As we have individually and collectively been at home, our minds can begin to play tricks on us. We can begin to question where we are, where we are going and, even, what we are doing.
We can have a tendency to question everything. We are all running and racing – all while sitting at a stop sign.
Here is the reality: all of us, every single one of us, are on a journey. It is our path. It is our race. Unique to us. Individual to us. And that does not stop because we have been sheltering at home for the past several weeks.
Yes, we are being pushed and pulled in a zillion different directions. Homeschooling. Working from home. Businesses struggling. Grocery shopping on line. Communicating – with everyone – remotely. Life is simply not as it has always been. And through all these distractions we can very easily lose the plot.
So, my quest in this article is to help folks get and stay aligned, and to boldly and confidently find and use our voices – despite our current situation. I have a few ideas which may help to get and keep us centered and aligned. It all starts with self awareness – getting to know ourselves and what we want our lives to look like and feel like. We need to give ourselves permission to be free to be. That is where it all starts and ends.
And yes – all of these actions can be done while honoring the shelter in place rules.
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- Find time to dream every day. How? A few suggestions:
- Watch the sunset
- Take a walk
- Look at the stars
- Take a drive in the country.
- Sit in front of a fireplace (Yes, I do this even in summer and I crank the AC!).
- Meditate.
- Work in the dirt.
- Go to the virtual bookstore. (I love Goodreads and Amazon)
- Listen to the rain.
- Look at the skyline and the city lights at night.
- Be still.
- TURN OFF the car radio when you take your Sunday drive and just be quiet in the oasis of your car.
- Find time to dream every day. How? A few suggestions:
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- Listen to your heart. Pay attention to the little voice inside. It is there and it is speaking to you, daily. Heed it.
- Let go of expectations. Should, suppose to, ought to, and societal rules. Stay pure in intention and purpose – aligned to your soul and overall vision – and all else will take care of itself. Stop comparing yourself to others. It is your life, no one else’s. Remember Mary Oliver: “Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
- Read everything. EVERYTHING. Often we gain our greatest ‘ah ha’s’ from the most unsuspecting sources. If a title intrigues you, go for it. There is a reason.
- Keep a journal. Write things down. They will multiply in your mind’s eye. It can be like ‘living it over’ – and that is incredibly powerful. I believe it helps to manifest what we dream, hope, and aspire to create. A gratitude journal is a great start!
- Connect with your body. I have found that our body often is the first signal that something is ‘out of alignment’. Bubble baths, yoga, reiki, tai chi, acupuncture (ok – that one we have to get outside the house to do) are a great way to get in touch and begin to align our chakras.
- Take action. (A goal is a dream with a deadline).Write down the 1-2 things you want to do in the remainder of 2020 and just take a single step toward that goal. Of course, our goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, aligned, realistic, time-based). Alignment to your soul and your overall vision of who/where/what you want to be, and we want to create, is the secret.
- Make it happen! As my daddy always said, we only control three things in our lives: our ABC’s. (Attitudes, Behaviors, Choices). No one else’s. We create our own reality through these three things. Heaven (or hell) can be on Earth.
- Stay aligned to a Divine power. However you define this as being tied to something greater than ourselves gives perspective and a foundational truth.
And, if you need questions to further stimulate your thoughts, and get in touch with your inner voice, here are a few:
- What do you want? What is holding you back?
- For whom are you in service today? Who do you want to serve?
- How do you want to contribute? What is the driver for that intention?
- What are you trying to change? Why? What is holding you back?
- What are you passionate about? What would you do for free? What really turns you on?
- What do you value? Are they the same as your company and the individuals with whom you work and your friends?
- If you got it, what would you have?
- How will you know once you get there? How will you know you have reached it?
- What does success really (really!) look like to you? What are you doing to achieve that definition of success?
- What resources can help you decide, weigh, or hold the mirror up and support you on this journey?
As we navigate this unprecedented period in time, it is the perfect time to get back in touch with what you want to create in your life. It is not easy – yet, no one said life would be easy. It is our sacred responsibility to build the life we were meant to live regardless (or perhaps because of) what is happening around us. Let’s get started, again.