“If you do not change your ways, you will join your parents six feet under ground.” Eleven years ago my kind, but tough-love doctor, said this to me. Crying uncontrollably and going through a couple of tissue boxes, I knew painfully and regrettably that she was right. When a trusted medical professional makes such an alarming statement, what options do you face? What path lies before you? My choices seemed clear. Either continue on the road of self-destruction, emotionally overeating, mired in negative self talk and facing serious health problems or make a change! As God, fate or destiny would have it, I decided to change. That date was September 21, 1991, the day of my second birthday. A start of a renewed lease on life! The phoenix of my rebirth. What rose from the dark ashes from this day forward was a new bright perspective on life.
My doctor may as well have said “WAKE UP OR DIE”!! I chose to wake up. The light bulb finally flashed. Call this a life-changing moment. Call it a classic “aha” moment. Call it God throwing the whole house at me because a single brick just wasn’t enough! I vowed to make this trip called life that much better.
As the saying goes: “ If I only knew then what I know now”. I know now that being over 300 lbs, is not healthy for me or anyone else. I know now that emotionally overeating and binging on junk food left me in a mental haze. I know now that negative defeating emotions of anger, self-hatred, self-criticism and self-loathing made me emotionally crippled. I do know now that leading a life with goals and passion makes one thrive rather than merely survive. To simply exist is no existence at all, and ultimately, the cost to oneself makes it far from simple.
There is a purpose to everything that happens to us. All that occurs, good or bad, is synchronized in the beautiful dance of life. Nothing happens by coincidence. There are people, TV programs, books, songs, and yes, doctors, that come into our lives to help us mine our diamonds. They cross our paths to help us excavate our “diamond-ness”. Since my wake up call eleven years ago, I’ve realized that deep within me and dormant in each of us, are buried gems, hidden treasures- a multitude of unexplored diamonds just waiting to be discovered. I invite you to join me on my journey and together we can mine passion and purpose in our lives by excavating our diamond nuggets, accessing the tools for mining and discovering our sparkling selves.
I believe that the events that unfold in our lives are delicately choreographed by our higher power. Rarely are these occurrences circumstantial. While doing laundry one day, a gem of a book crossed my path. Someone had left it in the laundry room of my building. The title caught my attention: “Conquering Life’s Obstacles,” by Gerry Robert. This life-affirming book became the first coincidental tool used in mining my inner diamonds. I opened to a page and the first statement I read was his diamond principle. He states:
“There resides in you all the attributes of a precious diamond. You are uniquely created.
There is no diamond quite like you. You are precious.
You have a sense of worth. You are priceless. You are valuable.
And like a diamond, you reflect light, bringing warmth and color to all who see you.”
-Gerry Robert
Now tell me that book did not come into my life for a reason! These words invariably echoed in my heart, vibrated to my very essence and reverberated to my soul. I was strangely smitten, drawn and attracted to the concept of digging deep and discovering my inner diamonds. Thus began what I call... Adele: Part Two. Having been lost for so long, I desperately wanted to know myself again. I was taken aback by his words...I am uniquely created, precious, priceless and valuable!! Who knew? The first 30 years of my life, I cocooned myself with a garment of emotional weight, grief and disabling, self- defeating thoughts. I longed to find all these hidden attributes that supposedly resided in me.
Why a diamond? I say, why NOT a diamond! Of all the gemstones, diamonds have the longest endurance of any substance on this planet. Diamonds are beautiful, magical, exotic, mystical crystals. In ancient times, diamonds were perceived to give a person strength, courage and invincibility. Through the ages, diamonds have been described as: Rainbow coloured fire
A congealed drop of sunlight
Fragments of the stars
Tear drops of the Gods.
(Courtesy of www.seeman.com)
Today, a diamond is considered the ultimate symbol of love. It is the most dazzling jewel that we own. It is a treasured heirloom passed on from generation to generation. A diamond is the epitome of glamour and good taste. And those who sell diamonds say that you should spend at least three months salary to buy one!! Ultimately though, our inner diamonds-polished refractions of blinding light- HOLDS NO PRICE!
What is so great about a diamond? Diamonds unlike any other gem on this earth, possess three extraordinary characteristics: The only gem that has the capacity to absorb and reflect light out
The only gem that is made from a single compound called carbon
It is the hardest material found on the planet Earth. Only one diamond can chip another.
Diamonds do not originate as the multifaceted brilliant stones that we see in jewelry stores. Diamonds are mined around the world in their rawest forms and come to the surface as opaque, frosted and shapeless crystals. They become priceless creations, once a master cutter makes his/her precise cuts of 58 facets. So, how can we release these imbedded gems within ourselves? How can we bring them up to the surface? How can we become our own master cutter? Like a skilled craftsman, how can we transform ourselves from a rough treasure into a work of art?
A master cutter of diamonds needs his/her essential tools and equipment to be successful in their profession. They, of course, enlist the help of finely tuned instruments to bring out the “sparkle” in a diamond. What instruments can we use to chisel away at our rough exteriors?
I remember as a young child, my father proudly telling me of the Italian artist, sculptor, and painter, Michelangelo. He was asked by one of his students how he had created the famous sculpture, La Pieta (The Pieta). It is the exquisite, flawless, marble sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus on her lap after he was taken down from the cross. Michelangelo responded that the sculpture was already inside the big slab of marble. All he had done was chip away at it and the sculpture revealed itself. How do we chip away to reveal our true glistening and sparkling selves?
Canada's Diamond Coach, Adele Alfano would like to offer WCDA readers and subscribers a half price special rate for the full set (3 volumes) of Expert Women Who Speak....Speak Out! books. It includes inspirational chapters from 52 professional motivators and speakers across Canada! Learn life and success strategies and innovative solutions by women, for women!
Between its three soft covers, these books treat readers to chapters of decidedly female perspectives on a variety of subjects. Readers can expect to gain personal insights from the authors about "mining your diamonds", "the art of self marketing" or "how to communicate with confidence and clarity". Other chapters touch on topics as diverse as improving your intuition, overcoming obstacles, alleviating guilt, being all you can be or giving oneself permission to pause..
"Expert Women Who Speak...Speak Out" is not available in bookstores. For further information or to purchase, please e-mail co-publisher and author Adele Alfano at adele@diamondwithin.com or check out her website at www.AdeleAlfano.com
Regular price for the three volumes is usually $75.00. For WCDA readers, the full set is being offered for only $30.00- includes shipping and handling! Ten percent of all book sales from WCDA orders will be donated to Laura's Hope- funding research to find a cure for Huntington's Disease.
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