100 Happy Days | Day 3 | Poetry

May 8, 2014 — 20 Comments

Spring makes a statement.
Encouraged, my heart blossoms.
Johnny Jump Ups cheer.

Don't let Reluctance Negatively Impact Your #100HappyDays in a Row!

Johnny Jump Ups Cheer Away Your Winter Reluctance and Let You Jump into Spring!
Photo credit: Jackie Yun | JackieYun.com

This is my haiku offering to Carol Varsalona (@cvarsalona). She tweeted me an “invitation to find the connection between digital photography and poetic expression”; asking me to submit a photo and original poetry to be part of her “Reflect with Me, April Awakenings Literary Event”.

And from that …

On Day 3 of #100HappyDays
I celebrate leaving my cocoon!

In a cocoon, there is no dancing, no walking, no breathing, not even a wink of the eyes. It is comfortable and sleepy; an intense and very familiar home.
When we begin to examine that comfortable darkness – look at it, smell it, feel it – we find it is claustrophobic.
We want to stretch out and walk, dance, even jump.
from Chogyam Trungpa, “Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior”.

Though afraid to Jump.

I pushed off the reluctance

To write Spring haiku.

It wasn’t simple.

Reluctance with its comforting scent of status quo can tug hard at me.

Even when I know all the benefits of jumping and I want to jump, the cocoon calls.

“Jump” was one of my 2013 #Threewords.  I wrote about it in the comments of Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter’s post.  Thank you, Jacqui (@ValueIntoWords — Master Resume Writer / Sailor), for introducing me to the #ThreeWords concept.

But, I did not jump at Carol’s invitation.  I tweeted to her that I was not a poet.

Does reluctance pull at you in the same way?

My advice:

When reluctance pulls,
pull back fiercely;
pull it out like unwanted weeds
by asking these 2 Q’s …

(Q1) What am I protecting?

Is it Fear of failure? Fear of not being good enough? Fear of being vulnerable?

All three of these fears reared up when Carol asked me to submit a photo and poetry offering.

My first protective response was to share a true poet’s work — Stan Stewart’s (@muz4now) poem, “Spring: contemplating the black bear”. [Click through to read and feel the renewal. The poem begins intriguingly with “Hibernation is not really for the sleep.” ]

Although there was goodness in my protective response (Carol and Stan are connected now), it didn’t move forward my own personal growth.

(Q2) How Can I … ?

Once you’ve dug deep and named what you are protecting, you can devise your growth plan using David M. Dye’s (@davidmdye) question “How Can I …?”.

In his post: “The Question Every Great Leader Asks”, David explains that:

With those three words, you:

➤ Return focus to your own power and ability to act.

➤ Tap into the energy of your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain that problem-solves and plans).

➤ Vastly increase the odds of finding a solution (because you’re looking for them!).

➤ Take responsibility and ownership for the one thing you can control — yourself.

I asked “How Can I …”

  • Prepare myself to write poetry?
  • Make this easier?
  • Open up to vulnerability?

The answers gave me a trellis on which to grow:

  • INSPIRATION came from from Barry Zweibel (@LeadershipHaiku) who writes leadership haiku such as –> When problems arise / your initial reaction / empowers, or not. #Leadership #Haiku [As an aside, Barry is looking for a publisher for his haiku. Can you help?]
  • INSTRUCTION came from how-to-write haiku posts on the Internet. If you are feeling inclined to get started on poetry, read Carol’s post: “Why Write Poetry”.
  • ENCOURAGEMENT from Carol’s tweet (“Jackie, everyone has words to give flight. Just send some thoughts & I will format it for you.”) which I embraced like sunshine to fuel the growth, the stretch.
  • MENTORING came through @SWcareer (a TwitterFriend whom I admire greatly — a Marketing Executive turned Social Worker) via her poem, “Overwhelmed”. If she could be so open and vulnerable, could I not write a small haiku about Spring and share it? [ Ahh, silly me getting worked up!]

*** While you are there perusing Dorlee’s blog, stop and read another one of her poems: “How Does a Person Know Her Own True Self?”. Enlightening!

Carol took my offering with care and planted it in her post: “April Awakenings”.

I was delighted to see the garden of poets that Carol had gathered from mutual Twitter friends:

Click and discover more about these creative and kind people through Twitter, their blogs or websites; let them infuse you with their fragrance of encouragement and ideas — you will be intoxicatingly uplifted.

Johnny Jump Ups a.ka. Tickle-My-Fancy: A smiling moment, a nod, a kindness can lift you & remove your reluctance.

It Does Tickle-My-Fancy to See a Garden of Sweet Poets & Friends!
[Johnny Jump Ups a.k.a. Tickle-My-Fancy]
Photo credit: Jackie Yun | JackieYun.com

My final thoughts:

Don’t let reluctance lull you back to sleep.

Don’t let reluctance lull someone you care about to sleep.

Help them make the Jump!

Be that influencer. Be that motivator. Be the fertilizer.
Just as Carol did for me.

#TakeThisMoment to realize there is poetry within you to be shared. ~ Jackie Yun

Johnny Jump Ups a.k.a Heart's Ease: Leadership from the Heart is Impactful.

Leadership is Giving Yourself & Others A Lending Hand & Some Heart’s Ease.
[Johnny Jump Ups a.k.a Heart’s Ease]
Photo credit: Jackie Yun | JackieYun.com

Your Thoughts?

  • Do you have a story about reluctance and jumping?
  • Have you written poetry that you would be willing to share here?
  • What feelings came up for you as you read this post?

And what do you think about the #100HappyDaysChallenge?  If you feel inspired to participate — jump in!

Take The #100HappyDays Challenge.   from 100happydays.com

Take The #100HappyDays Challenge.
from 100happydays.com

Love to hear from you!

20 responses to 100 Happy Days | Day 3 | Poetry

  1. I didn’t know you were such a poet Jackie. Beautiful!

    • Hello Bruno,

      Such a kind compliment ~ Thank you!

      In your post, “How to Gain Confidence … with EASE!”, you made a statement that resonates with me:

      “If chasing perfectionism is holding you back, you need to let go of that myth. No one is perfect, and trying to achieve that ideal will zap your confidence and prevent you from becoming successful and living the life you’ve always dreamed of.”

      A good reminder! And glad that I followed your advice.

      XoXo to you and to Iggy.

      Jackie

      • A good remind indeed, Jackie! Perfection is a saboteur…

        Jump! That’s what I did back in 2006. I took a leap of faith and jumped. I think its easier to take the jump when the objective in your mind really resonates with you and there is no doubt in your mind that’s the path you must take.

        Back to Toronto tomorrow.. 🙁

        Happy Mothers Day!!

        • Hello Bruno,

          I see a slightly unsmiling smiley face here, but was heartened to see your upbeat tweet regarding your vlog. I took at peek on YouTube and saw the way you encourage “jumping” for your clients. I’m including the clip “here” for reference.

          You rock!
          Jackie

  2. Jackie,

    Thank you for sharing such an inspiring post on how to go about doing something you’ve never done before (even if you’re scared) and JUMP!

    I loved your 2 thought provoking & action-leading questions:
    1) What am I protecting? (to understand your emotions/fears/concerns)
    2) How can I? (to drum up the necessary resources)

    I also appreciate all the wonderful poems, tweets and comments from others that you found motivating/inspiring on your poem writing journey (you were so kind to have included me/two of of my poems amongst them).

    I take my hat off to you for your amazing JUMP and poem!

    Lastly, here are two quotes that seemed quite fitting:

    “I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso < i.e. we should always be JUMPing as you did in this post so that we may learn and grow!

    "The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open." – Chuck Palahniuk < this quote ties in both your #100daysofhappiness theme and the process that I find takes place when you write poetry… your heart opens up and it is writing and in so doing, this will offer you another path to happiness 🙂

    • Good morning, Dorlee!

      I am so appreciating YOU and your mentoring.

      The quotes from Pablo Picasso and Chuck Palahniuk are good ones to put on yellow sticky notes to read over and over again.

      What YOU wrote ~ “when you write poetry… your heart opens up and it is writing and in so doing, this will offer you another path to happiness.” ~ is wise and comforting.

      I like this from Natasha Trethewey: “Why not make a fiction of the mind’s fictions?”. I saw a news headline that she is just ending her two terms as the U.S. Poet Laureate. Here’s a piece about her from the HuffPost — an interview from when she first took on the role.

      Gratitude & Hugs!!
      Jackie

  3. Aww, Jackie – Thank you for your kind feedback, as well as for always serving as such a beacon of such positive and encouraging light to us all!

    For me, the poetry medium started calling out to me a couple of years ago. I’d like to take a course one day to so as to be able to write finer ones but for now, I write when I have a feeling I’m trying to express or understand, or when I’m going on a “ride” to see where my heart and hand will take me on a particular subject.

    I loved the interview w/Natasha Trethewey. She sounds like a fascinating woman. It will be interesting to see how she works on bringing more awareness/love of poetry to us all.

    Hugs,
    Dorlee

    • Hi Dorlee,

      Taking a poetry writing class would be quite instructional. I wonder if poetry interpretation would be part of the course?

      Here’s Billy Collins’ (another U.S. Poet Laureate) take on poetry interpretation via his poem: “Introduction to Poetry” — made me smile.

      Have you read any of Roger Housden’s “Ten Poems to …” series? He chooses ten poems around a topic such as “Ten Poems to Open Your Heart” and provides an analysis, including stories from his life.

      Looking forward to seeing more poetic endeavors from you!
      Jackie

  4. You have no idea how much this post makes me smile for many different reasons. The commitment to JUMP and the seductive call of the cocoon is one I know well. I also love how much connection and energy there is here. You may have committed to 100 happy days and it’s sharing moments like this that spreads the happiness out in waves.

    Thank you, Jackie!

    • Good day to you, Alli!

      You write in your latest post: “I want adventure, moments I’ll remember forever with my family, to be creative, joyful, playful, make a big difference in people’s lives, even in small ways, to inspire others to create the life that they most want.”

      What an inspiring mantra and what good reasons to Jump! And the title of your post is such a good reminder: “Life is short. Live it now.”.

      If we can remember the way we felt about Jumping in our childhood days — the thrill of Jumping as high as we could, the camaraderie of Jump rope with friends, the fun of small Jumps in hopscotch — maybe we wouldn’t be so cocoon’ish about “Jumping” opportunities now that we’re adults.

      And paraphrasing you, let’s Jump out there and create more waves of Happiness!

      So, appreciate you coming by to read and comment.

      Jumping in joy,
      Jackie

  5. What a beautiful contribution and example in showing how we can all explore our own reluctance/resistance and push past it. Wonderful!

    Thank you so kindly for the mention Jackie. I’m fond of questions and believe the right one asked at the right time can open us up when we are stuck and bust those blocks.

    Thanks for sharing.

    • Hello there, Samantha!

      When I was replying to Alli, her statement, “I want adventure”, caught my attention and now I read this from you:

      “May we embrace the journey as a grand adventure rather then a perilous journey, while remaining true to ourselves along the way” — from your post: “The Perilous Journey or Grand Adventure”.

      I like how this serendipitous encouragement to Jump is coming my way.

      Like you, I’m also a fan of reflective questions. In your most recent post, I particularly liked “3. During a period of quiet reflection, invite your heart and soul to bring to your awareness anything in your life you will need to consciously end or stop doing before new growth can take place. What comes up for you?”.

      Thank you so much for exchanging ideas with me here on my blog and also out on Twitter.

      Waving bon voyage and cheering for our next adventure.
      Jackie

  6. Jackie,
    One of my favorite phrases here is that you ‘pushed off the resistance!’ So many people talk about ‘jumping’ (jumping into the deep end, jumping off the cliff, and so forth), but what you said is so revealing about your intuitiveness. Sometimes it’s simply about ‘pushing off the resistance’ and moving forward in your ‘desire/goal/initiative/whatever.’ Of course, this leads to the ultimate jumping (which is one of your 3 wonderfully energizing words!), but it certainly can be a process as you described vs. one single bold move!

    I also was grabbed by this:
    “When reluctance pulls,
    pull back fiercely;
    pull it out like unwanted weeds …”

    Wow – what an empowering directive! Throughout my life, I’ve felt the heavy pull of reluctance many times, it is the inertia created when ‘pulling back’ that compels me forward. And it is with encouragers and inspirers like yourself and Carol, Dorlee and Barry that we further are driven to act and be the best possible ‘us’ we can.

    PS – Your poetic sentiments throughout reverberate. Bravo!

    With admiration,
    Jacqui

    • Hello Jacqui,

      A good point about taking small jumps — small jumps allow one to gain confidence to take another jump and to keep jumping. The persistence in jumping propels one forward.

      You’ve taken a huge jump yourself recently. Congratulations on your successful “We stepped off the cliff and started house hunting” endeavor. I so enjoyed your post: “Deepening Our Roots on the Shores of Lake Texoma.”

      Along with the congrats, I also offer sincere apologies for not replying to your comment sooner.

      Have a joyful day and much thanks,
      Jackie

  7. Thanks for sharing your poetry-teasing process, Jackie.

    As I read through your post, I was reminded of my own poetry mentor, who arrived on the wings of a blue bird. If you guessed Twitter, you’d be right.! 🙂

    I wrote about my experience entitled Playing with the “Big Kids” – http://auntiestress.com/2009/08/12/playing-with-the-big-kids/.

    What really strikes home for me is the importance of mentors, and how sites like Twitter permit easy access to those mentors. Words can spark great change within us, as it witnessed by your post and that of Dorlee’s.

    The scariest part is doing it the first time – after that, well depending upon how you look at it – the monster is released! 🙂 (At least it was in my case! LOL!)

    • Marianna,

      When the Inner Critic strikes, it is so hard to remember: “Yes, they truly wanted you in the game. In fact, they saw strengths and abilities in you that your fears had over-ridden” — your wise words from your post, “Playing with the ‘Big Kids’”.

      Yet when we have mentors like Kayt Hoch and Carol Varsalona, we feel safe and inspired to come out and play and to grow.

      I just read Emily Thomas’ post: “College Grads: 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Accept ‘Just Any Job’ Post-Graduation” and her #2 Reason? “It won’t give you the contacts and MENTORS you need to eventually grow into the career you want.”.

      As a career coach, couldn’t help but include Emily’s heads-up. And yes, I capitalized “mentor”.

      As an executive and leadership coach, I say that mentorship is leadership. Hope we all will #TakeThisMoment to be a mentor and help someone blossom.

      Hugs to you, Marianna, my #SummitFriend!

      Jackie

  8. Your Johnny Jump Ups are colorful hearts of aloha. ♥

    • Carol,

      Your invitation to be a part of your poetry / photography literary event was the catalyst for this post. Appreciate your warm support and firm persistence to get me to “jump”.

      Thank you for reminding me that…

      “Each morning, we awaken to the light and the invitation to a new day …” ~ John O’ Donohue

      And that only by accepting the invitation can we engage fully with life.

      Jackie

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