Comments on: Shout YES from the rooftops

By: Reggie Kuker

Reggie Kuker — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:55:26 +0000

Thx for this information. It’s much appreciated! Best regards.

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:41:22 +0000

My sister recommended that I check out Martha Beck’s information which is what led me to this blog and eventually to this article. I went through both the inner no exercise and this inner yes exercise. Very helpful–been going between being extremely happy and quite depressed since leaving my husband (for good reason). These exercises helped me to get in touch with what makes me “me”. Thanks a bunch!

By: jennifer e

jennifer e — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 07:41:13 +0000

Wow this made me look at all I say yes to mostly my family, but I put them first in my life so it wasn’t that big of deal for me to us family listed alot. But I think that im going to take some time for just me. Thank you Jennifer E

By: Hi Jennifer

Hi Jennifer — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:48:08 +0000

Thank you for sharing this exercise with me, it really help me to put things in perspective. I don’t think that I had ever had the time to really sit down and focus on my life in such a waye specially with my very hectic schedule. Iam currently the director of a local child development center, program manager of another child development center, a care taker for my elderly and disable mother, a care taker for my grand-daughter, a parent of 5 beautiful children, and a student at Kaplan University. It’s really hard trying to focus on myself when all these people depend on me.

After doing the surey you made me realize that I really need to focus on me. So this weekend it will be all about me. I am going to engage in some aroma therapy, do my hair and nails, get dress and go and sit on the balcony with some soft music (instrumental only), prepare fresh fruit tray and a daquari and watch the sun go down by my self.

Thank you so much, I think that this break is well overdue.

Thanks again

By: Dwight

Dwight — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:08:53 +0000

My Own Best-Case Scenario

It is an incredibly beautiful day. The air is clear, the scenery dazzling, and I’m setting out to go mountain biking with Tim. I’ve got no other responsibilities, no immediate deadlines, and no major problems weighing me down. I feel great, even better than I did back before my stroke, when I was exercising on a regular basis, and I loved Anita. In fact, I am in the best physical shape of my life: strong, lean, robust and full of energy. I’m having a great conversation about what life means when a message arrives for me. It’s a letter from the president, saying that I have been chosen to receive a lifetime of financial support to do my personal and profound writing. This will require that I spend a lot of time with Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers. I feel just the way I do when writing and sharing something personal and profound on my blog, only more so.

I lie back for a moment, take in the scenery, and enjoy knowing that this is basically how I am going to spend the rest of my life. Welcome to my daydream!

By: Jennifer L.

Jennifer L. — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:55:34 +0000

I managed to complete this exercise slightly more successfully than I did in the Beck book. Questions like these, which ask me to isolate ‘favorites’ or ‘mosts’ tend to cause me to freeze. Also, my memory doesn’t seem to operate the way that is needed to answer questions like “three times that I’ve had magnetic attractions”. I’m not sure I’ve had even one, and if others occurred more than a day or so ago, I’m unlikely to remember them. A final challenge for me is itemizing my best health – I’m fortunate to have excellent health. My few minor health problems have been very short-term.

As I said, I did manage to complete the exercise despite my handicaps. While the resulting story is pleasant, I cannot honestly say that I’m even close to having a sense of my essential self through the exercise.

—

Hi Jennifer!

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts after completing the exercise, both in Martha’s book and here. My worksheet is just a shortcut version of what is in the book.

Since I don’t know you at all or how you like to learn or process information, I can only make a few guesses:

-it may be easier for you to talk through this exercise with someone who can ask clarifying questions, instead of trying to do it yourself. Do you have any friends to help you do this, or a coach handy?
-do you feel particularly shut down when it comes to feeling really strong positive emotion? Maybe the “soul shrapnel” chapter from North Star will help.
-when was the last time you did something really creative and fun? Sometimes a stroll through an art museum or a hike in nature or picking up a camera can do wonders to get your creative juices flowing and to feel more present in your body
-maybe this way of connecting with your essential self just doesn’t work for you! That is ok too, and I encourage you to keep searching for ways to validate your strong, clear signals from within that tell you which direction to go in your life.

Thanks again for weighing in! Let me know if you have other questions or suggestions and I will try to cover them in future blog posts.

All the best,

-Pam