May Inspired Leap™ "Ah-Ha!" Newsletter
May 2008

Accepting What Is:Lessons From a Hail Storm

Dear Dianna,

On Thursday, May 15th, Austin experienced a powerful wind, rain, and record-setting hail storm. The hail that blew through homes and businesses in central Austin was measured at 4 inches in diameter! As many of you know, I took an Inspired Leap in March and downsized into an apartment even though my house was still on the market. Guess what part of town my house is in?

Yes, the pictures above and below show what greeted me when I pulled up to the house late in the morning on the 15th. It may be hard to see that all six of the big windows are broken, the front door is dented from the hail, and the tree on the side of the house stopped falling over because my roof was supporting it. Needless to say I was in shock and thankful that I had my dear friend Connie with me (she took the photos).

On the day of the storm, I started off numb, had a brief meltdown, and then kicked into action to begin clean up. Whenever I had a moment to think, all I could think of was how was I going to handle the expenses insurance didn't cover while paying a mortgage and rent-not to mention the delay to the possible sale of the house this would bring. I was not ready to accept what is or to stay in the present moment. I lept immediately to my worst nightmare scenario for the coming months.

I'm so thankful that my friends Connie and Barbara were with me most of the day to help ease the shock and anxiety. In fact, there were many blessings that day. The fallen tree was cut down that afternoon and the windows were boarded up by an angel and his crew (a remodelling contractor was boarding up a client's windows and walking around seeing if others needed help when I drove up. One of those small, meaningful blessings that you don't really appreciate until later).

On Friday, I had a workshop to lead (fantastic group of women!), so I didn't get back to the house until Saturday. I spent the day filling 8 large bags of leaves, branches, and broken glass and trying to vaccum up every sliver of glass.

By Saturday evening I was physically and mentally exhausted and feeling a slow build up of anger. "Why, why, why did this happen? Haven't I done everything possible, with visualizing and more, to get this house to sell?" Blah, blah, blah, I went on in my head. Yes, I could be thankful that I wasn't living in the house at the time, as the personal damage to my car and furniture would have been extensive. But, honestly, that didn't help much. A call with a friend helped me to realize that I truly was angry about what happened. I had buried it in order to stay focused on getting things done and cleaned up.

On Sunday morning, I woke up early to a glorious cool, sunny day. I took my dog to our favorite off-leash trail and found the time in nature cleared my head a bit. When I got home, I felt compelled to sit outside and read. Eckhart Tolle's book, A New Earth (featured in Oprah's Webinar Series and Book Club) jumped out at me, as the book to read. I've had the book for at least 4 months, but stopped reading in the midde of the second chapter.

Trusting my intuition, I picked up the book and started reading where I left off. Tears and clarity about the challenges with the house and the storm came to me. While I realize my experience was not a disaster (with many people dealing with much worse), it was certainly causing high resistance or anxiety, so these words immediately resonated with me.

Whenever tragic loss occurs, you either resist or you yield. Some people become bitter or deeply resentful; others become compassionate, wise, and loving. Yielding means acceptance of what is. You are open to life. Resistance is an inner contraction, a hardening of the shell of the ego. You are closed.
-Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth, pp.57-58

Tolle explained that those who experience "the peace of God which passeth all understanding," as described by St. Paul in the Bible, in the face of disaster are experiencing this peace because they yield to what is, release all attachment to what or whom they've lost, and come to the truth:

You realize your true identity as consciousness itself, rather than what consciousness had identified with. That's the peace of God. The ultimate truth of who you are is not I am this or I am that, but I Am. [p. 57]

What's your storm? Where in your work or personal life do you have trouble accepting what is and yielding instead of resisting? As Tolle points out, the resistance is your ego being attached to something or someone and insisting the attachment is what makes you you. The reality is that you are still the magnificent, powerful you regardless of what happens or who is physically in your life.

When we detach and yield, we are really opening up to our power to use all of the resources of the universe to help us move forward. When we resist, our very resistance acts as a deterrant to receiving the help or end result we so desperately want.

When you yield internally, when you surrender, a new dimension of consciousness opens up. If action is possible or necessary, your action will be in alignment with the whole and supported by creative intelligence, the unconditional consciousness which in a state of inner openness you become one with. [p. 58]

Whatever your storm might me, take the time to reconnect with the truth that you are not your job, your stuff, or even your loved ones. An awareness of this truth can help to ease any burden and get you back in the flow of energy, so positive steps forward can occur.

As in my case, this process doesn't have to take very long. You just have to stop long enough to allow the connection to occur. Spending time in nature, consciously reminding yourself who you are, and heeding the wisdom of your intuition can all help to bring you clarity about your ability to weather any storm and handle any loss.

If you'd like to do more work connecting with the part of you that knows who you really are and is unaffected by the needs and worries of the ego, then I encourage you to consider downloading my new audio CD, Envision Your Way to Success (see promotion below). There are four powerful guided visualizations in it to help you connect with your wise self.

We constantly receive messages about how our "stuff" can make us better and hear love songs professing that life can't go on without him or her, so walking around in the world knowing our true worth and knowing that nothing is necessary to make us better or worthy takes a bit of practice. As you can tell, I'm certainly not there yet, but I'm on my way. How about you?

Upcoming Events and Workshops:

Envision Your Way to Success Monthly Tele-Class, beginning Wednesday, June 11th at 7pm Central! Participate as often as you'd like, as no two classes will be exactly the same. We'll briefly explore a different facet of the power of visualization and how the conscious practice of visualizing is a key component of a successful life - however you define it. You'll then have the opportunity to tap into your intuitive wisdom and the power of your imagination in a guided visualization (we'll do a different guided visualization each month). Look for an annoucement and updates to the website next week.

Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued Workshop, Friday, July 25th Location: TBD. Reduce your resistance to achieving your dreams. Discover how to take an inspired leap toward your dreams by learning a powerful way to view stuck moments and make the most of them. Hold the date! Location will be determined within a week and website is being updated to reflect this new date.

Second Annual New Year, New You! Vacation Retreat in Hawaii, January 17-24, 2009 at the Sheraton Maui Resort. Save the dates! More details to come on this inspiring, relaxing, and phenomenal way to launch yoursef into a magnificient 2009.


As you might imagine, one of my plans for the Memorial Day Weekend is to finish reading Eckhart Tolle's book. What will you be doing? I hope there's at least a bit of fun somewhere in your weekend. And, when you start to fret about the economy, gas prices, and the election process, take a deep breath and remember that who you truly are is not affected at all by any of that. Now that's a powerful place to be!

With sincere wishes for a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and kick-off to your summer,

Dianna Amorde President, Inspired Leap Consulting Inc. Comments or questions about this newsletter? Email me at damorde@inspiredleap.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

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If your company needs help with inspiring employees to reach new heights in productivity, creativity, morale, and integrity, please contact us at inspiredleap.com or 512-236-0090. If you need some more inspiration or more regular nudging to practice these steps, check out our website to see what's new to inspire you (a visit to The Quiet Room may be just what you need!).