Soul Speak. by Jodi Chapman

Transcription

1 Soul Speak Reflections to Warm Your Heart & Reignite Your Spirit by Jodi Chapman

2 Copyright 2018 by DandiLove Unlimited All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, reviews, and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This book comes from my heart and is here to support you. Please know, though, that it is not a replacement for therapy or medical advice. If you are feeling like you could use some extra support, please seek out a professional in your area. Author photo credit: Jennifer Phelps Ordering information available at: Printed in the United States of America ISBN: Library of Congress Control Number:

3 This book is dedicated to those in my community who continue to show up from a place of love, listen to their soul, and act on its whispers. You lift me up and inspire me every day, and I m so glad we re on this journey together.

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5 C ontents Introduction...i Reconnecting with Your Soul... 2 In an Instant... 6 Fitting In Is so Overrated One Teeny-Tiny Change The Gratitude Game Making Better Use of Our Energy Many Different Roads Finding Peace Within the Chaos Working Out the Kinks Which Backpack Are You Carrying? Are You Listening to Your Body? Pulling Ourselves Up You ll Never Be Ready Newly Found Freedom That Darn Default Setting Have You Handed Over Your Destiny? A Game I Never Want to Win Our Sacred Gifts The Choices We Make... 86

6 We re All in the Same Boat...91 What s Your Story?...95 The Joy Hangover Let s Stop Making Excuses Turning Envy into Inspiration Decide. Just Decide You re Allowed to Change How to Avert a Full-Blown Pity Party Make Joy Your Home You re Already There It s Okay to Feel Afraid Are You Willing to Toot Your Own Horn? It Doesn t Have to Make Sense The Passing of Energy A Letter from My Soul It s Okay to Be Selfish Making Room for Your Dreams Setting You Up for Self-Care Success The Power of Labels Unplugging Your Circuits We re All Doing the Best We Can Grateful for Everyday Miracles Our Happiness Level Clarity Through Contrast The Space In Between...194

7 Stepping Bravely into Your Authentic Self Using the F Word and Meaning It Finding Joy in the Present Moment Are You a Truth Speaker? This Is Me Peaceful, Easy Feeling Your Biggest Dream We Can t Possibly Know Choosing to Wake Up The Best Coach I Know An Ending & An Invitation Acknowledgments About Jodi Gifts Soul Bursts

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9 Intr oduct ion I know with complete certainty that you ve been led to this book for a beautiful reason, and I m so happy that you re here. I don t believe that there are any coincidences in our world, which means that you are reading this right now because you are supposed to. Because somewhere deep within your heart, you are ready to live a soulful life. Somewhere deep within your heart, you know that you are deserving of a vibrant, well-lived life, and you are now bravely following the path that will lead you to it. And I m so glad that our paths have come together. I can t wait for you to take this journey with me. It s a journey filled with inspiration, bravery, honesty, reflection, hope, and love. You may have picked up this book because there is a part of you that is ready to feel more connected to your life. You may be feeling some sort of quiet urging inside of you, leading you toward something more. Or you may be hearing a voice from deep within, guiding you to share your gifts with the world, to be brave enough to speak your truth, and to honor your life purpose. You may be feeling a bit disconnected from yourself, and you re looking for a way to plug back in. You may be wondering where you went, after spending most of your life giving to others. Or you may have created a life that s filled with busyness, but when you stop for a moment and examine everything, you feel an emptiness inside that you are looking to fill. Whatever the reason is that brought you here, know that you aren t alone. Know that I ve experienced each of these scenarios, and I ve felt each i Soul Speak

10 of these feelings. And through my own journey of reconnecting with my soul that wise part within each of us that is connected to all that is I was able to feel at peace again and find my place in this world. That s what I hope reading this book brings to you as well: a certainty and a serenity that you ve always searched for and are now ready to welcome into your life. This book contains a compilation of articles that I ve shared on my blog over the years. I ve selected pieces that I hope will inspire and support you in creating a life that you are proud to live. My intention is that they will fill you up and reconnect you with your soul, which is just what they did for me. In 2011, I began blogging as a way to prove to myself that I could stick with something. I had always wanted to write, and each year that went by when I wasn t writing made me feel further and further away from my purpose and also from my soul. After several weeks of posting daily, something inside of me began to shift. I realized that writing was no longer solely about me and my commitment. It was about the heartfelt words that my soul wanted me to share. It surprised me that the more I gave myself the space to write, the more in touch with my soul I became and the more aligned I felt with the universe. Before this, checking in with my soul wasn t something that I did regularly. I was too busy running a business and trying to make a living; I didn t think I had time for something as frivolous as inner reflection. But through writing one blog post after another, I began to see that this quiet time each day this stillness where my fingers typed on the keyboard and my mind stepped aside for a moment to make room for my heart was helping me reconnect with something truly magical within. I began to see how we re all connected. I began to see a life filled with possibilities. I began to see myself through the eyes of love, rather than ii Jodi Chapman

11 through the eyes of a critic. I began see how beautiful life can be when we open our hearts to others. I began to see how we re all much more alike than we can even imagine and that we re all made from the same loving energy and are all on the same journey: to live fully, to love fully, and to reconnect and express who we truly are. Journaling has been such a huge part of my own spiritual journey. I believe that something truly magical happens when we ask ourselves reflective questions and then take the time to answer them. With that in mind, I have added soulful questions after each piece throughout the book so that you can take the message into your own heart and reflect on your own journey. Also, each piece is preceded by an excerpt that gets to the heart of what it is about. This book can be read straight through or one piece at a time. One recommendation would be to let your soul lead the way allow it to help you flip through the book and stop on the page that feels right. And then read it and take a few moments to write your answers to the reflective questions. It s a great book to have on your nightstand and read before falling asleep or when you first wake up. It s also a wonderful book to use as part of your spiritual practice helping you feel closer to the divine within you and all around you. However you decide to read it, please know that there is definitely not a right or a wrong way. As long as you re following your heart, you will never be steered in the wrong direction! Each message inside this book comes from deep within my heart. Journeying to my soul has helped me step through my fear, reclaim my inner power, and live the life that I was born to life. My hope is that this book will help you do the same. Sending love to you, Jodi iii Soul Speak

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14 Rec onnect ing wit h Y our Soul Like all of us, I am a spiritual being living in a human body. And like many of us, as life s hardships piled up on top of me, I became more and more weighed down. I needed to learn how to survive and find ways to go on when I felt completely broken. My soul would quietly whisper to me over the years: I m here. Pay attention. Don t apply for that job. You shouldn t be with that person. You have so much to offer to the world. Take this path rather than the one you re currently on. Begin living again. You are so special. Your fear is an illusion. Only love exists. Stay in the present. Keep moving forward. Share your message. You are loved. But I didn t pay attention to this soft voice inside of me. I didn t think much about it; I was too busy surviving. Everything changed in 2010 when I received guidance from a loved one on the other side. As a skeptic, this wasn t something that I took lightly. It challenged all of my beliefs and everything I thought I knew about the world that I lived in. But over time (and lots of tangible proof that this was really happening), I began to listen, take notes, and immerse myself in this beautiful energy. I received such beautiful messages that I have been sharing with everyone I meet ever since. But probably the most important part of the entire experience was reconnecting with my soul. Once this happened and I remembered this part of myself, I felt whole again. I felt a love that I d never felt before: the love from my soul, which is connected to 2 Jodi Chapman

15 every part of the universe. It s the most powerful love, and it flows through each of us if we are open to it. I now know that I will never lose touch with this part of myself again my soul is my connection to all of life. Without that connection, I can never be fully alive. I now listen when my soul speaks. If you are feeling this numbness that I was feeling this disconnectedness and this searching for something more, something deeper, something that you have forgotten but can t quite remember your soul is speaking to you and asking you to reconnect with it. I reconnect with my soul through stillness, silence, and writing. You may find another way that works better for you, such as dancing, painting, or being in nature. However you decide to reconnect, I would urge you to begin or continue this process. Your soul has all of the answers, which means YOU have all of the answers. And though it may not always feel this way, it really is true. If you aren t sure where to start, take some time to speak to your soul and see what it says. Sit down, take a deep breath, center yourself, grab a pen and paper, and ask your soul what it wants you to know. Write down what it says. Keep asking until you are clear and know exactly what it needs you to hear. Don t censor yourself. Don t wonder if it s really you or your soul doing the writing. Just write. You could also close your eyes when you are writing or use your opposite hand. However you choose to reconnect with your soul is up to you. The important part is that you do so. I wish I could convey how much my life has opened up since I remembered my own soul. I went from feeling numb, disillusioned, and afraid to alive, aware, and fully conscious. It s amazing, and I wish that for you more than anything else. You deserve that joy and completeness. And your soul can t wait for you to reconnect. 3 Soul Speak

16 Soul ful Ref lect ion Take a few moments to center yourself. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax your body and mind. And then read the questions below and write down the first answers that come to you. What has your relationship been like with your soul through the years? Have you listened to it or ignored it? Do you have a daily practice where you are still and listen to the whispers within (such as journaling, meditation, or walking in nature)? If not, would you be willing to create one? What might that look like for you? What does your soul want you to know? 4 Jodi Chapman

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18 In an Instant Many years ago, I was stopped at a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. I was late for class and was feeling extremely stressed about making it on time. It felt like the light was taking forever, and I was getting more and more impatient. Finally, it changed to green. Just as I was getting ready to put my car into gear and go through the intersection, my book bag fell onto the floor and the contents spilled all over. I said several choice words and took a few seconds to pick everything up and put it all back in. When I looked up at the intersection, I saw a car zipping through it (even though their light was red). If I had gone immediately when the light turned green, they would have crashed into me at a super-fast speed. It took me another light change to collect myself. (Thankfully, no one was behind me.) It took me another light change to stop shaking and pull myself together. It took me another light change to be able to take in what just happened to see how lucky I was. To feel how protected I was. And to see how in one instant, my perspective had completely changed. Just one instant before, I was so impatient and frustrated and in a pretty crappy mood. Just one instant before, I was picking up everything out of my book bag and swearing and worrying that this was going to make me even later. Just one instant before, I saw this moment as a huge inconvenience. 6 Jodi Chapman

19 An instant later, I was filled with gratitude. I saw my bag spilling through a new perspective. I realized that this perceived inconvenience may have just saved my life. An instant later, I was overcome with love and joy and a feeling of being protected and of having experienced a miracle. An instant later, I was no longer worried about the time or being late. I was no longer frustrated or angry. I was safe, which was all that mattered. Remembering moments like this helps me feel connected to something more than myself. Moments like this invoke love and life and hope and miracles and joy and gratitude in my heart. And that feels so, so good. I feel immense gratitude for all of the miracles that are happening in each instant all around us. Once we start looking for them once we start opening our hearts to them we start to see them and feel them everywhere. And that s pretty amazing. 7 Soul Speak

20 Soul ful Ref lect ion Can you think of an instant in your life when your perspective changed or you shifted in some way? 8 Jodi Chapman

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22 Fitt ing In Is so O ver rated Each night before I go to sleep, I pick up whichever novel I m in the middle of and read for a few minutes. It s such a wonderful way to ground myself and create a relaxing space between the busy state and the dream state. I recently read a novel called Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg and came across a passage that almost lit up for me on the page. In the story, the main character a novelist was saddened and worried that physical books were becoming obsolete. They weren t as flashy as electronic readers, and she thought that they just wouldn t be able to keep up with the growing trend of people wanting something more high tech with a screen and a hard drive. The part that really stood out for me was this: Books aren t loud enough; they re not showy enough; they don t move quickly enough, indeed, they don t move at all. They require stillness, reflection, imagination, and these things are out of step with the times. I read it over and over again, and it just about brought tears to my eyes. I felt like she was talking about me. I m not showy or loud. Definitely not. I don t move quickly. And I absolutely require stillness and reflection and imagination (lots of it, actually). After reflecting on this passage, I found that my sadness was coming from feeling as though I would never completely fit in (not a huge surprise, but it still produced a bit of melancholia since that desire to blend and be normal is so innate). I felt that my authentic self wasn t flashy and never would be. And I 10 Jodi Chapman

23 realized that if I tried to jazz myself up in the form of being loud or zany or more outgoing it would be a losing battle right from the start. Because in doing so in even attempting to do so I would lose myself, my essence. I would disconnect from my soul. And I started wondering how many of us are trying to keep up with this flashiness and this zaniness and this fast-movingness? How many of us are going against the grain of everything we know to be true within our hearts and our bodies simply because we want to fit in? I can certainly relate. I ve often just wished I were normal. Not so sensitive. Not so quiet. Not so this or that or anything else that kept me at arm s distance from the rest of the world. And while I may always wonder what it would be like to fit in and keep up, I know that it will never happen. I can say that with complete certainty because I have given up trying. It s just not worth it. Seriously. If I were meant to be showy and flashy and zany, I would ve been born that way. But I wasn t. And the more time I spend with myself, the more I realize that I m liking who I have always been and who I have allowed myself to become. No, I don t always fit in. And that s okay. I have found places to fit in, such as my home and my community. I have found friends who accept me for who I am, and I do the same for them. We are fitting in together. We have created a sacred space of love and honesty and quietness and soulfulness. It s not glamorous and filled with glitter, and it s not showy and flashy. But it s just right. We are leading the way with our quiet introspection and our stillness and reflection. And we re finding each other. And that feels pretty amazing. 11 Soul Speak

24 Soul ful Ref lect ion In what ways are you already showing up authentically in your life? What are some ways where you ve been trying to fit in but it no longer feels right to do so? In what ways will your life improve by honoring exactly who you are and not trying to be anyone else? 12 Jodi Chapman

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26 O ne Teeny-Tiny C hange We all have the best of intentions to create lasting change and live our best lives. If we find a new tip or tool that we are sure will make us feel better, we want to leap right in and fully integrate it into our lives. We want to be happier, more grounded, more full of life, joyful, grateful, and every other word that conjures up images in our head of a wonderful life. And so, with the absolute best of intentions and a heart filled with excitement about the possibility for feeling better and changing our day-to-day life, we take all of those tips and tools that we ve heard about and tell ourselves that we re going to live that way. We re going to assimilate every single happiness technique and every single meditation tool and every single way to feel grateful into our life today. So we do our research and gather all of the information that we ll need to take this leap. We learn about all of the things that we just know we must do to feel better. We race around and draw out charts for ourselves to help us remember our new schedule: In the morning, we ll meditate. Five times a day, we ll say our affirmations. Twice a day, we ll write in our gratitude journal. We ll feel our feelings. We ll exercise at least once a day. We ll eat right. We ll sleep at least eight hours a night. We ll make sure to take time out each day for ourselves. We ll read. We ll do something creative. We ll work on our vision board. We ll plan out our future. We ll make special time for our partner. We ll have a family night. We ll 14 Jodi Chapman

27 take our kids to the park. We ll play with our pets. We ll organize our house. We ll clean our house. We ll catch up on the laundry. We ll call our friends. We ll take that online class that we ve been meaning to take for the last year or so. We ll do every single thing that we know we should be doing to make us feel happier. We ll create a plan and a system and color code it and put it on our calendar and enter it into our brain so that we won t forget. And in doing all of these things, we just know that our life will be perfect. And we really go into this wholeheartedly believing 100% that this will work, that our life will change, and that we ll be completely and immediately transformed. And Day 1 goes really well! We re excited, fully committed, and ready to take action! And Day 2 goes pretty well, too. Except, maybe we forget to do a couple of things, but it s okay. We tell ourselves that we ll just make it up the next day; no big deal, right? And then Day 3 comes, and we re beginning to let several things slide, but we still feel that it s okay because at least we re doing most of the things. And then a week passes, and we find ourselves lower than we were before in bed with the covers pulled up wondering why we ever even tried at all. We berate ourselves for even trying to change, for imagining that we could stick to something, for believing, even for one second, that this could actually work. Does this sound at all familiar? I would guess it does since many of us have a tendency to do this, and that s nothing to berate ourselves for. Wanting to make positive changes in our lives is a good thing! Taking action steps to make them happen is a good thing! But setting ourselves up to fail by taking on too much and trying to change too much too fast is where we get stuck. Because then we end up right where we started. And each time this happens, our self-esteem takes a hit. 15 Soul Speak

28 But there is an easy solution! Instead of trying to change your life all at once, what if you just made one little teeny-tiny change at a time? What if you stuck with that one change for a few weeks and made sure it was a habit, and then (and only then) added another teeny-tiny thing? I promise that it is so much easier to make lasting changes this way. It s so much easier to feel great about yourself, too. It s so much easier to do something if it s not going to drastically change your routine, your lifestyle, your comfort zone. So how does this work, anyway? Let s say that your goal is to feel happier. I would suggest that you first break this down into what exactly that means for you and what are the steps needed for you to get to this goal of feeling happier. Let s say that you want to be more creative and you also want to eat healthier and you also want to exercise more and you also want to figure out your purpose in life. These are all wonderful things, but they are also pretty big things. So let s just start with one, and we ll even break that down. Let s start with the fact that you want to create more because you know that makes you happy. I would ask you to define create because that could mean many things. Maybe you want to paint. Maybe you want to decorate your home. Maybe you want to play an instrument. Whatever it means for you, get really clear on that. And then just choose one of the ways you can feel creative. And from that, choose one teeny-tiny thing you can do each day to express your creativity. For example, if you said that painting makes you feel creative, I wouldn t start by saying that you re going to create a new piece of work each day. Remember, we re starting with teeny-tiny things. So I would ask you to commit to picking up a brush every single day, dipping it into paint, and touching the canvas with it. That s it. You don t even have to paint anything special nothing more 16 Jodi Chapman

29 than one stroke. What will most likely happen is you will create much more than one stroke, and your creativity will take off! But it s also perfectly okay if it doesn t take off. As long as you re touching the canvas each day, your self-esteem isn t going to take a hit on the days when you re just not feeling it. Baby steps lead to bigger steps, which lead to leaps, which lead to a life lived fully. Let s try taking teeny-tiny steps today toward living our best lives. This is something that we can all commit to. This is doable. Let s let go of trying to do it all at once. Let s stop setting ourselves up to immediately fail. Let s actually make it easy to make lasting changes that we will actually stick to. Yes, let s do that. Are you in? 17 Soul Speak

30 Soul ful Ref lect ion What s one teeny-tiny change that you can make right now in your life? 18 Jodi Chapman