That it will never come again is what makes life sweet ~ Emily Dickinson
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What’s holding you back?
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We only get one life to live (that we know of) and one chance to live out our hopes and dreams and fulfill our goals. My dad used to always tell me, “life is too short to be unhappy.” Wise words that I have tried very hard to live by. I have not always managed.
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There are times when we tell ourselves that we have to do something because it’s what is expected, or that we are stuck in our current situation due to time, or money, or a variety of other reasons, that may or may not have an impact, but are likely not the true underlying reasons. Often our dreams require a leap of faith, a period of struggle and potential failure, but when we look back we can say that we went for it. No regrets.
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What’s holding you back?
The quieter you become the more you are able to hear ~ Rumi
Last week I was on vacation. And it came at the perfect time. A few months ago, my Breath of Fresh Air (BOFA) was approved for 10 days of time off. Unheard of. We decided then and there that we needed to get out of town and started to plan. We made a spreadsheet, as we do, of the different flights, prices, options, perks, made a final decision and pulled the trigger on purchasing a trip together.
When the date finally arrived, we could not have been more ready to leave town, and the wet, snowy, cold, behind and slow down for a little while. Decompress, read books, sleep in, explore. It was perfect timing and perfect company.
Not ones to sit still for long we found ourselves on a few hikes and many walks. At one point BOFA looked at me and said, “we are walking at a Vancouver pace, we need to slow down.” And slow down we did. From a walk to a stroll to a saunter. I took a break from the electronics and social media and consumed more books, words and tortillas. We slowed our pace down, slowed our lives down and inhaled deeply. It was over too quickly, as it always is.
The stillness and calm I felt on vacation was all but erased before I retrieved my suitcase from the luggage claim. I found myself feeling somewhat annoyed with those walking slowly up the stairs and I was unable to pass them, or those who failed to stand to the right on the escalator so I could, again, pass. It was another reminder of the pace of my world.
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If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change ~ Wayne Dyer
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Lately I have been thinking a lot about thinking. About how I think, how I interpret, how I attach meaning to emotions, events, people. My perception has been shaped by my history. And those historical thinking patterns have created some well defined paths in my brain, so well defined that mindful, intentional thinking is no longer necessary, but rather an instinctive process and “way” of thinking simply occurs, marching down the same path over and over and over.
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Just like a path in the forest, I can choose my way. I can continue to march down the defined path that brings me to the same conclusions and same results, same ways of thinking and looking and interpreting what happens in my life. Or I can choose another path. I can decide to go off-roading and create a new path, that may lead to a different destination, or a new viewpoint and outlook.
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Mindfully, intentionally, carefully, choosing a new way forward. Understanding how my history is part of me, but not being ruled, steered, or controlled by the past. Present and brave creating a new way forward, a new path in the forest, ready for the bumps, the thickets, the unknown direction, and armed with bug spray 💚
Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love ~ Mother Teresa
I recently started asking people about their most awesome love moments, memories and stories. I'm always amazed at the honest and candid responses people give, often with a whimsical smile and a faraway look in their eyes. This is one such story. A story of a moment that has been engraved on someone’s heart for a lifetime.
She smiled, sighed and thanked me for reminding her. I walked away a little lighter, and a more fierce believer in love.
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Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next ~ Jonas Sa
I’m a planner. I love having goals and working towards them. There is nothing more satisfying than making a goal, a plan to get there and celebrating when it comes to fruition. As Hannibal (think A-Team, not Lecter) said, “I love it when a plan comes together.” I also love planning events and things to do. I love having things to look forward to. It makes me smile to see events and adventures upcoming on the calendar. Of course, that often means making a decision about what events to do and which ones to prioritize. In the city, there is a never-ending list of potential weekend plans and options. Making a decision about what to do is often made based on a cost-benefit analysis, or based on that gut feeling, when you see an event and you just know that you have to go. There’s an immediate reaction of “hell yeah I wanna do that!” In general, I’m pretty good at making decisions. Of course, I’m always in danger of overthinking a situation and then the decision becomes harder and harder to make. I also have an amazing ability talk my way in or out of a decision and make the “data” support what I really want to do anyway. It’s a superpower. Especially when deciding to buy the second pair of shoes.
There are two different types of thinking that ultimately lead to decision making. Fast thinking is intuitive, instinctive and emotional, based on that elusive “gut-feeling” or from the heart, what feels right? Slow thinking is deliberate, logical, calculated, based on our consciousness and what do we think is right?
What method brings you calm and confidence? Which one invokes fear or resistance?
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