Thoughts

What does “living out loud” mean to the career seeker trying to shape a new career, or to someone trying to improve what they've already got? It means, first of all, slowing down so that inner responses have a chance to arise. Is that career you are considering a choice of the heart, or does it just use your degree? Are you honoring your own pace? At times you may need to push ahead, even when you'd rather hide behind People magazine with a chocolate bar. At other times, you may need to ease off and nurture your soul, even when your partner, your parents, and your dog think you should just go out and get a job.

People who are living out loud feel like a beginner a lot more than those who are living in a trance. In the trance state, we all trudge through life, and then wonder where it's gone. We feel too busy to wake up, too caught up in trying to do everything we're supposed to do. If we choose to live out loud, we can set aside the pressures of trying to be perfect and approach life more like a bare-foot toddler discovering dewy morning grass. The toddler is not trying to impress the boss, earn more, or pretend she or he already knows all about grass and dew and bare feet and falling down. The toddler is living out loud.