Charlie Chaplin is my hero

A friend who is very dear to me, always seems to share some one thing on a regular basis that makes me stop and think. I feel like my life is in it's last decade and I want to make a change that is more than just a job. Course it helps that I no longer have a job and find myself in this limbo land of not feeling very secure, and more to the point, feeling that time is running out and if I want to find my joy now that I am no longer raising my children, perhaps now I should explore that option. But how do I start?? That's where my friend comes in -- she's pointed me in the direction of a life change coach, Ariane de Bonvoisin. First, I really like her name -- it's very lyrical. But the title of her blog and her book, is something I need to make some decisions about so this is all very timely and appropos to contemplate right now. Her title? It is 'First 30 Days'.

The best place for me to contemplate is sitting in my rusty beach chair with my toes in the water. Mama Ocean works her magic and life takes on clarity. Unfortunately, there is still over a foot of snow on the ground and strong winds are blowing. I will make do with getting cozy with a warm mug of tea and staying warm indoors.

So I'm taking some positive steps -- I ordered her book and tapes from half.com and reading her blog. And in her blog I found some words by Charlie Chaplin that I've read before but had forgotten. Thus, the title of my blog. Here is an excerpt -- I want to keep the words close by for now. And maybe like my friend passed me the tip to read Ariane, you will find something to share as well.

From Ariane:
A friend of mine, Kerstin, sent this to me. It’s the speech that Charlie Chaplin gave on his 70th birthday. I found it beautiful and ever so true.

As I Began to Love Myself

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering
are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.
Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY.”
As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody
As I try to force my desires on this person,
even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it,
and even though this person was me.
Today I call it “RESPECT.”
As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life,
and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.
Today I call it “Maturity,”
As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance,
I am in the right place at the right time,
and everything happens at the exactly right moment.
So I could be calm.
Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE.”
As I began to love myself I quit stealing my own time,
and I stopped designing huge projects for the future.
Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do
and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.
Today I call it “SIMPLICITY.”
As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health—
food, people, things, situations, and everything the drew me down and away from myself.
At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.
Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF,”
As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right,
and ever since I was wrong less of the time.
Today I discovered that is “MODESTY.”
As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future.
Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening.
Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT,”
As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me
and it can make me sick.
But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally.
Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART.”
We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems
with ourselves or others.
Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born.
Today I know THAT IS “LIFE”!
Please pass this onto your friends and family. This is a special reminder of what life is trying to teach us, what it’s really about, what we eventually all come to learn. Be gentle on yourself and light on life. No more disapproval of self. It’s the biggest obstacle to your dreams. Doing so, you’ll be able to access all that happiness and joy that is just below that inner critical voice.

This is syndicated from First 30 Days Blog, and written by Ariane de Bonvoisin.
http://www.first30days.com/blog/main/2010/02/life-lessons-from-charlie-chaplin/