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
