Oprah

January 29, 2013 By Tina Moore 2 Comments

Like thousands, I was fortunate to see Oprah in Vancouver last week. It’s been my Mom’s dream to see Oprah so it was a very special night for us both. The tickets were a surprise, the idea hatched between my sister and I and it was fun presenting them to my Mom at Christmas.

There were plenty of gems within the evening. I knew my brain couldn’t hold all that information so I took notes.

It would be an enormously long blog if I explained everything to you today so I’ll settle on a couple of things that stuck out for me…

The first was Oprah’s life partner, Stedman. He introduced her and said:

“Oprah is an EXTRAORDINARY woman who’s been such a FORCE in my life.”

What a beautiful thing to say about one’s spouse, partner, or life companion. I loved it and decided the man in my life will feel the same way about me.

I will be EXTRAORDINARY in his eyes and a FORCE in his life. In order for him to feel that way about me, I must be that way for myself. I must honor my own life and in doing so, I will attract someone who will feel the same. It was a simple little thing but I liked it and let it sit inside me, quietly…

She spoke a lot about INSTINCT; which, if you follow my blog, you know that I’m a firm believer in the WISDOM of your INSTINCT…your inner voice…your SELF.

INSTINCT IS POWERFUL. Someone may lie to you repeatedly, but your instinct will never lie. It will always tell you the TRUTH.

It’s so painfully quiet some times…forcing us to LISTEN with not only our ears but the very fibre of our being…it forces us to STOP, be still and allow the message to come through…as Oprah said, sometimes it’s a “hmmm”…or “huh, that’s odd”…simple little thoughts that seem innocent enough…but within that “hmmm” is all the information you need to keep you safe.

It’s not an easy task.

It’s a challenge to hear it all the time when the chatter of the world or our own heads are so loud and demanding…and yet, we are the only animal on the planet, as she pointed out, that will smell the very thing we fear and walk towards it instead of protecting ourselves.

It’s not that we aren’t warned, it’s that WE DON’T LISTEN.

Her instinct has been a guiding force in her life and that message was accompanied with another powerful lesson. One sentence in particular hung in the air when Oprah spoke of her childhood and any struggles she faced in her life:

I couldn’t imagine it, but I BELIEVED it.

I thought that was an interesting statement because I’ve often heard (and may have even said it myself) that you have to be able to SEE where you are going…or what you want for your life…

But as a very poor child, growing up in a violent, racist world…how could she see her life now? The influences around her could not see past their own limited lives…where did that insatiable will come from?

SHE BELIEVED.

Oprah believed she deserved more…she believed she could do more…she believed in herSELF and her abilities…

“Beliefs are the lens in which you see the world”

…and might I add…in which you participate, honor, connect, speak, act and choose within the world.

Oprah couldn’t see it, but she believed.

I love that message.

You do not have to see the end result. You do not have to see the path. You do not have to see the details but you do have to believe.

Believe in yourSELF.

Believe in the POSSIBILITIES.

Believe in your INSTINCT and TRUST you’ll be okay.

Believe.

With a smile,

Tina

 

Feeding The Machine

January 22, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

I love to have FUN and I really love to LAUGH. I like to surround myself with POSITIVE words, POSITIVE people and POSITIVE messages. I am a firm believer in the transforming power of LOVE, KINDNESS and COMPASSION. I am not perfect but I live to the best of my ability.

I have a deep concern for the horrible things happening in the world that involve injustice, violence, betrayal and cruelty. I struggle with understanding it, knowing it is out there. I am GRATEFUL for the people in the world who are PASSIONATE about creating change.

What I can’t wrap my brain around is why society feels it’s necessary to be needlessly mean. There are plenty of examples in the media both past and present, but I will use Whitney Houston to make my point.

When she passed away I was truly disgusted at some of the things I witnessed. Whitney Houston was a beautiful singer with enormous talent and yet her addiction was made into a joke. It’s SAD not FUNNY that she ended up involved in a lifestyle that was obviously difficult to overcome. It’s TRAGIC she didn’t see her value and worth, losing herSELF along the way.

I see her as a broken person who was in an enormous amount of pain.

Are we, the society that purchases tabloid magazines, shares social media photos with insulting and cruel tag lines and watching gossip shows that continue to degrade, criticize and judge indirectly responsible for her decline? Didn’t we in a sense, contribute to her demise by contributing to the negativity directed towards her?

Someone bought those magazines!

Someone watched those celebrity gossip shows!

Aren’t we pushing more thoughts of shame, guilt, unworthiness and low self esteem into her brain? Maybe she already thought those things about herself, but we continued to confirm it by feeding into the machine.

It takes an extremely strong and grounded person to rise above such negativity; who are we to judge? Do we know her inner most thoughts? Did we live her struggles? Her pain? Was every choice, lesson and consequence we made documented publicly for the world to see?

No.

We should not judge anyone’s journey because we have not lived their life or experienced their struggles, pain or inner demons. The greatest thing we can do for our world is share KINDNESS, COMPASSION, EMPATHY and a LOVING HEART.

There is a way to disagree with someone’s behavior and still be RESPECTFUL.

Why do we insist on pushing someone off their pedestal, when we were the ones to put them there in the first place?

Rich, poor, ‘privileged’, talented, celebrity, or transient…we all FEEL the same feelings. We all SHARE in the world of emotions ranging from deep sadness to pure joy. We all understand disappointment and frustration. We’ve been affected by LOVE and ANGER. We’ve experienced doubt, unworthiness or loneliness. We’ve tasted betrayal. We’ve shared or will share in grief.

We all screw up. We all have lessons to learn.

We are human beings.

It’s about CHOICES. Be an active SUPPORTER of the human race. Join me in a world of RESPECT, LOVE and KINDNESS.

It starts with YOU.

It starts with ME.

IT STARTS TODAY.

With a smile,

Tina

 

Am I A “Real” Runner?

January 18, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

When I was in elementary school and it was time for PE, I stood in a long line as the teacher chose two team captains. These team captains (my peers in school) now decided who was on their team by picking from this line of kids…

I hated this process.

I was the kid who was chosen last or second to last and it sucked. No one likes rejection or the obvious fact pointed out in front of everyone else that you are, in fact, terrible at sports.

When I embarked on my exercise journey at the age of 39 I chose jogging because it was cheap and I could do it alone. I started with old running shoes (not recommended) and whatever clothing I had in my closet that somewhat resembled workout gear.

Initially I thought if I didn’t run the entire time I was not considered a ‘real’ runner. If I walked, I thought I was a failure.

This is rubbish.

I like intervals of running 8 minutes and walking 2 minutes. With this method, I ran 40k on my 40th birthday and the full marathon (42k) on my 42nd birthday. It works for me.

Many runners know how fast they can run a certain distance. I have no idea how fast or slow I run 10k or any other distance.

I don’t have a personal best time for my running events…I measure PBT with who I’m with and how I’m physically feeling…what’s the weather like…did I laugh? What’s the scenery? Did I talk to people and say hello? That’s my personal best time. I realize other’s like to challenge themselves with PBT and that’s a personal choice I respect because there are no rules!

Some find it offensive if they are referred to as ‘joggers’ instead of ‘runners’.

I have a friend who refers to his running as ‘plodding’. I personally think he’s a far better athlete than what he gives himself credit for (he runs half marathons)…but if he wants to call it plodding…so be it…as far as I am concerned he is a runner…a jogger…a plodder…HE IS OUT THERE DOING IT AND THAT IS WHAT COUNTS.

If I wear cotton sometimes (and I do)…does that make me any less of a runner?

If I don’t have a proper sports bra (don’t get me started on those things) and actually wear two bras to get the support I’m looking for am I an embarrassment to the runners of the world?

What if I don’t have a Garmin?!

Do my personal choices mean my running accomplishments aren’t as significant?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! THERE ARE NO RULES.

When I compare mySELF to who I was before I ran and who I am NOW…

I am a BETTER person.

I am a HAPPIER person.

I may not be the fastest, fanciest, smartest, sveltest runner on the seawall…but I am a thousand times better than I was and I continue to enjoy the art of running…the exploration of my capabilities and challenging my physicality…the meditation of the road…the silence of the trails…the absolute JOY running with others…and the continual self knowledge and self awareness jogging, running, plodding, walking, MOVING has given me.

  • CELEBRATE getting off the couch, putting on your workout gear and getting out the door!
  • CELEBRATE challenging yourself, having fun and getting exercise in some way.
  • CELEBRATE your accomplishments.
  • CELEBRATE YOU!

Wishing you a beautiful weekend full of fresh air and FUN!

With a smile,

Tina

 

My Dream – My Life

January 15, 2013 By Tina Moore 1 Comment

Have you ever given up on something? I’m sure most of us have at one point or another. Perhaps it was a dream you had but life threw you some curve balls, and you lost your way. You decided the dream was IMPOSSIBLE, NOT REALISTIC or you just weren’t WORTHY of such a dream happening to you. The glimmer in your eye slowly went out and you accepted the dream was lost…but does it still live in your heart?

If you think about it, does your dream still burn like that last ember of a fire…with a little life blown into it, a new fire would emerge?

I have a plant.

According to my Mom who has the same plant, it should bloom. Well, I’ve had this plant for easily 15 years and it has never bloomed. It has never even tried to bloom from what I could see and I honestly thought it never would bloom. So why keep it? I BELIEVED if my Mom could get her plant to bloom, maybe I could get mine to bloom so I continued to give it water and a happy place by the window.

I didn’t give up on the plant. I didn’t throw it out because I never saw it bloom…despite years of lugging this plant around…I continued to water it and quietly BELIEVED in the POSSIBILITY it ‘might’ bloom. (Read that paragraph again, it’s an important one.)

I’m happy to say, after years and years of sitting in a corner, the plant has finally produced sweet pink flowers!

At some point, this plant created small buds, (which I never noticed), that eventually opened up into very fragrant, waxy, long lasting pink flowers. I’m not sure how long they were there before I noticed but I squealed with delight! I called my Mom, so excited:

“Mom! Guess what? The plant! The plant! It finally bloomed! I did it!!”

Sometimes, DREAMS TAKE TIME…sometimes dreams take a very, very VERY long time!

  • Give your dream some SPACE…but still continue to do REGULAR MAINTENANCE towards your vision.
  • Give your dream some LIGHT…perhaps a NEW PERSPECTIVE.
  • Give your dream some LIFE; give it some energy and nourishment such as I did by watering the plant.

UNDERSTAND that even though you may not see the dream working, sometimes when you least expect it, it will start to become a REALITY.

Your dream is being CREATED, one day at a time as long as you don’t give up on it and you put some POSITIVE ENERGY into it.

Ultimately if it’s still LIVING (in your heart, mind, thoughts and actions), then it’s not dying. If you continue to put ENERGY towards it, spend some TIME on it, breathe some LIFE into it; it is not dying…the minute you stop, it will start to wither, fade and eventually die.

Giving up on your dream, can be like giving up on yourSELF. Please, don’t give up. Sometimes dreams come wrapped in different colors than what you’d expect…or from a different direction than you anticipated…they take longer than you thought and maybe it’s not exactly how you imagined…but it’s there for you waiting to be HEARD, ACKNOWLEDGED, ACTIVATED and APPRECIATED…

The life of your dream is kept alive by the BELIEF in yourSELF. Your DREAMS are an important part of YOU.

So for today, think about this:
With a smile and a loving heart,
Tina

 

Signs of Depression

January 8, 2013 By Tina Moore Leave a Comment

After having very open conversations over the holidays with some young adults (late teens, early twenties) it was clear I needed to post a blog listing some of the signs or symptoms of DEPRESSION.

I ask that you pass this blog along because it may help someone realize they are not being ‘weak’, ‘lazy’ and they just need to ‘suck it up’ but rather they are struggling with a very real medical condition that can be TREATED.

According to the Mayo Clinic depression is characterized by several of the following signs or symptoms:

1. PERSISTENT SADNESS: Feeling down, sad or empty. You may cry all the time or report feeling numb.

2. IRRITABILITY: Easily irritated and get upset over things that never used to bother you.

3. FEELINGS OF ANXIETY: You may be unusually nervous, worried or preoccupied with minor concerns. You may feel restless or experience upset stomach or butterflies.

4. LOSS OF INTEREST OR PLEASURE IN LIFE: Losing the ability to find pleasure in people, hobbies or activities you previously found enjoyable.

5. NEGLECT OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OR CARE: You may forget to pay your bills, fall behind at your job/school work or pay less attention to how you present yourself.

6. CHANGE IN EATING HABITS: Loss of appetite and losing weight without trying or you may overeat and gain weight.

7. CHANGE IN SLEEPING PATTERNS: Trouble falling asleep at night, awaken frequently or wake up early and not be able to get back to sleep. You may also sleep too much and spend most of the day in bed.

8. FATIGUE OR LOSS OF ENERGY: Low energy and feel tired all the time.

9. DECREASED CONCENTRATION, ATTENTION AND MEMORY: Trouble concentrating and keeping your mind focused on tasks at work, school or home. Making decisions, even simple ones become difficult. You forget things easily.

10. FEELINGS OF HELPLESSNESS: You may feel as if you’re no longer in control of your life. You may become easily overwhelmed by stress and more dependent upon other people, even for simple tasks.

11. FEELINGS OF HOPELESSNESS: Difficulty seeing a bright and positive future and have a sense that things will never get better. Reassurance from others doesn’t help. Motivating yourself becomes impossible and you wonder if life is worth living.

12. FEELINGS OF WORTHLESSNESS OR GUILT: You may begin to feel as if you aren’t good enough, causing you to withdraw from others. You may feel guilty about things you normally wouldn’t think twice about.

13. CONTINUOUS NEGATIVE THINKING: You may become pessimistic, have low self-esteem and not believe that things will get better. Phrases such as “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not smart enough” or “What’s the point?” may become normal phrases that you use.

14. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: More headaches, suffer with chronic pain, digestive disorders or constant fatigue.

15. INCREASED ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: You may try to seek relief from your depressive symptoms with alcohol or drugs. Because these substances affect brain function, they will make depression worse.

16. THOUGHTS OF DEATH OR SUICIDE: You may wish you were dead and have thoughts such as, “If I could just fall asleep and not wake up, my family would be better off.” Or you may experience actual thoughts of killing yourself.

If some of those signs are currently affecting your life, you can take a test to further investigate whether you may be suffering with depression or anxiety at www.mindcheck.ca

IF YOU ARE HAVING THOUGHTS OF DEATH OR SUICIDE, SEE YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY.

Other avenues of support would be psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor or local community health organization. Mindcheck also lists great RESOURCES.

Not everyone understands depression so if you have already spoken to a friend or family member and didn’t receive the support you were looking for, do not stop there. It’s important to realize you are NOT weak or lazy and it isn’t about ‘sucking it up’.

DEPRESSION IS A MEDICAL CONDITION NOT A CHARACTER FLAW.

Ultimately if you are noticing the quality of your life declining, please get help. You do not have to suffer.

With compassion and love,

Tina

PS. Information listed was taken from the book “Mayo Clinic on Depression”

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