I want to share an article with you entitled “Soul Eyes” 
written by my guest Tom LaRotonda. Tom and I have been friends for several years now from when we first met at a Create Your Best Life Luncheon in Denver, CO.
Tom is the owner of Core Matters LLC, a transformational leadership organization based in Denver. He is a keynote speaker, free-lance writer, life/executive coach, leadership consultant, and seminar facilitator. His life purpose is to inspire his clients to boldly pursue their life dreams by taking the road less traveled. One of the foremost and leading edge speakers on the concept of Inspirational Living, he has addressed audiences around the world. Tom brings passion, excellence and dedication to his calling as a transformational leadership path-finder.
Please help me welcome Tom in the writing of his article, “Soul Eyes”:
Inspirational Messages to Empower Your Life
February 11, 2008 Topic - Soul Eyes
Core Reflections is a weekly message whose primary intention is to provide a thought that inspires vision, purpose, and boldness in your life. My goal is to create a ripple that touches thousands of people. Please help me by sharing these messages with others in your life and encouraging them to become a subscriber. I hope you enjoy this week's message! - Tom
- Mary Howitt
Saturday I had the privilege of attending a Habitat for Humanity home dedication for a very a very amazing member of our Core Matters Community, Gail Hamilton. Gail has been blind since the age of 13 and has faced more trials in her life than I would care to take on in many lifetimes. She has been a source of inspiration to me from the moment I met her 5 years ago.
I've gained many insights from our professional relationship and evolving friendship. Whenever I begin to question myself in the face of obstacles, all I have to do is remind myself of Gail's life and my "woe is me" moment fades away. Gail, you are truly a genuine role model for never giving up on your dreams. Time after time she has reminded me that she doesn't consider herself a disadvantaged blind person. Observing her most recent life journey has convinced me that she is able to see in ways that sighted people could never imagine. She has even gone so far as to suggest that I am the one at a disadvantage, for I rely too much on my human eyes to view the splendor of the world.
She has often said to me that I have not fully developed my "Soul Eyes." I must admit the first few times I heard her say this, I wondered if this concept was a new twist of some highly creative coping mechanism. But as I experienced, first hand, her grueling yet magical manifestation of her life dreams, I found myself viewing the world in a whole different light. Through her tears, frustration, commitment, and perseverance - through her Soul Eyes - I began to see things in my life that I had never seen before.
When one develops Soul Eyes they see, hear, and believe things that others cannot. People with Soul Eyes don't see obstacles; they see opportunities and potential. People with Soul Eyes don't hear discouragement and doubt; they hear a voice of confidence beyond the skeptics and critics. People with Soul Eyes don't believe the world is a scary place; they believe in a world filled with adventure, abundance, and joy. People with Soul Eyes are a delight to be around for their vibration transcends the denseness of the physical plane. This vibration can easily be felt for it sources from happiness, excitement, optimism, and unconditional love. It's as if they are living in a whole different world and they are. The world they see and experience can only be accessed through Soul Eyes!
One of Gail's dreams was to stand on the roof of her new home. It was important for her to feel the warmth of the sun penetrating and nurturing her new home. The Habitat for Humanity people did not go to the place of fear, protection, and legal liability. Instead they opened their Soul Eyes and found a way to make it happen - three times! Can you imagine closing your eyes and walking on a slanted roof! Yet Gail overcame any fears that desire brought forth and completely trusted her unique power of vision. Actually, many of the shingles of her home were placed and secured by her very own hands. She saw possibilities that others did not see and through her willingness to encourage others to, "See with their Soul Eyes!" her possibilities became reality and their Soul Eyes were awakened.
This world is filled with such magnificence and beauty. I'm eternally grateful that I have been blessed with my human eyes. And now, by knowing Gail Hamilton, I've truly learned to envision a whole new world of extra-sensory awareness. Einstein said that we will never solve our problems from the same level that we created them. Perhaps what he meant to say is that we will never solve our problems relying on our human eyes. We can only solve them through the activation of our Soul Eyes.
My inspiration to you this day is to awaken your Soul Eyes. See what others can't see. Hear what others ignore. Believe in possibilities others run away from. Close your human eyes and walk confidently on the roof of your fears guided by the sight of a new set of eyes and see the glorious expansive rainbow that few get to see!
PS - Gail Hamilton is a keynote speaker, musical performer, and piano teacher. She is currently working on a book that is her life story. I highly endorse her work and invite you to consider her for any opportunities mentioned above. She can be contacted at wingstoflynow@comcast.net
Till Next Time - May You Empower Your Life,
Tom
I encourage you to share these messages with your friends and family.
You also have my permission to reprint any message in your newsletters, websites and message boards providing you include full authorship, copyright, and subscription information.
I also welcome your comments and feedback.
Subscription Info:
To subscribe to the Core Reflections weekly message simply send an e-mail to tom@corematters.com. You have my commitment that all personal and professional data will be held in the strictest of confidence.
©2008 Tom LaRotonda All Rights Reserved
Tom LaRotonda
Core Matters, LLC
2314 Kipling Street
Lakewood, CO 80211
303-964-0969
tom@corematters.com
www.corematters.com
Thank you Tom and thank you Gail for the opportunity to share such an inspiring article with the blogging community.
From the kitchen table - Pat
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4 comments:
your blog and message are very inspiring. i will have to visit again.
Merelyme - thank you for your kind comment and for stopping by. I'm happy that you were inspired. I hope you come back soon to visit.
That was a lovely article and it made me think of someone very special in my life when I was a girl of about 7.
We were living in New Zealand and this old Maori lady, Sue, lived next door. I would go over to visit and eat malt and drink tea with her most days. One day I was helping her up the steps with her groceries when these two boys rode past on bikes and yelled out a racist taunt at her.
I became very upset, but she patted my arm and told me not to worry about it because they were blind and it wasn't their fault. I was confused and said they weren't blind, they were riding bikes!
But she just laughed and said the eyes and the mind can deceive you, but your heart never will. She told me that I was blessed and would always be able to see beauty and magic in the world as long as my heart stayed open and I chose to see with it and trust it above all else.
This article made me remember that for the first time in years. Thank you.
:) Kelly
Kelly - thank you for your comment and I'm happy this story reminded you of your own story of someone special of long ago.
Your friend shared her wisdom with you at a tender age. Even though you didn't understand with your mind your heart undertood. She was preparing you for your life's journey.
Thank you for sharing this story with us.
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