“If we can just let go and trust that things will work out the way they're supposed to, without trying to control the outcome, then we can begin to enjoy the moment more fully. The joy of the freedom it brings becomes more pleasurable than the experience itself.”
This morning’s nudge came in the form of just one single word. Release! Release what no longer serves you. It’s a message that I think a lot, and I mean a lot, of folks are getting right now. Release what no longer serves you. When we hold so tight to how things should look, then we can complicate our lives exponentially. Right now, we really only have control over us and our futures. We can create the future that we want if we release and let go of that which no longer serves us.
Peace begins when you decide to let go of that which you cannot control. I think that in this stage of this stay-at-home order we are all either taking it one day at a time or spending our days steeped in fear and anxiety. If you are the fear and anxiety type, what are you getting done to lay into place your future? Where are you taking steps to come out of all of this perhaps humbler and calmer than before? I’m not belittling the big things we are all going through, I’m just suggesting that perhaps it’s time to turn around your thinking and get back to the basics.
For me this looks like re-working what I thought I would be doing during the day and seeing that there is something else in store for me. I have a lot of ideas as an entrepreneur but for the foreseeable future, I’ll be looking for a different source of income. That doesn’t mean I have to put my dreams on a shelf, it just means that I will re-work my schedule and do those dreams during the nights and weekends. A shift in perspective for sure, but one that is needed to help me, and my son navigate our futures in the healthiest way possible. Along with that will be a new place to live in the near future. Where we are now may just hold memories of this stay-at-home order and that is not something that I want to bring into my future with me. Only the lessons of things that will help me step into a better future.
I had a long chat with my son yesterday around getting himself ready to navigate what will most likely not be his “old” life. Some friends are having to leave the area due to job changes for their parents. We talked about how if friends were true friends, they would always be in his life no matter where we all landed. A hard concept for a 15-year-old to understand but one that he seemed to be finally starting to look at. The old saying what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is certainly true during this time. We are being given a reset button on the old things in our lives that didn’t work anymore. There is joy in that. I realized yesterday that just a short hike and a drive-thru hamburger combined with conversation with my teen gave me the best day I’ve had in a long time. In the past, it would have involved lots of money and an outing to an expensive video game arena.
So, my friends, what are you quickly realizing that you need to release? Is it certain things that you no longer need? Clean out that clutter. Is it that big house and fancy car that you bought to impress someone else? Time to downsize and get back to the basics because right now no one is looking or even cares. They are too busy working out the details of their own lives. When we went out for our hike yesterday, we drove through a town that has a large amount of building going on. The houses being built are gigantic. My thought was, I wonder how these people feel now. Is this giant house even important anymore?
We are in uncertain times; however, we can still make some of our futures certain. Today I choose to move forward into a new future but one that for the most part I can create. It will have pain, heartache, and life lessons, but as long as I am at the rudder, I can feel the empowerment around making decisions to best serve me. I wish the same for you. Dust off that fear and anxiety and look for the golden nuggets in all of this. There are always things to be grateful for.
Until My Next Adventure,
Trish Walker
Check out my “Act As If” program at my website www.trishwalker.us. Set yourself up for success on the other end of world events. Who do you want to be when we step into our new normal?
