Hooray Weekly

Time to slow the mind down and listen.  Poetry will do the trick.  Let the three poets and their poems Lee Ann chose for this week's podcast welcome you into their world (which is YOUR world) and lead you to some beautiful, life-affirming and kick-butt conclusions.  Or maybe not even conclusions at all, but entry points for living full and rich days. The three poems in this episode are Maya Angelou's "A Brave and Startling Truth," Kobayashi Issa's "Cricket" and Naomi Shihab Nye's "Famous."  If you'd like, you may follow along as the poems are found below, along with links to the books where they are found.   A Brave and Startling Truth -- Maya Angelou When we come to it When we let the rifles fall from our shoulders And children dress their dolls in flags of truce When land mines of death have been removed And the aged can walk into evenings of peace When religious ritual is not perfumed By the incense of burning flesh And childhood dreams are not kicked awake By nightmares of abuse When we come to it Then

Having Some Trouble with Your Affirmations? This episode is for YOU!  Lee Ann offers encouragement that delivers--offering two ideas that will surely boost your internal skies--your very own positive weather!  When your practice gets stale or feels fake, you have to mix things up a bit with a switch of pronoun usage and/or a novel form of "afformations" as introduced by Noah St. John.    Resources and Links for Today's Podcast: Afformations: The Miracle of Positive Self-Talk, by Noah St. John--Powerful book that shows the incredible combination of the question with affirmations.  He turns affirmations on their heads with his method! You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations, by Lee Ann Hopkins--This is a small book that offers loads of value, especially if you've never used affirmations before.  Even if you have, there are always new things to learn about this incredible old subject! Affirmations Page--found on Hooray Living's website.  Listen to audio clips of some of Lee Ann's favorite aff

No more "Stinkin' Thinkin'" for you! Clear up those internal weather patterns that are causing you to suffer!  Create your great life with affirmations.  Learn from a master affirmation practitioner and your host and fellow traveler on this journey, Lee Ann Hopkins.  She gives you seven rules (suggestions) to get you started with affirmations. Even if you've worked with positive thinking, listen in, as you're bound to learn something new!    Resources and Links for Today's Podcast: You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations, by Lee Ann Hopkins--This is a small book that offers loads of value, especially if you've never used affirmations before.  Even if you have, there are always new things to learn about this incredible old subject! Affirmations Page--found on Hooray Living's website.  Listen to audio clips of some of Lee Ann's favorite affirmations with a lovely soundtrack of music underneath by justjohnmusic (John Hopkins). The Hooray Daily--bite-sized cheer for you in your day!  You can f

Today, discover your hidden worth, your inner beauty!   Lee Ann offers a wonderful story to illuminate your brilliance.  She reminds you of your greatness every week.  So listen in, and enjoy.  This is for YOU!

Play is oxygen for the soul!  It's not just for children, it's for us adults.  Silliness and levity are necessary ingredients for our soul and researchers are filling in the data points to prove that this is so.  Even Plato understands the importance and insight of play.  He said: "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."  Right on, Plato!  Play does tell us a great deal about people.  Let's hear it for fun!    Listen in as Lee Ann discusses a final strategy for moving through difficult and unstable times.  While this will be the last in the series, Hooray in Tough Times, this doesn't mean that I don't have more to say about living through difficulty! There are plenty of episodes lined up for Hooray Weekly.  We have so much to discuss! Notes and Resources National Institute for Play--The National Institute for Play is a 501c(3) non-profit public benefit corporation committed to bringing the unrealized knowledge, practices and benefits of play into public life.

We can't be in a hurry in tough times.  It often requires patience.  But even more than patience, inner generosity fills the holes in our weary soul and spirit.  In this podcast, Lee Ann chats about a different kind of relationship we need to have with ourselves in the middle of difficult circumstances--well, in life really.  Listen in for a few pointers and a big dollop of love!    Notes from the Podcast: Quotes from Two Spiritual Giants "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection."  Buddha "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?"  Rabbi Hillel Three Helpful Practices for Inner Generosity  Notice your inner communication.  95% of all growth and change begins with observing what you are currently doing!  Noticing when we are unkind to ourselves is the starting point for making new decisions.  Work with affirmations.  (A great primer and positive book on affirmations is Lee Ann's book, You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations.  It's been

Have you ever been put down with the question, "Who do you think you are?"  Have you halted your own growth because of the opinion of others or your own limited knowledge?  We do this in countless ways, but we need not do this.  Join Lee Ann for a very personal pep talk--one that she gives herself!  Find out what Jesus, Luke, Robert Kennedy and Marianne Williamson have to say about your fear and self-doubts.     Announcement Send any request for card/special occasion note/prayer request to  leeann@hoorayliving.com.  You know you want something other than bills and circulars to arrive in your mailbox!  Ask! Recommendation Lee Ann raves about Marianne Williamson on this weekly podcast.  If you haven't read any of Ms. Williamson's work, start with her first bestseller, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles. You'll thank us!

"Properly understood and applied, [prayer] is the most potent instrument of action." --Mahatma Gandhi Prayer is a critical piece when things appear to be falling apart, when they are shifting, changing, uncertain and unstable.  On our knees, we are stabilized.  It is prayer that is the workhorse keeping us grounded in what is true, loving, right and good.  In this episode, Lee Ann talks about prayer as a way to assist us in tough times.     Hooray Weekly's Podcast Notes from Today's Episode: Here are two prayers that can be pulled out of your pocket whenever you need them.  I love these common, yet profound prayers. Lord’s Prayer (also called the Our Father or Jesus Prayer): Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory

Listen in for some love and a big surprise! Do you know the odds of your birth? Do you know how amazing you are? Do you know how unique your contribution to the world is?  Let Lee Ann fill you in on today's Hooray Weekly podcast.    Don't forget to subscribe, share and rate on iTunes!  Thank you! Announcement-- Lee Ann is sending out free snail-mail cards and notes to any and all who need a lift, some encouragement and love.  To get a personalized note and card delivered to a friend, family member or neighbor in need, simply send an email to Lee Ann at leeann@hoorayliving.com. Reference about Dr. Ali Binazir-- You can find a super cool infographic from Business Insider for the odds I refer to in the podcast!  It is so awesome.  Check it out.

What part does grieving play in the winters we all face? What will bring us through tough times?  Listen in as Lee Ann reflects upon the power of our grief. ...And drop Lee Ann a line via email, sky-writing or pigeon carrier!  She'd love to hear from you...and as you'll hear in this episode, she's sending cards and notes to listeners who just need a bit of love, cheer and/or pick-me-up.  Nothing better than finding some love in your mail box (not your email in box!)...Just don't forget to leave your mailing address or the address of someone you care about who needs a little surprise.  You can email Lee Ann at:  leeann@hoorayliving.com.    Resources/Links referenced in today's podcast: Mary Oliver -- (American poet, born 1935)  The poem I read on the podcast is called, "Starlings in Winter" and can be found in her book, Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays (Beacon Press 2003). Another couple of recommendations include one of her more recent collections,  Felicity: Poems (Penquin Press 2015) and, as a de

“After all, what are any of us after but the conviction of belonging?”--Wallace Stegner Times are such that we need people, purpose and love more than we need perfect.  Particularly in tough times…Join Lee Ann as she continues the series "Hooray in Tough Times."  Today, it's all about "being a groupie."  Find out what that means for you!   Links, Suggestions and Resources mentioned in today's podcast: Wallace Stegner, On Teaching and Writing Fiction - Wallace Earle Stegner (February 18, 1909 – April 13, 1993) was an American novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and historian, often called "The Dean of Western Writers". He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Book Award in 1977. Denmark -- the Happiest People in the World - a link to the New York Times article by Sewell Chan. United Church of Christ - The United Church of Christ, or simply the UCC are progressive Christian churches offering an extravagant welcome to all people where the work of the church is to change lives, indivi

be·lief  (bəˈlēf/)  noun -- 2. trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something. Friends, today’s episode is called “Belief”.  This is the tie-a-knot-and-hang-on episode.  When all is said, done and practiced in difficult times—no matter what our strategies for getting through—there is a point when none of these strategies matter at all.  Random acts of kindness, meditation/being still, keep-on-keeping-on action are emphasized because these are things that we can DO. But today, we consider the foundation…the stuff that is behind the curtain.  What is there when you pull everything away and look?  What keeps you going when nothing seems to be working, when everything has gone wrong?    On June 17th, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina, a white supremacist and terrorist entered a bible study at Mother Emanuel and was welcomed with open arms by a black faith community.  But the surreal happened…The visitor pulled a gun and ended their precious, open and welcoming lives with hatred and bullets. When asked h

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."  -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu Today, we meet "learned helplessness" and its antidote, kindness.  We will discover that kindness not only overwhelms and changes the world, but it changes us.  That would seem obvious, right?  But when we are in tough times, thinking outside of the box is not always available to our hurting souls.  So listen in!   If you want to learn more about any of the subject matter mentioned in the podcast, check out the resources below. Learned Helplessness, Peterson, Maier & Seligman Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, Martin Seligman Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment, Martin Seligman The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want, by Sonja Lyubomirsky Random Acts of Kindness ideas--visit kindness.org! The World Needs More Love Letters -- a community of people w

"Be still; stillness reveals the secrets of eternity." --Lao Tzu Welcome to the 3rd episode of Hooray Weekly!  So glad that you are here! Today, I discuss the importance of stillness in our busy, frenetic and fear-filled world.  If you want to find your Hooray in tough times, it is a necessary component for your days.  Listen in to the podcast for some love, encouragement and a couple of meditation/stillness techniques.  Here are two of the practices I mention in this week's episode.    2 Easy-Breezy Practices for Stillness  Passage or Verse Meditation--The mind is a funny thing. It doesn't like to be quiet and shushed.  So why fight it?  This type of meditation is easy.  Get comfortable in a chair or on the floor with your back erect, shoulders down  and away from your ears, eyes closed, arms relaxed with hands in your lap and take some loving belly breaths.  (I go into detail on the podcast for both these meditation practices, so I'm keeping the words simple and short here, okay?)  Next, think of a piece

"I can't go on, I'll go on..."  --Samuel Beckett How in the world do you manage through tough times of crisis, despair, anxiety and loss?  In this episode, I encourage you to keep your head down.  Keeping your head down is a way through when worlds seem to be crashing in upon you.  It's one-foot-in-front-of-the-other work and involves doing what is right in front of you and involves praying in whatever form that is for you.    This "keep your head down" strategy is the first of many ways to keep yourself moving through tough times.  Next week, I'll talk about finding stillness in the midst of the storm. If you'd like to learn more about the teacher/professor/womanist ethicist & theologian, Reverend Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, I mention in the episode, click to find her books here.  Katie Geneva Cannon, PhD, is the Annie Scales Rogers Professor of Christian Ethics, Union Theological Seminary-PSCE in Richmond, VA. The first African American woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Cannon focuse

Hello friends!  This is it--the inaugural event!  The REAL inaugural event...post-January 20th.  Get your weekly lift here from your host, friend, teacher and fellow traveler, Lee Ann Hopkins. Today, we begin our journey together, where each week I bring you food-for-thought, something yummy for your Soul and your life.  It's like having your own cheerleader, coach and teacher--all rolled up into one. In this short welcome and intro, I discuss: --Who I am --Who you are --What to expect in the podcast --Subject matter for the first series of talks Enjoy! Please do me the favor of: Subscribing to the podcast Rating the podcast in iTunes, and Sharing with friends, family and colleagues Remember: "Smile and the world smiles with you."--Lee Ann Hopkins