The Power of Soft

The Power of Soft

One of the most interesting experiments I tried last year was based on the assumption that I can.

It was a little more complicated than that. Back in the dark ages, I would agree to all sorts of stuff trying to be a people pleaser. What an exhausting waste of time. Not to mention that I couldn’t follow through on half the stuff that was asked of me. And me was the last person on my list of folks to take care of.

What I did this year was say yes to the challenging stuff.

Now, don’t get me wrong. If I figured I truly wouldn’t have the time or resources, I said no, but I wanted to see if I could stretch myself, to grow into the challenging tasks.

Yay, me!

Why am I capable? What makes me competent? How am I strong? Why do I choose to be vulnerable?

Wait, what? What’s that last one? That’s the one that inspired me to take some better care of me.

There is a huge difference between being soft and being fragile, being vulnerable and worn thin.

Now, I have been one of those people who got 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night for most of my life. I remember being wide awake in the middle of the night when my sister was a baby, so I was about a year and a half.

So one of the things I’ve started doing this year is going to bed early enough to get 8 hours, allowing for being awake a bit during the night.

What makes me take good care? Why do I treat my body with joy and respect?

I make sure that I meditate, do my qigong practice, eat wholesome food most of the time, and move my body a lot. I schedule activities that feed my soul, my mind, social time with my besties, and alone time with me. I pay attention to food cravings from my body, and do my best to put off the cravings of my feelings. Mostly, that’s a commitment of about two hours a day. The days when I see my pals, it may be a bit longer.

How do I feed my spirit?

Each of us has the same number of hours in a day. How we spend them is our choice. That is an annoying thing, I know, but there you go. How am I going to spend my hours?

I gained a bag full of hours when I decided to cut back on my TV time. I gained another bag full of hours when I cut back on my procrastination. Nuthin’ like a little behavior modification to wreck a good procrastinate. What makes me choose how to spend my time?

I publish these contemplations every single day. I publish a little Appreciations every day. These come from practicing my purpose.  Why do I have a purpose?

I came out of this year with more of myself than I’ve ever had; more life, more love, more family, more time, more success, more health. By owning that I am capable of more, and of taking good care of me, I am living a life I love more than ever before.

How have I changed from living small and tight to living my own rich, full, glorious life?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2014 all rights reserved 01012014