In hot pursuit of failure….

Posted on May 14, 2016 by simplygiselle

ohm

“If you are not failing, you are probably not trying as hard as you should be” – George Church

A simple concept brought to a new level and makes me kick myself for not thinking it first. This isn’t your run of the mill daily failure – this is the – kicking ass and trying thousands of different ways to achieve your goal, knowing deep down in your mind and heart that it will work, it will.

I read this great article about George Church, Ph.D., with whom I had never heard of before because I do not run in those circles, but was just inspired (and a bit jealous) of the life he has lived to this point. The ups and downs, the so-called ‘breaks’ he thinks he has been given, the passion for science and discovery….

If you have five minutes I strongly recommend this read, if just for the glimpse of what life has to offer every single one of us, just keep pursuing it, for it is the successes and more importantly the failures, that push us to greatness.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/05/if-youre-not-failing-youre-probably-not-trying-as-hard-as-you-could-be/

“I have not failed. I have found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

Love is in the air and in your soul

Posted on February 15, 2015 by simplygiselle

“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” – Judy Garland

After all it is Valentine’s Day so why not throw a little love out there. Even if you are not in a relationship at the moment, some point in your life you probably could relate to what Ms. Garland had to say.

That moment…that fleeting moment of a whisper or kiss truly does stir in your core and not even Father Time can erase that feeling. All you have to do is close your eyes and it comes flooding back to you, it may even propel you into another dimension (at least it seems that way) it is just that powerful.

There are so many layers to love it cannot be broken down, sorted out, or analyzed.

Maybe that is why it never leaves us, even when our heart is broken, there is still a sliver of it left behind.

(picture credit: http://flikie.s3.amazonaws.com/ImageStorage/d8/d86d6070173f46edab259e790120da28.jpg)

Tell me, teach me, involve me

Posted on February 3, 2015 by simplygiselle

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” – Benjamin Franklin

Well Ben, you and I are on the same page. I love to learn. I ask tons of questions to the point of being annoying but it is because I want to know, I h.a.v.e. to know and although having someone explain it is nice, I want the hands-on-full-immersion-experience!

I want my hands in the dirt planting, the water in my face while swimming, the air in my hair on the highest swing so I can feel like I am flying…

I want to be drenched in the excitement, in the moment, to the point of almost drowning from the knowledge and information…soaking up all that is out there to encounter…more… there is always more….

I alone

Posted on January 23, 2015 by simplygiselle

I alone love you

I alone tempt you

I alone love you

Fear is not the end of this

From the moment I heard Ed Kowalczyk sing these intense lyrics, I was just blown away. My interpretation is that fear is not the end of this (life implied) but fear can most definitely paralyze you and as many cultures and religions will tell you, death is only the beginning.

Although money is required for existence, love truly is the power behind all that we are. It guides us to support others, to have the strength to move forward when it seems all is lost, it is found in hope, and trust, and would have us throw ourselves in front of a train if it meant saving the ones that we love most from getting hurt. Hmm I guess I have to add that love is also blinding, both in a good and bad way.

“The greatest teachers will not hesitate to leave you there by yourself chained to fate” = what better way to make ourselves stronger than by the strength in love and in ourselves. Who makes it happen? You make it happen. If you decide to give up, the situation hasn’t changed, it is still there taunting you, poking you with a stick until you get back up and knock it on its butt. So you can’t give up, you just can’t….

This song ebbs and flows in a very powerful way and bring me through a series of emotions; love, a smidge of sadness, longing, but in the end, I always seem to feel more powerful and resilient and more courageous for hearing it.

Weekly Writing Challenge: Music – – As a writer I have many inspiration cues. A smell, a color, a photo from the past can all be a good launching place to write from. But today I want you to think about music as your guide. Let it flow and take you somewhere else today as you dance with your fingertips and write from your soul.

Euripides is one smart dude

Posted on December 29, 2014 by simplygiselle

“The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.” – Euripides

Wait a minute, back up, you have not fully digested that statement from Euripides yet… you are not ready to continue reading on…read it again, let it sink it… wow powerful stuff, right!

We all acknowledge balance in our lives is key, but maintaining it is so difficult. It reminds me of the game, Don’t Spill the Beans. The pot is on a rocking device and as the players take turns placing a single tiny bean, if not perfectly positioned, the pot tips over and all the beans come spilling out.

Isn’t this what we are facing every day? Racing around to get the kids to school, all of their extracurricular activities, working full time, paying the bills, etc. etc. only to go to bed and do it again the next day… the monotony of running at 4000 r.p.m.’s daily with very few attempts to step back and regain or restore the balance because it is what is expected of us or ‘we don’t have the time’.

There is a great power around us, and in us, I have no doubt about that, but what we choose to do with that power is what makes us great…makes us a better person….makes us find our balance, naturally and without force. Embrace the power and energy like a big hug! The power is in your mind, in your heart, in your soul, throughout every inch of your body, just waiting for you to tap back into it and release it… (hmmm maybe I am getting a little too sappy…negative or realistic?)

It is thought that what energy you send out into the world comes back to you threefold, so why not send out the positive?! We could all use a little more positive and happy in our lives. It can be something as little as telling a passerby, ‘love those shoes’, but acknowledging each other with a simple positive vibe seems to grow, it changes that person even for the slightest moment, and no, they may not respond back, (you shouldn’t expect anyone to, that is not why you are doing it and some looks you get will be priceless and make you smile even larger), and no they may not pass it along, (hey.. that is on them), so why not? It didn’t cost anything, it didn’t take any of your precious time from you… so… Why not sprinkle a little bit of happiness in your life and heart by sharing it with others, and improving your balance? Throw out the entire pot of positivity to those around you and see what sticks.

Do whatever it takes to find that powerful balance without excuse. Don’t let that ‘pot of beans’ spill before it is too late.

Embrace the beautiful you

Posted on October 21, 2014 by simplygiselle

“The qualities I most admire in women are confidence and kindness.” Oscar de la Renta

With the passing of one of fashion’s biggest icons, Oscar de la Renta was quoted on the radio this am saying he used color and fashion to make women the most beautiful he could. Ah, the days of when men adored women, cherished them, just simply admire their beauty no matter what size, but just because they were beautiful and confident.

For hundreds of years painters and sculptures have taken the female form and held it up high for all to gaze upon and see how exquisite the shape of her face, the softness of her curves, the delicate falling of hair, a creature so complex yet so breath taking – yes women, this is you!

Unfortunately somewhere along the line in these last 75 years, some uptight women found that being revered equated to being ‘objectified’, and for a man, giving a simple compliment could result in laser beams shooting out of her eyes and setting him aflame only for her to give him the dust-buster and dump him into the trash.

Does a flower close its petals in protest not to stare at its shades, hues, and delicate nature? On the contrary, it seems to embrace its beauty even more, stand a little straighter, flow in the breeze a little easier, hold its dew a little longer… knowing it has made the admirer happy in their heart… for just simply being.

Shine from the inside

Posted on October 3, 2014 by simplygiselle

I found a way, to steal the sun from the sky… Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside (Shinedown)

Howl at the Moon “Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” — Allen Ginsberg Do you follow Ginsberg’s advice — in your writing and/or in your everyday life?

I also connect the Allen Ginsberg to another saying –

Dance like there is nobody watching

Love like you will never get hurt

Sing like there is nobody listening

Live like the it’s heaven on earth

And speak from the heart to be heard (William W. Purkey)

It is difficult to remember in this fast paced world, but there are often times I do break out, embrace the ‘inner moonlight’ the ‘dance like there is nobody watching’ embrace the freedom of judgment from others – it is an amazing feeling – as close to flying as I can get.