Blog · Page 3 of 340 · Ashley Barnes

Daily Bliss – August 19

Daily Bliss

The slow build,

Ever growing,

Incremental,

And her heart cries

For something more,

Longing for the future

She is yet to see

But deeply feels

Meanwhile, she plants seeds

Where she stands

Sometimes a change and growth goes viral.

But many, many times it’s slow as Christmas.

And the waiting, the wanting, is painful.

I think of the line from the musical, Hamilton, “Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”

And it makes sad, but also hopeful.

So much of the work we is simply planting seeds, maintaining hope for the future we want to see, and trusting that our work means something.

So we plant seeds where we are until we get where we (think) we want to be.

What seeds are you planting today?

Daily Bliss – August 18

Daily Bliss

She is the bridge,

The one who lays the foundation

As she grows,

And she shows the way

For those who hold a new vision,

Taking steps together

To break the molds

She was told must be,

Crumbling beneath her feet

For all those bridge-builders out there, keep building.

Keep tearing down the old ways and creating the new.

The world needs your vision.

The world needs YOU.

Daily Bliss – August 17

Daily Bliss

She stands in her power

As a truth-teller

A strength-bearer

A self-leader

Her inner world

Spilling over as she exudes

Calm, energy, inspiration

The world needs her

And all she brings

©Ashley Castle Barnes

I had a podcast interview yesterday and anytime I have the opportunity to talk about what I’m up to, it energizes me!

I love talking about the impact of energy on leaders and the ripple effect that occurs when someone shifts and chooses to show up differently.

I love talking about poetry and how it provides a healing balm and invitation to trust our inner knowing amidst an often stark landscape of chaos and change.

I love talking about authenticity – following your weird – and how life-changing it can be to explore and embrace who we naturally are, despite living in a world that often values conformity.

These topics light me up! And as Joseph Campbell said, the world needs people who have come alive.

And even more importantly, this energy makes me think of the amazing leaders I know who are also doing the work for a better world in their own ways.

My friends, my collaborators, my sources of inspiration for their willingness to stand in their truth.

Fellow leaders, what’s lighting YOU up today?

Daily Bliss – August 17

Daily Bliss

And what if she could be herself

And also be present

Her presence existing

In between worlds

And also of them at the same time

Without losing herself

Again

©Ashley Castle Barnes

It’s a struggle at times to figure how to be fully present and embodied and also be our full selves.

It sounds like a contradiction, but so often the spaces we find ourselves in do not want our full selves present.

Full selves are messy, imperfect, and unapologetic.

Sometimes they roar and sometimes they whisper.

They don’t always show up in ways that are deemed appropriate for the space they’re in.

When we’re fully present but can’t be ourselves, it feels unaligned and uncomfortable.

And it’s so easy to lose connection to ourselves when we’re in that space.

Which is likely why so many of us choose to not be fully present much of the time.

It’s simply too painful.

Yet that’s not sustainable either.

So instead, let’s create more spaces where our full selves are welcome, in all their messiness and imperfection, their roars and their whispers.

And let’s make it safe for everyone to participate.

It’s not easy work. The status quo doesn’t give up easily.

But there are so many chipping away at it.

Demanding change. Being the change.

Being their full selves, even when it’s not deemed appropriate.

How are you showing up fully today?

Daily Bliss – August 15

Daily Bliss

When all else fails

She finds her magic on the inside 

Feeding her need for excitement 

And awe 

Manifesting new worlds within 

And seeding them outward 

To grow like trees 

Into the future she wants to see

Some days are frustrating. Some days are “Monday” all day long (and it’s only noon).

I try to remind myself to use those days as opportunities to find magic that fuels me in a different way.

From the inside out.

Because when I’m not finding what I need around me, I can almost find what I need within me.

Perhaps I should start looking there first more often?

Where are you finding your magic today?

Daily Bliss – August 12

Daily Bliss

What is it about coming home

That ignites both excitement

And sadness,

Her dream of finding herself

Out in the world

Always leading her back

To the space inside,

Always present,

Always welcoming,

And yet she wanders still

It feels like all the work I’ve done over the last decade is for the inevitable purpose of coming back home to myself, to the me that has been lost, hidden, masked.

But it’s more than that too. It’s the journey, the experience.

I keep setting out, looking for something unseen but felt inside, then circling back to a place that feels closer to home than before.

I always come back to the place inside where I’m home, I’m whole, I have the comfort of knowing I have the answers within.

And then I set out again.

A cycle of beginning and ending but there really is no end.

At least, I hope I never reach a place where the learning and growing ends.

I think that would be death, even if I were still alive.

I used to not love the wandering. It felt directionless and untethered.

Because it was. It still is.

And that’s okay. Learning to trust my inner compass has been my journey, and while it’s been rocky, it hasn’t led me astray.

It is the way.

What is your way, your journey of coming home?