As I sat down today to write my blog post, I found a dozen other things to do. I was sitting and waiting for the post... (I don’t think about what to write, I wait and let the blog post come to me.)... and I kept getting distracted by other things. I finally decided that today might be a day to skip writing. After all, I always coach my clients, especially the business owners, to not do anything that doesn’t feel good. Today, writing a blog post didn’t feel as good as brainstorming a new idea that I’ve been stewing.

The moment I let go of having to blog today, because that’s what I do, the idea came: I, too, need to follow my own advice.

1. Only do what excites you.

2. Don’t attach to doing anything in particular.

I find the most joy and the most success in my business when I follow those two tips. Before I started operating this way, I was skeptical that I would get all of the things I “had to do” done, like bookkeeping, billing, and filing. However, there are days when those things feel fun, believe it or not.

Skeptical? I’ll write more in the coming posts on doing what feels exciting and not attaching to anything.

In the mean time, see what happens if you focus on what excites you. Report back and let me know how it goes.
 

I am!

I had the pleasure of being at the Martha Beck Coaches Summit in Keystone, Colorado, for the past 4 days. What fun!

Today is my chill day. Four days of "work" (a.k.a. crazy fun), and now a day of rest.

How about you? Can you cut out of work early, take a day off, play hooky, and rejuvenate. You deserve it!
 

Here’s a quick cheer-you-up for a Thursday. Can’t help but smile with this cutie!


 

In April I chose two monthly themes to help me focus my energy in areas where I was looking to grow. For May, my two themes are Dance of Shiva and gratitude.

I don't understand what Dance of Shiva is, but funny enough, that's the point. It's fun, quirky, and something we're supposed to suck at. I've practiced it off and on for about nine months (okay, more off than on). I now want to put in some dedicated time. 10 to 15 minutes in the morning, followed by a 15 minute meditation. I'm looking forward to radical epiphanies and goofy fun.

In April I taught a class on Lizard Taming for Money Fears, and in our last class, we discussed gratitude. For May, I'm going to amp up my practice of gratitude in two ways. First, I have a beautiful new journal where I will write about the wonderful things in my life, throughout the day. Second, I have a smaller book I will carry with me when I'm on-the-go, to capture those moments of gratitude when inspiration strikes.

Do you have themes for May? Want to join me in either of these endeavors?
 

Here’s what I’ve learned from focusing on breathing this month.

1. I hold my breath. A lot. Seemingly for no reason, though often it’s when I’m concentrating. This is ironic because depriving my brain of oxygen is unlikely to help my thinking.

2. If I consciously breathe for 5 minutes, I can triple the length of my inhale and exhale with not effort. All that’s required is my attention.

3. If I breathe for 10 minutes, my mind relaxes. If I breathe for 20 minutes, my body feels as if it’s aged backward. If I breathe for 30 minutes or more, I feel like I took some mid-altering substances. (Though this did happen with less than 5 minutes of breathing yesterday--it was fabulous!)

Curious about breathing? Check out Jess Ryan, yogini extraordinaire. She teaches anyone, local or long-distance (via Skype). And she rocks.

Jess says that 10 minutes of conscious breathing results in measurable physiological changes.

Spend 10 minutes today just watching yourself breathe. Relax into it. Send the air into your low belly. Enjoy!

photo courtesy of talulayu via flickr
 

I can be guilty of being unnecessarily serious. In an attempt to lighten up over the last week, I decided to start playing with my food.

There are no children in our house, so funny food faces is far from necessary; my husband and I will eat our broccoli and spinach without a fuss. However, taking an extra two minutes to be creative with my dinner presentation was worth it for the child-like glee that followed when I saw my final creation.

Here’s steamed broccoli and a salmon burger.


Here’s pan fried polenta with spinach and cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas and sauteed mushrooms. A little parmesan cheese added a fun color contrast.


Where in your life can you be a bit more playful?

Enjoy!
 

We’re having absolutely fabulous weather here in Corvallis, Oregon. As I type this, it’s sunny and mid-50s. It will likely hit 60 today. I had a delightful morning run. The sun is now streaming in my office window and I can feel the fresh air blowing in. I love it.
Except when I start future-thinking. I fret about the winter we didn’t have.

Will it come in March or April?
Will it kill all of the buds on the trees?
Will this create problems for the local farmers?
What about the summer?
Will it be crazy-hot?
Will there be a lot of fires?
We need more rain!!!

Once I start down this path, it quickly turns into a death spiral. I stop enjoying the sunshine, the crocuses, and my open office window. I start worrying about all of these things that are completely out of my control.

As I’ve been noticing this mental weather pattern of mine over the past few weeks, I’ve been catching myself in the act and stopping this future-thinking.

On my run today, as soon as I stopped fretting, I noticed so many more crocuses that I usually notice. It was because I was present. I was in the now. I was living today.

It got me thinking about how much I miss because my mind is focused up ahead.

This weather one is a simple example. Of course I can’t change the weather. Future focus on that is obviously a waste of time for me. I’m not a farmer. I have air conditioning. And forest fires don’t come to Corvallis.

But what about the other areas of my life? There are plenty of times I future-think and believe that future-thinking will somehow help me. Every time I think about the future and not the now, I am missing the now.

Future-thinking is not necessarily a bad thing, just when it becomes a repetitive pattern full of worry. We can future-think about our bodies and health, the weather, money, relationships, work, you name it! Most of the time it just fills us with worry and offers no benefit (unless you think stress is a good thing).

Do you future-think? Is there one area where you can commit to stopping your future-thinking pattern?

With all of my talk about change, I want to also remind you that even when it feels like life is a whirlwind of change, there are always some things that remain constant.

If you’ve embarked on a new career, notice that your relationships with friends remain the same. If you’ve had a shake-up in your home life, notice that your exercise routine can stay the same. Notice whatever is constant for you.

What do you enjoy or appreciate about this aspect of your life? How does it bring you comfort? Whatever it is, keep it. Notice it. Connect with it. Enjoy your time with it. Appreciate it. Express gratitude for it. Relax with it. Let its essence fill you up.

Use this aspect of your life as your grounding rod. Let it hold your feet to the earth and steady you despite the whirlwinds of change that surround you.

Photo courtesy of my dad, John Williams, from his visit to Oregon in June-08

Change happens. We lose part of ourselves. Then we find a new way.

Heading in a new direction is like following a trail of breadcrumbs. We do not know the end destination, yet we can just barely see the next step. Each crumb we find offers us new information about our destination.

For some, this slow revealing is a fun adventure. For others, the mystery is agonizing. Whichever your disposition, know that the process of noticing your new information and narrowing in on your target is essential for arriving at your destination. Otherwise, you’d stop short of where you’re supposed to end up.

As you set out on your new way, write out what you know about where you’re headed--this can also include where you know you’re not headed. At the beginning, you won’t have much--that’s okay. Slowly you’ll find clarity.

Each time you find a bread crumb, add to, delete from, refine, and rewrite what you know. Notice what you can from each crumb. When you’ve gathered all you can from it, search for the next crumb.

Enjoy the journey. It’s an adventure to a yet-to-be-revealed destination. Trust that your true self knows how to find the way and the process of its unveiling is divinely timed.

Photo courtesy of Storm Crypt via Flickr

Do you ever say, “Once I get or do [this thing], then I’ll take a break,” or something like that?

This is a common theme for me. I had a long list of deadlines for last week, and I saw that I was putting off taking a break until they were done.

When I made it through the list, the realization hit me that I was done. I took a few deep breaths, then I looked for the next thing to do.

Then I stopped myself. I noticed my accomplishments. I remembered my delayed break.

I took a few more deep breaths.

I said, “Now take that break you said you were delaying until you got it all done.” (Like a stern yet loving mother may say.)

And I did.

I relaxed, I read, I wrote, and I spent time sitting quietly. I enjoyed the break and reveled in my accomplishments. I laughed at how quickly they all got done, especially considering my frenzied moments earlier in the week.

I’ve committed to LISTEN and to ALLOW this year. I’m not embodying these words all the time, but on days like this one, I am one step closer. And that’s what matters.