Author: jeanniebruenning_s4d8jy

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Discovering A Sense of Purpose

I never had a problem rattling off a list of things I enjoyed doing, projects I loved getting involved with, and topics I loved teaching. Then one day I decided to learn to meditate and everything changed. 

The first meditation talked all about finding our deepest desire. Deepest Desire? What’s that? I wondered and moments later a new journey began in search of my deepest desire.

It didn’t take long before I began feeling like nothing I did was enjoyable. Tasks I once enjoyed, or at least tolerated, now ate at me from the inside out. What am I doing wrong? What has changed? Don’t every ask these questions if you’re not serious about getting the answers.

I began asking other questions, What do I really love? Not what can I do well, but what do I really enjoy? What feels exciting? What makes me want to laugh? What do I love doing more than anything else?

I asked and asked until I whittled it down to a simple statement. I love connecting people’s passion with opportunity. That was it! Above anything else I have ever done or hope do, making those connections is the top of the list, cream of the crop, it fulfills my deepest desire.

So what was going so wrong? The rub came in when I  did something that went against or took me out of my passion. 

I was connecting people to the door of opportunity (my passion) but instead of stopping at the door and letting them walk through on their own, I escorted them through the gates and then began to help them set up shop. The moment I walked through the door, the passion left and dread, frustration, resentment took hold. I’m not wired to help set up shop, I’m wired to explore possibilities, seek out opportunities, encourage others to follow their dreams, and brainstorm strategies. 

I have always loved teaching, I now understand that teaching isn’t the motivator. Rather, it’s the content that I’m teaching. Teaching about processes is deflating and my eyes are glued to the clock as an hour seems like a life times. It’s the complete opposite when I am teaching about possibilities and opportunities, connecting people to their potential – it’s in those classes that I have to remind myself that time exists.

Finding your passion and uncovering you deepest desire (or desires) is like putting a puzzle together. Its all about self-exploration. Looking at strengths, talents, and weaknesses. It’s about discovering where you are and seeing all the amazing things that have already happened that makes you – YOU!

You are unique. No one sees life through your eyes. No one taste chocolate the way you do. No one hears music the way you do. Only you can live the life you were designed to live. How awesome is that!!

When we find our passion and deepest desire, we create for ourselves a sense of purpose. Our passion and purpose becomes the funnel that we pour life through. We know what activities will build us up and which have the potential of drain us. We can pick and choose where we want to put our time and energy.

Discovering A Sense of Purpose is a new course rolling out this fall. Its a four part series that offers opportunities to explore who we are and what in life energizes and moves us closer to living a life full of passion. Fall classes are being organized.

Interested? YES!  Let’s do it! Let’s find out what makes you tick and where you should be spending your time and energy.

For more information click here and give me your info.

Join me and let’s get this party started!!

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A Lot of Chatter

jeannie bruenning

My husband refers to them as those who make a lot of chatter. You know the type. They are those special people in your life who have perfected the fine art of looking busy but never accomplishing much. 

These so called chatters start out as wonderful people. They are fun. They interact well (cause…they like to chatter…). They are creative, smart, and successful. There’s really no way to knowing that one day they will show up with a tool box and logs and start building a damn right in the center of your life. 

I used to think I was a magnet for these individual. “How do they find me?” I’ve said as frustration and resentment began to boil.  “What am I doing wrong?” Finally with arms flailing in the air, I shout the truth, “They don’t respect me!”

BINGO!! That’s the bottom line. Respect. 

There’s no need for a formula to figure out if someone doesn’t respect what you do or who you  are. Somehow, you just know. 

There have been times I’ve figured it out in the early day of damn construction. But there have also been times that the damn was so far along that my entire life came to a slow drip.

How do they find me? And when they do, What do I do about it?

Here’s my new solution. Welcome everyone one in equally. Have fun, enjoy their company, get to know them. BUT as soon as you feel the slightest inkling that there is a respect issue – switch gears – because those are people you have to manage. You have to show up with your own tool box and build boundaries before they start designing their damn. 

For everyone else in your life –  play! Have fun, create new stuff, and grow together. This is where you spend your time and energy. 

These are the relationships you build upon.

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Let’s Pretend

Author Jeannie Bruenning

I love watching kids play. It’s like watching mini adults without all their protective shields.

This weekend our three youngest grandchildren were at our house.  They may only be one year a part in age but in personalities – they aren’t on the same sphere. 

Liam, our lego engineer had designed a lego RC (remote control so I’ve been informed) robot. Elin, who has big plans of becoming a SuperStar, enjoys her barbie dolls. And Emery, who prefers being surrounded with a zillion buddies, (stuffed animals) while watching Pokemon or playing the Wii – and scowls at the thought of playing with dolls – had found a way to join in.

They had created a movie set complete with movie stars, a full kitchen to use on their cooking show, and of course, a RC robot to help with the set design.

That evening these same three were sitting in a circle on the floor. Elin was swinging her barbie around making it’s long hair twirl around in the air. “Let’s pretend that our mother is dead,” she began…

You know when the TV has been ignored for a bit and those beautiful screen savor images begin to appear? A while back, I started seeing if I could make up a memory or short description of each image. Some become vacation spots or family estates in far off lands, others are romantic adventures or scenes from our own Hollywood lifestyle. One day, our future SuperStar grand-daughter was in the room when the images appeared and she willingly joined in the fun. It didn’t take long to realize that Elin’s imagination has a lot of death in it. Each images was where she had fallen and broken her neck or mangled her body. Others were where she had fallen and simply died. So, when pretending that their mom had died was the opening line to this new game, it wasn’t surprising. 

However, Liam, the lego king interjected. “No, let’s pretend that she has cancer and has been taken to a facility for treatment…”

Really? We’ve moved from death to cancer and treatment facilities? What happened to Christopher Robins and Winnie the Pooh? When did Curious George and Little Bear turn into As the World Turns?

Liam continued, “She has to stay there forever now and can’t come home to take care of us.” I watched as a dark heaviness blanketed these three grade school kids as they considered the possible of a dead mom, cancer facilities and treatments. 

Without a seconds hesitation, Emery, our Pokemon, Wii, and you can never have enough buddies in bed with you, confidently proclaimed, “Well then, I guess we’ll just have to figure out how to do this ourselves!” She’s a no-nonsense kind of a girl.

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Turn the Page…

Turn the page blog post

My dad used to say this when a soloist was preforming a song for longer than he thought was necessary. With a curious grin and a painful expression, he’d quietly say, “Turn the page, you fat-head.”

I’m not sure where this statement originated. Many of his quirky sayings came from the early radio days. “My get up and go – got up and left,” and George Burn’s famous closing, “Say Goodnight Gracy.” 

We all have a tendency to sing songs that go on longer than necessary. They are the songs of our lives that typically contain the words alway and never:

  • Money is always tight
  • We never have enough time
  • My job is alway stressful
  • I never have enough help
  • We’re always sick, tired, with an abundance of aches and pains 
  • We never feel respected, appreciated, or cared for

I’ve been watching a situation that needs to change. A few days ago as I was thinking about it, I realized that I was singing the same old song, “It never changes – this always happens – there’s nothing we can do…” 

“I’m sick of this song,” I said out loud.  I need to start singing a different one. The version that tells about the good, the potential, the possible (instead of impossible), sing of the new adventure that will be ahead when change finally comes.

Yesterday, I found myself singing that same old song… “I gotta change these words!” I said with great determination.

Today, as I began the old familiar stanza, I heard my dad’s quiet voice, “Turn the page you fat-head!”  

With a curious grin I burst into laughter, “Thanks dad, I think I will!” 

 

Check out Living Unstuck!

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Energy

I’m intrigued with the idea that our emotions can be measured as energy. Laughter, joy, love, are positive energy, while anger, hatred, anxiety are negative. 

There seems to be an abundance of negative energy these days. We seem to ooze anger, hatred, anxiety, resentment and fear. 

I recently listened to a series of books written in 1910 by Walter Wattles. Mr Wattles has taken a scientific approach to this subject. 

Wattles was convinced that we have the power to change our world by controlling our emotions; positive energy creates more positive energy and  negative energy creates more negativity. He says if medicine is focused on illness, it will create more illness. On the other hand, if medicine is focused on wellness, it will create wellness. Religion based on fear creates more fear. Faith based on love will create – love.

How does this translate into our current world environment? How does it effect our daily lives? Scientifically it would make sense that if we want to change a negative situation, fighting it with negative energy will not give us the result we desire. Sadly, when we come out fighting against something, we are actually increasing that which we hoped to eliminate or change. 

The only way to change negative energy source is to weaken it with positive energy. This is no easy task. It’s much easier to come out fighting. 

36270697_10156007745914079_3011563989155971072_nI saw this book cover on Facebook today and it grabbed me. I’ve not read the book, but I love the cover. Hard Times Require Furious Dancing.

That’s it! We have to find the strength to dance. Difficult times require us to create all the joy, love, laughter, graciousness, happiness, peace, generosity that we can muster – because it is the only way that we can defuse negativity.

This isn’t ignoring negative situations or living with our head in the sand. Far from it. It is a determination not to get sucked into its negative hold.  It’s choosing to flood the world we have control of with an abundance of positive energy. In doing so, we have the ability to weaken it’s power. If enough of us do it, we can defuse it all together and possibly replace it with good. 

Hard Times Require Furious Dancing! What a beautify image.  What a powerful statement. 

Negativity can not be fought with negativity –  it will loose it’s power when we choose to furiously dance!

Hard Times Requre Furious Dancing, New Poems by Alice Walker

Please check out my newest book: Living Unstuck, finding your joy!

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Is it good?

Is it really possible that we can bring things into existence by speaking it? Can we move mountains or walk on water? There are many who say we can’t – Jesus said we can.

I believe that we are creative people. In fact, I think that it may just be our creativity that God made in His image (I certainly hope its not our physical appearance). Creating is a powerful energy. Sit in the middle of a group of creatives and you can’t help but feel it. It pulls you in and allows you to dream big and feel bigger.

During one of my many contemplative days, I felt I was missing a piece of the puzzle. “God,” I said, “I’m not understanding this whole create your life thing, I’m missing something.” Each time I found myself trying to figure it out, which was most of the day, I’d pray the same pray. 

The next morning I woke with this thought. In the story of creation God has laid out everything we need to know. 

“So what does that look like?” I said out loud. Then I thought about creation.

  1. God called things into existence.
  2. God set them into motion.
  3. God called them good.
  4. God rested. 

I call things into existence all the time! In fact, I’m rather good at it! I’m never without an idea. My mom claims I walked around the house at the age of three saying, “I gutz a ide!”

I’m pretty good at setting things into motion. I’ve started a lot of things. I get charged up about bringing ideas to life!

Then my mind went blank. My head dropped as I sighed a big deflating sigh…I couldn’t remember the last time I called those things I’ve created ‘good’. I’ve waited for others to claim they were good. I’ve hoped someone else would see my creations goodness. I even start sentences with, “I did that but it’s not really good….”

I signed again as I thought of the next step. “…and I don’t rest after I create them.” Who has time to rest when you’re worried if someone else is going to notice how amazing you are? 

Four easy steps all demonstrated to us through the greatest creation story ever. 

  1. We call things into existence by having an idea, thinking a thought, dreaming a dream.
  2. We set them into motion by taking steps to making our ideas, thoughts and dreams real.
  3. We stand back and realize just how amazing it is that we have the ability to do so AND we see the good in what we’ve created.
  4. We rest in the knowledge that we have given it our best, grateful for the ability to create.

I’ve still never seen a mountain literally moved. That actually seems a bit dangerous. I have seen mountainous situations move. 

I’ve yet to literally walk on water (and yes, I’ve tried that too). But I do know what it is like to step out of the safety of a boat onto the rough waters  – knowing that if I looked down, I’d surely lose it. Feeling the excitement of taking the first steps with no knowledge just how far down the bottom is. 

We are creators. I don’t think we have any idea just how powerful our creativity is. Maybe it’s because we aren’t good at seeing what we do as good or resting in the satisfaction of creating. But if it truly is our creativity that is made in the image of the Creator of the Universe…the possibilities are endless.