This is one of those both/and stories about how important it is to slow yourself down IF you want to get ahead. Why not just keep barreling along and pushing, pushing, pushing? Because things change along the way, and if you don't slow down long enough to notice, you might be heading in the wrong direction.
Life is busy. Life is distracting. In my opinion, technology is the most distracting of all. It is so easy to multi-task and scatter your energy, your focus by going down the rabbit hole of technology. I know, because it happens to me too. I get called out on this ALL.THE.TIME by Lou. :((
One of the easiest ways to dim the distraction is to purposely slow yourself down. This looks like taking a big breath and saying an affirmation to yourself--like "I can calm down." It's that simple. It can look like creating frequent pauses in your day to get up and walk around, look outside, go outside, find something in nature to gaze at. The seasons are changing, and there's a lot to look at. Enjoy the moment for itself. Nothing more. Nothing less. This can look like journaling in the morning with the intention of setting your day on the right path. Today I choose to feel good about myself, my body, my life, my family, my treasures. Today I choose to be active by walking outside or practicing yoga or... Today I choose to let go of anger at my... It can be a one-word journaling entry. It can be a sentence, a paragraph or pages that you can burn later if you want. It's yours.
The truth is that people who slow down long enough and "reflect" regularly feel more confidence, creativity, stronger relationships and make better decisions. It's the pause that creates the opportunity for more momentum. It's ironic and true.
Give yourself a chance at this if you are looking to be more self aware, confident, creative, etc. for yourself first--and then for the benefit of others if you choose that. Your life has meaning. Even the most mundane aspects of your day from making coffee to taking the dog for a walk to reading a book or practicing your hobbies--all of it has meaning because it gives you structure and reflects and expands on what you care about. I care about coffee in the morning! So I make sure I have it. I enjoy it. It's a ritual. It's the start of my day. Without it, I don't feel the same. I love writing in my journal in the morning. It connects me to myself and what I want for the day. It reveals breakthroughs in my thinking. I am a big dreamer, and I journal about those. It gets things OUT of my head and OFF of my heart. That's free therapy, friends.
In my yoga classes at the beginning, I always ask my students to notice their physical body--how it feels, anything sore or tight, needing extra attention--and then their thoughts--are most of them helpful or not so much--and then their hearts--the fulfillment center--are they getting what they want most of the time--is it close or is it far away. This is that pause for reflection that connects us to who we are in the moment and enables us to decide (NO JUDGMENT) where we are going with our thoughts, feelings and actions.
You have this one precious life. Live it in the way that reflects who you are... who you'd like to become... on your terms, unapologetically. You get to do that. All it takes is a pause to notice. You can even pause, notice and decide to do nothing. That's fine too.
It's up to you to decide what you want out of the moment, the hours, the days, the years, your life. So decide.
Thank you for reading this blog. Feel free to share it with a friend. Talk back to me--and tell me what I am missing. :))
xo Coach Karen :)) always in your corner