and the only way to grow.  If you matter, the voice you create in your head will remind you of your worth, your bravery and all that you are capable of doing.  It will help move you along because staying in one place may feel safe or serve you in some way, but it’s not for those who want relationships that have meaning.  Kindness and compassion start with being kind and compassionate with yourself.  The bandages you place on your own broken heart teach you the importance of sharing those bandages with others.  Sharing love starts with having self-love.  Because you matter, you will choose to feed your light so you have enough to share with others.  Kindness has the ability to multiply.  If you have it to give, you have the ability to make a big difference.   You matter and sometimes that is all that really matters.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. At this moment in time, do you feel as though you matter?  Why or why not?
  2. What does “flowing” mean to you as it relates to your purpose?
  3. How has the kindness or compassion of another affected you or made a difference in your life?
  4. How does accountability indicate that you matter?
  5. Do you see self-love as being selfish?  Why or why not?

Let go.

Let go.

by kimberly gruber ♥ 2 Comments

Seeing things in a new way requires letting go. If you wake up day after day with this nagging thought that begs to be recognized, letting go of something is usually involved. When your world is turned upside down through no plan of your own, letting go knocks hard. When you want a fresh start and you pledge to truly embrace your humanity, you pledge to loosen your grip on the rope that ties you to what was. Letting go means you jump and sometimes you just squeeze your eyes shut and rely whole-heartedly that your parachute will open as you soar to the earth. But, most of the time letting go takes some preparation, reparation and a look at your expectations before you take a step out into the sky. You check your parachute to make sure it is in working order, you make things right with those around you and scream on the way down if so moved. You pray that the hands of the Divine soften your landing and you try to keep your eyes open so you can see and feel how much you are loved for trusting yourself and the universe. Letting go is faith in action and faith never travels solo. Courage is its constant companion so make room for faith’s traveling buddy as you take your leap and let go.

Letting go means you’ve invited faith and courage to the table. When you want to make changes in your life, this is the team that is the hand on your back that nudges you out the plane. But preparing for your jump requires your participation too. Building something new means that some work needs to be done. A strong, healthy foundation is built using the right tools. For starters, tell yourself the truth. Negative voices that tear apart your spirit will never propel you forward because they are lies. The truth is that you are capable of amazing things and you are the only one who decides how truly heroic these feats really are. Become your own best friend and dive deeply into who you are, what you want, what you do well and what needs work. Seek out truth starting with yourself. Keep your expectations grounded in your humanity. And start with truth number one: You are worthy of love so let go of the things that tell you that you are not.

Expect your jump to be safe but not always the cleanest of landings. Because of this, let go of keeping it together all the time. Being stoic all the time is not part of being human. Scream if it hurts. Don’t let the world govern what your jump looks like or how you should react. The world’s standards or expectations are usually not based in reality or what is humanly impossible. You’ll do just fine. Be reminded that just fine looks like rest when you need it, connection with others who understand, creative contemplation and play. The things that keep you in the “just fine category” are the things that make you who you are and feed your faith and courage. These most important things come from you and your efforts, not the world.

Letting go may require you make things right as best as you can. Letting go of pride and fear is a must in these situations. Pack your faith and courage! You need them to have those tough conversations that create connection and put an end to isolation or loneliness. Grudges and years of not speaking come from one party or both not letting go. Someone has to let go of pride and fear to say what needs to be said even if it means creating a little chaos. Dust will settle and time will help with healing, but stuffing things down into the crevices of your being usually doesn’t end well. This stuff always finds its way out. Try your best to speak up, foster repair, be vulnerable and let go of all the things that stand in the way of creating a space for meaningful repair.

There’s no guarantee that letting go will mean things will always work out just the way you planned. Either way, letting go lets you practice having hard conversations, model bravery, get answers, see the light and maybe even move on. Practicing uncomfortable is the only way through many of life’s challenges so it helps to be well-versed in what it takes to jump into midair. Letting go allows you to be you despite what you’ve been taught, seen or heard from the world. Living out your truth gives you the opportunity to practice being human and develop self-compassion so you have it for others. So, let go, hold hands with your supporters when needed, feel, have faith, stay courageous and cling to your parachute of truth. Letting go will always lighten your load, free you to travel more lightly and get you to jump more often. Be brave, let go and jump. You’ve got this.

Questions/activities to ponder or good journal prompts!

  1. Are there any “nagging” issues that visit your head from time to time? How does “letting go” come into play when addressing that issue?
  2. Have you ever jumped without much prep? How did that go? What worked well and what did not go well?
  3. What is your truth? What do you know for sure about yourself, the world and the Divine?
  4. Is it difficult to let go of your pride? Why/why not?
  5. What jump will you take next?