Day 37/366 days Towards Self-Mastery. Mood: content
At my worst I had no concept of the natural rhythms all around me. My head was down, my butt was up and I was following the plan.
The plan to get educated, the plan to find a partner, the plan to advance my career, the plan to accumulate assets, the plan to take an annual holiday, the plan to save for retirement, the plan to buy a new car, the plan to build a business, the plan to get rich.
My body I treated as a machine. My plan was to get through each day and achieve my plans before it wore out. That wearing out is what we call retirement.
Then one day I woke up to all this BS and realised that this plan wasn't my plan at all. In fact, this was a poor excuse for living if ever there was one. This was the proverbial rat on the treadmill and the prospect of spending my whole life like this made me feel positively ill.
With concentrated effort I began to take notice of life, to connect with the world around me, to listen to the seasons and smell the rain. To immerse myself in living things; my garden, the sea, other people.
Having built a successful business my shares went up for sale and I returned to the one service that touched me deeply, being of service as a healthcare provider. This is where I felt most alive and this is where I began again.
The challenge for today is to look at the possibility of remodelling our lives so that we live more authentically
Traditions that have accomplished this feat draw heavily on living simply. And living simply begins with living with the rhythms of life.
Spend some time today to identify the natural rhythms around you. How do rhythms support you in your life? What rhythms do you follow or have your initiated?
As I developed my garden I began to take note of the seasons. My health, already struggling, would respond to the cooler weather with a decline and come alive again as the weather warmed. My age was mid-forties. That "wearing out" was happening sooner than the plan had allowed.
Years spent exploring my own health and the undeniable connection between my body and mind lead me in the direction of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the meridian energy system, and many other aspects of energy psychology and the holographic universe that we inhabit.
This healed me. My health has never been better. My respiratory system has recovered from a decline that should have seen me on a portable oxygen bottle by this stage. It healed my body because I worked to heal my mind of all the crapola that my family, and especially society had expected of me. Years upon years of conditioning to meet someone else's expectations and other people's fears did not serve me, and it won't serve you either.
Yesterday we looked at the distractions of online media with a suggestion to turn off the world for a day, and I would suggest longer, or maybe as a lifestyle. When your mind is empty of the woes of the world, when your heart is free to feel into your immediate surroundings, your community, your family, then you are aligned with your place in the world, and it is here that you will have your greatest impact.
My plans turned to one goal and that was to raise my son well. To ground him in solid values and an enquiring mind. To set him free into adulthood with a conscience, the ability to know right from wrong, and the freedom to choose his path. When I focussed on that I did it well, without distraction. To be present, to be tuned in, to be available. These were the rewards of tuning into life.
My life has certainly been remodelled and it doesn't look anything like the life that I set out to achieve with my plans.
Did I make a lot of money? No, not really, but I made enough. Did I advance my career, my education, build an empire and save for retirement. Also no. It can't all be done.
Did we take holidays? Yes, I chose experiences and adventures over possessions. We felt enriched by mingling wth other cultures, learning simple phrases of their language, exploring far away shores and waterways, following Napoleon's quests from Paris to Valencia. Choose what's important and focus on that. LIVE into that.
Today as I write, I look out the window and revel in the falling rain. My new garden is delighting in the drenching. A drive down town and my community is there to greet me with smiling faces and open arms. My son is well and happy and settling into adult life. I'm happy.
And here's something for you.
If you are struggling with overwhelm, exhaustion, burn out, fatigue, emotional rollercoaster, mental health, physical ailments, whatever, anything and everything that distracts you from living life fully, I have prepared a resource that shows you how to get back on track. With simple adjustments to how you manage your day, you can sync with your meridian energy flows and reap the rewards of vitality, exuberant energy through the day for maximum productivity, and still conserve energy for the end of the day to give to your family or friends.
This is of course an invitation to join my mailing list so if you are keen to be in touch, I would invite you to start the programme of 12 mini-modules today. Delivered by email every 3rd day, you will receive a short 6-7 minute video and slide show of 5 slides with tips and to-dos for each meridian, and the ability to connect with me through your comments on each module. You'll love it! It's how I live daily.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.
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