How Do You Stay Inspired?

Wow, April at last, and I am so happy to be able to fling the windows open each morning and greet warmer air. And there’s sunshine out there!
These last few weeks have been quite the challenge haven’t they?

I have really missed writing and connecting with you all, but I needed to step back, regroup, rethink and recharge this year.

I have to say, it’s good to be back and feeling inspired again.

But WOW! getting started writing has felt like an act of revolution, and finding the courage and focus to begin again was surprisingly difficult.

I needed to consciously create some fresh practices to shift my apathy.

All winter I felt an underlying sense of discontentment rumbling around. It was SO sneaky and felt like it was laying in wait for me to lose attention and energy, and then Up it would jump and overpower even my best intentions.

The good news is, the sporadic sunshine definitely helped. Fresh air helped. Not trying too hard helped. Practising one thing at a time really helped.

I’m sure you’re noticing that it takes a lot of energy to keep hopeful and enthusiastic in the face of our changeable weather. Even now, Spring feels mostly theoretical, and I often feel pretty disorientated and tired.

We need to give ourselves permission and a little time to shrug off our winter habits, mitts, scarves and layers of clothing. Our energy can feel quite sluggish, and this can make it all the more difficult to rouse our inspired selves and get moving.

One small, manageable step at a time … helps!

My first step in March …

Was simply this mantra …

It makes me smile, and worked so well I am keeping it for April too!

Even those mornings I’m not really feeling it – just the saying of it a few times gets me to that feel good feeling where I know what to do next!

Take your time, be imperfect, practice starting again every day. It’s OK  …really it is!!

5 Simple Inspired Practices

BREATHE! My favourite practice when I feel inertia taking up permanent residence; is making myself go outside for a quick walk. It takes only (7 mins) to trot around the block. It does wonders for my spirit. And it’s small enough for me to actually do it!

• Breathing in great lungfuls of fresh air without gasping from the shock of frozen ice particles hitting my lungs…BLISS!

• Being able to walk steadily on my feet, head up and sure of the path, instead of head down shuffling along over mounds of snow and ice.  JOY!

What’s one thing you could do this week, that you’ve been wanting to do, but just haven’t?

OWN WHATEVER YOU FEEL: And still, some days it feels like my life is an opponent that won’t quit. I’ve have moments when I can’t motivate myself to do anything important, when I feel completely discouraged and defeated.

You know those moments right? You over think and doubt yourself, wonder if anything you do is worthwhile.

It’s just a regular old pity party of one!

On these days, it can feel like an act of heroic self-love and dedicated concentration to even reach for inspiration. Emotional stability is something all of us struggle with at this time of year if, our landscapes inside and out look so dull and uninviting.

Trouble is – if we spend all our energy wishing and hoping life to be different, we have no energy left over for doing anything about it.

When I’m doing this to myself I find that paying attention to how I feel rather than what I am thinking, really helps. I take things slower on low energy days, treat myself, move in very small steps, be gentle with my self-talk and acknowledge my progress.

It helps me feel more centered and emotionally stable.

And those days often turn out to be super productive after all.

As I tell my Reiki students, experiment with what works for you! 

For instance, I have found out that promising to treat myself AFTER I complete something does absolutely nothing for my enthusiasm at all. What does work is having my treat first! Who knew, but it never fails.

What’s your favourite treat that might inspire you to make 1 simple change?

TINY STEPS ARE PROGRESS! I know just how hard it is to motivate yourself when you just feel that you don’t have any strength. Dealing with some challenges in one area of my business this last year I had many moments of feeling insanely horrible and sorry for myself.

Small steps, when you feel in a miserable mood, can seem utterly ridiculous as to be insignificant. That is simply your inner saboteur doing its job! Small steps confound your inner saboteur because there’s not so much to argue against as a big change. I know this for sure!

One step shows you the next step is possible and then the next.

It’s how this blog post is being written.

Plus, the fact you are reading it, is the proof small actions work!!

GO SLOW – we are fragile at this time of year, like delicate cobwebs.

Is there a next step for you? Something simple and gentle that would feel good to you?

YOUR RESPONSE IS YOUR POWER: You can’t control everything that happens to you; you can, however, control the way you respond to what happens. You can argue with life (think about that for a moment) or, you can give yourself permission to be perfectly OK with “what is” at this moment. You don’t have to like it, but noticing you are feeling a certain way is actually the first step to feeling better. .

What if this week you simply pay more attention to what is good in your life?

MAKE TODAY COUNT: We have limited time on this earth and deep down we all know that each one of our days is a gift, even when we squander them and forget to be appreciative. Taking a step, no matter how tiny, tells us that we matter. When we get anxious or out of sorts it feel like nothing matters. So in choosing to do something that does matter, means we acknowledge that we are worth caring about.

Taking care of yourself is worthwhile.
Eating better is worthwhile
Turning off the TV and picking up a book is relaxing
Going to bed an hour earlier may brighten your week
Taking a daily walk might fire up your enthusiasm.

Making any effort is worthwhile, especially when you think you can’t. You will feel better, you’ll possibly surprise yourself that it was enjoyable. My walking is exactly that. I did not want to do it AT ALL, but this tiny voice in my head kept thinking about it and so one day I just did it and now it’s easier.

When my day feels “easier” the whole world looks brighter!

What’s one small thing you can you do for yourself this week to make YOUR days easier for you?

 

Work with me

Are you looking for the next steps and some support and guidance to help you improve your life and accomplish more of what you truly desire!

You may not know exactly what you want, you may simply have a lump in your throat, or your heart pounds in your chest, and you wonder: “What’s wrong with me? Why am I this way? Why can’t I figure this out? How much more do I have to do?”

But, you do know you’re ready for something more!

Here’s your chance to stop settling, to discover and create what it is you really want in your life.

Let’s just talk and see how we can work together, so you can discover and claim what your heart longs for .