Giving up things having to look a certain way!

I created this blog a while back and anticipated an onslaught of people posting breakthroughs and breakdowns to the blog -- a new level of relatedness and fun in sharing, as well as capturing messages and comments for people to look back on or to share about the program. Then we'd have way fewer emails in our inbox, and people could choose to read the sharing on the blog if they wanted or not, if not.

Well, instead of running with this creation, most people either didn't know what a blog was, didn't want to know, or otherwise weren't interested. A few people posted some great posts (as you can read below), but when it didn't take off I became resigned and kind of forgot about it, still with a tinge of disappointment and thwarted expectations. I guess enrollment wasn't present.

Now, whether the Team chooses to adopt this blog as an indispensable resource or not to use it at all, or not use it for a few more quarters, or use it in some way I could not have predicted, I'm inviting people again and looking for someone on Team 1 to take it and run with it.

It is in that context that I've invited our new team to the blog! Post everyday or not at all! Do with it what you will!

Nora

I blog, I am a blogger - a self fulfilling declaration

I have never written a blog before. I am now writing a blog... Look, I am blogging! :) Michael

Throwing my "hat" over the fence ...

Hi everyone! This is the first time that I have ever posted anything to any blog ... and I'm very concerned about getting it right. So, I am rereading this posting for about the 100th time and going to force myself to just push the "Publish" button.

I have three promises to declare to the universe ...

This week, my husband told me that he doesn't see anything that I have gotten out of doing this work ... I am seeing that he is saying that because I am STILL making him wrong multiple times a day.
1. So, I am promising my husband, today, April 13, 2009 that I will NO LONGER be making him wrong!
(And I don't know how the crap I am going to manage to do that!)

Well, actually I do know how I am going to do that! By using the technologies from the communication courses! It's really quite simple right? I am going to do it because I said so! And I am going to create it newly every day until it that muscle gets strong ... and soon, I will be reading this blog entry and saying .... "What? I used to make my husband wrong multiple times a day? And I didn't have a great marriage? And I was questioning the power of this work? Really? I don't even remember that!"


2. By my birthday next year, I will have lost at least 100 lbs.
Honestly, when I started the TMLP, I weighed 270 lbs. There! Now I have said it! (I have been hiding it, like if I didn't tell anyone, than no one would notice. 8-)
Yes, I realize that the number doesn't mean anything and I can be beautiful no matter how much I weigh ...
And I am choosing to weigh 100 lbs less, because I say so! So, if you want to be at that birthday celebration, let me know. I should go ahead and put an evite out there! (Can you do one for an event a year away?)

3. I am taking on eating a vegan diet.
I can't believe I am even saying that. When my parents find out, they are going to freak! (They already think Californians are weird. 8-) If you had asked me about doing this even 6 months ago, I would have told you that you were crazy!
I committed to POWERFULLY choosing what I eat this quarter. So, I have been researching where my food actually comes from and I am finding out that I DO NOT support the way that livestock animals are raised, treated, handled, taken care of, etc. in the commercial business practices of raising food for me to eat.
Honestly, I don't even want to give up meat. I love eating meat!!! I am just choosing not to support these business practices any more. (So, maybe if I can find a local family farm that would be willing to share a few eggs with me once in awhile ...)
I will also be looking into the ways that other foods get to me ... sustainability, chemicals, etc. and choosing whether I will be eating those as well.
So, in the end, I don't know whether VEGAN will be the exact name for how I eat, I don't even know if I am going to pick a "label". I just know that I am going to be present to and powerfully choosing the food that I consume and not just eating what I have habitually always eaten and choosing to support businesses that produce my food the way that I would want it done if I had a farm and was able to do it myself.
And yes, I may be naive and I may be taking on more than I can possibly do ... but I won't know until I try ... I'll let you know how it goes ...

ISN'T IT GREAT TO BE ALIVE!?!?!

Being in action, on fire, and unstoppable

Today was such a great day! Some of the things below that made it great would not have happened without the Team Management Leadership Program - 2.

Last night I had a teary completion conversation with a guy I've been dating and really would like to be with, but I woke up this morning present to completion and acceptance versus sadness.

I started the day with a long coaching call with one of my coachees and did that while walking up and down and all around a beautiful hilly park by my house, getting good exercise on a beautiful day. On my way out of the park, I passed an absolutely gorgeous guy sitting by himself on the steps of the park, playing the guitar. I got home (about 2 minutes away) and decided I needed to go back and ask that guy out! I was present to our homework of a) making unreasonable requests (hopefully it's not *that* unreasonable for him to go out with me, but it sort of is given that he's never met me before), as well as b) giving up withholding.

So, I went back over to him and asked him out. He told me he has a girlfriend, and I was about to leave, but he kept talking to me, and we ended up talking for like half an hour and had a great time. I asked him for his contact info before I left, which in the past I have avoided doing in hopes the other person would ask me for it. It was totally exhilarating.

Then I went to a protest that was organized as a result of my game in the world. I caused effective leadership of a whole bunch of people through causing an Activist Showcase last weekend through the Bay Area Animal Rights Network www.sfbaarn.com, where people who care about animals shared about what they're up to or interested in. Out of it several teams have formed around different campaigns, and I went to a protest at a KFC organized as a result of that event. (There's a campaign against KFC at www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com.) I went to cause the leader to be successful -- I wanted to make sure there either was a good turnout or that she wouldn't be disempowered by a bad turnout. When I got there (I was late because I was talking to hot guy in the park), she was there by herself and almost near tears, and she was so happy to see me. I started reassuring her, and within 5 minutes 4 other people arrived. It was great, and she was so happy with the outcome in terms of turnout and people's responses.

Then we went out for lunch and I enrolled and made several requests of two activists to take on a project to work with that I started a long time ago and have been making myself wrong for not working on. The project involves reviving the www.VegSF.com website I created and creating a community campaign reaching out to vegetarians in the Bay Area to work with restaurants to expand their vegan options. These activists were totally enrolled in the campaign that I don't have capacity to do myself, and said yes to my requests. Sweet!

I got home at about 4:00 knowing that I'd already created a great and full day, even if it ended right then. A whole bunch of other great stuff happened after that but you get the idea.