Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside E-Book

Gloria J. Burgess

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2008

Beschreibung

In this inspirational book, Gloria Burgess uses the touching story of her father's relationship with William Faulkner as a starting point to explore a classic topic: how to bring forth the character qualities of love, wisdom, trust, faith, gratitude, creative action, vision, and integrity. Burgess declares the sacred promises of legacy living as part of a transformational process that helps us connect to our past by honoring those who came before us, living with intention in the present, and freeing our talents so we can realize our potential. Dare to Ware Your Soul on the Outside also includes practical exercises for fostering greater authenticity and purpose in our lives.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Foreword

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

TASKS TO PERFORM

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

PART ONE - A Call to Wholeness

CHAPTER 1 - The Foundation of Legacy Living: How It All Began

MY FATHER’S GIFT: SEEING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

A VISIT THAT WOULD CHANGE OUR LIVES FOREVER

LEGACY LIVING: A SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE

BLESSING AFTER BLESSING

MY PARENTS’ LEGACY: PAINTING ON THE CANVAS OF ETERNITY

HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON

CHAPTER 2 - Your Passion and Your Calling

BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT

MY CALL AND RESPONSE

YOUR PASSION AND YOUR SIGNATURE PRESENCE

PART TWO - The Seven Sacred Promises

CHAPTER 3 - What Are the Sacred Promises?

PLANT TOMORROW’S TREES TODAY

GRATITUDE

FAITH

LOVE

VISION

INTEGRITY

CREATIVE ACTION

LEGACY

SOW THE SEEDS OF INSPIRATION

CHAPTER 4 - Gratitude—Blessings Received and Passed Along

THE BLESSINGS OF GRATITUDE

RECONSTITUTE YOUR SOUL

EXPRESSIONS OF GRATITUDE

LOOK IN THE MIRROR

CHAPTER 5 - Faith—Devotion and Spiritual Renewal

BELIEVING IS SEEING

FAITH IN ACTION

I BELIEVE IN YOU

CHAPTER 6 - Love—Passion and Heart-Centered Action

EXPRESS YOUR LOVE

THE FACES OF LOVE

CHAPTER 7 - Vision—Seeing the Bigger Picture

LIVE YOUR VISION

TWO ASPECTS OF VISION

CONSTRUCT YOUR DESIRED FUTURE

CLEAR THE FOG

ASSESS YOUR CURRENT REALITY

IMAGINE YOUR FUTURE REALITY

CREATE YOUR VISION MAP

CHAPTER 8 - Integrity—Honoring Your Values and Wholeness

HONOR YOUR INTEGRITY

WAKE-UP CALL

CHAPTER 9 - Creative Action—Manifestation and Fulfillment

CREATIVE ACTION AND CREATIVITY

OVERCOME BLOCKS TO CREATIVE ACTION AND CREATIVITY

CHAPTER 10 - Legacy—Service and Stewardship

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE

THE DANCE OF LIFE

WE ARE THE ONES: THEN AND NOW

PART THREE - I Am an Instrument of Soul

CHAPTER 11 - The Sacred Promises and Right Relationships

PUT YOUR OWN OXYGEN MASK ON FIRST!

THE SACRED PROMISES IN ACTION

LESSONS LEARNED

CHAPTER 12 - The Sacred Promises at Work

MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

VALUE YOUR VALUES

TRANSFORM THE ORDINARY INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY: BEGIN WITH YOURSELF

MAKE YOUR WORK SERVE YOUR LIFE

THE SACRED PROMISES IN ACTION

LESSONS LEARNED

CHAPTER 13 - The Sacred Promises and World Work

THROW A BETTER PARTY

WORLD WORK CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE

WORLD WORK IS THE SOUL OF SERVICE

THE SACRED PROMISES IN ACTION

LESSONS LEARNED

CHAPTER 14 - The Sacred Promises as a Sacred Life Path

CROSS THE BRIDGE

ART AND SOUL

CHAPTER 15 - I Dared . . . I’m Doing It

Vera

Jean

Eliza

Tamra

Lionel

Darlene

Earnest

INDEX

More Praise forDare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside

“Gloria Burgess will help you find forgotten corners of yourself and rediscover your beauty. You cannot read the many stories collected here without noticing that your life has already become a little more meaningful.”

—Geoff Bellman, consultant and author, The Consultant’s Calling: Bringing Who You Are to What You Do

“Gloria Burgess has a rare gift for connecting the dots—between our teachers and our inner selves; between inheritance and legacy; between the pain of living in the world and the possibility of remaking it.”

—Eric Liu, author, Guiding Lights:How to Mentor and Find Life’s Purpose

“I love this book. I want everyone to read it. A true innovator, Gloria Burgess reveals the mystery of our capacity for boundless creativity—showing us how to use it responsibly—to transform ourselves and, thereby, transform the world. Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside makes a humane and brilliant future possible.”

—Carole Hyatt, coauthor, When Smart People Fail,and founder and CEO, The Carole Hyatt Leadership Forum

“In a world and time where societal and other external pressures can easily preempt one’s true self, this book offers a warm embrace of encouragement to take the path of self discovery. Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside guides readers to shut out the ‘noise’ and discover, unleash, and embrace who they truly are.”

—William Bell, MSW, president and CEO, Casey Family Programs

“Through inspiring stories and luminous prose, this book distills the secrets of personal transformation and why it is essential to live your best life not merely for yourself, but also to fulfill your highest calling—to be of service to others and to the future.”

—Sharon McDaniel, Ed.D., president and CEO, A Second Chance, Inc.

“Through her inspirational stories and by her own example, Gloria Burgess will guide you in understanding what it means to lead from within, and what it takes to be a true servant-leader in the twenty-first century. This brilliant, practical guide will help you awaken and tap into your vast potential.”

—Jan Levy, executive director, Leadership Tomorrow

“Responsive to the perilous times we live in, and the great possibilities we are offered, this book is a Call to Wake Up and Live, to bring forth the original medicine only you carry, serving your own life and the well-being of all life.”

—Anne Stadler, Open Space elder

“Through her poetic prose and practical tools, Dr. Gloria Burgess gently inspires us to awaken to the reality—and potential—of our life legacy. I recommend this excellent guidebook for bringing the richness of spirit into daily living.”

—Peggy Taylor, coauthor, Chop Wood, Carry Water:A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life, and cofounder, Power of Hope, Youth Empowerment Through the Arts

“Gloria passes along her years of experience and insight as a witness to the power of becoming a whole person, not in a self-centered way, but in the way one contributes to an emergent social network—our human community.”

—Harold Nelson, Ph.D., author, The Design Way:Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World, and president, Advanced Design Institute

“Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside provides intimate insight into how to reach your full potential . . . how to follow one’s dreams and leave a legacy that others will want to emulate.”

—Doreen Harden-Cato, Ed.D., executive director, First Place School & Social Service Agency

“Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside is not just a book; it is a guided journey from ordinary life to making friends with who you really are, so that you can live to your full potential.”

—Gifford Pinchot III, cofounder and president, Bainbridge Graduate Institute

“For those who are looking for a way to make a difference in the world, Gloria’s book will surely help you. This book calls us to claim our brilliance so that we can unleash our imagination and genius.”

—LueRachelle Brim-Atkins, consultant, Brim-Donahoe & Associates

“This book is outstanding, a must read for all ages. We will read and reread this book for the important life journey before us. Gloria Burgess is an architect for the spirit.”

—Constance Rice, Ph.D., founder and president, Strategic Education Centers

“Gloria’s family story, with its legacy of ‘pass a kindness on’ and ‘make yourself useful,’ provides inspiration for readers of all ages.”

—Jean Davies Okimoto, author, Molly By Any Other Name

“Dr. Burgess encourages you to consciously synchronize your intent with your behaviors every day, and pay attention to how much more effective you are and satisfied you feel. It works!”

—Ruth Massinga, former president and CEO, Casey Family Programs

“Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside is a courageous demonstration of the possibility of sharing yourself as an instrument to awaken and inspire others. The author, a black woman who grew up loved by her immediate family and invisible and impoverished in the world at large, has a broad base of experience upon which to make her claims. And passionate claims they are: that creativity exists in each of us and its expression is essential in building a humane world that works for all. Through inspiring stories, luminous prose, and elegant poetry, Gloria reminds us that every aspect of an often cruel world can spur us to lift our voices in song as a possibility for others, to sing the song of the soul.”

—Rosamund Stone Zander, author, The Art of Possibility

“Most of us intend to live at our highest and best, to contribute much to the world, and to live authentically, but life gets in our way. Gloria Burgess encourages us to push, probe, and delve into our very beings so that we can live our legacy. With prose, poetry, and a series of exercises, Burgess offers her gentle healing skills to a community that needs them desperately. I am excited about this sister, her work, and her book.”

—Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president, Bennett College for Women

“If you don’t live your legacy now, when will you live it? Gloria helps you do it now! Her work can help you ‘shine your light’ from the inside out!”

—Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times best-selling author, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

ALSO BY GLORIA J. BURGESS

Books

Legacy Living: The Six Covenants for Personal & Professional Excellence Continuum: The First Songbook of Sweet Honey in the Rock (editor)

Poetry

Journey of the RoseThe Open Door

Copyright © 2008 by Gloria J. Burgess. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataBurgess, Gloria. Dare to wear your soul on the outside : live your legacy now/Gloria J. Burgess ; foreword by Angeles Arrien. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.

eISBN : 978-0-470-44071-1

To my mother and father, Mildred and Earnest:with love and gratitude for your legacies of vision,service, and possibility.To my husband, John, whose servant heart embodieslegacy living.To my daughter, Quinn: may your soul remain lit withrighteous fire, and may the sweet music of your life continueto transform the world.

FOREWORD

Dare to Wear Your Soul on the Outside is a testament to the triumph of possibility, to the human spirit’s power to reign over adversity, and to being of service to current and future generations.

Grounded in the importance of being intentional about the legacy that we live every moment of our lives, this book addresses four essential themes, each of which is necessary to making a better world: bringing forth our signature gifts, healing, transformation, and stewardship. When we pay attention to each of these themes, we will mend our own souls, our relationships, our workplaces, and our communities and thereby mend the world itself.

Drawing on her African, Native American, and Celtic cultures of origin, Gloria Burgess creates an exquisite tapestry that deftly weaves the rich threads of the past, bountiful blessings of the present, and veins of wisdom for the future. Employing her myriad gifts as a storyteller, poet, healer, and spiritual ally, her book brims with expert counsel, engaging stories, reflective questions, poetry, and affirmations that radiate joy, thanksgiving, faith, love, and hope. This book is a valuable resource and an irresistible invitation

• To embody gratitude—to bless the ancestors who built roads and bridges to give us a solid place to stand and to transport us beyond our differences to comprehending and embracing our shared humanity. To bless the current and future generations by planting seeds to nourish them as they grow branches of possibility, imagination, inspiration, and hope.

• To embrace love—to lift our voices and bring forth what has heart and meaning, not only for ourselves but for others as well. For when we express our heart’s desire, we favor our soul’s song over our ego’s plaintive cry.

• To embody and integrate the Seven Sacred Promises of legacy living as a way of being, the promises of gratitude, faith, love, vision, integrity, creative action, and legacy. These time-honored spiritual practices are at the heart of living a contemporary life that is characterized by a long stride of spirit, a life that reengages perennial wisdoms, creativity, generativity, and deep generosity into current and future generations. These intentions and practices ultimately support positive change and transformation, which further aligns us with our inherent natures.

Gloria Burgess offers us a timely and relevant book that reminds us that our calling is to honor our spiritual inheritance by transcending the destructive narratives of pride, scarcity, injustice, conspicuous abundance, insufficiency, privilege, and inferiority. Ultimately, we have an urgent summons to rise above the weight of our personal and cultural history, to surrender whatever story we might harbor, to claim authority over our circumstances, and by doing so to transform our lives. We then offer ourselves as legacy—as radiant story, hallowed poem, glorious song, healing stream that tenders the waters of revival, healing, and transformation.

Angeles Arrien

WITH GRATITUDE

Abiding thanks to God for ordering my steps. And deep appreciation to the ancestors for their legacy of gratitude, unshakable faith, perseverance, triumph, and joy.

With joy and gratitude

• To my dream team: Andrea Hurst, my agent, who read my previous book, Legacy Living, immediately grasped it, and saw possibilities for this one. Julie Brockmeyer, who collaborates with the eyes of her soul, rendering the invisible visible with exquisite skill and beauty. Jan Seymour, my developmental editor—for her keen sensitivity, creativity, and skill in excavating and unearthing what matters. Sheryl Fullerton, my editor at Jossey-Bass, who resonated with the heart of my work and inspired me to deliver my best. Donna Cohn and Joanne Clapp Fullagar, talented editorial allies, and the production and marketing team at Jossey-Bass.

• To my pioneering allies and colleagues: Nancy Adler, Angeles Arrien, Geoff Bellman, Peter Block, Paul Brainerd, Toi Derricotte, Cornelius Eady, Jan Levy, Eric Liu, Carolyn Micklem, Maxine Mimms, Gifford Pinchot III, Libba Pinchot, kindred stewards of our organizations, environment, and communities, for welcoming me to your table. Courageous clients, amazing students, and other faithful supporters who edify, challenge, and lift me up: Lynn Biggs, Carol Boone, Sharon Bouscher, Gloria Campbell, Joan Dever, Tim Downie, James Edmondson, Kathryn Elliott, Mary Jane Gillespie, Dennis Ichikawa, Margy Kotick, Dan Leahy, Diana Lilla, Melanie Lococco, Pearl Mathys, John Oleson, Ramalingam Raja, Barb Robitaille, Dr. Konji Sebati, Tim Serbin, Eva Sher, Ron Sher, Anne Stadler, Molly Swain, Evelyn Wemhoff.

• To my sanctuary of family: Mildred, my mother—I’m blessed and honored to be a keeper of your and Daddy’s dream. Earnest, my father—thank you for welcoming the people of the world into our hearts and home and for encouraging me to dream. My sister Doris, I’m grateful for your abiding love and support. My sister Annie, thank you for your pioneering spirit and steadfast faith. My sister Debbie, I’m thankful for your tenacity, brilliance, and sustaining love. Vera, sister of the hallelujah-and-shout-for-joy soul, and Adrianna, my profound gratitude for entrusting me with your story. Quinn, through you I receive news from the future. May you continue to be blessed as a vibrant, courageous, and humble instrument of soul. John, my soul mate, husband, first listener, and reader of my many drafts. I’m ever grateful for your musical gifts—composing, orchestrating, and conducting—for their inevitable flow into the swing and sway of these pages.

• To my sanctuaries of place: Molokai, Hawaii, and Cortes Island, British Columbia, especially the rejuvenating, healing soul of the Hui Ho’olana and Hollyhock Retreat Centers. Whidbey Island, Washington, my close-by place of solace and retreat. Mississippi, Kenya, and South Africa, where my soul sings of all that is essential.

• To my fellow seekers: You who care enough about yourself and others to nourish your soul and thereby transform the soul of our world. As part of my legacy, I humbly offer this book to you.

Molokai, Hawaii Gloria J. Burgess May 2008

INVOCATION

Welcome! Welcome to the Blessing Table. I have been waiting just for you. This book is my heartfelt offering of hospitality, an invocation of spirit, a call to possibility.

You probably have this book in your hands because you are searching for something. Perhaps you are looking for something that you believe is muted or missing in your life, or something you once had but lost in the midst of the many demands, pressures, and competing priorities in your life. Perhaps, like so many others, you are looking for something that is already yours, something familiar that you believe is just beyond your grasp, or you simply don’t know how to claim it.