Subject: And the Oscar Goes To…

Welcome to Celebrating the Journey!
Monday, March 27, 2000
Issue #19

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Welcome Notes
2. Important Announcements
3. And The Oscar Goes To…
4. Coaching: Make each day an Oscar winning day
5. Quotes
6. Humor: Top 25 Newspaper Headlines
7. More Resources for Your Journey: Top 10 Steps for
Tapping into Courage

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1. Welcome Notes

25 new subscribers this week! I continue to be amazed and
grateful at how CTJ is growing. Thank you to all who
share it with friends and family and networks. And don’t
stop now!

Thank you, also, to all who expressed your appreciation of
the heartwarming story of Rose that went out to you mid-
week. Apparently it touched many hearts as deeply as it
touched mine.

Last week I asked you to share your opinions of CTJ with
me and how I can make it an even better resource for your
journey. And I heard from no one! I’m repeating the
request this week, and adding an incentive: a copy of my
book “To The Summit: A Woman’s Journey into the
Mountains to Find Her Soul” and a mention in CTJ to the
5 most constructively useful comments. Send your input
to me at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.

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2. Important Announcements

Your Best Year Yet Workshop Discounted For CTJ!

I’m offering a 20% discount on registration for any Your
Best Year Yet workshop in the months of April and May
to all CTJ subscribers. John Gray said about Your Best Year
Yet, “Personal success does not have to be years away.
[Your Best Year Yet] masterfully guides you from thought
to action and inspires you to start actualizing your heart’s
desires this year.”

Workshop dates and locations are:

Aspen, Colorado, Sat. 4/15, 8:30 am – noon
Grand Junction, Colorado, Mon, 4/17, 6 – 9:30 pm
San Diego, California, Sat. 4/29, 8:30 am – noon
Boston, Mass., Fri. May 5/19, 8:30 – noon

Can the next 12 months of YOUR life be your Best Year
Yet? You bet it can! This 3 1/2 hour workshop leads you to
a simple one-page plan for exactly that, and provides
tools to support you in following the plan. It’s a small
investment with a big return!

Visit https://www.tothesummit.com/YBYY.html for more
information or click mailto:margo@tothesummit.com to
receive a registration form or answers to any questions.

Prepare the Soil in Your Garden

It’s officially spring, and as the weather warms up, the
grass begins to turn green and birds return to their
summer homes, it’s time to prepare the soil in our
gardens to produce the glorious blooms we want for the
summer. Why not prepare your internal soil as well? I’m
offering an April coaching special: 4 half hour coaching
calls in the month of April with the purpose of building
and following a plan to achieve your top ten goals for the
summer. All for the discounted rate of $150!

Create your top 10 goals for the summer
Build a plan for achieving them
Ensure the plan is a winnable one rather than a
setup to fail – again
Have an email cheerleader throughout the
summer

Email me at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com to reserve
your spot!

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3. And the Oscar goes to…

Last night’s telecast of the Academy Awards was one of
the most watched television programs of all time.
Millions of people in hundreds of countries gathered to
watch the glamour and fashion and competitive
atmosphere of the annual ritual which honored the “best”
performances of the past year for this high-profile
industry.

What does “best” mean in this context? It is based on the
opinions of members of the Academy of Motion Pictures:
members whose votes are, at best, subjective (it is
virtually impossible for humans to be objective about
areas in which they are involved) and, at worst, based on
resentment and a desire for power.

Am I being overly critical? Perhaps, but I wish to make a
point here. One which Michael Caine made in his most
gracious acceptance speech of the Oscar for Best
Supporting Actor. He said,

“I’m thinking of how the Academy changed ‘the
winner is’ to ‘the Oscar goes to’, and if ever there
was a category where the Oscar goes to someone
without there being a winner, it’s this one…”

He was referring to the quality of the work of the other 4
nominees. I believe his statement is true for all of life. We
do not have to perform better, have more money, be more
successful, be thinner, be younger, be more anything to be
awarded our own Oscars. The point is that winning is not
about beating someone else; it is about showing up in each
minute of our own lives the best we can.

Michael Caine did not create his marvelous Cider House
Rules performance in order to win an Oscar. He gave the
best performance he could because it’s what he does, what
he loves, and a big part of who he is. Tom Cruise “lost”
the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. But he had already
won because he gave the best performance he could; he
pushed his limits; he did some things differently; he took
a risk. He risked the “failure” of people not liking his
work. And by doing so, he had already “won.”

We all take risks on a daily basis. I believe risk is necessary
in order to live our dreams, to have the success we want,
and to create a life that is truly a celebration of who we are.
And in taking the risk we are already winners! If we also
receive an “Oscar” — an award, a bonus, a pat on the back,
a victory in a race — it’s a wonderful thing. But it isn’t
really the point.

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4. Coaching:

We can all create “Oscar performances” every day of our
lives. We “win” by taking the risks to create the life we
really want. What is between you and your “Oscar
performances?”

What role would you take on if you knew you
couldn’t fail?

What excuses are you using to justify not going after
that role?

What step can you take, today, to begin the process?

Create an Oscar ritual for yourself.

Make or buy something that represents “Oscar” for
you: a sculpture, a rock from a special beach, a special
poem, a period of quiet time.

At the end of the day, present yourself with this
award, honoring the role you played that day in
creating the life you really want. And give your
acceptance speech, affirming how you “won” in the
process of that day: the steps you took to move toward
your dream; the way you were more present with
your children than you’d been before; how you asked
for what you want in a new way; loving yourself
unconditionally.

Make each day an Oscar-winning day for yourself by
taking the actions that move you in the direction of
having the life you really want and being the best you can
be!

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5. Quotes:

The summit is only the excuse for being here.
Gary Ball, mountain guide

There is only one success —
to be able to spend your life in your own way.
Christopher Morley

If we find nothing of interest where we are, we are likely
to find little of lasting interest where we wish to go.
Edwin Way Teale

I was learning about the truth of my passions and quiet
power through what might easily have looked like
failure. I could be disappointed without being
disappointed in myself.
To The Summit

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6. Humor:

Top 25 Headlines Taken From Newspapers During 1999

25. Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
24. Something Went Wrong In Jet Crash, Experts Say
23. Police Begin Campaign To Run Down Jaywalkers
22. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
20. Is There A Ring Of Debris Around Uranus?
19. Prostitutes Appeal To Pope
18. Panda Mating Fails, Veterinarian Takes Over
17. British Left Waffles On Falkland Islands
16. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
15. Clinton Wins Budget; More Lies Ahead
14. Plane Too Close To Ground, Crash Probe Told
13. Miners Refuse To Work After Death
12. Juvenile Court To Try Shooting Defendant
11. Stolen Painting Found By Tree
10. Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years In Checkout
Counter
9. War Dims Hope For Peace
8. If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last A While
7. Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
6. Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge
5. New Study Of Obesity Looks For Larger Test Group
4. Astronaut Takes Blame For Gas In Space
3. Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
2. Local Highschool Dropouts Cut In Half
1. Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

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7. Resources For Your Journey:

The Top 10 Steps for Tapping into Courage

Courage is a necessary part of creating an Oscar winning
day. Courage is also a muscle that can be strong and
established through exercise or it can grow flaccid through
lack of use. Here is an exercise to help you build your
courage.

1. Find a specific experience in your life when you acted
despite the fear, or when you went ahead and did
something even when you felt a lack of confidence.

2. It is very helpful to identify a specific time this
happened. For a moment, or as long as you like,
re-live the moments of courage.
Success or lack of success in the endeavor is not
important. Your moments of courage are the points
you are after and to which you want to connect.

3. If you like, you can put your hand on the place in
your body where the courage seems to originate.

4. Take a breath and feel the power of your own courage.

5. Think of a recent time when this courage might have
helped you decide something or do something.

6. What possible outcomes may have been different if
you brought forward your courage? (Remember,
release any anger, regrets or blame if they come up.)

7. Staying with the courage that is truly part of who you
are, imagine a time in the near future where you may
want to have more courage.

8. See yourself and your courage giving you the strength
to decide or to do that which you fear.
How does it feel?

9. As you are feeling empowered and connected to your
courage, notice how it will flow in so many more of
your future actions.
Notice how it is truly part of who you are and
contributes to your living on purpose as a fully alive,
whole, authentic person.

10. Remember, this is part of who you are and is always
available to you.
Take heart. Have courage.

(c) 2000, Robert Knowlton, Executive Coach who can be

reached at mailto:Coach@SuccessOptions.com, or visited
on the web at http://www.SuccessOptions.com

Give yourself the gift of 7 Oscar winning days this week.

Namaste, Margo

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Margo Chisholm is available for individual and group
coaching. Every dedicated athlete has a coach. Why not
have a coach for the most important game of all: the
game of life. Visit our website at
https://www.tothesummit.com for additional resources
and tools. To schedule a consultation, send an email to
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com

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My purpose in publishing Celebrating the Journey is to
provide you with resources, motivation, inspiration and
energy for YOUR journey to creating success and freedom
in all areas of your life. CTJ will use stories from my life
and others’, coaching tips and resources, quotes and
humor to deliver a learning experience that can enhance
your life. I am always looking for comments, ideas and
ways to improve CTJ. I welcome your emails at
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.

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Copyright © 2000, all rights reserved, by Margo Chisholm

I invite you to share Celebrating the Journey with your
Mailing List, Friends, and Associates. We ask only that the
entire email with Copyright and Credits be included. The
author of this article is Margo Chisholm. You may contact
her at (970)704-9336 or at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.


“At every moment of our life we have an
opportunity to choose joy.”
Henri J. M. Nouwen

Margo Chisholm
Coach, Speaker, Author, Therapist
Partnering you in having success,
freedom and joy in all areas of your life
970-704-9336 fax 970-704-9346
margo@tothesummit.com

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