Intuition

"The secret of fortune is joy in our hands." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 24 Assignment: Intuition by Susan Piver

If you could picture your intuition as a person, what would he or she look like? If you sat down together for dinner, what is the first thing he or she would tell you?

Courage to Connect

"Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 23 Assignment: Courage to Connect by David Spinks

Who is one person that you’ve been dying to connect with, but just haven’t had the courage to reach out to? First, reflect on why you want to get in touch with them. Then, reach out and set up a meeting.

Wow! Honestly? I can't think of anyone. First of all, I wouldn't say I'm "dying" to connect with anyone. That would be speaking death. Now, I might say that I would really love to meet someone... but again, I'm not sure who that would be.

Enthusiasm

"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 22 Assignment: Enthusiasm by Mars Dorian

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” is a great line from Emerson. If there’s no enthusiasm in what you do, it won’t be remarkable and certainly won’t connect with people on an emotional basis. But, if you put that magic energy into all of your work, you can create something that touches people on a deeper level. How can you bring MORE enthusiasm into your work? What do you have to think or believe about your work to be totally excited about it? Answer it now.

First, I would have to say that if you aren't enthusiastic about what you're doing, you need to question whether or not you should be doing it at all.

You Know

"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, 

and you shall have the suffrage of the world." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 21 Assignment: You Know by Jen Louden

We live in a society of advice columns, experts and make-over shows. Without even knowing it, you can begin to believe someone knows better than you how to live your life. Someone might know a particular something better – like how to bake a three-layer molten coconut chocolate cake or how to build a website – but nobody else on the planet knows how to live your life better than you. (Although one or two people may think they do.) For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”

My boss frequently walks into my office in the morning and asks, "What does Cheree know today?" My mood determines the response... some days it's "not much", other days it's "more than I knew yesterday"...

Speak Less

"What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 20 Assignment: Speak Less by Laura Kimball

I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s stopping you? What would happen if you actually went for it and did it?

This prompt seems like a bit of a contradiction. If I'm to speak less of my plans, then why would I write about them and publish them for the world to see?

I have always been a firm believer in keeping your dreams sacred. I think there is a certain amount of power that is dissipated when we speak about our dreams -- at least with just anyone. As Emerson so aptly penned, "you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it." 

Facing (and Fearing)

"Greatness appeals to the future. If I can be firm enough to-day to do right, and scorn eyes, I must have done so much right before as to defend me now. Be it how it will, do right now. Always scorn appearances, and you always may." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Kind of an awkward quote by Emerson... not one of my favorites.]

#Trust30 Day 19 Assignment: Facing (and Fearing) by Dan Andrews

[My initial thought was, fear again??? There must be a LOT of fearful people out there for so many of the prompts to deal with this topic.]

Trusting intuition and making decisions based on it is the most important activity of the creative artist and entrepreneur. 

Dreams

"Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life, obey thy heart." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 18 Assignment: Dreams by Michael Rad

Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.

Dream #1 - A simple, peaceful life
Dream #2 - A beautiful, peaceful home
Dream #3 - A business of my own

Invent the Future

"A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 17 Assignment: Invent the Future by Cindy Gallop

My favorite quote of all time is Alan Kay: "In order to predict the future, you have to invent it." I am all about inventing the future. Decide what you want the future to be and make it happen. Because you can. Write about your future now.


I'll take that thought a bit further. Not only CAN we invent our futures, but we DO invent them whether we are conscious of doing so or not.  I firmly believe that yesterday's thoughts created today's circumstances. If I don't like the results, then I need to change my thoughts. God created us with the ability to create what we can imagine. Any image held in the mind long enough, and believed strongly enough, will become manifest in our circumstances.

I apologize for my blog taking such an extreme turn from the type of posts I had been making, but I'm enjoying the #Trust30 challenge and hope that you all find it at least somewhat entertaining. If nothing else, it gives you a glimpse of my personality and who I really am. There are 13 days left, and then "Walk By Faith" will return to its regular programming.  ;o)

Wholly Strange and New

"When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 16 Assignment: Wholly Strange and New by Bridget Pilloud

Can you remember a moment in your life when you had life in yourself and it was wholly strange and new? Can you remember the moment when you stopped walking a path of someone else, and started cutting your own?


Write about that moment. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, let the miracle play out in your mind’s eye and write about that moment in your future.

One Thing

"Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 15 Assignment: One Thing by Colin Wright

Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.

Alternative Paths

"When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 14 Assignment: Alternative Paths by Jonathan Fields

The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.

Sure, just when I'm thinking I've got this "FOCUS" thing down, that I really understand it, Jonathan Fields throws, me a curve ball.  Vision, goals and focus are bad things???

Surprise!

"I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 13 Assignment: Surprise by Ashley Ambirge

Think of a time when you didn’t think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself.  How will you surprise yourself this week?

Fear

"These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 12 Assignment: Fear by Lachlan Cotter

I'm really struggling with yet another prompt on fear.

Frankly, I just don't see myself as being that fearful.  I already dealt with the psychological, subtle fears having to do with self-esteem.

Now Lachlan Cotter asks: Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed?

Divine Idea

"Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 11 Assignment by Fabian Kruse

Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours?

Your Personal Message

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 10 Assignment by Eric Handler

What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

Afraid to Do

“The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 9 Assignment by Mary Jaksch

Emerson says: “Always do what you are afraid to do.” What is ‘too scary’ to write about? Try doing it now.

Five Years

"There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 8 Assignment by Corbett Barr
What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

I debated over whether or not to post this on my blog. It is deeply personal and, in fact, this is an edited version of the original. But, I committed to this project, and this is one of the assignments. I was honestly surprised at what came out. This was an incredibly powerful and healing experience. Anyway, here goes... 

Dare to Be Bold

"Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born."

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 7 Assignment by Matt Cheuvront:

The idea of “being realistic” holds all of us back. From starting a business or quitting a job to dating someone who may not be our type or moving to a new place – getting “real” often means putting your dreams on hold.

Come Alive

Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live. 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Day 6 Assignment by Jonathan Mead

If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.

Travel

"If we live truly, we shall see truly." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 5 Assignment by Chris Guillebeau

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

Post It Question-Part One

That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Check back in 48 hours to see what came up for me on this challenge.

Day 4 assignment by Jenny Blake

Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.

#Trust30 Day Four

One Strong Belief

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Day 3 Assignment by Buster BensonPublish Post


The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it? Buster Benson

One Strong Belief

I believe in the power of faith. I believe that we live under a Covenant of Divine Protection. This protection extends itself over every area of our lives: spiritual and physical; it covers our health, our finances, our circumstances, our household, or children, our pets.

Today

"Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance


I'm participating in the #Trust30 Challenge. I have committed to write something based on a prompt supplied by "an original thinker"   for 30 days.

Day Two Assignment by Liz Danzico

If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tacks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.

Today I'm given a fresh opportunity to experience the magic of living authentically and loving unconditionally.

#Trust30 Day Two

15 Minutes to Live

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm participating in the #Trust30 Challenge. For the next 30 days, I have committed to write something based on a prompt supplied by "an original thinker."  True to form, I'm starting late. ;o)  The challenge actually began on May 31st. But, I will tackle the topics in order. If I feel incredibly energetic, I may attempt to respond to more than one in a day.

The first prompt was as follows:

Day 1 Assignment by Gwen Bell


You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.


1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.