Two Questions = Big Change
Photo by Maddi Bazzocco
We all get stuck or fall into a rut. That murky feeling of dread overtakes us and it feels as though we’re pushing rocks up hill only to have them slide right back down. Life becomes a stale, repetitive cycle. Nothing’s going the way we’d hoped. Our dreams rendered mute, crushed by the soul-sucking weight of day-to-day tasks.
At times like this, it’s easy to feel put upon, burdened, trapped by the external things of this world. This train of thought can oh-so-subtly wends its way into victim mode, leading us to believe there’s nothing we can do about it. Some relief may from feeling as though there’s someone or something out there to blame, but this does nothing to help us change the situation. It only perpetuates it, digging us in even deeper.
To make deep, everlasting change, requires us to stop long enough to see things as they are, without the veils of wishful thinking or positive spin. Then comes the hard part: owning our responsibility in it. Not with harshness or judgment, but with an open, compassionate heart. Once we take responsibility, then we can create the pathway out. Then ask yourself two simple questions: 1). Which relationships, activities or situations are currently enslaving, exhausting or starving me? 2). Which relationships, activities or situations are currently freeing, energizing or feeding me?
The answers should give you some very clear messages about how you arrived at this place in your life. Diving deeply into this awareness may even initiate one of the single most significant shifts in your life because it will be impossible to hide from the truth about what’s working and what isn’t.
Breakthrough time!
But go easy here…this is not an opportunity to beat yourself up for making decisions that created hardship or pain. Rather it’s an invitation to tell the truth about what is (forgive yourself and others, if needed) so that you can create the space to make new decisions that take the well being of your soul into consideration.
Life is a precious gift with a limited number of life hours allotted to each of us. It is the greatest currency we have and it is up to us to spend it wisely, and not waste it feeling victimized. Therefore, knowing what truly nourishes you and making your decisions based on that criteria is the simplest, most direct way to create a life worth living. The beauty in this is that we can start fresh at any time right where we are. Each moment is a new beginning.
Here are some other ways to nourish your soul:
Schedule regular mini-retreats doing what you love sprinkled throughout your month.
Set up a weekly or bi-weekly creative date with friends.
Create sacred spaces in your home.
Walk barefoot as often as possible.
Practice being silent one day per week or part of every day.
Do one new activity per month that takes you out of your comfort zone.
Go on a mental fast for 7 days and eliminate all negative thoughts and words.
Give gifts to people anonymously.
Surprise family and friends with hand-written letters or become a pen pal.
Register for a class in a subject that has always interested you.