JUST FOR YOU: MY WISH FOR WOMANKIND

HAIKU: "COMPETITION"

Woman, love self like
none can match yours, and watch as
folks try to rival

How often do you really "do you"? When's the last time you said no when that's what you meant; put make-up on—or not—because you wanted to, not to please someone else; dressed or wore your hair the way you prefer, not how your spouse or lover prefers; gave your body the rest it needs; took yourself on your ideal date; did nothing but what you wanted all day, for one day? When's the last time you asked yourself what you need or want, and thought about providing it for yourself? Have you ever asked?

As queens of sacrifice, particularly mothers, you're wired to nurture others first; but it's healthy to seek ways to provide for others in conjunction with nurturing yourself.  Some may take issue with this, possibly people you know and love. When you've evolved, only those who are a match to your level of evolution can function properly in your space. The rest will tend to keep their distance because they don't know how. You'll receive what you know you're worth. If people can't meet the terms of your upgraded mindset, then they'll either drop completely off, or they'll only interact with you in ways they feel comfortable. It may hurt, but let it be okay. Maybe they'll catch up one day, maybe not. In the meantime, you've made room for the kinds of visitors that'll go out of their way to match your requirements. You deserve that.

I lovingly challenge you to make it your daily goal to give yourself as much of what you need for your peace of mind as possible; all things such as children, family, and jobs considered, where some level of compromise may be necessary. The mere commitment to consider your needs daily is the shift of energy needed to make way for your fulfillment. Every effort to "get yours" counts. If you're never or hardly ever attempting to live your ideal life, then you'll always be waiting for others to provide love, attentiveness, and approval for you.

Life isn't meant to be a waiting game. Wait for no one to love you properly. Figure out how to love yourself the way you want, on your time, your terms. You'll be amazed at how people will be willing to match the respect you have for yourself. You'll be so content with what you give yourself that you won't have time for or interest in worrying about who else is or isn't on board with loving you right.

Ladies, I challenge you to find the courage to live just for you, whenever possible. I encourage you to start a competition with yourself—to experiment with how much you can increase your own self-love and self-esteem each day. Have fun with your self-care; plan it; commit to it; deepen it. Be excited every day to wake up to the privilege of being in your own company. Be so adamant about your well-being that you absolutely refuse to allow into your life those who aren't bringing your caliber of love to the table. Set the standard. Raise the bar high. Be choosy. Choose you. I dare you to make these bold moves. Then, I dare you to feel great about yourselves and love the subsequent results.

http://www.honorthespirit.com

DAMAGED BUT WORTH SALVAGING

Sometimes, you're too far gone emotionally to see your worth, your beauty, your value in the world, to see a way out of your suffering. Sometimes, it takes someone else to be compassionate enough to not only see past your flawed layers but also to help you see past them so you can move forward with uplifting yourself. Nobody gets through this life without others' encouragement. You're lying if you say you've made it through every tough situation all by yourself, with no mental or physical assistance. Too much standing around judging and watching people suffer and not enough helping leads to lost souls ... and lost lives.

Is this your story or the story of someone you know? Check out the video below. Join the Anti-Suffering Movement. Challenge your focal point. No judgment where suffering is concerned.

Sonnet #8 for February

DO YOU

Sometimes all that’s needed is sunny day

To let soothing rays burn clouds from cold heart

Life’s filled with so much confusion and gray

Steal away moments to garner fresh start

Have you ever dared play hooky on life

Packed mental bags and checked out for a while

Purposely left behind all of your strife

So that fresh perspective you can compile?

Can’t wait for your boss, lover, fam, or friends

To give permission to tend to your needs

Have your back first or control of life ends

Pencil-in putting self first with good deeds

You are in charge of loving yourself best

When you do, for peace you’ll no longer quest

Copyright 2014

Charlene E. Green

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Next month will mark 11 years since I moved to L.A. from the Bay Area. When I arrived, I had a movie script, a half-written novel (One Man's Treasure), and the dream to be a successful writer. Yesterday, I published for the 13th time (books). When I look back at this journey, I'm amazed at all I've done and been through to get to this point. I didn't even start publishing until 2007 because I spent the first 4 years here stuck at my 9-5, dying a horrifically slow, painful spiritual death. I chose to resign at the end of 2006 to save my mental and physical health (NO joke), and so I could properly nurture my life's mission as a writer. But between the day I set foot here, and now, I've encountered more challenges than in my entire life. I had two major surgeries 3 years apart, one of them saving me from paralysis; I've lost all my major possessions; been homeless; endured the Universal System of Income (which means getting up every day not knowing when or from where income will appear); and stood up confidently in the face of being ignored and rejected in my career, and people's "encouragement" to get off my path and do something else because [clearly, to them] it wasn't working out. But through all of that, I have always done what I came to L.A. (and into this world) to do: write, create, and make a difference in people's lives while doing so. I can honestly, and proudly, say I've accomplished that feat, with much more to come.

A lot of what I've written over the years has derived from the lessons I've learned in the past decade. My sincere intention is for my words to teach and inspire (even my fictional novels are set up to do that). I invite you all to view and partake in what I've created. Yes, I write because I love it, but I publish for the public. My standards are very high for myself, so when I do, I take great pains to ensure that it's always my best at the time. Not all of my content makes it into the books. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me along the way. You've confirmed that I'm doing my job properly, and well. My appreciation for you runs deep.

What I've learned the most is how serious I am about my craft. Nothing has kept me from it. Nothing. This is what doing a life mission is about. You find ways to keep it pushing, no matter what. I'm thankful for everything I've gone through and learned, because it's only solidified me in my work, not deterred me from it. I couldn't be prouder of myself.

You'll find the links to my work below.

Poetry/Motivational Speaking

Editing/Consulting

Novels

KILL SUICIDE: STAY ALIVE AND FIGHT!

My self-transformation poetry is meant to shake you up, make you look at your life honestly, make you face yourself ... and wanna strive to be better. It's also meant to do the same for ME. I may write like I'm only talking to YOU, but when I pen these poems, the messages are just as much for me to heed. I have to do my own work every day on my life, too. This is no holier-than-thou mission I'm on. It's me and all of you, working together to change for the best.

In December 2010, I was suffering badly, emotionally. It was to the point where I felt I was drowning in my own misery. I hated the feeling, and I wanted an out. I knew a woman (still know her) who was also struggling. She owned a cafe I visited frequently. We would have long talks, and she would often tell me about the deep issues she was dealing with and I would offer encouragement. I decided to get out of myself and go down to her store to check on her to take my mind off my problem. When I arrived and asked how she was, she told me that she wanted to kill herself the night before. Not only that, but she said she saw herself doing it and felt GOOD about it. This stunned me at my core. I was actually speechless. I had heard [of] people saying they wanted to kill themselves, but no one had ever said it to ME, and I had NEVER heard anyone say they saw the action and felt good about it. I was truly shaken on a level I had never been. Fortunately, she moved past that moment and came to work that day, though I apologize that I can't remember what she said made her decide to stay alive. What I do know is this: Her comment disturbed me so deeply that when I left 2 hours later, my soul ached for her and everyone who's ever felt like her. That conversation made me reassess my own life and problems and how I was handling them. I had been in distress, but [that time] I didn't wanna kill myself, and I felt fortunate. But I suddenly realized how important it is for us to put our own suffering aside, come out of our shell, and embrace other people. You never know where they are in THEIR suffering, and hearing their story may change the way you view YOURS.

Later that night, as I was still flooded with angst about her, and about my own issues, I got angry about how we sometimes treat ourselves, the ways we don't protect ourselves, the situations we allow ourselves to be in because we haven't learned to love ourselves enough to steer clear of them. And then "Zookeeper" spilled out of me with fervor. In this poem, I was talking to her, myself, and everyone else out there who has ever carried burdens so heavy that they feel they're gonna break at any moment, but because of their lack of self-esteem, and often the heaviness of whatever mental health issue they may be struggling with, they sometimes can't push themselves to fight for their happiness. 

I still revisit this poem regularly, to check in with myself, to make sure I'm fighting. Cuz sometimes ... that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel just doesn't seem to be there. The darkness feels like a ruthless, weighted pillow suffocating my soul. I, too, have experienced that awful feeling of there not being any hope of getting to "the light"—of not even believing that it existed—and consequently, I've felt hopeless to go on. Thank goodness I pushed through those times.

Please listen to the poem, and then please share this post with others who are suffering. This self-work is serious. It's necessary. People need it. And I wanna encourage as many as I can to dive in and swim to the light.

Click link to listen.

ZOOKEEPER 

PROFILE

Maybe

it’s not always time for

Basketball Wives

True Blood

Dancing with the Stars

or the 11 o’clock news

not always time

to click “Like”

become entrenched in a

72-comment conversation

on Facebook

to debate & protest

upload risqué

bathroom-mirror pics

or flood the News Feed

with virtual celebration

about Kobe’s 17th

3-pointer tonight

When’s the last time

you debated the deception

your head has you believing?

got you wedged in relentless

unsavory life patterns

questioning your sanity

spinning in a splintered cycle

Maybe

it’s time to ask “why”

of your substandard conditions

protest your shortage of answers

ponder your own fate

lament less for others

not that they aren’t important

but if you deplete

your energy on them

what's left for you?

Or maybe that’s your point

Maybe

it’s time to visit

with your shadow

find out how it feels

about trailing behind you

in your eternal state of flux

ask if it’s tired

of watching you stumble

and being dragged along

on your rutted journey

apologize for wild-goose chases

for not giving better directions

invite it to lead for a bit

so you can

rewire your GPS

Maybe

it’s time to watch

your reality show

it’s on right now

all day

the real you

unstaged

in need of your dominance

but you’re on mute

cuz you’re bored

confused about the plot

afraid of the conclusion

Maybe

it’s time to “Like”

your own interests & opinions

comment on your behavior

upload mental pics

of your ambitions in fruition

unfriend your ego’s drivel

friend your higher self instead

star in your own life

out-perform yourself

make your shadow proud

to have you as its leader

Maybe

it’s time

to update your profile

offline

Copyright 2012

Charlene E. Green