Thursday, May 26, 2005
live the questions
i beg you...to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. don't search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them. and the point is, to live everything. live the questions now. perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer...
-rainer maria rilke
it intrigued me. it was certainly not my perspective at that time on how to approach life, but i could see definite benefits to such a perspective - a reminder that we don't have to have it all figured out right now and the permission to explore and let things unfold. over the next few months i kept coming across the poem. each time it appealed to me more. so i got myself a copy of the poem and decided to make living the questions a goal for my life.
in the recent period, i keep having this feeling of coming full circle. of remembering my original intentions, ideas and goals for creating dream big and feeling like wow i am ending up where i wanted to be after all. although my path has gone this way and that veered off here and there i am moving towards a future that i believe will be exactly as it should be.
last night, i had a poignant experience of the universe unfolding, of this feeling of coming full circle, and was totally energized by it. i won't share the exact details but essentially one unlikely situation led to another situation which led to my being at a presentation that was exactly what i needed to hear next.
all of this fills me with excitement, not because i am nearing 'the answer' but because i'm discovering how fun living the questions can be.
try it out, this perspective of living the questions. i find it lets you off the hook in a certain way, relieves that need to "know it all" and it sure adds to the adventure! and as always, i'd love to hear about the questions your living, your explorations, and the unfolding of your life.
dream big,
-kirsten
Monday, May 23, 2005
workshop announcement
check out a dream big workshop…
what do you really want:
get clear on what you want and how to get it
As twenty-somethings it’s not uncommon to have numerous people in our lives who seem to know exactly what we want and how we should go about getting it, trouble is we are not always one of those people.
This workshop will allow you take the time to slow down and think about what YOU want for your life. In fact, you will be asked the very question “what do you really want” over and over.
We’ll keep asking until you’ve got a clear sense of what it is you want, and then we’ll dive into laying out the steps to get there and how you can build a support network to make it all doable.
You will leave, quite literally, equipped with an action plan for following your dreams!
wednesday, june 1st
7-9pm
$15 – $30 sliding scale
patrick’s cabaret
3010 minnehaha ave s
Sunday, May 22, 2005
building community
as i looked around the party there were many moments when i was pleased to see so many of the people that i love - my family, close friends and their friends and family - enjoying eachother and the chance to support us. it was a refreshing reminder that people are not actually as we often see them portrayed on screen and in stories selfish and self-absorbed. on the contrary, our party was evidence that most people are more than willing, in fact thrilled to have the chance to celebrate, support and encourage others.
to get to see our community around us, the people who have shaped us and helped us get to where we are today, supporting us as we each take the leap into business ownership was just what i needed. a reminder that we are far from alone and that help is waiting to be offerred if only we ask.
as i write these words i'm certain that some of you reading them are thinking, well that's great for her, but my life is nothing like that. my inquiry for you is - are you sure? when was the last time you asked for help, or offered your help to another in support of something they truly wanted. community doesn't just appear out of thin air, but i think it is around us more strongly than we can tell. and if it's not, build it. i know you can. seek out people who will support and encourage you and will allow you to do the same in return.
in this culture of individualism and constant praise of independence i am pleased to say that i live an interdependent life. one where the things i do are all done through the support and assistance of many people. and i consider myself totally blessed to be getting to take on this project - dream big - so that i can offer my support and encouragement to an ever broader crew of folks.
dream big,
-kirsten
Saturday, May 21, 2005
launch party
it's been so fun to plan this event, a chance to build community and celebrate ourselves as women business owners! when i first had the idea of having a launch party i was thinking of doing it on my own, doing with my friends has not only made it more fun it's increased the potential to make new connections three fold. i love remembering that our goals are often easily aligned.
my goals of building community and launching my business should make for a great celebration today!
dream big,
-kirsten
Monday, May 02, 2005
interviewing for life
shortly after finding out that i hadn't been chosen, i sent out an email thanking my crew of family and friends for all of their support during the process. here's what i wrote:
Hello to my fabulous community of loves and supporters!
I'm writing with the latest on the MTV gig...the short version of which is I did not get the job. Regardless of the outcome, this has been an amazing process and I want to thank each of you for your support and for cheering me on!
I wanted to share a few highlights of the process with you:- This has been a huge jumpstart to my creative energy, my motivation and my remembering how capable I am of tackling big things.
-It has shown me how much fun building community can be, and how we really don't ever have to be alone in going after our dreams.
-I accomplished some big tasks in a short period of time, like updating my resume and getting professional photos taken. (Plus I got some super cute clothes!)
So thanks to each of you. It's lovely to notice that I couldn't have done this without all of you, I wouldn't want it any other way!
Dream big, -Kirsten
in response to this email many of my friends & family expressed their surprise at my positive outlook. as i've been reflecting on this over the past few days i've been thinking about the way in which we often live life in the future or the past, rather than in the present. in some ways it's like we are constantly interviewing for our lives rather than living them.
the MTV interview gave me the chance to enjoy the present fully, to take complete advantage of the experience of interviewing, regardless of what the future might hold. i'm not claiming that i didn't think about the outcome at any point during the process, but i made a conscious decision to stay focused on the interview, to enjoy that process before moving on to thinking about (or more accurately worrying about) what might or might not come after the interview.
it was a smart decision, and really enhanced the experience for me. and it's got me thinking about how we can approach life with a focus on the now. on being present in what's happening rather than preparing for what might.
i think doing so not only allows you to think about what you want to get out of the present moment, it prevents a lot of the worrying we take up our brain space doing. it makes me think of the quote: "you can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future."
so i'm going to try and use this experience as a model, to stay focused on what i'm doing now. to enjoy it, give it my full oomph and have fun! the future will be here soon enough to reveal what the outcome of my efforts has been.
as always, i'd love to hear about your adventures in the present! feel free to post 'em here!
dream big,
-kirsten