Month: September 2020

There’s a lot of stuff going on this year. We’ve been dealing with COVID for 6 months and change and really, how close are we to the end of this? If that’s not enough, let’s spice it up with some fires over here, a dash of flooding over there, and just for fun, top it all off with an election that promises to be pretty ugly. And these are just the headlines. Are we having fun yet?

In the midst of all the outer insanity, what are you doing to take care of your inner self? During these types of adventures, many folks reach out, and as the caring people that you all are, make yourselves available, to make sure your family and friends are taken care of. But what are you doing for you? You can’t pour from an empty cup. Or, my favorite example is how the airlines always tell us to put the mask on ourselves first. I guess we’re not much good to anyone else if we’re not breathing.

Many of you have been engaging in some form of self-care, be it meditation, yoga, something. There are many ways to practice. How long have you been practicing? Well, it’s time to get into the game. For instance, if you’ve been practicing to find peace, now is the time to be The Peace. This is on my mind as I am participating in one of the many celebrations of the International Day of Peace on Monday the 21st. A day for the world to focus on Peace in all it’s many forms. 

Peace isn’t something we create, peace is something we fall into, open up to, allow in. We can’t make peace, peace is. 

Some time ago I saw a demonstration using a muddy glass of water that clearly illustrates how meditation clears the mind. As the glass sits still, the mud settles to the bottom, leaving the bulk of the water clear. 

See, our normal state of mind is muddy. We’re full of thoughts, we’re caught up in our normal fast-paced life, and our reactions and emotions are all over the place due to all the news and information coming at us from all directions. Our mind is stirred up, muddy. But when we let the mind rest…. The mud settles. 

                                   Muddy Water                                  Clear Water

 

 

Make sense? When we are calm, peaceful, and clear in this present moment, we are able to be at our best for whatever and whoever comes across our path. Being this vibration of peace is a good and powerful thing for all. Our vibration spreads like ripples on a pond. It washes over us like a cool breeze on a warm day. That’s a beautiful thing for the world right now. It’s a great example of the Butterfly Effect. You’re familiar with that? The butterfly flaps it’s wings in Japan, the wind blows in California.  Each one of us has the power to positively affect everything that goes on around us, and more, just by taking care of ourselves, flapping our wings, and being that peaceful energy. 

                            Ready?

                                                Breathe!  

                                                                        Peace! 

                                                            Just sayin’

What is your definition of success?  

There’s a story that’s been around for a while but I heard it from a guy named Bruce D Schneider, so I’m giving him props. Its a baseball analogy, and it illustrates my point perfectly.

Imagine that you are at the plate looking to hit a line drive to left field. After taking a couple of pitches, and fouling a few off, you get a pitch you like and hit a screaming line drive into left field. Success, right? Now, at the same time tho, the left fielder is paying attention, he takes a quick step as soon as you make contact, runs hard, dives like Superman, and catches the ball. Are you still successful?

We can’t control the outcome,  We can only control what we can control. 

I was working on this webinar – you may have heard of it? Something to do with blocks? 4½ of them – Being held the next 3 Tuesdays?  — and I was talking with folks about some of the concepts. One person totally got the point. The feedback I received was that my concept was well explained and made perfect sense. 

I told someone else, and they didn’t even seem to understand what I was saying.  The point here is that I said the same thing in the same way and 2 people heard it completely differently. What can I do about that? Well, I’ve heard there are methods of teaching using different algorithms to get the message across to different learning styles, but my point is – ALL WE CAN DO IS THE BEST WE CAN DO. We can not guarantee the outcome. We do the best we can to deliver the message. We cannot control how the message is received. 

How does that apply to you? Be clear, be focused on what you’re doing. Make sure you’re walking the path of your design. And be ready for whatever happens.  How do you do that? Take your swings. Learn your craft. Do your scales. Plant your seeds. Then, knowing you’ve done all you can, release attachment to the outcome. Doesn’t matter, you’ve put your best foot forward. What will be will be. Que sera, sera!  Release    attachment    to    the    outcome. 

If you are speaking, be as clear as you can, but know that people will hear what you say through their filters. In your business, if you plant enough seeds, rain will wash some away, the birds will eat some, but the crops will grow. Using that baseball analogy, you did what you set out to do, which is put good wood on the ball and hit a solid line drive. That’s what you can control. Do enough of that and many of your batted balls will find plenty of grass. 

One more point. Apply this concept to your life. Think about what you’re trying to accomplish. I’m going to stick with the baseball analogy. What you wanted to do was hit the ball hard. You did that. And if what you find yourself noticing that you’re not ‘hitting the ball hard’?  What do you say to yourself? Instead of saying “I’ve been in a slump for the last week and don’t know why.” Which is being at the effect of the event, or what we call victim mode, try turning that into, “I have been swinging at bad pitches for the last week and I need to correct that.” which puts you at cause, or in the driver’s seat. 

Consciously focus on what you can control. And accept whatever happens, but know that you’ve already succeeded.      You are already a success.    Just sayin’

I got a message from an old friend last week, Shout out to Judy. She said “Is what I call “lack of motivation” possibly caused by what you are calling a block?” Judy, you nailed it! See, she already knew the answer to the question. 

That’s a great example of what I call ‘inner wisdom’. It was just because we had a conversation, that she started ‘noticing what she’s noticing, that it floated to the top. That’s the kind of awareness we have access to, but we just don‘t know it. 

We’ve been talking about blocks these last few weeks. Well, I have.  It has caused some good discussion with some of you around these blocks and I noticed that more information, deeper information is being asked for. 

So, I am hosting a 4-week webinar starting tomorrow, Tuesday, the 8th, and it addresses the 4 main blocks that get in the way of us achieving what it is that we set out to accomplish. See how nice that works out?

Each week, we will focus on a different block, how to identify them, and we’ll learn ways to minimize them, move them out of the way, and as we work to get ourselves out of our own ways we’ll find ourselves living a life more in line with the life we envision. 

Personally, I’ve noticed that in doing this work, and even in sharing it with you, I’ve broken down a couple of my blocks and am moving closer to the life I envision for myself. 

Go to coachdave4you.com/blocks, get a little more information and sign up if it speaks to you. We’ll start to clear that path together. 

Just Sayin’