This picture was taken by my beautiful friend Kellie Wilson this past weekend in the Chicago area. The ice crystals hanging on the tree was from the fog that morning. Her gift is my joy to share. This tree resembles the Three of Life and is a perfect picture and metaphor for this blog post. Thank you Kellie!
How many times have "we" - the collective "we" - been inspired to begin something just to have it fizzle out over time? The start of a new year is filled with aspiration, hope, and what we call "New Year Resolutions." The majority of us resolve to lose weight, get healthy, stop smoking, exercise more... whatever the goal is.
We start off with a BANG! If our thing is running, we start out with a great 3 mile run that makes us so sore we can barely move our body the next day (or, even worse, that afternoon). Ever notice how full the gym is the first two weeks of January? There's an act of God if a treadmill or elliptical machine is available when you walk in the door! By February the treadmills become more available. And, if we are still sticking with the exercise program we began with in March, there's an issue finding an open treadmill only every once-n-a-while. By the time May rolls around no one is in the gym.
We are so inspired at the start of a project or goal that we literally will ourselves to do it. Some people go to the point of spreadsheets, charts, and other mechanisms to assist us in showing our progress to our end goal. Honestly....... this has never worked for me. Usually by the second week of January there is something that has "come up" to get in the way of achieving my end result. Life has effectively gotten in the way. Some way, some how, it has snuck in and something else has taken priority. Before I know it... I've missed three or four workouts and I'm off of the wagon.
I've noticed that I have willed myself into a lot of life. I've willed myself to complete my homework, eat brussel sprouts, try escargot - by the way, not my favorite but I've heard many people like the dish. I've willed myself through relationships that weren't healthy. I have willed myself into diets, exercise routines... clothes. None of this made me feel any better, solved my problems, or really "worked" for me. Something else would always take priority over the goal. I've effectively gotten into my own way.
So the solution must be to change our habit... right? I could go into the psychology of changing a habit and how many times an action needs to be done in order for the habit to change... blah blah blah. Again, honestly, it's not about what we DO. We DO a lot. What we need to DO is stop.
Yes... I said STOP. Stop and figure out what we really need to fix... which is how we are BEING.
I've used the "I don't have time" excuse... as if there were a limited amount of it. What I have realized is that there is an abundance of this thing called "time"... we need to find our way of capturing it. This is different for each individual. We can make more time for ourselves by the way we are being... not in what we are doing.
So, this year I have made the decision to take small steps to achieve my goal without a timetable. I've made the decision to get out of my own way. Which is a good thing because I have a big goal... a really big goal... it may take many years to accomplish. My whole heart is focused on this goal. I don't see this goal as a vision or an image in my mind, it does not have a color or a shape or take place in a specific location... it is how I feel and how I am being, everything else will fall into place as it should. Every day I move forward with faith. As long as I focus on this, and take action from the heart, I am well on my way to achieving my goal.
Peace, Joy, and Love to all Beings... on this journey called Life.
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