This is a call, a challenge, a plea if you will — for all of us to step back periodically from the frenetic pace of life to reflect on the life we are living.
Ask yourself right now:
- What is it that truly matters most to me?
- What provides me with a sense of meaning and happiness?
- What do I want or need?
- What are the thoughts or beliefs that are getting in the way of me living the life I really want?
Take a moment. Even though the kids are asking for help with their homework, or the looming work deadline is causing a mad flood of all the things you still need to do to race through your mind. For just this moment, ignore the ping of the text message you just received, the thought of what you promised your husband or wife that you would do and completely forgot about that has a pull so strong that your entire body seems to want to pull itself from the chair on which you are sitting so you can take care of it and check it off your list. Just pause. Breathe.
Do you love yourself enough to create space for the things that are most important to you instead of just reacting and responding to the things that appear to be urgent?
Do you love yourself enough to create space for you?
As you allow yourself to stop and just be, with yourself, what do you notice? How does it feel? Can you feel your breath breathing you? Can you feel your heart beating and the bubbly flow of energy pulsing through your body? Do you notice the places in your body where you are holding tension, holding on to stress that is coming from somewhere outside, or even from the voices you internalized over time that tell you that you “should” do this or that? Can you relax that part of your body – your shoulder or neck or even the knot in your gut? How would it feel to be you if you did?
The point of stopping is to turn off that autopilot that seems to take over our lives when we don’t pay attention. It can drive your car from home to the office with such ease that suddenly you find yourself pulling into a parking spot even though you spent the entire trip thinking about the conversation you had with your son or daughter or housemate the night before and you realize that you can’t even recall the drive. It is definitely useful at times — to be able to brush your teeth or fold the laundry or do the dishes without having to focus on what you are doing. It frees up mental capacity for other activities. The other thing it does, though, is allow you to easily pull yourself from the present moment and off into some memory of the past or some imaginative future. It keeps the train running smoothly along the tracks, without assessing whether the tracks are heading in the direction of your choosing.
By being clear about what matters to you, what you value, your vision for your life, even specific goals, you can set your intentions – for your personal and your professional life. Your intentions will serve as the touchstone to come back to throughout the day or week. They keep you focused. They keep you moving in the right direction, looking where you want to go.
Intention
What intention do you carry
As you journey through today?
What burns deep within
Affecting all you do and say?
Are you gentle? Unforgiving?
Impatient? Loving? Feeling bold?
When you interact with others
What stand do you hold?
Stand for your deepest longing
Listen to that wise voice inside
You have more choice than you imagine
Of how to live your life
