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Tools of the Trade
January 24, 2014
“Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along."
George Herbert
- Well, we’re a three and a half weeks into the New Year, and I am hovering. Hovering over the intentions I crafted just a few short weeks ago to help me creatively manifest my desires - to help me live a life that is fulfilling and meaningful to me in every way. Already I have forgotten – several times – to keep a commitment I made to myself. Already I have strayed.
- And I’m okay with that.
- Some people might think that as an Intuitive Life Coach, I rarely stumble over my New Year’s resolutions. But I do stumble. And I trip and fall more than I might like. I even stop dead in my tracks sometimes. Therefore I am grateful to have acquired some powerful, yet simple, tools to help me regain my balance, lessen the sting when I do fall down, and help me get going again along my chosen path.
- Let me share a few of those tools with you today.
Attention
One tool that I use a lot these days is attention, and I apply it as I would in my meditation practice: when I become aware that my mind has strayed from the point of focus, I gently bring my attention back to the practice, “Oh, yes. I must have forgotten for a moment. I am meditating now.”
And if it happens a hundred times during the meditation (and sometimes it does), then a hundred times I bring myself back. Same with my intentions: “Oh, yes. I forgot yesterday about my intention to eat more nutritiously. I can do that today, right now.”
Self-Acceptance
Another is self-acceptance. A good example is my earlier statement, “And I’m okay with that.” Wherever I am is where I am, and probably where I need to be. Even if I don’t particularly like where I am, even if I don’t want to stay there, I’m still okay with the fact that that’s where I happen to be right now.
Now that I know where I am, I can choose another path. “So I overscheduled myself again and I’m stressed. That’s okay. I’m glad that I recognize my body’s stress signals sooner than I used to, and this experience is showing me how much I want to honor the time commitments I’ve made for myself.”
Self-Love
Another powerful tool is self-love. It’s a simple concept, to feel compassion for oneself, yet for some people the “self” part takes a little practice. It’s well worth the effort. Perhaps it will help to say to yourself, “I did the best I could with what I had at the time,” or “I’m doing my best right now,” and then stop for a moment and feel compassion for yourself for doing that.
Here’s a real-life example: “Well, yesterday was a very stressful day because I overscheduled myself. And therefore I didn’t pay attention to my body’s signals when it was hungry, and when I finally did eat, it was something more convenient than nutritious. That’s okay, no real harm done. I did my best under the circumstances. And I love the fact that I am aware of it; having that experience yesterday makes me even more committed to choosing differently today. I am learning to honor myself, and I love that too! I will eat more consciously, and I will be more aware about how I schedule and spend my time. I will do these things because I love myself.”
Release
Another is release. What a great idea - to let go of things that no longer serve you. And what a wonderful feeling of freedom that comes when you do! There are dozens of ways to do this.
- You can literally let go of material objects, perhaps clear some clutter in your home or work space.
- You can delegate a recurring task on your to-do list, or drop a task off of the list entirely, or do it less frequently.
- You can explore a limiting belief you have that no longer serves you well.
- And you can simply say no to things you used to say yes to.
For example, I might say no to overscheduling myself by crossing out days on my calendar on which I might otherwise schedule appointments, when what I really need and want to do on those days is take care of some other important task.
Nurturing
Another powerful tool is nurturing: to take some positive action that reinforces the intentions that you have consciously created. When you release things, it can be helpful to fill that space by bringing something positive into your life, such as to replace an unwanted habit with a new, positive habit or thought.
For example, I might choose to spend part of a day preparing nutritious foods I like, so that I can take them with me to the office on busy days. Or I might turn around a limiting belief that I am overwhelmed with administrative tasks into an affirmation such as, “I discover great joy in following a schedule for building new habits of self-care and for completing administrative tasks.”
Nurturing. Release. Self-love. Self-acceptance. Attention.
Simple tools that you can use every day with powerful results. I encourage you to work with them, to play with them, to experiment and practice using them regularly. Try one out right now, in fact. And let me know how it goes, as I would love to hear your feedback.
And of course, if you’d like some extra help with making a change in your life, I’m here for you. That’s what I do in private sessions with clients. And if you prefer a group setting, that’s what I do in many of the classes and workshops I offer. As I often say, there’s something on the Inner Compass calendar for just about everyone.