Something a little different today… rather than break things up into the usual categories, I’m simply going to share with you three resources that I’ve found very moving over the past week. And then end with a song that ties it all together.

These all have a theme – our inherent capacity to radiate and shine. May you do the same in the coming days.

In freedom,
Maia

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• With the death of Steve Jobs this week, this video has been making the rounds. I first saw it a few months ago, and it is absolutely wonderful. In this commencement speech to Stanford graduates in 2005, Steve shares how his experience of dealing with a life-threatening illness and gaining an intimate knowledge of death shaped his life. And there’s so much more to this talk… please do watch it and be inspired.

• Danielle LaPorte writes this post full of passion: Decide to Rise… the words steam off the screen (and be warned there are some profanities). As she notes, this post is to be taken out and read “when in doubt, or sick & tired.” It’s an ode to meeting devastation with devotion and tenacity… and it reminds us how much strength lives inside of us.

• Several times over the past month, I’ve heard people rave about Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, teacher, and speaker. Zander is the author of The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life.

In his latest blog post, Jonathan Fields writes about sitting in the presence of Zander’s “infectious” life-force this past week, and understanding the power of being fully aligned with what makes us come alive. Fields makes some wonderful observations about how each of us can tap into this energy field in ourselves.

• And finally, I invite you to take a listen to this song from Shawn Mullins… I’ve included the lyrics below.

Shimmer

Sharing with us what he knows
shining eyes are big and blue
and all around him water flows

this world to him is new

this world to him is new

He´s born to shimmer, he´s born to shine
he´s born to radiate
he´s born to live, he´s born to love
but we will teach him how to hate

And this thing they call our time
heard a brilliant woman say
she said you know it´s crazy
how I want to try to capture mine
I think I love this woman´s way
I think I love this woman´s way…

The way she shimmers, the way she shines
the way she radiates
the way she lives, the way she loves
the way she never hates

Sometimes I think of all this that
can surround me
I know it all as being mine
but she kisses me and she wraps herself
around me
she gives me love, she gives me time
and I feel fine

But time I cannot change
so here´s to looking back
you know I drink a whole bottle
of my pride
and I toast to change
to keep these demons off my back
just get these demons off my back

Cause I want to shimmer, I want to shine
I want to radiate
I want to live, I want to love
I want to try to learn not to hate
try not to hate

We´re born to shimmer,
we´re born to shine,
we´re born to radiate,
we´re born to live, we’re born to love
we´re born to never hate

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