Am I Good?

One of Frida Kahlo’s first encounters with Diego Rivera was during her time at school.
She showed well-known artist, Diego her work.
He acknowldeged her natural ability.
He encouraged her art…
He encouraged her as an artist.
Frida eventually rose to become one of the most famous female Mexican artists.

I like the simplicity of someone seeing potential in another and encouraging it.

Like the child screaming for attention, ‘Watch me, watch me!”,  I long for the validation that another person offers. Without that validation, I flounder wondering how how good or mediocre I actually am at a particular task.

We don’t always know how good we are until someone sees something we cannot see in ourselves–and reflects back to us. Like a mirror, there are people who shine back the light they see in you. Don’t hide from those people. Their shimmer will help you grow.

Positive Experiences Whisper

Yesterday I spent hours working through a Life Plan (thanks,
dad, for the free hours of helping me discover my plan).  A Life Plan basically takes your life story,
your unique wiring, your passion, and then guides you through a process to
discover the next step.

Through the process, I’m now convinced of three things:
  1. Badd speling is a jean.  I’m relieved to know that I’m not the only
    one in my family who is spelling inept.
  2. I am drawn to challenges.  I’ve noticed that I seek tough challenges,
    even at personal cost.
  3. My story is important.  Events that I’ve encountered actually have
    had an impact on me- sometimes more than I’d like. 

As I talked through my life timeline there were turning
points – some high, some not.  Pete Richardson,
who inherited the life plan process from his mentor, says, “Negative
experiences shout, positive experiences whisper”.  Hmm.  I whispered to myself, don’t forget that,
Hanna, that sounds wise and
important.
As the year comes to an end, I can think of the experiences
that were overtly shouting in my face- some quite literally.  The quieter ones were more difficult for my
memory to find.  I can think of a few
good turning points but most of the stuff that stands out was hard.  Since yesterday, I’ve become keenly aware of
God’s subtle nudging pushing me into growth and pulling me closer to God.   
When I take an overview of my story, the majority of my
turning points are related to challenge. 
Sometimes they were challenges nudged by the Holy Spirit and others were
challenges that I hoped for as a result of my own restlessness.  And so, with that, it’s no surprise that as I
look to 2012 most of what I see is challenge. The year ahead has no promise of nice
easy going smooth things.  It only
promises challenge. 
I hope your year, too, brings you challenge and growth… and
good spelling for all!

Positive Experiences Whisper

Yesterday I spent hours working through a Life Plan (thanks, dad, for the free hours of helping me discover my plan).  A Life Plan basically takes your life story, your unique wiring, your passion, and then guides you through a process to discover the next step.

Through the process, I’m now convinced of three things:
  1. Badd speling is a jean.  I’m relieved to know that I’m not the only one in my family who is spelling inept.
  2. I am drawn to challenges.  I’ve noticed that I seek tough challenges, even at personal cost.
  3. My story is important.  Events that I’ve encountered actually have had an impact on me- sometimes more than I’d like. 

As I talked through my life timeline there were turning points – some high, some not.  Pete Richardson, who inherited the life plan process from his mentor, says, “Negative experiences shout, positive experiences whisper”.  Hmm.  I whispered to myself, don’t forget that, Hanna, that sounds wise and important.
As the year comes to an end, I can think of the experiences that were overtly shouting in my face- some quite literally.  The quieter ones were more difficult for my memory to find.  I can think of a few good turning points but most of the stuff that stands out was hard.  Since yesterday, I’ve become keenly aware of God’s subtle nudging pushing me into growth and pulling me closer to God.   
When I take an overview of my story, the majority of my turning points are related to challenge.  Sometimes they were challenges nudged by the Holy Spirit and others were challenges that I hoped for as a result of my own restlessness.  And so, with that, it’s no surprise that as I look to 2012 most of what I see is challenge. The year ahead has no promise of nice easy going smooth things.  It only promises challenge. 
I hope your year, too, brings you challenge and growth… and good spelling for all!

Fake Photo Safari

For the record, I do not like being late. Contrary to the first sentence, I find myself quite late quite often and it bothers me.  Saturday was no different.  I signed up for a photo safari (yeah, I really did that) but I arrived 10 min late and the group had left.  Too bad they didn’t wait for me and the friend who happily ventured on this excursion with me.

So there we were in the middle of Chicago’s hurried mix of tourists and natives pacing Michigan Ave.  And bonus for us, it was a tree lighting ceremony day with Disney and Mickey Mouse (no tree lights are complete without a cameo from Mickey).  I’ll let your imagination lead you through what it was like walking with the bustling crowd of parents navigating their strollers through masses of people.

We found ourselves in our own safari.

After shuffling our way through 2 blocks of Mickey roadies, we started taking photos.  It was fun and it was for fun. Below is the best of the best (I know that doesn’t say much, but like I said, it was fun).

Fake Photo Safari

For the record, I do not like being late. Contrary to the first sentence, I find myself quite late quite often and it bothers me.  Saturday was no different.  I signed up for a photo safari (yeah, I really did that) but I arrived 10 min late and the group had left.  Too bad they didn’t wait for me and the friend who happily ventured on this excursion with me.

So there we were in the middle of Chicago’s hurried mix of tourists and natives pacing Michigan Ave.  And bonus for us, it was a tree lighting ceremony day with Disney and Mickey Mouse (no tree lights are complete without a cameo from Mickey).  I’ll let your imagination lead you through what it was like walking with the bustling crowd of parents navigating their strollers through masses of people.

We found ourselves in our own safari.

After shuffling our way through 2 blocks of Mickey roadies, we started taking photos.  It was fun and it was for fun. Below is the best of the best (I know that doesn’t say much, but like I said, it was fun).

3 Questions to Prompt Growing Pains

Does personal growth need intentionality for it to
work?  In other words, can a person grow
despite walking through life with an ignorance is bliss smirk?  (Which, in spite of my strong opposition to
clichés, I have come to realize ignorance
really is bliss). 
In 7th grade I decided to play basketball and
although I was average, I loved it.  It
was my first experience with a team sport. 
All of the quiet aggression I felt could be released by being an intense
defensive player, well at least for a 7th grader with a mouth full
of braces and B.O.  Looking back, most of
the practices and games are a blur. 
But one game stands out. 
When I stole the ball, I felt the excitement of a fast break.  The gym filled with shouts of cheers and yelling
from the crowd of parents.  I was full of
nerves.  When I reached the basket, I took
my shot.  I missed, only to learn that I
had stolen the ball from the opposing team and then ran to their basket (Yep,
that explains why no one was running behind me to stop me).  I tried to make 2 points at the wrong
hoop.  Ignorance is bliss. 
I grew on that day. 
It was not intentional.
I’d like to think I’ve moved beyond my awkward 7th grade
growing pains.  But at 29, I’m still
finding out about how I can learn from my experiences (even the embarrassing
ones).  Below are three questions that a
friend challenged me to reflect on each day.

  1. What did
    you feel?      In the growing moments of
    life, how were your feelings? What was the root of those feelings?   
  2. What did
    you learn?      What’s your take-away
    from the day’s experiences?
  3. What
    should you do differently next time?     
    Growth means changing and improving on how you’re wired.  Growth assumes that you have more knowledge
    to respond to things differently.
I challenge you to step beyond
the bliss and reflect on ways that growth can be more intentional for you.  

3 Questions to Prompt Growing Pains

Does personal growth need intentionality for it to work?  In other words, can a person grow despite walking through life with an ignorance is bliss smirk?  (Which, in spite of my strong opposition to clichés, I have come to realize ignorance really is bliss). 
In 7th grade I decided to play basketball and although I was average, I loved it.  It was my first experience with a team sport.  All of the quiet aggression I felt could be released by being an intense defensive player, well at least for a 7th grader with a mouth full of braces and B.O.  Looking back, most of the practices and games are a blur. 
But one game stands out.  When I stole the ball, I felt the excitement of a fast break.  The gym filled with shouts of cheers and yelling from the crowd of parents.  I was full of nerves.  When I reached the basket, I took my shot.  I missed, only to learn that I had stolen the ball from the opposing team and then ran to their basket (Yep, that explains why no one was running behind me to stop me).  I tried to make 2 points at the wrong hoop.  Ignorance is bliss. 
I grew on that day.  It was not intentional.
I’d like to think I’ve moved beyond my awkward 7th grade growing pains.  But at 29, I’m still finding out about how I can learn from my experiences (even the embarrassing ones).  Below are three questions that a friend challenged me to reflect on each day.

  1. What did you feel?  In the growing moments of life, how were your feelings? What was the root of those feelings?   
  2. What did you learn?  What’s your take-away from the day’s experiences?
  3. What should you do differently next time?  Growth means changing and improving on how you’re wired.  Growth assumes that you have more knowledge to respond to things differently.
I challenge you to step beyond the bliss and reflect on ways that growth can be more intentional for you.  

4 Ways to Find an Off Switch

Hi I’m Hanna and I’m addicted to information. I recently read that like sex and eating good foods, taking in new information releases dopamine, which effects and controls the brain’s pleasure centers. The Internets proliferation of information is actually feeding our brains and rewarding us in real physiological ways.  
Information is power.  Correction, information is power + feeling rewarded. Information is powerful. 
I think that I’ve actually trained myself to be constantly on the look-out for new ideas and information.  My brain doesn’t stop. I obsess over the same problems over and over again.  Looking at each situation I experience through a slightly different lens.  I keep looking until all angles are assessed, analyzed, and dissected.  
As I critique each part of a situation, I retreat into the inner crevices of my mind and am no longer operating in the present.  I remove myself from the ‘here and now’ and ponder the future and the past. As I consider what plays into my never-satisfied-thoughts, I have started a resistance to always analyzing.  Here are a few things I do for activating an ‘off switch’: 
  1. Walk Outside.  Fresh air can melt even the most cynical mood.  Observing the order of nature and breathing in outdoor air is an in-my-face-reminder that I’m not the center of the universe. Good reminder.  It’s also a way to ‘slow’ the pace down.  I just think about the next step ahead of me. 
  2. Rest in God.  In the book, Jesus Calling, anxiety is described as a result of  ‘envisioning the future without God’.  Taking moments, minutes, seconds to be return my thoughts to God helps me release the over analyzing junk that I sometimes carry. 
  3. Speak Truth.  A friend went through an extremely difficult time at work years ago mentioned that she started ending every day with listing out things that she knows to be true of God.  Choosing to rest in the truth of the known rather than to dwell in the worries of what may or may not happen tomorrow is a simple, yet powerful, experience. 
  4. Envision Your Calming Place.  For some reason, ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to run through a field of vibrant wild flowers (…on a practical level though, I would be intimidated by the bugs and probably be sneezing the entire time).  Whenever I find myself overwhelmed or unable to sleep, I bring my thoughts to a field smooshed with colorful flowers like a Monet painting.  
Sometimes our mind needs a break. I love to think and I enjoy my thoughts but in recent months, it’s become clear that I need a working ‘off switch’.  
Here’s to you and hoping that you’re able to quiet your thoughts in ways that re-energize you and bring you rest.