July 2010
Inspired Path Inc. E-Newsletter
 
(425) 785-5389     www.inspiredpath.com    [email protected] 
 

Photo of Nola Drazdoff

Nola Drazdoff
In This Issue
Welcome to July
Nola is Speaking
Inspiration for the Path
Sweet Freedom
Inspirational Song
Nola's Movie Pick
Useful Links
 
Join Our Mailing List 

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Welcome to July!
This is the month that we, in the USA, celebrate liberty and freedom! Freedom and liberty are indeed very special qualities that make our lives sweeter and richer. We are right to celebrate the opportunities that we have to enjoy these great gifts.

We should never take for granted the gifts we are given.

Investigating freedom and liberty in all of its various forms is a worthwhile endeavor. Often we focus on outer forms of these qualities, but there are deep inner experiences which are also available to each and every one of us.

I invite you, this month, to think about all the ways in which you are free, and all the ways in which you might be enslaved. Commit yourself to liberty and freedom so that you can truly bring your greatest gifts to the world.
 
Nola is Speaking on July 4th!
Celebration Church ~ Wilsonville OR

July 4, 2010 ~ 10:30AM

"Living in True Liberty"
 
As we celebrate Independence Day, I will lead us into a deeper exploration of the True Liberty that is available to each one of us right here, right now, in this very moment.

No matter what is going on in your life or the world around you, freedom and liberty can be yours!

How is that possible, you ask?

Come and learn some powerful keys to help you claim and experience your absolute birthright - to live in full freedom and true liberty!

Visit the Celebration Church Website for more information and directions! 

~ Inspiration for the Path ~

"I know but one freedom and that is the
freedom of the mind."
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

"Failure is the tuition you pay for success."
Walter Brunell
 
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment
and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."
~ Dalai Lama

Sweet Freedom

Knowing How to Be Free

 
So often, we think of freedom as something that is bestowed upon us by another person, or by our circumstances. It is true that we humans have the ability to imprison each other in various capacities. It is part of the drama that gets created when human beings grind up against each other in this thing called life.

I'm fascinated, however, by the fact that many of us are actually frightened by freedom, and resist moving fully into it. It's something that is worth taking a look at.

In the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, we follow the story of Andy, an innocent man who is condemned to the notorious Shawshank prison. He goes to work in the prison library with an elderly inmate named Brooks. Brooks has been in Shawshank for decades and decades.

The time comes for Brooks to finally be paroled. He is so frightened at the prospect of 'life on the outside' of the prison, that he threatens to murder another prisoner, just so that he can remain at Shawshank. Andy talks Brooks down from that moment, and Brooks eventually is released. He tries to fit in on the 'outside' but he feels lost and overwhelmed. He knew how to 'do' life in Shawshank. He had friends there. He was an important and respected man on the 'inside' of the prison. He didn't feel like he was up to life on the outside. He eventually takes his own life.

This is an extreme story, but it illustrates a point that is relevant to each one of us. Freedom can be a scary thing. Freedom requires us to be responsible, to step into the unknown, and to be willing to not always know every answer. It requires courage to be free.

A lot of times, I believe we keep ourselves locked into unhealthy situations, toxic relationships or simply unsatisfying experiences because we don't know how to claim our freedom and move fully into it. We'd rather be 'stuck' and imprisoned, because at least we know how to live that life!

Take a hard, honest look at your life. Are there any areas where you KNOW you aren't in the right place or doing what you want to do? Are there problems that you are so identified with that you wouldn't know who you are without them? Are you hanging out in comfortable discomfort because the energy required to face your fears, or the unknown seems too overwhelming?

You may be keeping yourself imprisoned! You are the only one who can set yourself free from this sort of slavery and servitude.

Claim your Freedom! 

Inspirational Song

Coming Out of the Dark
Gloria Estefan
 
Music is a huge part of my personal and spiritual growth process. I use music every single day for motivation, inspiration, and as a tonic when I need comfort and encouragement.

This song is a powerful testament to overcoming the hard moments and experiences in life. Gloria sang this song after she survived a serious car crash and was rehabilitated from the debilitating injuries that she sustained.
 
The song inspires me to know that we can overcome anything that happens to us. Anything. No matter what it is. We have what it takes to make it through those experiences, and we can help each other over the rocky sections in the path of life.
 
Here is an excerpt from the song lyrics:

Why be afraid if I'm not alone
Life is never easy the rest in unknown
Up to now for me it's been hands against stone
Each and every moment
Searching for what to believe

Coming out of the dark, I finally see the light now
It's shining on me
Coming out of the dark, I know the love that saved me
Share it with me

Listen to the song here on Youtube: 

Nola's Movie Pick

We Are Marshall

 We Are Marhsall DVD Cover

Movies are one of my favorite ways to relax and inspire myself! Many movies have profound messages for us, embedded within the stories they tell.

 

We Are Marshall is a true story of a plane crash that takes the lives of almost an entire university football team, including the coaching staff, many parents and community supporters. This is a difficult movie to watch, but it is an inspiring story that shows us the triumph of the human spirit over hardship and loss.

 

As the small college town is devastated by overwhelming loss, a surviving member of the team and some of the students decide to lobby for the continuation of the football program at their university. With the odds staggered against them they prevail upon the university administration to save their program.

 

A new coach, Jack Lengyel, is hired to reconstruct the football program. A quirky family man, Lengyel takes the reins in an unorthodox style, but he has what is needed to help this community begin to heal and move through their collective tragedy.

 
 
 
Inspired PathLiving Blog
Each week day, I use my blog to share my thoughts and spiritual perspective on this thing called life.
 
I invite you to check it out:

www.inspiredpath.blogspot.com
As we reflect and celebrate on freedom and liberty this month, remember the words of Nelson Mandela,

"Let freedom reign.
The sun never set on so
glorious a human achievement."
 
May we all experience the glories of a life lived fully and freely in Liberty!
Nola Drazdoff
Inspired Path, Inc.