KRISTINA'S WEEKLY EMAIL OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING ESSAYS & VIDEOS TO KEEP YOU CONNECTED TO YOURSELF ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE
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Greetings!
In the movie Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey's character broke the country club's rules and trust of her father in order to help out Patrick Swayze and his dance partner. She took a risk to do some good and proved that "nobody puts Baby in the corner. " Johnny and she then broke another set of rules and danced their own steps in an inspiring finale.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a big-time rule breaker; he was smashing all the established boundaries of classical music up until that point and created a new sound apropos to the revolutionary times in which he lived, and for all time to come. When people were criticizing or doubting his work he reportedly would yell, "How dare you question what God is speaking through me!" When the musicians complained his compositions were impossible to play, he refused to listen and made them push through. He was increasingly going deaf, yet despite that malady, composed his most sublime masterpieces when his hearing was almost completely gone to boot! What a gift to civilization itself that he broke so many "rules" and heeded his own internal and divine guidance.
Some rules are meant to be broken, like when they are no longer necessary, are unjust, and/or are limiting you from expanding, expressing and experiencing yourself in a positive way. In your own life, do you, or let someone else, put you in a corner? This could be from an external source, like a person, government, system, substance or even social media. Or perhaps you have seemingly innocuous routines or patterns of thinking that keep you trapped in a loop, preventing you from experiencing more joy, creativity and/or health? We are often our own worst slave-drivers, tyrants and mind-controllers so if we are going to have any chance of existing especially in the outer world that is emerging, we must learn how to become our own inner authority.
Even a benevolent dictator is still a dictator, so start to observe where you limit and/or control yourself, how you talk to yourself; what unspoken, unconscious or conscious rules do you impose that no longer serve you, if they ever did. Break free of your mind's grip and allow your heart to guide you more and more. Tune into yourself and heed your own internal guidance as much as possible, in every area of your life no matter how loud the voices and media are around you.
During these transformative times with systems breaking down left and right, remember that we are the ones we are waiting for. This means the only way we will survive and thrive is if we tap into, understand and develop our body, mind and spirit's autonomy in a way that can coexist harmoniously with others and the planet itself. This is work. It is much easier to stay passive and let others tell us who we are and what we should do. It takes effort not to zone out, bliss out or numb out with any of the myriad distractions, drugs and "cures" sold to us in a variety of ways.
And then once you do step into your inner authority, will you accept the consequences and/or discomfort of stepping "out of line" when necessary to preserve it with dignity? Do you exercise the freedom you have within your own domain and sphere of influence? Will you stand up for those who cannot exercise theirs?
At this critical juncture in history, it seems the human race must, like Cher says to Nicolas Cage in the film Moonstruck, "Snap out of it!" if we are to inhabit our bodies, minds and countries as the sovereign beings we were created to be.
Today's PGG from 2011 touches on this theme; the PGG Video of the Week is about breaking your patterns. This week's Instagram post reminds us your personal growth lies within the unknown and this bonus one is about how the world needs more wisdom, not intelligence. And for today's PGG Vibe of the Week from another groundbreaking, innovative artist, an amazing live performance of Peter Gabriel's Shaking The Tree.
Lastly, THANK YOU for being here and for being part of my community! If any of my essays, coaching, talks, videos or posts have helped you along your career/life journey, here are a few ways you can show your appreciation and support my work:
And as always, please feel free to contact me with any comments about anything.
Big hug <3
Kristina
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New Rules
Originally published on November 29, 2011
Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind. ~Douglas MacArthur
There are no rules here — we’re trying to accomplish something. ~ Thomas Alva Edison
One of my all-time favorite films is Strictly Ballroom for a variety of reasons, one of which is how the main character, a world class ballroom dancer wants to use his own steps in competition and the outrage and, ultimately, delight this causes. I’ve always loved to dance but hated formal exercise. Since I’m not out at the clubs much these days, Zumba and cardio salsa at the gym have filled the gap; but I never was into doing exactly what was presented — I generally stand in the back enjoying the music and sort of go along with the group.
I recently found a new class called Nia, which is perfect for me — it includes sections for “free dance” and encourages you to “dance it your way.” It kind of looks like hippie dancing, or what you might do if you were in your room when no one was watching; it’s a great workout that speaks to my body in a way that makes me feel good.
This time of year especially is filled with many traditions and routines, along with thoughts about the changes we want to make in the New Year. My mom has always made the holidays extra-special with borderline excessive (but not at all tacky) decorations around her home, and this year she just wasn’t feeling it. When I suggested she could put up the tree up with a few accent pieces instead of doing the whole Winter Wonderland/Santa’s Workshop, she thought it was impossible — it had to be all or nothing.
I insisted it could be done and took some of the items she put in the same place every year and used them differently. She fought with me tooth and nail, until I proved they would indeed fit in spots she said they wouldn’t. The house looks festive and the mission was accomplished; it feels like a maximum amount of decor with minimal amount of effort! But it was her resistance to change and incredulity that several options and alternatives existed that were the hardest parts to tackle — she simply couldn’t see any other way than how she’s done it year after year.
Tradition can be a good thing, but it’s important to know when those traditions and routines are serving or restricting us. Sometimes you just gotta break the rules, think out of the box, do it “your way”. Where we would we be without the hundreds and thousands of rule-breakers both known and unknown, in every field — especially the arts, science, fashion and civil rights?
But the truth is that often our most fervent rules and regulations have been totally self-imposed, and/or are no longer necessary. It’s easy to get caught up in doing the same old thing just because that’s the way we’ve always done it. Sometimes we need a fresh eye, another brain, to look at the same situation and come up with a new solution, a new way of doing things that we couldn’t see because you were too close or it was too engrained in our psyche.
Wondering if change will serve you better than reinforcing the “rules” you have in place right now, or which walls need to come Tumblin Down and be replaced with some new Moves Like Jagger? Give me a buzz and I’ll be the law enforcement that looks the other way and the instructor that helps you create the right combination of funky steps you can dance to the beat of your own drum!
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Click link for this week's video of Peter Gabriel's
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