Are We Living in a Modern Day “The Wizard of Oz”?

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

The other day I had an epiphany, we are living in a modern day, The Wizard of Oz.

Let me paint a picture, binging to life the modern day, The Wizard of Oz we are all a part of every single day.   

Social media in all it’s forms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and whatever other means of picture and status sharing is the Land Of Oz, the magical Land of Oz.  A land which the majority of the population is trapped in, whether by choice or social stigma, the Land of Oz has a sense of intrigue from the young to the old!

The question is not “Are you in trapped in Oz?”but “Who are you in Oz?”

Are you Dorothy looking for a home, a sense of belonging?

Does Oz offer a sense of companionship, understanding, comfort, belonging that washes away the overwhelming sense of loneliness that you feel when you aren’t plugged in?

Or are you the Cowardly Lion looking for courage?

Are you battling something that you believe “no one understands” or maybe you are an introvert that finds the interaction on social media to be the equivalent of social interaction or are you simply afraid to show the world who you really are for fear of rejection or another form of “lacking personal power and courage”? Do you find that while in Oz you are able to really be you?

Or are you looking for your heart like the Tin Man looking for his?

This can show up in a couple different ways are you looking to find the love of your life, wondering if you will ever find your soulmate? Or are you looking outside of your current relationship to find someone who fills the void? Maybe you feel unloved in the “real world” but when in Oz it seems as though everyone loves you, which is measurable by likes and comments?

Or are you The Scarecrow looking for his brain?

Are you constantly looking at research, blogs and informational statuses and groups seeking to increase your knowledge?   Are you hungry to learn more and more? Are you looking for confirmation of what you believe, because your close friends and family view you are “weird” or strange for what you believe? Does Oz offer a sense of “acceptance” for what you believe and/or offer you a quick way to learn new information leaving your brain full?

Or are you one of the witches?

This maybe a hard on to admit, but are you The Wicked Witch of the West?

Do you love to cruise around Oz on your broom looking for statuses you don’t agree with, images that bother you, beliefs that conflict yours or other ways you can slip into keyboard warrior mode and unleash all the internal conflict that overwhelms you? Dumping your fury onto others rather than simply dealing with your own “stuff”? Do you look for ways to find fault in others or “point your finger” rather than to take a “look in the mirror”? Is Oz a buffer that softens your own personal pain?

We all want to be the Good Witch or do we?

Are you Glenda The Good Witch always looking to cheer others up, “like” a post just to “like” it, posting something optimistic even though you can’t really see the positive side of the situation?  Have you been through a lot in life and are able to really see life for the blessing it is and want to share your joy with others hoping they will learn the same lesson you have learned? Does staying positive and bringing joy to others warm your soul and Oz is the perfect place to “do good”?

So who are you?

We all fit into one category, where you fit is not the question.   The question is, “Are you are “the Wizard?”

So, are you The Wizard?

In other words, how are you showing up in Oz?

Are you real and authentic you posting raw statuses, images and comments, unadulterated by social acceptance? 

Or are you hiding behind the curtain of social media?

The Wizard had a voice synthesizer to “up his power”, do you post the true you or do you post to build yourself up to who you want to be, much like your computer possesses a “post synthesizer”?

There are a few truths about the Land of Oz:

There is no getting out of Oz, the methods of social media increase daily, you can’t change the growth of social media, you can only change how you show up on social media. 

You play a role in The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, The Scarecrow, and/or one of the witches, Glenda the Good Witch or The Wicked Witch and at different times that role will change.

The world outside of social media is also The Land of Oz for many     people, they are searching both online and in the world for balance.

The only choice you have in Oz is whether or not you are The Wizard.

You get to choose how you show up and whether or not you expose your authentic self and what others see outside the green curtain that is your computer or hand held device.

Whatever it is you seek: love, acceptance, knowledge or other, know that the world is waiting for you to show up!

Someone else may need to hear what you have to say, where you have been, may need the glimpse into your life is brought forth through authenticity, realness and the raw you!

What if we were all more real, more authentic and more raw? Whether everyone is out of our control. 

But, whether or not you are is in your control.

xoxo

Wrap It Up and Rip In to It: a Birthday Process

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

Birthdays are interesting, they vary by culture, society, family tradition and personal meaning.  The pivotal birthdays always tend to mean more: entering double digits, becoming a teenager, legal permission to drive, drinking age, voting, 30, 40, 50, and 60.  Outside of the “special birthdays” it becomes a personal preference for what birthday holds a significant meaning just like all events in life you get to give them meaning.

I can’t lie I loved turning thirteen and emerging out of the cocoon of childhood and spreading my wings as a teen, although having a strict father meant my aged changing more than my freedom!

My sixteenth birthday was super exciting and landed me at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to receive my driver’s license, it also meant I got keys and a car.  It was also the day I was employed without pay by my parents as a chauffeur to my three younger siblings!

My eighteenth birthday meant I could vote, but I had two years until the next Presidential election so it was more of a verbal title that collected dust on the shelf for a few years, but it definitely felt cool knowing I could vote and fight for my country in war.

My twenty-first birthday meant cutting up my fake ID (sorry dad) and heading back to the DMV to get my “Over 21” ID. 

Since turning twenty-one, I can’t say that any birthday really had the esteem of 13, 16, 18 or 21 but turning 36 years old this year is going to slam the those four out of the park!  I will never forget the excitement of my thirteenth, 16th,18th and 21st birthdays but my thirty-sixth is a birthday that I have decided has special meaning. 

Don’t get me wrong they were four amazing birthdays, collectively they were a grand slam, each signifying each as a home run year, but they packed a certain hype that was created by tradition, society, cultural and family where my 36th birthday is personal. 

This is my year…I finally get “it” whatever it is and my 36th year is my year!

I can’t help but wonder what birthdays and new years would be like if we all began to look at them outside of traditions and Hallmark celebrations and gave them a deep and personal meaning.

This year I went through what I call “The Wrap it up and Rip in to it Process” closing up my 35th year and preparing for my 36th!

First, I grabbed a new journal which is a pale pink leather journal that says “DREAM BIG LIVE BIG” in gold lament writing that I love!!! 

Inside on the first few pages, I wrote a few quotes and verses that I love that really stir my soul to have at hand when I need inspiration, support, uplifting and more! And left a few pages blank to add to as I feel inspired.

About page five I wrote “The Wrap it up and Rip in to it Process: Sending off 35 and Saying Hello to 36 on December 11, 2015 “. 

Then I wrote a column of “thank you” all the way to the bottom of the page.  Next to each “Thank you” I wrote down all the experiences I gave a “positive” and “negative” meaning to that happened in my 35th year. I used my “gratitude journal” which I keep to reflect back over the last year.

Gratitude in the positive is always an easy one where finding gratitude in the “negative” can be a difficult  but once you shift your thoughts around an experience you shift the experience.  Some of the experiences were harder to shift than others but I have no desire to be anchored by any negative experience, so I’m always more than willing to go through the pain to get to the good stuff!

Then I made a “More of List” with all the stuff I want more of in my 36th year at the top of the list was joy, which has lead me to theme my 36th year, Submerge my Soul in Joy!

Lastly, I set my goals for my 36th year, leaving space to add as the year progresses!

“The Wrap it up and Rip in to it Process” is definitely a new tradition for me and one I cannot recommend enough for anyone wanting to shift into the next year more empowered!

xx DRM

A Glimpse into My Life

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

“We must validate our life and its worth for others.  It can only be done on earth – others must feel our life worthwhile.”

Jean Condon Murphy, her memoirs, A Glimpse into My Life

Looking back over my grandmother’s memoirs, I can’t help but feel a sense of closeness to a woman I dearly loved who no longer walks this earth, but rather sits in heaven awaiting her families arrival, smiling down in nostalgia with a deep sense of joy for those she loves.

Taking a glimpse into her life as she so eloquently insinuated with her memoir entitled so, a plethora of emotions and a deep sense of connection take me on a journey through her life, seeing the similarities and the vast differences of our separate journeys.

Throughout her memoirs I am able to see “the other side” of events we shared and those of stories, which others have told, laughing at how two people can see the same event so differently. A sense of relief fills my soul, seeing a woman who I deemed as “perfect” eloquently share her imperfections and allow her truths to be unveiled as a token of love and lesson for those whom she loved. There is warmth that comes with knowing “I am not alone”.

In a world plagued by loneliness and discouragement, a deep sense of connection to another human being is almost a necessity.  While physically connecting is not always possible, an emotional connection is not only within arm’s reach but a necessity to propagate a sense of belonging and encouragement.  A glimpse into the life of another human being can offer solace even in the darkest times.

It’s interesting how that misconception that everyone else’s life must be “perfect” blankets the mind of individuals who feel they are bathing in life’s imperfect moments,  no one is sheltered from life’s thunderstorms, no one.

Have we as a society been trained to mask “thunderstorm” moments, down play the harsher moments of life, or simply only share the “sunniest” of moments whilst secretly seeking to have connection during the darkest of times? Stop and ask yourself are you willing to be RAW–real and authentic, offering a glimpse into your life to those seeking solace or are skeletons better left in your closet?

Since, a young child I have relied on a deep sense of knowing, mine comes from God, which shined like a beacon in the darkest of times and provided a sense of solace that the world did not offer. No, I am not immortal to pain, I just knew that their was a meaning behind the pain and was empowered by what was to come.

Society is plagued by depression or discouragement, which literally means to disempower, to remove power. Imagine if there was a global shift from disempowerment to human empowerment, the rise in depression would be greatly halted.

Having experienced my own thunderstorms and darkest hours, I see the need to be more than just light in the darkness but to seek to ignite the inner spark that lies in every single person, being more real, more authentic, and more raw, giving a glimpse of my life in exchange for hope … where there is hope there is life.

It is through my life I hope others find the necessary tools to live an empowered life with hope, understanding that abundance is their birthright.  It is through me I hope they see the love of God begin to live an empowered life. Take a glimpse into my life and join the movement to “be empowered, be RAW, be you…to be innate”.

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…”

Romans 12:12

 

Wrap it up and Rip into it, a Birthday Process

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Birthdays are interesting, they vary by culture, society, family tradition and personal meaning.  The pivotal birthdays always tend to mean more: entering double digits, becoming a teenager, legal permission to drive, drinking age, voting, 30, 40, 50, and 60.  Outside of the “special birthdays” it becomes a personal preference for what birthday holds a significant meaning just like all events in life you get to give them meaning.

I can’t lie I loved turning thirteen and emerging out of the cocoon of childhood and spreading my wings as a teen, although having a strict father meant not much but the year changed.

My sixteenth birthday was super exciting and landed me at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to receive my driver’s license, it also meant I got keys and a car.  It was also the day I was employed without pay by my parents as a chauffeur to my three younger siblings!

My eighteenth birthday meant I could vote, but I had two years until the next Presidential election so it was more of a verbal title that collected dust on the shelf for a few years, but it definitely felt cool knowing I could vote and fight for my country in war.

My twenty-first birthday meant cutting up my fake ID (sorry dad) and heading back to the DMV to get my “Over 21” ID. 

Since turning twenty-one I can’t say that any birthday really had the esteem of 13, 16, 18 or 21 but turning 36 years old this year is going to slam the first four out of the park!  I will never forget the excitement of my thirteenth, 16th,18th and 21st birthdays but my thirty-sixth is a birthday that I have decided has special meaning. 

Don’t get me wrong they were four amazing birthdays, collectively they were a grand slam, each signifying each as a home run year, but they packed a certain hype that was created by tradition, society, cultural and family where my 36th birthday is personal. 

This is my year…I finally get “it” whatever it is and my 36th year is my year!

I can’t help but wonder what birthdays and new years would be like if we all began to look at them outside of traditions and Hallmark celebrations and gave them a deep and personal meaning.

This year I went through what I call “The Wrap it up and Rip in to it Process” closing up my 35th year and preparing for my 36th!

First, I grabbed a new journal which is a pale pink leather journal that says “DREAM BIG LIVE BOG” in gold lament writing that I love!!!  Inside on the first few pages, I wrote a few quotes and verses that I love that really stir my soul to have at hand when I need inspiration, support, uplifting and more! And left a few pages blank to add to as I feel inspired.

About page five I wrote “The Wrap it up and Rip in to it Process: Sending off 35 and Saying Hello to 36 on December 11, 2015 “. 

Then I wrote a column of “thank you” all the way to the bottom of the page.  Next to each “Thank you” I wrote down all the experiences I gave a “positive” and “negative” meaning to that happened in my 35th year. I used my “gratitude journal” which I keep to reflect back over the last year.

Gratitude in the positive is always an easy one where finding gratitude in the “negative” can be a difficult  but once you shift your thoughts around an experience you shift the experience.  Some of the experiences were harder to shift than others but I have no desire to be anchored by any negative experience, so Im always willing to go through the pain to get to the good stuff!

Then I made a “More of List” with all the stuff I want more of in my 36th year at the top of the list was joy, which has lead me to theme my 36th year, Submerge my Soul in Joy!

Lastly I set my goals for my 36th year, leaving space to add as the year progresses!

The Wrap it up and Rip in to it Process is definitely a new tradition for me and one I cannot recommend enough for those of you who really want to seize each year and live full out! 

Here’s to a year of Submerging My (Your) Soul in Joy!

 

xx DRM

 

 

 

 

You’ve Got a GREAT Dream…What’s Your Strategy?

/0 Comments/in , /by

You’ve got a GREAT dream…What’s your strategy?

Great Dream Whats Your Strategy

As a success strategist this is the first question I ask all my clients, “What’s your strategy?”

Knowing what you want is easy, as a matter of fact, it’s why most people hire me!

The majority of my clients know what they want, they are just stuck or have no idea how to get it!

You want more money or financial freedom?
What’s your strategy?

You want optimal health or your health back?
What’s your strategy?

Searching for your purpose?
What’s your strategy?

Without a strategy…you are left without direction and destination!

Wanting is easy…most people can easily create a list of what they want, on the spot!

But, creating a method of obtaining everything you want and having the drive to obtain it is a whole different ballgame

The exertion it takes to obtain the proverbial “Life of Your Dreams” is why many people have a never ending list or “I wants” for which they will always dream.

Making those dreams a reality takes a strategy; plain and simple if you want success, whatever it is, you have work to create it.

Step 1:  Define what you want to achieve.

More money is a common one for many people.  They will simply state, “I want more money.”

So, I hand them a dollar, NOW they have more money, but what they meant was much different than what they said.

Step 2: Create a picture of exactly what you want to achieve. Be descriptive, detailed, and precise; so you know exactly what you are working for. Set a time frame in which you wish to achieve the desired outcome.

Keeping along with the money theme an entrepreneur in a new business might say, “I want to be collecting $17,000+ a month through my online marketing and taking home a salary of $3000 a month. This increase in money will assure that I am able to cover all costs and generate new business through marketing.”

Step 3: List out the action steps to create the added income.

This list will always vary, person by person, business by business, and circumstance by circumstance.

Important questions to ask yourself are:

“What are you willing to do to get there?”

“How far are you willing to stretch yourself?”

“How bad do you want it?”

The aforementioned entrepreneur may create a list that includes, increase working hours making service more available, increase man power, increase re-evaluate current marketing , bring in new products, or other items or tasks that will create added revenue.

Step 4: Create a timeline to achieve the steps.

What’s a reasonable amount of time to achieve this goal? Setting a time frame is important because it places a sense of urgency on the situation and sets a time frame making it less daunting.

Step 5: Begin to work towards your goal with perseverance, dedication, and motivation!

Go for it! Remember, everything is achievable and a solid strategy secures success!

And always be open to small shifts that may drastically shift your entire outcome and enhance your experience!

 

Facebook said it was either Jesus in a Spaceship or Batman?

/0 Comments/in , /by

If I believed everything I read on Facebook I would have thought Jesus entered the atmosphere in a spaceship  or Batman was coming to save the day at around 10:00 pm over the Northland of Auckland!

Let me set the stage for you….

It’s about 10 pm on a Tuesday night, I am just about asleep when…
I leap out of bed, because I am 99.9% sure the house was just hit by a car!

Running to the nearest window, followed at the heel by my loyal, super protective, and scary guard dog (ok, this is a slight exaggeration about my mati-poo but he believes it so I encourage it), Otis,  expecting to see a smashed car,  but instead (thankfully) I see an illuminated sky bright with hues of blue.

Cautiously, I walk to the front door, wandering what in the world could shake the house like that and make such a BOOM!

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.  And to top it off the sky is no longer illuminated.

I decided to inquire with my boyfriend who was driving home from a meeting, I make the call to Dean, a little nervous to tell him that I awoke to the house shaking, a BOOM, and a bright light but could see nothing.

I’ve heard enough blonde jokes in my life to know where this could go….

Thankfully, I have a kind kiwi, he was very understanding and said he saw an orange and purple sky but felt no shake.

Commencing our conversation, I felt re-assured he had atleast seen an illuminated sky, but was still perplexed by the situation.

And I wasn’t the only one my loyal sidekick, Otis, was pacing the house looking for the cause of the chaos, its safe to assume he thought it was the neighbors cat that really annoys him when she enters “his” yard, but still he was unsettled.

Extremely confused and seeking clarity, I hopped on Facebook at a local community site and sure enough others had heard and/or felt the exact same as I had heard and felt!

Yes, I went to Facebook for clarity.

Yes, that is an oxymoron and something I NEVER thought I would do!

Yes, I am embarrassed.

Oh, Facebook, good ole Facebook where you never know what you will get!

There were many thoughts being shared, over 300 comments on one post alone within minutes, some making sense, some funny, and some leaving me to question what has happened to the human race.

Suggestions ranged from the following but not limited to: aliens, spaceships, Jesus coming, a meteor, space rock, Batman, an earhquake, a meth lab blowing up, and the list goes on!

People also reported seeing every color of the rainbow: pink, blue, orange, white, green, yellow, red, and violet, literally every color!

A few people took shelter for the whole night, I saw this morning (you should have seen all the comments I woke up to from the thread I was following)!

Facebook definitely left me more confused than I was before I signed on…did I really feel, hear, and see Batman? Wow, my brother Jon would be so jealous, he was always such a Batman fan!

Refusing to get sucked any farther into the Facebook black hole, I went to bed, giving the experts time to do their work!

So are you wandering what I saw? What I felt? What I heard?

And the winner of the Facebook guessing for what was the bright light, the boom, and the shaking all about goes to (probable) METEOR ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE!

I have to admit it’s not as cool as Batman hitting my house, but it’s pretty cool. As I can re-call it is my first (probable) meteor!

Want to see what the hype was all about? Have a look..a policeman caught it on his dashboard camera!

I had to share my (probable) meteor experience with you, it’s a pretty rare occurrence, and reportedly no one was hurt, which is awesome!

This is also a great reminder to not take everything you read on Facebook or the internet to be set in stone truth which applies not only to the loud BOOMS you hear at night, but to all things especially those that pertain to your health, healing, and happiness!

Facebook is a great social network and networking tool but not necessarily holding the same validation as other resources! So, enjoy Facebook what it is but make sure what you read is real before you believe it!

If you are interested to read more on the meteor then check out stuff.co.nz or the New Zeland Herald.

Innately,

DRM