Pure Soapbox

SOAPBOX of the week: lose the crown, folks!

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:13:50 +0000

“Extremes meet, and there is no better example
than the haughtiness of humility.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher and poet

Aaah, the precariously transient state between humility and pride. None of us are excluded from being that unconditionally-loved child who’s still starving for attention…even moreso as fully-grown adults! And rest never finds us on life’s perpetual teeter-totter of meekness vs. expectation. The moment we even think in one direction, the balance shifts. When we sport our sacrifices like invisible royal robes, we’re surprised with the ensuing gratitude and accolades. Yet, blessings are tainted when we join in the applause, trumpeting our importance for more reward and approval. In essence, our once grateful spirits are trampled by our ugly egos, to again reveal crowns of self-serving exaltation. So, what’s the harmonizing solution? Simple. Separate the gifts from the real earnings from your efforts. Bow to the unquestionable fact that you’ll never be humble enough. Then, witness the marvels when being thankful becomes your sole modus operandi.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman. SUBSCRIBE HERE!
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold. A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE your company! 310- 500- 9587

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook!

SOAPBOX of the week: ode to Halloween

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:35:56 +0000

Folks, this was one of the very first SOAPBOX® vignettes launched on the site… but it bears repeating! As kiddos, we’re constantly told to “GROW UP!”… but as adults we truly need to LIGHTEN UP and recognize what fun can still look like! The upcoming holiday of dressing up for no damn reason and wrestling over “the better candy bar” is your perfect launching pad for the rest of the year.

“Fun has a sacred dimension.” – Adriana Diaz, life coach

As kids we set up camp in that realm, only coming out when paged or prompted by someone in charge. We experienced “fun” in just about everything -down to a Cracker Jack prize!- and saturated our present tense with laughter and a contagious carefree attitude. So, how now do you define “fun”? Where do you go to find it? Stumped? Well, perhaps you’re light on amusement TODAY because you’re caught up in creating TOMORROW. The “land of fun” is found in an entirely different sphere of your perception …but it’s always there, twinkling in the background. So choose to dip into its unending supply of amusement, uninhibited laughter, and memories of wonderfully pointless activities -and that special sparkle you bring back to the “real world” will confetti your perspective with the delightful new energy of a kid.

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook! SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: read between the lines

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:05:25 +0000

“The advertisement is the most truthful part of the newspaper.” – Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President

You heard me correctly. Businesses openly tell us: Yup, we plunked down a bunch of cash for a flashy ad to sell you something. Yes, there might be some strings attached…but at least we’ve included it in the fine print. See, not too complicated, because we know WHO’S talking, WHAT’S on the table, and WHAT decisions we can make. Now, the news of the paper isn’t nearly as simple nor straightforward, and the behind-the-scenes is something the public is rarely revealed. Competition yields sensationalism and selectivity, pitting ratings over research while the politics of placement breeds angles and agendas and skews headlines. Readers are left oftentimes confused about WHO’S talking, WHAT’S on the table, and WHAT choices we might need to make. Funny how centuries-old sarcasm still holds truth today: news is a business, and they’re called “stories” for a reason. So check your filtering system, listen to your gut, and don’t believe everything you read.

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook! SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: be a little curious, folks!

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:03:46 +0000

“The more unintelligent a man is, the less mysterious existence seems to him.” – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher

It absolutely baffles me when a one-word answer is supposed to suffice an intricate, open-ended question. Infuriates me when my further soul-searching queries elicit merely an “I don’t know” or “I don’t care.” Do we live on the same planet, folks?? ‘Cause here’s the newsflash: Outer space is still uncharted, cancer still uncured, man’s evolution still controversial, prayer miraculously healing, jazz still indefinable, and love indescribably infinite. And yet countless people numbingly walk the earth, unabashedly unfazed with this journey through time and space we call “life”. The dimensions of their reality equals a monotonous grey amidst an endless Crayola-ed potential. But with all this stated in truth, may we not mock the colorblind, though we might pity them. Instead may we each task ourselves to seed their curiosity to explore; cultivate their excitement to experience more; nurture their hearts and souls with drive to find their own purpose. For as their minds grow, so does your own mysteriously, glorious existence.

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook! SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: inertia’s affliction

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:06:08 +0000

“Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.” – Susan Ertz, novelist

Ironic, huh? We complain that life’s too short –yet we piddle away days with pointless distractions. “If only I had more time…” we whine, allowing our real priorities to fall victim to procrastination. And when forced to sit still for patience’s sake, or quiet for purposeful listening, we witness real time echoing its deliberate second hand… and cry boredom! With further insult to the gift of days, we convince ourselves that melodrama and minutia, micro-relationships and mindless activities are acceptable time consumers. So, what do you really want to stick around for? If you can’t produce a list AT LEAST the size of your holiday wish catalog…then there’s a problem! Folks, I earnestly suggest you create an inventory of passions and pursuits, puzzles to figure, and hard-core reasons to yearn for immortality. Adopt a pet, become a Big Sister, go to church, launch a business, start a family, run a marathon…shall I go on? Saturate your being with purpose and you’ll deplete those presumptuous pangs of boredom.

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook! SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: open sesame!

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:34:16 +0000

“A thick head can do as much damage as a hard heart.” – H.W. Dodds, former Ivy League President

Ever notice how, with age, some folks mellow out –revealing a welcoming softness to their once ego-driven, impenetrable personalities. Something shifts inside, and an Aquarian flow brings malleability to their attitude and actions. As their hearts warm and their minds open up, relationships are reconstructed, ancient wrongdoings are patched, and futures are mapped out with joyful participation. Oh, but then there are the finger-pointing polar opposites whose minds and bodies harden with the years, and whose acidic spirits strip the delight from all lifelines. The weight of their unyielding judgment and fear creates chasms that grow uncrossable, and they themselves- unapproachable and unlovable. If we’re to learn from others’ worn paths, mind this dichotomy with piercing attention. Countless people will cross your path yearning to connect with your head and experience your heart. Choose to let them in, and they’ll help gloriously shape your life.

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook! SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: production value

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:43:52 +0000

“The best computer is a man, and it’s the only one that can be mass-produced by unskilled labor.” – Wernher von Braun, rocket physicist and astronautics engineer

Now, this one’s got a bit of a bite to it…and I make no apologies. For the message should be drilled into our little noggins from childhood-on. From our cars to appliances, medical equipment to mass communications, we micromanage, meticulously design, and materialize billions of “things” every year. Regardless of their components, value, or lifespan, many of them are considered works of art…even “the best things since sliced bread”! Furthermore we assign some of our “greatest thinkers” to their “creation”! Indeed, the brilliance behind the mere ideas for these productions is MANKIND …THE SAME MANKIND that has led itself into a shameful state of valuing itself leagues below the damn products! Populations of unwanted, un-cared-for off-spring are proof, because of this unhealthy situation of an uncapped carefree and careless mentality! And we all pay for it! In our schools, streets, jobs, healthcare, personal lifestyle, legal systems, and overall opportunities in life. Folks, it’s not rocket science! Make what you want, but want what you make! And remember that life is priceless. Computers are a dime a dozen.

COMING SOON! Pure Soapbox audiobook! SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: decision dilemmas

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:21:18 +0000

“Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” – Leon Carr, songwriter and composer

Yes, folks, it can be that simple. Yes, I know that every darn morning your brain is assaulted with a barrage of decisions –some tedious, some time-sensitive- but all begging your attention. And, with society’s bigger-better-faster demands and endless opportunities, things ain’t going to change any time soon. But too many times, you morph this molehill of line items into a mountain of challenge-filled chores. An elementary choice of “A” or “B” becomes buried beneath self-obligation to research options, check trend forecasts, reference social circles and even (dare I say?!) ask Mom! And when you step back to note that all this nonsensical nerve-wracking is over things as unimportant as cereal selections and suitcase packing… it’s painfully funny, right? Well, folks, don’t make things more complicated than they intrinsically are! Ask yourself what sounds good, feels right, or just suits your mood. Trust your gut, check off the list, and get on with the REAL business at hand… actually enjoying the life you are choosing.

SUBSCRIBE HERE!
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold. A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09-’10: Network TV talk show and SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: varicose values

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:20:28 +0000

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm Forbes, publisher

So, you’re not a millionaire, not married, not famous, not a Harvard grad, not the neighborhood Martha Stewart or Ward Cleaver, not sporting a 6-pak and an Olympic Medal. Hmm. DO you even remember when these “line items” became the ultimate brass rings to pursue? And what if they never do become your reality? Would you be less valuable or treated better by those folks who really matter? At some point, you chose to pedestal these iconic titles, characteristics and achievements, and in doing so unknowingly backhanded yourself, diminishing the quality of you! Now, what if you are a dedicated worker bee or entrepreneur? Are patient for just the right person to come along? Are investing daily in your health and wellness? Have earned the respect of your community and coworkers? Stand wise beyond your years from the school of life? Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate your portfolio and acknowledge the tremendous gains you have made. Folks, set-in-stone, lofty goals can only overshadow your maturing greatness –indeed keep striving, but always celebrate the currency of your current reality.

SUBSCRIBE HERE!
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold. A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

COMING in late ‘09: Network TV talk show and SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)

SOAPBOX of the week: be the ball, Danny

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:29:20 +0000

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” - Henry Ford, inventor and innovator

It’s hard not to miss, isn’t it? The God-awful wallpaper of challenges, failures and plain ole negativity “decorating” the path towards your prized pinnacle of being a successful little entrepreneur with the next great idea! The naysayers projecting their own fears. The intimidating competition. The economic climate and trends. The first job you got fired from. Sexism, racism, and double standards. Your unsupportive family. The time, energy, connections and money…you don’t seem to have enough of. The degree you don’t have. The kids you’re trying to raise….alone. The fact that you’re petrified to speak in public and wouldn’t know a proper business plan if smacked you in the face. Your age, weight, looks, and last name. Yup, it’s hard not to notice the oodles of obstacles. That is, of course, if you let them divert you from your purpose. So, don’t! Stay the path, friends, and obligate yourself to continuing with clarity and fastidious focus and the distracting walls of worries will fade from sight.

COMING in late ‘09: Network TV talk show and SOAPBOX® video subscriptions for mobile (Click for sneak peek!)