Author: Lisa@bbrave

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Trying to embrace uncertainty

UncertaintyUncertainty, it’s a word that makes my stomach tie up a nice little knot. Not a fan. I’ve lived most of my life trying to eliminate uncertainty. I always have a plan B. I take the low risk route so that there’s little danger of failing. I research, I plan, I practice, I eliminate the uncertainty. Because I don’t like being in a space of not knowing what could happen. I have a fear about it.

But the truth is that there could be a lot of upside in uncertainty. For those of you saying “not worth the risk…” stay with me.  I once had a friend tell me that if you want to have the high high’s, you have to risk the low low’s. Yeah, ok, I remember thinking, that sounds good, but those low’s, I just don’t know want to have them. So I held on to my practice of being risk adverse.

I played small, took the path that would guarantee success. If I had plans with someone, I always had in the back of my mind that they might not come, and I was prepared for that. It eliminated disappointment, but it also kept me from getting too close, from trusting others too much. Because that was scary, it was uncertain. I wasn’t playing that game.

Lisa party of 1. Playing at mid-level, not taking big risks, not even trusting myself sometimes, my own talents, my own gifts. Selling myself short.

All because I didn’t want to live with uncertainty.

So how’d that work out? Not great. A lot of feeling unfulfilled. Feeling like there was so much more I wanted to do but couldn’t get myself started. Couldn’t get myself beyond the fear of the unknown. I could fail. Something I didn’t want to go through.

Then I realized I was letting my fear of uncertainty keep me in a state of helplessness. Kept me from stepping into my full life, and I decided to take a different path. Take more risks, trust, be all in on what matters. Believe in myself, and believe in others. The more I lean in, the easier it gets.

But I still wrestle with uncertainty, and my coach sees that. My homework is to notice where there’s uncertainty in my life and think about how I can make friends with it. Let go of the need to wrestle it to the ground and defeat it with plans B, C, and D if needed. Recognize where the avoidance actually keeps me small. Because even after you realize you have behavior that isn’t helping you, you still have to do something about it. And that’s a process, it’s not always easy. Sitting here it makes me a little nauseous  even trying to think about areas in my life where there’s uncertainty. I’m fairly resistant about it. But I will. It matters and so I will. I want to live the full life God made me for. To step into that full life and share myself with others.

So how do you feel about uncertainty? If you share my aversion, first, high five. But my challenge to you is to think about it. Recognize those areas, and pick one. An area where you can lean into uncertainty, let go of the reins. I’m being brave my friends, I invite you to join me. Life’s a journey we’re all taking together.

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How do you love?

View More: http://mercarty.pass.us/lisa_kirbyI have a fairly regular coffee date with a girlfriend and our conversations often launch my brain into thinking about all kinds of things. Beyond trying to figure out exactly the Spotify channel that was playing yesterday, a Karaoke fan’s dream come true, think 70’s awesomeness, it left me pondering the idea of love.

There are so many aspects to love. When you’re young, the idea of falling in love is magical. It’s like a fairytale. It seems as easy as tripping over a rock. You fall and there it is. You’re in love. In reality, you trip over a rock and fall all right, but it’s not always magical. Love is a lot more than puppies and rainbows. It’s not a feeling, it’s a choice.

But what does love really mean to you? In the dictionary, there are 14 noun definitions and 7 verb definitions ranging from having affection for someone to a tennis score. Ok, reality is what love is can really vary. And so back to my question, what does love mean to you?  That’s the question to ask yourself, to ask your spouse, your children…because love can feel different, look different, show up different to each one of those people.

And we have to learn how to love them. It doesn’t come inherently. It comes through learning what makes someone feel loved, what shows them that you care. It’s an ongoing process because it can change. It’s The Five Love Languages but amplified because it can change.

After coffee yesterday, I went to yoga which is a great place to ponder and let my mind wander. In my own journey, I think a lot about learning to love myself, accept myself – especially my body. Even as I write that, it’s interesting because I say “my body.” Stepping back and looking at it, who else’s body would it be? No, it is mine. Except that my body is me. Again…my body is ME, your body is YOU. Why do many of us feel the need to call it out as something else, to claim it like a possession? Why do we not just say me or myself? We are a whole person. This brain of ours is going nowhere fast without a body.

So how have you learned to love your body, to love yourself?  How do we bridge the gap between seeing our body as something that’s part of what we possess and fully integrating our body, our mind, our soul? I know I sometimes look at my body as something I have to control. I’ll think “my hair is out of control,” or random negative thoughts about the acts of betrayal parts of my body is executing against me.

Laying on my yoga mat yesterday I made a choice. To work harder at learning to love my body, myself. I’d encourage you to try it with me. For me, it’s starting with how I think about it. Having more compassion for my body, for all its/I’ve been through.  Showing it/me more understanding. How about you? If you have something you do to show yourself – your complete self – love and understanding, share it in the comments. Let’s share the journey together.

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What if there’s another way?

Be curiousWe all have one. That person who simply rubs us the wrong way. It could be the way they act, the way they talk, or maybe there’s just something about them…you can’t quite put your finger on it. I’ve had “those people” too.

Like the one who always seemed confrontational to me. No matter what we had to talk about, it felt confrontational.  I struggle with that.

The one who seemed like they always had to be in the middle of everything, always had something to say, wanted to make the conversation come back to them. That can make me crazy.

Or the one who was bossy…wait that one was me…scratch that.

I recently chose to look at one of “those” people in a different way. Stay with me on this.

I’ve mentioned before that I know I’m not a “slice of cake.” I’m quirky, and have my own stuff that has been known to rub up against people in the wrong way. But I came by it honestly. Circumstances in life over the years resulted in my behaviors.

When I first spent time with this person, I noticed they talked a lot about themselves. Took credit for everything…ok maybe not everything, but it felt like it. Wanted to be the person who finished every story. At first, it bugged me. I was probably judging them. I’ll be honest. But then I became curious.

Instead of letting this person rub me the wrong way…which is really my choice…I observed. Instead of judging (which is just a reflection of me and my wiring)…I wondered. Just like I came by the behaviors I have though “life,” so did this person.

Maybe they had a family growing up that was chaotic, or had to fight to be heard, or maybe life was just tough for them. So they found a way to survive. We all do. We find a way, usually as children, to make situations which could otherwise be “scary” livable. Maybe you grew up in the “perfect” American family. Even in those families, you find the way to get along, to navigate through life and circumstances. There’s still family dynamics, still sibling stuff, parent expectations. You find a way to navigate it…to survive it.

That’s what I started thinking about. The “why.” Wondering about their life what it was like for them. What circumstances developed those behaviors. I chose to look at them as a person, instead of something that was bothering me. It made a huge difference.  The person who may have rubbed me wrong became someone who I understood. I may not have completely understood them, but I replaced potential irritation with knowing. Knowing there were reasons they acted like they did.

When you come right down to it, we’re all just people. People who are trying to navigate life with the tools we have. I believe that the vast majority of people want to get along with others. But they may have learned along the way that people in their lives can’t be trusted, or, aren’t reliable, or, love only when they are high achievers, or they have to fight for attention, or…fill in your own blank.  So they have ways they interact that don’t always mesh with other people.

For me, I’m going to choose to stay curious. To wonder. And to know that, deep down, we’re all just people. People created perfectly by God who have been through life.  Try it. Be curious…I believe it will change your relationships.

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Just be…

View More: http://mercarty.pass.us/lisa_kirbyIt seems so simple. Just be. What amazes me is how much I have to work at it! Spending time with family, I watch my nieces and nephews play effortlessly. They easily live in the land of make believe, or simply the land of “make the best,” with their circumstances. Sand at the lake transforms into a moat, or rowing around in a circle in a raft can provide entertainment for days. They find joy and happiness in every day, and I’m fairly certain they don’t wake up and think, I’m choosing to be happy today.

But I do.

I’ve been told for years that I’m too serious. I think all the responsibility I had as a kid and then took on for myself was the identity I gravitated to. And if I wasn’t responsible, I was failing, or a disappointment. That was my story. Responsibility is serious stuff. Over time, any light heartedness I had was replaced by focus on taking care of business. But I’d periodically get comments from friends and family that made me think.

You need to lighten up…

You’re so serious…

You seem angry…

And one that basically comes down to me having RBF (not to offend, but that describes it best!)

I tried to be happy, but it didn’t come naturally. It was misplaced in things like food, order, accomplishment, but those things were just substitutes for true happiness.

So a little over a year ago I started make efforts to be happy. Just saying that seems a little sad, should it really require effort? Anyways, for me, maybe for you, it did. I really didn’t know what made me happy, what brought me joy. I started seeking it, trying on new things trying to figure it out. My word for the year in 2016 was “choose happy.” If I was going to do it, I was going to be responsible about it.

Part of being happy involved letting go of what I perceived as being responsible. My house didn’t need to be spotless every moment. Don’t bring your white glove to my house. Slowing down. Not feeling like I needed to get everything done in a day. Knowing I could just sit, write, paint, read. I found those things made me happy.

And that started to fill me up. It was a process but over time I started to let go of how I thought I should be and started to simply be. And happiness came with it.

The first part in all of this was realizing what I was lacking, and the impact it had on me and  relationships with people I cared about. I didn’t want that. I wanted to have deep, fulfilling relationships.

What is that for you? Is there an area in your life where you’re trying to fill a need you have? Where your relationships are falling short because something holds you back. Are you filling that space with substitutes instead of the real thing?

If you are, my challenge to you today is two-fold. Think about that gap, that feeling, or way of being that you want, or that’s missing. How are you filling it today? There are good reasons why you’ve gotten there, you’ve developed ways of being because they worked for you.

But to have a different way? To let go of the substitutes? That’s a choice. Choose today to be…whatever it is for you. Happy. Joyful. Engaged. Worthy.

And take a step in that direction. Let go of any negative reasons that might keep you stuck there and choose one thing, just one thing today that will move you closer to where you want to be. That will move you forward. Your life is waiting for you to step into it. Be brave.

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Silencing loudest voice

youarenotaloneThe other day, I had some pictures taken for a project I’m working on. The amazing photographer I worked with, Meredith (http://mercarty.com/) and I spent a lot of time talking during the 3 hour shoot. I’d previously worked with Meredith through a group that held workshops for women, and which offered some coaching in the process.

I told her about my coaching business and ask we were talking, mentioned that I’d also been working with a nutritional psychology coach (www.lolonutrition.com ).  As she positioned me for one of the shots, she had me twist a ring around on my finger. I told her that ring is something I bought when my good friend and peer coach told me to get something to remind myself to “be nice” to me since I was so hard on myself. I told her how my coach and I had been working on my internal dialogue about my body and what a lifetime battle that had been. Meredith echoed that she had the same battle with her internal voice.

And it occurred to me that, as women, we often think our struggle with the internal dialogue is ours alone. It doesn’t come to our minds that other women struggle with the very same thing. That’s just a big lie! It keeps us isolated in our struggle and without the support of the very people we need. And sometimes we even judge those other women, thinking they have it all together, or that they could never relate to us. In fact, they may share the same internal pain. That makes me sad, makes my heart hurt.

What would it take for women to feel like they could share their internal struggles, the things they say to themselves when they’re feeling down, with others who’ve felt their pain? Who’ve looked in the mirror and immediately said things to themselves that they would never say to anyone else. The thought of having that kind of group, encouraging others, and myself, through the struggle, brings me joy. That’s what I want to focus on in my coaching practice. The worst thing we can do for ourselves is think we’re alone. We’re not.

I challenge you to take a step with me. When you hear inner voice, the things it says to you, pay attention. Don’t automatically believe it. Question the truth of what is said, challenge it. Like I was encouraged to do, find something, some object, that reminds you to be nice to yourself.  Those mean things we say to ourselves, we need to take steps to change that. We are unique, amazing, beautiful women in all of our shapes and sizes and we need to embrace that.

Starting today, take time to love yourself. Think about something you love about yourself and appreciate that, cherish it. Pay attention to the compliments people give you and believe them. Don’t dismiss those encouraging words. You were made exactly as you are for a reason, embrace it, and embrace you!

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True engagement

Follow your heartI went to yoga yesterday. In Athleta. At the mall. Truth is, I love it because it’s a little different setting and when they have classes, it’s different every time. If I could practice yoga outside regularly, I’d probably do that too since it’d always be something new to look at.

I go to yoga for a lot of reasons, but one of the main ones is so that I rest from thinking for an hour. All I have to do is listen to the instructor, follow her voice, her flow. Done right, it’s a time for me to let go and be present, in the moment, connecting with myself. But that’s not what happened today. I felt like I had one thing after another flying through my head. Telling me everything I needed to do today. A non-stop barrage, organize the garage, clean the house, groceries, all on the day that is intended to be for rest. In that time, that space I put aside which should be still,  I wasn’t relaxing because my mind kept churning.

I don’t need a phone to remind me, I have a constant to-do list in my mind. And it exhausts me. It’s not that I truly have so much to do, I’ve worked at slowing down, intentionally.  But my mind doesn’t rest. I really want to be present, to be here, now, engaged in whatever it is I’m involved in, but I usually spin ahead.

I’ve reached the point where I’m over it. So much so that I’m going to take a class in mindfulness this summer. Even as I look at the pre-worksheet though, I feel panic arising. “When will I practice,” every day. Ummm…can I get back to you on that? All the what if’s surface in my mind. What if I commit and then don’t do it. Can you fail at mindfulness? Ok, deep breath. I suppose not.

It also asks about what I’m hoping to achieve by the end of the course. Mindfulness. Ok, well besides mindfulness…I want to stay focused so that I’m not running through a million scenarios in my head at all times. I want to be able to actually say where and when I’d like to go on a trip this fall instead of playing the entire thing out in my head and then thinking through the pitfalls. As it is, I’ve waffled on where to go so many times my husband has stopped going down my rabbit trails. He’ll wait until I get worn out and come down to 2-3 choices.

I’m also hoping to engage with others and with myself. To really engage in what I’m doing right now instead of thinking about the future. I realize that all I have is right now. And I miss it. I’m so busy thinking ahead, I often don’t truly engage in what’s happening now. I mean, I do, but my brain’s in maybe 60%. It exhausts me.

So mindfulness, how are you doing with it? Are you here, now, or are you planning dinner in your head? It is just a busy season, or is it one long continuous “season”?  Rushing through things in your mind doesn’t give you or the experience much of anything, just motions. If you’re in the same boat as me, I’d encourage you to think about why. Are you avoiding something? Maybe trying to meet someone else’s expectations? Whatever it is, I encourage you to take the time to explore it, and slow your mind down. If you want someone to walk the path with you, reach out to me. Despite my talk of distraction, I am engaged when coaching, promise. My challenge to you today, and to me, is to slow your mind down, maybe only for 5 minutes, but slow it down, give it a rest. You won’t be sorry.

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Body love and happiness

body loveIs this a rant? Let’s say no, because a rant sounds so, well, negative. Instead let’s say I been feeling strongly about this topic. The other morning, I had the TV on watching the news while I got ready for work. A commercial came on that I’d seen dozens of times. It opens with “What do you hate about your body?” The ad then goes on to detail woman after woman who didn’t like their face, their arms, you name it, they didn’t like it. But, the ad promised, there’s a solution! A solution that will make you feel amazing, transform your life! And went on to talk about plastic surgery.

This is one of dozens of ads that I’ve seen asking the same thing. Though the ads sometimes target men too, they’re primarily aimed at women. Fast forward to a conversation I had with a friend the other day who told me she was going to a plastic surgeon for a face lift consultation. Her mother was giving her a facelift for her birthday and told her, “wouldn’t you like to look better now instead of doing it when you’re older and don’t have as long to enjoy it?”

What makes me sad, and a little bit angry, is that there is such a focus on body image and acceptance of the idea that by changing a physical aspect of ourselves, our lives will be magically transformed. We’ll feel amazing, have more confidence, have more fulfilling lives, make more money, meet the man of our dreams.

But it’s a lie.

What would it look like to accept our bodies as they are? To embrace our bodies, our faces, our extra skin, whatever it is. To shift the focus from what’s wrong to all the things that are right. To celebrate our bodies and get comfortable in our own skin? Last night I started to make a crack to my husband about my own body and my recent lack of ab exercise. The extra skin on my belly I attribute to my first son who I was convinced, while he was in the womb, loved fried chicken and chocolate cake, so who was I to deny him. But I stopped and instead said my belly skin was good because “I grew humans in this body.”

Now, I know there are medical reasons for plastic surgery and support that. There can also be reasons related to disease management or body function. Those aren’t the body changes I’m talking about.

I’m concerned about the idea that by getting a facelift or tummy tuck or whatever it is, your life is going to be magically transformed into the one of your dreams. Chances are, it’s not. That’s like chasing a moving target.

If you want to feel better, happy, whatever it is, what stops you from doing it now? All the things promised by the countless surgical and non-surgical options for changing your body, you can have those without medical intervention. Or without endless diets or workouts. Those qualities, they come from inside you. They are a choice.

Wait for the external solution…

Or find the one inside of you…

The challenge I pose for you today is to think about your body. Think about the amazing things it has done for you. If you don’t already, think of it like a close friend. Love on it. The aspects in your life you’re waiting on for your body, your weight, whatever, to be “right,” I believe you can have those things now. I’m not saying exercise or being healthy isn’t good, it IS good, but it’s not necessarily going to change your mindset.

If you want to be happier, think about what makes you happy. Write it down. Then write down three things you’ll commit to this week that move you towards happy. Then do it.

If you’re not sure where to start, feel stuck or challenged with finding what you desire in life, I’m here to help. Find me at bbravecoaching…I’m here…sharing my brave journey with you.

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How’s stress working for you?

stress controlWe all have stress in our lives. It’s part of the deal. How much stress you have, I’m learning, is largely up to you. Your perspective has a lot to do with it. And what I’m realizing is that the degree to which I try and control certain areas of my life has a lot to do with how much stress I associate with them.

Here’s an example. Everybody has work stress. If you don’t, I ask you, are you ‘working’ on the beach in Cancun sipping the cool and refreshing beverage of your choice?

So yes, I have work stress. The other day though I was listening to a podcast by Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. He was talking with a client about control related to diet and food and how that showed up for her. Letting go of that has been something I’ve worked on. What it made me think about that day though was the control I like to think I have at work. Lately, work has felt stressful to me, but what I realized that morning was that a big reason for that was me. There’s a little flux in my role right now because of some exciting projects we’re working on, and shifts that could change some of my day to day work – all in a good way. But even though it’s all good, it’s flux, and I’m not in control of it. Not in control of the timing, or how it plays out. I have input, but I’m not a one man show. There are a lot of voices speaking into how the projects roll out, and they’ll be better for it. But again, not in control. Once I realized that, I was able to consciously start letting go of my desire to control my work, and trust the process.  I just started so I can’t quite say I’m all the way there, but it’s baby steps in the right direction.

So in thinking about that, I’m really seeing how the amount of stress I associate with any situation has to do with how much I try to, or think I have to, control it.  I’ve wanted a new car for quite a while, but it was finally time. My husband and I drove one on Friday night and by yesterday morning, I told him I was all in. But then I went about my leisurely Saturday morning. I later realized that while I did yoga and meandered around Whole Foods, he was in go mode. He researched, he price compared, he was looked at rates, at what was available through other dealers. Next thing I knew, he was at the dealer, telling me he had the car, waaaaay under the MSRP, and I needed to come sign papers. For a second, my control self reared up and asked me why I hadn’t had all that under my control?  The stress, driven by guilt, reared up, but I shut it down (yes, applause comes now). I drove down and had a stress free buying experience. Instead of stress that could have come from the experience, I was grateful. Grateful I had a husband who was so good at all that stuff. Stuff that really I’m not good at, and don’t especially care about being good at, so even more grateful to have him.

Where do you have stress in your life? Could it be that you’re trying to hold on tight, to control, situations that would be better served if you just let go? Stress and control are draining energies and letting go of them is freeing, making room for the positive energy I think we all want in our lives.

There are a few simple things you can do to start moving towards letting go of control and stress.

  • Think about the areas of your life that cause you stress.
  • Be real with yourself about the amount of control you try to have in those areas.
  • From your list, consider which one you’d like to reduce your stress in the most – in this moment.
  • Write down 1-3 things you can do to reduce the amount of control you’re trying to have in those areas.

Try to let go of control and the stress that comes with it. You’ll find yourself far more engaged and “all in” in whatever situation it is if you have an open hand, rather than a death grip.

And then breathe…Relax…And enjoy the experience.

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Steps to trusting myself…

Goodbye ScaleI gave away my scale this week. Unceremoniously taking it to Goodwill and saying goodbye.  Big deal you might be saying. I get that. Let me give you a little backstory.

I’ve always looked at other women who I think are thin with envy. For the last probably 35+ years of my life, every…single…morning the first thing I had to check on was my weight. Was it ‘good’? If it was good, then so was my day. If it wasn’t, that’s how my day started, frustrated, annoyed with myself. My internal voice was on overdrive. I ate too much. I didn’t exercise enough. Today I would do better.  On what I considered to be a good day, I was elated, quickly replaced by trying to replicate everything I did the day before so I could be good again tomorrow.

During the day, every time I ate was an opportunity to determine if I was doing good, if I was making the right choices. If I ate a cookie, I’d pray that I wouldn’t see the impact the next morning. Nothing was eaten without having weighed out the consequence in my mind. I had my ‘approved’ list of foods, ones that in some convoluted way I’d determined would not have a negative impact on the next day’s weigh in. Eating was largely a source of anxiety, judgement, by myself or others (in my mind).

And I was exhausted.

I started working with a coach because I wanted a solution to why my nearly 50 year old body felt like a magnet to weight. In reality, I’d probably been too thin and my body was getting back to where it should have been, I see that now. But then, I was frustrated and wanted the magic bullet.

So boy was I surprised when she told me to stop stepping on the scale, stop counting calories, stop weighing and measuring my food.  But how would I know how I was doing? How would I know if my weight was acceptable? The answer? My body. Look in the mirror. My body would tell me by how I felt. Uhhhhhh…that’s what my scale did. But not anymore.

In the beginning, I struggled. But it got easier. And the more time passed, the more I started to feel in touch with my body. I noticed when things I ate made me feel strong, and what I ate that didn’t. I started appreciating the way other women looked, at all shapes and sizes and really noticed when they appeared to be comfortable in their own skin. Whether they were or not, I don’t know, but they appeared that way.  And I appreciated them. As I did, I started to get more comfortable with myself.

Last week, my husband’s scale called to me one morning and I listened. And stepped on. My reaction was, huh. I didn’t get too tied up in it, but as the day went on, I found myself thinking about it, over and over, and the same mental game started again.

That did it.

Later that day, I took my scale to Goodwill and said goodbye. Forever. It was freeing and scary all at the same time, but I did it. The thing about the scale is that it was telling me what to think about myself instead of trusting my own body, my own intuition about myself.

The unfortunate part is, I know I’m not alone. The scale may not be your thing, but you may have one. That external thing that tells you how to feel about yourself, about your body, about the kind of mother, or wife, or friend you are. I’d suggest that you already know those answers. If you listen to yourself, to your intuition, you know. And you can trust that. No other person, or magazine, or scale, or whatever that thing is, knows your story, lived your story, been through your life and all that has brought you to where you are today. Only you. You are unique. And you are amazing. But you don’t have to listen to me, you already know that.

My coach launched me on my journey. If you’d like to talk to a coach about taking the journey for yourself, I’d love to work with you, that’s what the Be Brave part is all about. Helping you find your amazing self, because sometimes, you have to be brave to get there.

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Today’s Focus

 

Don't Rob Today.pngSometimes my thought process feels like it’s the disclaimer you hear for car ads on the radio. It races ahead, quickly thinking about all that lies ahead of me, everything I need to do, what I have to check off a list. It spins my head. Even today, I was walking our dog on early in morning, my favorite time of the day, and I was through today into next week in my head. Sometimes I’ll start talking to someone and I’ve already had the first part of the conversation in my head so what comes out is mid-way through and makes no sense at all.

I’m often thinking about the next move. What I have coming up. I think my busy mind has been also on overdrive at night lately. I’ve been having crazy dreams – which I don’t normally do. I was telling my coach about one yesterday. I was in the Philippines, a place I’ve never been. I came out of a corridor and there was water everywhere, like in Venice, with a lot of Asian influenced statues. I floated around on a statue head, trying to take a bunch of pictures because I only had a short time. Then I rushed to a hotel room where my husband was, he wanted me to hang out, but we had to get to the airport, fast! Then I was changing my clothes in a public bathroom, ran into someone from work, and ran through the airport for a flight, telling others to keep up. My coach looked at me and said it sounded like rushing all the time while my husband wants to just hang out with me. Just like that, calm, cool, she summed it up. Mic drop, walk away.

It was an oh crap kind of moment. I’ve been thinking about it today and wonder if, in the midst of trying to stay ahead of the game, I miss what’s right in front of me. Maybe I already know the answer to that, but I don’t like it. I’m in, but am I truly in the moment? Or, am I too busy looking at the next thing.  Even though I thought I knew this about me, I thought I’d made progress towards slowing down. Apparently not.

In today’s busy lifestyle, it’s far too easy to fall into this trap. What can you do to safeguard against it? What steps am I going to take to slow down (and believe me, I’ve already slowed down from the pace I used to go).

First, if you find yourself starting to spin, take a breath. Really. Just slow down and take a few slow breaths. It has the effect of calming you down, slowing the cadence of your movements, let’s you think clearer.

Next, think about what is actually on your plate, right now. Not tomorrow, but in this moment. You may be afraid you’ll forget everything else you have to do, but you won’t. And if you’re really concerned, make a list. I’ve read that when you make a list, it allows you to clear that information from you head. Less to distract you.

Finally, think about what is most important in the moment. Focus on that. It could be your spouse, your child, a family member or friend, or maybe it is work, or play. Whatever it is, just focus on doing that. Take steps to engage, fully, completely.

One of the things I’ve realized is that I manage a lot of stuff. And by stuff, that’s exactly what I mean, just stuff. Lately, I’ve been working on minimizing my stuff so there’s less to organize, put away, manage, clean, you know, all those fun things that come with stuff.  With less of it, I can focus on what’s important. How about it? Tired of managing all that stuff? Purge it with me, both your mental and the physical stuff, and then let me know how it goes, how you feel, how you’re showing up in life. I want to share your journey!