"We depend on nature not only for our physical survival.
We also need nature to show us the way home,
the way out of the prison of our own minds.
We got lost in doing, thinking, remembering, anticipating -
lost in a maze of complexity and a world of problems.
We have forgotten what rocks, plants, and animals still know.
We have forgotten how to be -
to be still, to be ourselves, to be where life is:
Here and Now." Eckhart Tolle "Stillness Speaks"
Don't we need this now, more than ever?
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID THIS?
Have you ever?
... gone for a walk with absolutely no purpose -
not for getting from A to B;
not for the sake of exercise,
or even meditation.
Simply walking for the sheer pleasure of being
in The Moment.
Taking 15-30 minutes to walk,
enjoy the environment,
stop when something catches your attention;
explore and appreciate.
It's a great way to experience being in
The Moment, being Mindful.
We live in such a distracted world
and it's getting ever more challenging to disconnect
and be fully present.
Let me know how it goes.
IS INDECISION YOUR DRAGON?
Which way?
This way!
No, that way!
Does this look familiar?
Indecision - from the minutiae of daily life
to the major choices that demand your attention -
can render you paralyzed and exhausted, or frustrated at best.
Making a choice doesn't need to be so challenging.
If you remind yourself that most decisions won't necessarily be
right, or wrong. They will simply be...
and, if they're not...
then you can learn from the experience.
Remember, if it's not going to matter a year or two from now,
then it's probably not worth agonizing over.
IS THIS YOUR BURDEN?
If overwhelm and distraction are your burden...
how can you begin to minimize distraction,
slow down to achieve more?
If you believe you can't...
then where might you be getting in your way?
Begin this week.
You'll thank yourself for it.
A PRETTY NICE CATCH
"Moments are such a slippery and ephemeral thing.
They come and go with the blink of an eye.
That is their beauty and their curse.
Miss too many moments, and you miss your entire life.
Detect the bloom, and you catch the soul of a person,
the spirit of a place.
What you really catch, of course, is your love of the world.
The sordid and the sublime.
The banal and the exceptional.
The big transcendent love of it all.
That's a pretty nice catch, I say.
Keep catching." "The Moment" Achim Nowak
"WHAT IS" IS BETTER
"First of all, the fears that push you about
are not legitimate, appropriate responses to
What Is,
such as warnings of danger ahead.
Instead, they're constricting fantasies of
What If.
I would suggest that the next time a What If
starts badgering you,
look it straight in the eyes and ask it
'All right, what's the very worst that could happen?'
And when it answers, ask yourself,
'What could I do about it?'
You'll find there always will be something.
Then you'll see that you can have power in any situation
And when you realize that, the fears will go away." "The Te of Piglet", by Benjamin Hoff
Start your week with a day of What Is,
then try a week, then a month... step outside of the fear and you'll start making better decisions faster!
LIFE’S BOOKEND MOMENTS
"Moments are such a slippery and ephemeral thing.
They come and go with the blink of an eye.
That is their beauty and their curse.
Miss too many moments, and you miss your entire life".
"The Moment", Achim Nowak
I have to admit, it was frustrating, and disappointing.
Excited for a week's sailing course (a bucket list plan) - to find ourselves locked in harbor riding out a significant two day tropical storm - was not the adventure we'd planned for!
Tapping into the wisdom of "The Surrender Experiment" (Michael Singer), and surrendering to flow, allowed for a rich experience, full of reflective moments.
Hours before the storm hit and just as we arrived, a turtle surfaced in the harbor as if to greet us.
On our final evening, strolling along the dock, another turtle surfaced as if to say "goodbye".
Poetic, corny, coincidental? We take whatever we need from those moments.
I saw it as perfect "Bookend Moments", almost like inverted commas around our vacation adventure.
How will you Pause this week?
What Bookend Moments will you pay attention to?
IT’S NOT SEXY… BUT
"There is a difference between interest and commitment.
When you're interested in doing something,
you only do it when it's convenient.
When you're committed to something,
you accept no excuses, only results." Ken Blanchard
I hear many clients tell me "they're just not motivated..."
Whether it be exercising, diet, work, relationship, etc.
Motivation is overrated!
Much of the time it simply doesn't work,
because if you're not "motivated",
it doesn't happen.
Commitment does.
Take the old Nike slogan and
"Just Do It!"
It's not exciting or sexy - but making your "should dos" a habit takes time and persistence.
And it works.
What one thing can you commit to doing this week,
that would make the all difference?
THROW OFF THE BOWLINES!
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines,
sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover." H. Jackson Brown's mother in "P/S. I love you"
These evocative words are frequently attributed to Mark Twain,
but apparently he never wrote them.
Ultimately, the resonance of the sentiment is far more relevant than who actually authored those words.
Better not to live in regret, but boldly step outside your comfort zones and set sail while you can.
ASK!
"You've got to ask.
Asking is, in my opinion,
the world's most powerful and neglected secret
to success and happiness." Percy Ross
What are you afraid of?
What's the worst that can happen? Perhaps you'll hear "no"?
It's not likely to be rejection of you,
and people (mostly) love to help.
Check out this podcast: https://growstrongleaders.com/fran-keogh/
Do you see the synchronicities and opportunities around you?