7 responses so far ↓

• 1 Mindy Stern Feb 21, 2006

  Beyond the basics, I need:

  *love

  *feeling connected with my family and dearest friends…

  *fulfillment in my work and personal relationships

  *the knowledge that my work is serving others and making a positive difference in their lives

  *lots of sunshine!

  *spiritual practice that nourishes my soul and sustains me during difficult times

  *outlets to express my creativity (my faves are writing and designing my own cards with fun stuff from The Paper Source)

  *regular “creativity” time

  *chocolate

  *time in nature… especially the mountains

  *challenges… personal and professional (I guess they intermingle, really)… s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g- myself to learn and grow and move outside of my comfort zone!

  *to keep things in healthy perspective regarding my eating/exercise habits and my weight (e.g. Lately I have been working a LOT. Instead of beating myself up for gaining a few pounds, exercising less, eating “less healthy” than I normally do, etc. I have been regularly thanking my body for everything it allows me to do… and trying to embrace the mini love handles that have suddenly emerged

• 2 Kathleen Corn Feb 22, 2006

  I think what I need after “doing” all of the “being” stuff is acceptance that I have done it and then letting go of the outcome…the no contol thing is the most difficult for me to accept and yet it is everywhere…I am literally in control of almost nothing except inside of me…my thoughts and motives…even my energy wanes with outside stesses and circumstances…so acceptance that I can “do” and “be” in the parameters God has given me and acceptance with gratitude of what I have. Acceptance. Acceptance is a big foundation.

• 3 sue walsh Feb 22, 2006

  to be true to my real self. To not compromise. Saying no is a yes for me

• 4 erinn Feb 22, 2006

  I need:
  * time with God, which I don’t get enough and I am working on
  * kisses from DH…I need him in general because of love
  * my daily ‘mom fix’ (an email, 5-minute phone call)…it keeps me in touch with the family part of my life
  * my vitamins
  * coffee in the morning
  * deep breaths, multiple throughout the day
  * my levenger circa planner
  * my pencil case chock full in case I need to record something, a note, sketch
  * burt’s bees lip balm
  * self-awareness, even on my ‘feelin-ugly’ days like yesterday
  * green tea in the evening
  * cuddling on the couch with DH
  * underwear that fits properly
  * dreams, both while asleep and while awake
  * connecting with friends, taking some time to focus on them and be involved in their life…in a healthy way…being aware of unhealthy relationships and how they can suck me dry
  * did I say being aware…and present? Both physically and mentally. Even on those days where I feel like I have done nothing meaningful, I need to be accepting that my present (good and bad) is a consequence of my decisions (good and bad).

  “Praising yourself for all you do and noticing what is right about your life” Yes. I may not always be exactly where I want to be. But if I only lived for the ‘future’, where things will supposedly be perfect (but won’t ever really), I would never live a life.

  I had a really good friend pass away back in October. It was sudden. He was young. His wife, my friend is too young to be a widow. In all of that crappiness, my way of dredging through each day was to live in the muck whole-heartedly. Live the pain and everything else because today I am alive and present. Too many of us walk through life with the volume on our emotions either turned way down or in the totally ‘off’ position. That was a bit of a divergence. Just a thought.

  I need to live the good and the bad. It’s what makes me well-rounded I think.

• 5 Heleeene Feb 23, 2006

  What do you need to live your life?
  My family, first and foremost. I am childless and spouse-less through nature in the first case and by choice in the second case, so my parents, my sisters and their children, my brother and his family, and my grandmother and great-grandmother are my first point of contact to start and keep going each day.
  My friends, a close second. I schedule my week around – if it’s Thursday morning, it’s time to go meditate with Noerena; if it’s Thursday evening, it must be “Gals night in” to watch L word with my circle of gal pals.
  Music. Its rhythm puts the spring in my every step.
  Variety. I’m the type of person who puts 150% in everything I do. I do many things, I choose to do many things, and it keeps me engaged.

  How do you build your foundation, in life and business?
  Scheduling. I work as a professional development specialist in an association. I had worked first as the Executive Director’s Assistant and gotten to know the organization well, but when my predecessor in the education job had left and the job had been offered to me, I had a dream in which someone told me: It’s an algorithm. I had to go look up the word. It fits the job and my life perfectly. I’m not casting about from project to project, job to job, as it may have seemed when I was younger; I’m creating the algorithm that leads me to where I am going.

  What has helped you find and stay on your path?
  I’ve always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. I truly believe that life works that way anyway, so when I am offered opportunities, I take them! Five years ago, I was treated for ovarian and uterine cancer. As they wheeled me from the recovery room, I told my sister: “No more bullshit.” I broke up with my drug addict boyfriend, connected with those who I had harmed in the past and apologized for my behavior, and decided never to live a small life again. I’m on this planet to achieve great things, since God granted me another and another and another chance!

• 6 Kathleen Feb 27, 2006

  I need to know that I am loved and valued.

  I need good books to escape into.

  I need friends I can laugh with.

  I need to be able to see the sky and trees
  I need a good schedule, and then I need to be able to break out of it and do something different.

  I need the freedom to reinvent myself physically and psychically.

  I need fresh air and sunshine.

  I do need money and not admitting that sometimes seems silly. Money can be freedom to visit friends, travel, be safe and learn new things.

  I need to take care of myself with good food, time to relax and exercise.

  I need to around folks of different ages. I love to hear the dreams of younger folks and the wisdom of those who are older as well as the comraderie of those who are the same age.

  I need sleep as much as food and it is good to make sure I get it.

• 7 Jennifer Louden Mar 1, 2006

  If you read this list as one big one, it gives you chills. Or it does me. I resonate with so much- I love Kathleen’s comment about needing money and not admitting it is silly. I’m with you right there.

  And how much it comes down to love! To give it and receive it.