Laura Gaffke: I Find Beauty in this Moment

 

Savoring life to me means living with deep appreciation, love and respect for the many gifts I have been given. Making the time to journal is one of the ways I reflect, savor and appreciate the simple treasures which add so much meaning to my life. A few things I am currently savoring...

I savor leisurely mornings, gently nudged awake by only the sunshine peeking through my window or a morning when I don’t particularly want to get up and my husband surprises me with a hot cup of coffee in my favorite turquoise flowered mug. I savor the grinning, magenta tipped rose sitting on my bedside table, feverishly yelling “hello, come draw me” and taking the time to do it. I savor time to myself and seeing someone smile, especially if I helped put it there. I savor my silly little kittens who are always in the moment and quick to forget the past. They remind me to pause, play and be present to someone other than myself.

I savor my deep, generous friendship with my confidant & business partner Tina Hirsig. She has enriched and forever changed my life through her perspective and her “being” in the world. I savor all that I have learned from her about acceptance, following your dreams, staying the course and riding the waves. I savor relationships, my family, understanding and people who help me be a better person and live with an open heart. All of these magnificent gifts make my life rich with meaning and full of love.

With gratitude,

Laura

Bio

Laura Gaffke had the pleasure of growing up in New Hampshire where she was fortunate to have the mountains, city and seacoast all within close reach. Her diverse surroundings imprinted a deep connection with nature and compassion for the environment. It also invoked a desire to explore such places as England, Norway, Paris and the whispered magic of the Amalfi Coast. She believes happiness is a state of mind that can travel with you anywhere. Her vibrant use of color reflects this positive attitude and the joy she seeks both within and the world around her. Laura finds inspiration and meaning in tranquil mornings alone with her journal, in the hushed beauty of a freshly picked iris, engaged in rich conversation with friends and on peaceful beach walks which quiet her busy mind, giving form to new ideas.

 WEBSITE: http://www.lauragaffke.com

BLOG: http://lauratwotina.com

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/LauraGaffkeArt

SHOP: http:www.lauragaffke.etsy.com

PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/lauragaffke/

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/#!/missosally

Free Life Coaching Session: Savoring the Little Things in your Life

Savor Your Life: The World Needs you to Share What you Savor from Robin Norgren on Vimeo.

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Julene Ewert: How Do you Savor Life?

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"How do you savor life?" A big question. I believe everyone has a different way of savoring their life. What resonates with me is the word "slow." 

To savor, is to go slow and be mindful. I don't mean moving at a snails pace, which sounds so wonderful. I tell myself to go slow, and that this is a moment I should savor. You feel it. You know deep in your soul that this moment right now is so very special and it might not happen again, ever. I need to let the moment wrap around and fill me. 

My savor moments are small, fleeting and random. Like letting my cat sit on my lap (we both need each other). Tucking in my child at night with one last smile and kiss, catching the last glimpse of the setting sun, or leafing through the latest art or spring seed catalog and dreaming of the possibilities. I love to wrap myself in a quilt that my grandma made. So many simple little things to savor.  

 Your soul needs "savor moments" just the same as your body needs air. 

Savor=breath  

The note below, I look at daily.
"The aim of life is to live,
and to live means to be aware,
joyously, drunkenly, serenely,
divinely aware."
-Henry Miller

Bio: Hi, I'm Julene. I'm so happy that you've taken the time to look at my art. I love to use common materials in surprising ways. I love finding and using bits and pieces of objects from the past. I dream of a day when old houses and trees will speak. You can see strong influences from my grandmother - she loved to sew, quilt and do embroidery. My inspiration comes from nature, travel and everyday life. My art is whimsical in spirit, and expresses an honest and playful view of my world. I often say I have a problem with colors, I LOVE them all! When I begin a painting, the idea is somewhat formed. But what finally emerges is something truly remarkable - it is always something that is personal and close to my heart. It often surprises me how true my art reflects my soul.


My artwork can be found in galleries, gift stores and homes globally. I find my passion where I live in Moscow, Idaho, an undiscovered part of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My husband and son give me inspiration and brutally honest critiques. In keeping with my values, a portion of profits goes to support women in their small business endeavors via kiva.org. You can read more on my Blog.

Website: CLICK HERE

Joy Prayers: The Rhythms of Life are Singing to You

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The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.

Psalm 65:8

Lord, I want to have a song in my heart at all times. 

 I want your presence near me through music.  I want to reminded that whatever trouble I am facing, whatever circumstance that seems insurmountable, the joy of the Lord is my strength.   

When I am in nature I want to remember that you provided this for me to remind me that you are alive and that you have not forgotten me. 

  You God are awesome and I wish that your Holy Spirit will call forth more songs of joy in me.

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Joy Prayers: What Are the Plans for My Life

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Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Psalm 27:6

I believe that you have good things planned for me Lord.   

You have created me uniquely and You have designed me perfectly.

  Harm has been done to me by people who claimed they loved me and by people who have longed for my demise. 

I relinquish all those words that have been aimed at me to cause me to doubt who I am in your presence Lord.   

Restore my song, strengthen my voice, and help me to trust what the Bible says about me above any Words that have come against me by people who had no idea the harm they were causing.   

Help me to forgive my enemies and walk in the new vision you will restore to me this day.

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SAVOR: The Words that Shape You

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"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice"

-

T. S. Eliot

What words describe you this year? 

 Did you have a particular word that was a guiding force for this year?

 What value is it to choose a particular word and in what way does that word come to you?

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SAVOR: I am Wondering How Risky That Leap You Have Been Meaning to Take TRULY Is

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The moment somebody says to me, "This is very risky," is the moment it becomes attractive to me 

- Kate Capshaw

Is there something you have been thinking about doing that feels a bit risky?

  Think about one PARTICULAR something and think about what good could come from taking the risk.

  Think about it this way: 

 Are some of the risks simply obstacles you actually have the ability to get past?  

Now think about the TRUE risks in the opportunity:

 where are you at in making the decision to go for it?

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Is Everything OK?

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Have you noticed the deep satisfaction that comes when you are working on something that make the hours pass like rushing wind?

 

Or...

Maybe it has been a while since you have felt that way.

I did not realize that I had lost that sense of satisfaction until it finally came back into my life quite accidentally. 

I needed to get back into the work force but I had been away for 7 years and the job hunt was NOT EVEN CLOSE to how easy it used to be. 

So I landed a job.  Decent money, decent hours, Horrible Draining Job.  But I took it because our family needed the money.   

But then 104 Days Later I could not do it another day. It was collections and no matter how I tried to bring humanity to the job of collecting, just having to brace myself every time someone picked up the phone in anticipation of their hostility and anger...  Well it was Soul sucking

But... during that time is when I wrote the Joy Series that you have been enjoying over the last few months.  And I put together the manuscript that I hope to publish by New Years Day 2014.

ACTION MOMENT:

What are you growing in the midst of a difficult time in your life right now? 

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I am Thinking Maybe I Need More Discipline in My Life

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Remember when you were a kid and you had all of these boundaries around everything,  What to wear, how to dress what time you needed to be home where you were allowed to go. 

Maybe you grew up and threw off all the shackles and had a few years of rebellion.

Sooner or later we start to realize discipline at least in some areas boundaries are actually necessary.  

Boundaries now equate to Discipline.  It helps us to get things done, to reach goals, to make changes. 

I would say that to bring more joy into our lives we need to have a discipline of sorts.   

Discipline around:

What we talk about

What we let get into our minds and our hearts

Who we associates with

How we let negativity affect us

ACTION MOMENT: 

Pick one of these areas in which to incorporate more discipline this week:

What you talk about

What you let get into your mind and your heart

Who you associate with

How you let negativity affect you

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What Did you Say? For Some Reason I Think I Heard you Wrong.

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Words

Thoughts

Mannerisms

Posture

Tone 

These cues are little mirrors into what you are thinking about yourself.  And like a mirror, these signals not only reflect back to you but out into the world. Your family and friends - REALLY GOOD ones - can help you see your authentic self. 

Many times we seem to be the last to recognize how the world is viewing us.

Do you have someone who can tell you honestly what they see about you - good and bad?  Tell you where they see your potential?  Help you discern a vision for your life?  I hope you do this is such a valuable part of living a fulfilled life and truly ensuring that you are TRULY you.

ACTION MOMENT:

Ask at least one person you trust to tell you how she envisions your life

 

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Everyone Needs A Little Time to Be By Themselves

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Solitude + Prayer = Reflection

"the unexamined life is not worth living"  - Socrates

"the unplanned life is not worth examining" Aristotle

Do you take the time to get connected with where you are headed? 

Where you have been?   

What lessons you have learned?

True reflection needs to be grounded in some sort of solitude. These two sides of a coin have to be incorporated into your life in order to see patterns.  Every life has patterns.  What you are doing right and what you may be missing.

ACTION MOMENT:

Make a date with yourself to just sit for 20 minutes.  By yourself. with pen and paper or with some music and listen...

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Is It REALLY Worth Talking About?

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 What do you talk about?

You've heard the cliche if you haven't got something nice to say don't say anything at all.  I find that this has some pretty serious implications as to how you feel about your life as a whole.  What you are talking about is more than likely what you are thinking about.  And if what you are thinking about can't be fixed by having a conversation that can help reframe the situation or solve the problem then what is the point in having the conversation?

For example I began working for a tax attorney during the height of tax season.  So what was consuming my every thought: taxes!  But talking about them did not change the fact that they needed to get done or the amount of the workload or how fatigued I felt.  So I chose to have discussions that centered around OTHER things:

An upcoming event I was looking forward to

A great movie I recently saw

A new art project I am working on

ACTION MOMENT:

Is there something that you are talking about right now that ultimately causes more stress about the situation you are in rather than helps to create a new perspective?

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Why Do You Want More Money?

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Let me be clear: I do not want to be rich!  Working as an assistant to a tax attorney, I recognize the financial headaches behind too much disposable income.  BUT I do think that having the security of your needs being met allows you to more freely pursue the passion you have in life; the purpose you feel you are called to.  You could more freely offer your time instead of wondering if you could have made one more connection in the day, if you are witty enough, pretty enough, cool enough for people to notice you and hire you.

My purpose for money is this: I am tired of worrying if my electric bill is going to get paid this month.  I am tired of worrying if there is a school activity coming up that my girl may not be able to partake in.  I want to be able to breathe easier without the noose of what if XYZ does not come through.  To be able to say NO to the crap gigs where I am working for menial wages.  I want freedom.

Action Moment:

Why do YOU want more money?

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If you Could Just Get Past this one Thought That you Carry Around...

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 What Thought Is Holding you Back?

Here is the one Thought that is holding me back: The one that says I will always have to be in lack.  I can only go as far in my financial life as my parents and my grandparents or my husband's family did.  

I will not wait for permission to move forward,  I will progress based on my experiences, my expertise, my wisdom and the dues that I have paid.  It is not no longer someone else's turn to be successful.  It is MY TURN.  I no longer want to be the ghost writer of other's success.  I am stepping forward WITH THE CREDENTIALS I CARRY and making a way FOR ME.

ACTION MOMENT:

What Thought Is Holding you Back?

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Is It Something About the Way You Are Thinking That is Holding You Back?

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What thought do you need to revolutionize?

I want to revolutionize the way I think about resources.  Specifically ideas.  I have a hard time believing that when I come up with an idea ESPECIALLY A GOOD IDEA that another one will come along.  I find that this mentality affects the way in which I move and grow as a writer.  I am hesitant to compIete a project because I am not sure that there will be a WHAT'S NEXT?  I think that is why I like to talk with people who are constantly innovating and tweaking.  Their lives are truly being lived.  They seem to be breathing life INTO THEIR LIVES. 




ACTION MOMENT:


What thought do you need to revolutionize?

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You Need to Have a Boot Camp for your Mind

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 How to train your mind

Step 1: Get Clear - now you can go at this two different ways either by focusing on what you don't want or by getting clear about what you do want.  And clarity has to do with becoming very specific.  Not simply ambiguities like "I want to be happy" but 

"These are the reasons I am not happy" 

"Here are the people that cause me to feel less happy"

"Here are the circumstances that need to change"

  Not " I want a new job" but

"Here are the jobs I had before that I did not like"

"Here are the jobs that made me satisfied"

"Here are the attributes that my ideal job needs to tap into"

Step 2: Give yourself action items to work on -  You need to be able to gauge that you are moving in the right direction.

Step 3: Set up some deadlines to get things done

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You Have to Choose to Grow Your Character

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Do you work your emotional muscles?

Did you know you really can have a enlarged capacity to love more deeply, give more freely, have more joy.  How does that happen? You actually have to choose to put yourself in a situation that causes you to have to stretch the capability you want to grow in your life.

  What to gain more self control? Deny yourself of the little things you can easily buy without waiting,  Give a bit more than your budget comfortably allows. Reach out to someone who is not especially loveable.

 Many times we are able to avoid change, growth, confrontation. We must be intentional about the area in our lives that we want to change/deepen/grow.

Action Moment:

What area of your area do you want to grow?  Come up with 3 specific ways to challenge yourself.

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What is The Point of Taking All These Small Steps

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Maybe it is Time to Take up Daydreaming Again

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I wonder if you day dreamed as a kid.  What did you dream about?  Have you lost the ability to dream?

The freedom to dream.  The luxury of dreaming. 

  Maybe you chose to stop dreaming.  Enough with goals.  Hope is overrated.  

 Maybe it is about being disappointed.  Your dreams did not come true.  You have to dream new dreams.  But you simply haven't gotten over the disappointment from the last time you try to reach for something you really wanted.  

For me I had to give my heart a breather,  I needed to wait for God to heal me a little bit,.  I had to come to terms with the reality that some of "my" dreams were imposed on me because I was too aimless to come up with a goal.

  So wait to dream again if you need to. Heal. But keep the option open and watch for it... The heart flutter will one day return.

Action Moment:

Are you in a healing stage from a broken dream?  Has enough time passed where you are beginning to feel the heart flutter again? 

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Is This Not a Good Time For You? Here's Some Help Figuring out Why

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How do you correct negative feelings?

This is such a seemingly simple question.  How you feel is how you feel.  Perception is reality.  Many times I find that when I sit down and get real quiet... real honest with a situation I am able to get at the heart of the matter.   

Pay attention to when you are having these negative feelings.  Pay attention to the people around you, the setting, your mood, the time of year, the day of the week, morning vs evening.   

Really look at the situation like you are an investigative reporter.  

 What do you realize about the situation?

Place those awarenesses against other situations that are causing you incredible stress.

  You may find some simple ways to shift the way you are approaching these types of situations.   

For me if I have am especially difficult week at work,  I simply cannot commit to a social outing until I have some quiet time.  I am simply unable to engage in the situations like this  without feeling extremely depleted.  

 That is a difficult line to draw: self care the way I need to experience it vs the societal norm which is to be ready to socialize at a moment's notice.

ACTION MOMENT:

What are some realizations that you are having from this exercise?  What realities do you need to acknowledge about your self care?

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