Leana Delle

“I’ve overcome a lot of things, so I know my strengths and my abilities. You have to decide who you’re going to be and tell that story versus continuing on with the story that everybody else has made you tell about yourself.”

A quote from Lisa Beth Brock and one hell of a takeaway. This woman decided who she was going to be and stuck with it, and that decision came when she was the furthest from her ideal self as you can possibly imagine. A disconnected family, an abusive stepfather, challenging diagnoses, and even drug abuse all dictated a far different outcome.

Most people who knew Lisa during her troubled youth had basically counted her out. They did not see a girl with a future; they saw a girl with a past, and no amount of convincing could sway their opinion that she’d eventually succumb to overdose. But something deep inside pulled her out of that existence.

“Decide who you want to be. Not who you are, but who you want to be, and then figure out how to get there. You’ll just start believing it more and more.”

This attitude is so consistent with the law of attraction and visualization, something Lisa and I are firm believers in. She created her vision, and the potential to get to that place skyrocketed.

“I know my heart, so I know who I am, and I don’t think at this point anybody will ever be able to take that away from me.”

Lisa’s story is an inspiring one that needs retelling. She continues to expand her vision of possibility, and she’s passionate about instilling the same in others; especially in her young daughter.

And what if people don’t like who you become or support the direction you choose?

“You’re not for everyone. You’re not going to be.”

BAM! Great quote, Lisa Beth Brock. Keep doing what you’re doing. The ones you are for, appreciate that you revised the first draft of your personal story.

You can listen to Lisa’s interview on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or by clicking HERE.

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Along a path of hollow logs
Nestled in the woods,
Lay evidence of passersby
Their would haves, could haves, shoulds

Piled one atop the next
They tower o’er the ground,
Blocking sunlight from the sky
So not a flower’s found

Many seem content to pass
While adding to the stacks,
But for each would, could, should that’s left
They seem to gain in lack

I’m careful where I walk or step
For fear I’ll feel the urge,
To think of disappointments
Fall victim to the curse

Instead, I’m faithful in my quest
To find another way,
Where blessings shine like morning dew
Embracing light of day

And flowers bloom and hollows fill
All fed and nourished by,
I have, I will, I always did
And no one questions why

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, September 8, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number thirty-five of fifty-two
Photo Credit: Iva Rajović

Two awesome quotes; one phenomenal guest:

“What we focus on comes into our experience,” and “We create our own reality.”

Actually, there are more quotes than that – keep reading – but these two are the perfect starting point.

I know, I know. A great number of you are thinking that’s hogwash, but, in my opinion, this week’s guest, Christy Whitman, is right on the money. And, I think this why? Because I’ve had it work in my own life more times than I can count. Take, for example, my three giant vision boards (why make ’em small?). I look at them periodically and marvel at the fact that half of my “visions” have already shown up, and because of that, I intuitively know that the rest eventually will, too.

Not convinced? Well, just telling yourself that may be the problem.

“As you challenge your words, you shift your thoughts and then evidence of it starts to shift, as well. You really are that powerful, and if you feel afraid of that, it’s okay – it’s a natural process for most people. But understand that being afraid of it is only going to create more of what you don’t want, so focus on what you do.”

Is training our words and thoughts easy? It does take effort, but what our persistent inner voices are telling us now isn’t helping in the least. Christy notes that we’ve been raised, programmed, trained, imprinted (by good meaning parents and communities, I’m sure) with lack and to believe in limitation. So, when we tell ourselves that we’re not good enough, or that we’re too old, or too uneducated to accomplish fill-in-the-blank, we’re already coming from a place of lack.

I always think of that infamous Henry Ford quote: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

“Thoughts are energy, and thoughts, when practiced enough, become beliefs. When we have a thought that we think over and over again, and then hear some evidence of it, than that becomes our reality. Once you have that belief, that’s what you see all the time. This is what we call the law of attraction or manifestation.”

Think of the car phenomenon (apparently it’s a car day). You know the routine: you buy a Hyundai, or one of Henry’s Fords, and and you start seeing them everywhere. If it’s in your consciousness, it keeps coming at you.

And one of the key steps in helping move this along, according to Christy, and evidenced by my own experience, is having appreciation and gratitude for what we have right now and getting excited about what’s on the way. It’s something I practice throughout each and every day, starting with a resounding THANK YOU when I wake up and another one before I go to sleep.

And what’s the risk if we ignore this existing law and don’t make it work in our favor? Besides wallowing in lack and never living the life we secretly dream about? Christy explains it beautifully:

“Playing small doesn’t serve the world.”

BAM! That quote’s going on my next vision board!

THANK YOU, Christy!

You can hear Christy’s awesome interview on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or by clicking HERE.

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I have a confession to make. I hate blogging.

What?! A writer who doesn’t like to write?!

No, that’s not it, at all. I love to write. I’m just not great at obligatory anything. I’ve tried – I really have – but something about You have to post blogs weekly, and Instagram pics daily, and tweets every few hours, drives me batshit crazy. That’s what actually got me writing poetry. I figured I could write a poem weekly without much trouble, and I’ve been consistently doing that now for over 30 weeks (I’ll post another one on Sunday). But, in general, having to sucks the joy right out of most things for me.

Lately, however, I find myself reflecting on life and some of the observations I’ve made along the way. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to share some of those on random days with no set schedule. Just purely for the joy of it.

So, no big surprise, this installation on observations is about obligation. Are we obligating ourselves to be obligated, or are we beating ourselves up trying to fulfill other people’s expectations? Isn’t that what obligations really are? Other people’s expectations?

– You have to go to that baby shower. They’ll be expecting you.
– You can’t not go to church. What will people say?
– You have to drink at the corporate retreat. You’ll look like an outcast.

And? Your point is?

Look, I get that sometimes things come up, and I get that we want to support the people we love and make them happy, but some of us are knocking ourselves out going to and doing things that we simply would rather not do. Does that take a toll? You betcha. Throw in varying degrees of the disease to please, and our health and general sense of self fade into oblivion.

I think that all of this can be summed up with one word: boundaries. If I feel obligated by some branding guru to blog once or twice a week, I’ll never want to write again. I need to protect that. If I drink at a corporate retreat to fit in, I’ll hate myself afterward. I need to defend that. Even if I get passed over for a promotion because I didn’t pass out, so be it. And in my experience, and in most instances, people adjust.

This world has become a fast-paced, crazy-making machine, and unless we take as many steps as possible to maintain our sanity, we’re done.

You know what? I lied. There’s one obligation that I do like: the obligation to protect my authenticity. And, apart from supporting the people I love on their journeys, which I’ll always do, I plan to keep meeting that obligation at every turn.

Thoughts?

Oh, and by the way, you were never obligated to read this.

Leana

Photo credit: Nick Morrison

If there was a place I could go to
A place that no one could find,
I’d sail in a boat on an ocean
And stop at the entrance of time

No need for permission to enter
No need for credentials or name,
Just time standing still in one moment,
Just time never asking who came

I’d let my boat float off without me
And stand all alone on the shore,
Never again to grow older
Never again to want more

Where no one I love could go missing
And no one I love could draw near,
Suspended in time in one moment
Free and devoid of all fear

For moments when strung all together
Are those of the most dangerous kind,
They give and they take without warning
Pushing and leaving behind

But one solid moment to stay in
One where the winds never blow,
A place without sorrow or sadness
That’s where my heart wants to go

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, September 1, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number thirty-four of fifty-two
Photo Credit: Toomas Tartes