Simply Enough

Have you ever reasoned or talked yourself out of something you really want? Cerebral thoughts in the head can explain away the pull of what's going on in the heart. But not everything has to be by-the-book, or have a rational purposeful "Because" as an answer to the "Why". Affirm when it's ok to the moved by the heart, and not just led by the head. Sometimes, that internal pull of "I want to" is a good enough reason to left go of resistance. The still small voice inside you can get louder, because it's actually You taking care of You, affirming you are simply enough, just as you are.

Have you ever felt like your life was just the same ol' routine? Do you wish there was something to give you that jolt of adrenaline rush and surge of energy? Being scared can be uncomfortable, but can also be exciting! Sometimes, our own internal need for control, safety and self-protection can hold us back and keep us from testing our sense of living and feeling fully alive. Rather than avoidance, you can approach and move towards what exhilarates you. Recognize what thrills you, and find ways to incorporate more of that in your life, because a life over-safe can be a life under-lived.

Have you ever felt low, or on edge, after watching tv, scrolling social media, or listening to the news? Have you looked at what you're consuming? Just like food is nutrition for physical health, then for emotional and mental health, examine what you ingest and allow in too. Be mindful of what lifts versus what weighs down your spirit. Take control and be the subject, not the object, of your life sentences. You are your own chef de cuisine. Habitual thoughts don't have to be permanent if they're unhealthy junk food; old habitual choices can be replaced, perspectives can be reframed, and your palate can be changed. Separate the sustenance from the spoilage, to taste and savor life to nourish your soul.

Have you ever been swept up into other people's stormy situations, engrossed in their drama? Is that the best way to be helpful? Other people's energies can swirl around but you can stay grounded in peace, to be of service. Taking on drama won't necessarily mitigate it. Misery loves company, but commiserating might actually perpetuate the storm. You can have compassion and empathy for their reality without taking on their emotional state. By being mindful and taking inventory of priorities and values, you can triage where your energy and focus are directed rather than scattered-- because the energy vampires can be people externally, but also from the slavedriver of one's own self. Give yourself permission and prescription to protect, restore and renew your grounded center.

Has anyone imposed their opinions on you, or projected their emotions on you? Or have you ever done that to someone else? Opinions aren't facts, whether they come from others or come from your Self, yet it's easy to believe opinions as unwavering truth. Don't take other people's impressions and limiting opinions as your own lived experience. Don't stop yourself or hold yourself back based on someone else's projected self-limiting beliefs. Go with the belief that You Can, even when naysayers say you can't. You can listen to others. then put a little distance between someone else's opinion and your own, and then you can consider and decide, and choose to create YOUR experience. Life is to be lived experientially, not vicariously as if by proxy.

Did you ever feel unpopular, or not one of the “cool kids” or outside the social hierarchy? Have you ever felt taken for granted, or, have you ever been the taker? Is it true we become the average of the 5 people with whom we spend the most time?

Listen to the voice inside you that knows who you are and is guiding you, and align with those with whom you respond positively.  Reflect on the time you devote to certain people. Friendships can reveal how you see people around you as well as be a benchmark of self respect and self-revelation.  You can choose with intention what’s a right fit for you, where you feel a sense of belonging and who’s in your Inner Circle.  

Have you ever berated yourself? What do you say? Do words of self doubt reverberate in your head? We are constantly sending messages to ourselves and to others. Talk to yourself like you would to a beloved friend.  Feel free to debate yourself rather than swallow the negative soliloquy. Condemning words are like self-inflicted wounds with the salt of shame being rubbed in it.  With affirming self talk, replace the double-negative of compounding shame and blame.  Words matter, but words don’t teach— practiced experience does. 

Have you ever felt lost, navigating transitions in your life? Events and situations can feel herky-jerky at times, but if you can acknowledge the suck and also know that it won’t always feel this way, you can love and grieve at the same time.  Feeling comfortable and safe isn’t always what best serves you.  You can go beyond a wish and act on a hope, to not only transition, but transform and transcend anything that comes your way!

As a kid, did you ever have an old curmudgeon of a teacher, and you swore you would never grow up to be like that person? Or, as an adult now, do you look at younger generations with disdain, while they look at you and say “ok, Boomer”?  There’s a lot we can learn from youth— from their open-mindedness, and their shameless willingness to say “I don’t know, but let me try”. Learning isn’t just wisdom passed down from the old, but also comes from novel fresh experiences and perspectives.  Don’t let the wisdom of age be wasted, nor the joy of youth.  We’re all students of life, and the world is our classroom!

Have you ever felt like Adulting is sooooo hard? It can be, but it isn’t always difficult, and it’s not the only way to feel, right? Don’t let yourself get stuck in the mud of those thoughts, or think the grass is perennially greener with youth.  Accepting seasons of challenge allows seasons of ease to be that much more enjoyable!