Jun28
Posted on Jun 28 by Ruth Davis
As I write this, it is 107° outside. In the shade. Typical summer numbers for Phoenix. And it’s not even the expected high for the day. Yes, it’s a dry heat. But so is your oven. Imagine standing in your oven with your blow dryer in your face and you can get a sense of what it’s like to step out in the heat of the day. Everywhere I go, people are bemoaning the heat, the dryness, the insufferable, unending summer. But does complaining make it any cooler? Hardly. In fact, some people say that focusing on how miserable you feel will make you even more miserable. So, this week I challenged myself to come up with at least FIVE reasons why I LOVE the summer heat, even the Phoenix summer heat. And it actually did make me feel a little less hot. Under the collar, anyway. SIX REASONS WHY I LOVE THE HEAT: The laundry on the line is dry in 10 minutes. Because there’s hardly any humidity, I’m not sweating so much that I feel like I...
Jun21
Posted on Jun 21 by Ruth Davis
I had lunch last week with a woman who I haven’t seen in almost six years. In all of our catching up, I told her about my emergency open heart surgery, the growth of Spark the Heart, the new Mac training videos, and she was in awe of how much I have bloomed. “It’s because I quit smoking pot,” I told her. She knew I had smoked and she was curious about WHY I chose to quit. “Because it was the one thing keeping me from what I really wanted.” I loved being stoned. I was highly creative, very functional (I didn’t smoke until after my working day), and it was a wonderful escape from the depression of a recent break up. When I was high I felt so connected to something bigger in myself. And that became the problem. What I wanted more than anything was to connect to OTHERS, to connect to something bigger THAN myself. But, being stoned all the time, I was usually too high to drive or too tired to go out, too fixated...
Jun14
Posted on Jun 14 by Ruth Davis
Have you ever taken on a big project or a new creative endeavor and, after hours, days, weeks of working, you think you’re finished? And then someone offers you a suggestion to make it even better? Do you settle for “good enough” or do you step back, take a breath and say, YES, I want it to be Great! As you may know, for the past few months I’ve been working on creating a brand new Video Tutorial program for my Mac training clients. Anytime I begin a new project, I think I am just working on the project. But somewhere along the way I realize it is much more than just the thing I am creating. This latest endeavor has been like an intense hike through familiar, yet foreign terrain, giant boulders appeared in my path and, for a while I lost sight of the destination and just had to stop. But with the help of my coach, my friends and some great tech support, I am proud and happy and delighted to announce that the first series...
Jun07
Posted on Jun 7 by Ruth Davis
In yoga, students are encouraged to go to their soft edge–to stretch deep enough where you feel the stretch but not so deep that you hurt yourself. It is at this soft edge that the muscles release and then you can breathe in and stretch just a little bit further. In life, as we shift and change, we push up against a lot of soft edges. It is where our biggest growths happen. This past week I gathered with my Mastermind-coaching circle. We are an intimate group of 14 women who are all upleveling our lives, our businesses, our dreams with our coach Christine Kane. It is an amazing opportunity to share and support each other as we stretch and push to get clearer and closer toward our biggest visions of ourselves. There is an incredible amount of trust and vulnerability among us. I guess that’s why I felt comfortable enough during one of our dinners, to ask my friend Kathi,” so what kind of lipstick do you wear?” It seemed like a pretty innocent question. But it led...
May30
Posted on May 30 by Ruth Davis
Today is Memorial Day in the US, a day we honor and remember those who have died in active military service. Maybe you know someone who gave their life fighting for our country. Maybe you know someone who is currently serving in our military. Today is a day to acknowledge, not only those who have fought for our national freedom, but also for our personal freedoms. * * * * * * * * As a kid, I marched in the local Memorial Day parades–one year as a beginning baton twirler, one year as a girl scout, and years later, with my alto sax in my high school marching band. We played patriotic songs and there was a lot of flag waving. But I never knew anyone in the military. But I did know people who had died. So I began to think of Memorial Day as a day to remember all kinds of people who were special to me. Lately, I’ve been thinking how so many people in our lives fight for our freedom. Our parents, our teachers,...
May24
Posted on May 24 by Ruth Davis
How many times have you thought, if only I could win the lottery…if only I were rich…oh, how my life would be different… Really? If you had a million dollars, what would you do? Quit your job? Then what? Lie on the beach all day? Then what? Go on a cruise? Then what? Give money to your favorite charity? Then what? Buy some cars, a new house? Then what? Most people, when asked to really think about this, realize that the thing they would REALLY want to do is something close to their heart, that makes them feel excited and joyful and part of something bigger than themselves. Do you really need to wait until you have a cazillion dollars to begin pursuing this thing that sparks your heart? What IS this thing thing that you wish you could do, if only…..? And what is stopping you from doing it now? Can you donate a LITTLE bit to your favorite charity NOW? Or start saving for a 3-day mini-cruise? Or find a coach who can guide you toward a more...
