Navigating Parenthood and Independence

The "Living with Heart" Podcast is brought to you by Chip Dodd Resources (www.chipdodd.com) and The Voice of the Heart Center (vothcenter.com). To consult or setup a session with Bryan, you can e-mail bryan@vothcenter.com.

Episode Highlights

Awaken-Awakening is to know and experience ourselves as emotional & spiritual creatures, created to live fully. We do so through relationship with ourselves, others, and God. We awaken to feelings,  needs, desire, longings and hope, or “The Spiritual Root System.” And we awaken to our inborn need  to connect. 

Free Resource, The Spiritual Root System 

Acquire-Acquiring is to gain the skills of using how we are created to live fully in a life that is  wonderful and yet difficult. We are created to live full lives in relationship with ourselves, others, and  God. In living full lives, we embrace and express our feelings, needs, desire, longings, and hope with  others and God. When we awaken and then acquire the skills of living fully, we are moving through  life in the River of Euphoria. 

Free Resource, The River of Euphoria 

Arrive-Arriving is a reference to us becoming people who are Portable Sanctuaries. People who are  Portable Sanctuaries are people who live in the River of Euphoria and have become safe people  because they offer replenishment to those who are empty. They offer redemption to those who feel  worthless, and they offer restoration to those whose storehouses are empty. We never fully arrive;  we are always growing and learning. But we become more able to be of service. 

The Four Essential Questions allow us to remain in the life-long process of Awakening, Acquiring,  and Arriving. 

The Four Essential Questions are: 

• Where am I? (Where are you emotionally? (I feel sad. I feel hurt.) 
• What am I doing with where I am? (I’m hiding out. I want to run away. I am celebrating.) • What happened? (I dared to try something new, and I got laughed at.) 
• What was it like? (It was scary and lonely.) 

These Four Essential Questions are never summed up or finished completely. They are circles that  are moving forward, headed toward where you are made to go. They continue for the rest of our  lives.  

These Four Essential Questions allow us to continue to grow. The answers keep us connected to awakening, acquiring skills, and arriving over and over again. 

These questions keep us fully involved in living exactly how we are created to live and move us to do  what we’re made to do. 

We are created to do one thing in life, and that is to live fully. Meaning, purpose, and significance  develop out of being fully alive emotionally and spiritually.

The only way we are going to remain fully alive is through all of the relational experiences we have with others and God. 

If you’re fully alive: 

• You will find your meaning. 
• You will find your purpose. 
• You will display and receive your significance. 
• You will be able to give yourself to something greater than yourself. 

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