Month: May 2020

Perfection or Progress?

PERFECT! they said. Sounds good. Feels good. The emotional lift is palpable. I noticed this the other day when I had 2 people email me one word – PERFECT! What a great way to start the day!

Perfection is something that research suggests is impossible to achieve.  How many times have we tried?  In fact, with our thoughts of ‘It’s got to be just right”, how many times have we not even started, or maybe we’ve stopped halfway through, due to the fact -our impression-  that perfection would not be attained. 

Not even started. 

“I didn’t get to that project because of, umm because, and uh, well, um, if… oh yeah, I’ve got something else to do, and, and, and…”  All these little excuses really just point to the fact -conscious thought or not- that there is no way it will be as perfect it as we want it.  

Not even started.

Do we even know what perfection means to us? Will we even know it if we see it? That we’ve attained it? 

I’ve started looking at this a little differently. Instead of perfection, how ‘bout excellence? How about we take a project on, because we want to. We may feel driven or pulled to it. And besides, it might be fun!    Maybe we could lose that overarching specter of possibility that our project won’t turn out absolutely 100% perfect.   Maybe we could just have fun with it and do the best we can.

Maybe we could channel the spirit of Bill & Ted. I’m sure it will turn out to be ‘Totally Excellent’. At least it will turn out.

I’ve touched on how we try to do things to perfection. Let’s turn that camera inward. What do we see in ourselves that is less than perfect? And on what self judgement do you base that decision on? (Sorry, didn’t mean to get so close there). But the truth is we are very judgmental of ourselves and we hold many parts of ourselves to impossibly high standards. A little acceptance here goes a long way.  Our bodies, for instance, are amazingly perfect machines that do amazing things effortlessly.  Every little blemish and scar are reminders of incredible stories that illustrate the beauty of life itself.  And the way we show up in the world? That is perfection personified. Just as the butterfly, the oak tree, and the sunset. It just is.  

So, go ahead, be Totally Excellent. It’s the perfect way to roll!

YES!

YES! What was that? YES! How does that feel? Uplifting? Light? Energetic? Fun? When I say it, and mean it, it feels positive and empowering. Try it now. Say it out loud – like you mean it. YES!!!! Of course, we’re just having fun, and you’re not really saying yes to anything. Or are you?

Lately, I’ve been saying yes to as much as possible. I’ve been working to keep my opinions, my likes and dislikes out of the equation. I’ve taken on the mindset of, “Let’s just see what the Universe has in store for me”.

I get that this might be a little woo-woo for some, and that’s ok. It’s just a concept, an experiment. And how’s it going, you might ask? Well, saying yes has gotten me out of my own way to say hello to you guys every week. Saying yes has kicked started my coaching business on the internet. Boy did that take me out of my comfort zone. But I said yes when the opportunity place itself in front of me. And it is continuing to drive me toward what I’d like to accomplish with not much more than a half a clue on how to do it. (I’ll admit it). You can only imagine the conversation when my head was trying to talk me out of it.

I’m actually having fun with it. I think I’ll keep doing it. Just last night the slight possibility of a sunset presented itself, as the day all over South County was grey and drizzly. Even though I had stuff to do, something inside me said Yes. I went with it. The picture below is the result.

What parts of life can you say yes to? It doesn’t hurt. In fact, it feels good. Yes! One more time? YES!

Just sayin’

Please share some examples of you going with the flow in the comments below, will you? YES!!!

 

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day, to all you moms out there. You are very special. I don’t know why we need a special day to show you love, but they didn’t ask me. You are loved every single day. We wouldn’t be here without you.

Mom’s are really something. And being a Mom is more than just having kids. The mother is that which loves us no matter what we do. This is the highest, most divine love of all. Your natural feminine energy comes through you as creation, intuition, community, and sensuality. You cook, clean, hold a job, dole out discipline, taxi, root us on, heal boo-boos, and make sure that we grow up strong, compassionate, confident, and ready to be our best in the world. And watch out if anyone or anything outside the family starts to threaten her babies. You don’t want to get in the way of a pissed off Mama Bear.

I think the best way to describe your nurturing supportive way is conveyed in this musing by William Golding.

“Whatever you give a mom, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit!”

Enjoy your day. Because tomorrow……

Just kidding!

Change

The only thing constant is change. We are constantly faced with change. How do you feel about it? 

Some of us love change. Others are thrown off by it.  Change causes growth. Growth is good. Right?

Change is natural.  Change is expansive. The universe is constantly expanding.  I have found that resisting change feels heavy, sluggish. Like carrying around a weight. Have you ever noticed that?

We change our clothes. We change cable providers. We change our minds, we change course. We change things up. We get change. We see change. We change everything around us. We watch our bodies change.  You’ve heard that our bodies completely change/regenerate every seven years.  I wonder then, what is the resistance to changing ourselves. Our inner selves.  Hmmmm

They say, if you don’t grow, you die. Maybe you’ve heard them. They all say that. Life itself is constantly asking us to adapt to some kind of change. Sometimes, it doesn’t even ask. And in the end, it’s always is good for us. Sometimes we don’t see it immediately. And, we are changed even if, we try to go back to ‘the way it was’.   Might you agree that acquiring a new perspective is a good thing?

We are in the midst of radical opportunities for change, for personal growth. Check in with your self… What can you do to embrace this time and use it to create a better version of you?

Some change takes time. Some change is immediate. All change is good.  How do you feel about it? 

Just sayin’

Your thoughts are always welcome.