Day 308: What If Nothing Needs Fixing Today?
I've noticed something interesting about how our minds work.
We can have a perfectly wonderful day going on around us, and still find ourselves mentally working on something that isn't quite the way we want it.
A project that isn't finished. A decision we haven't made. Something we want to change about ourselves or our lives. A conversation we need to have or a problem we haven't figured out how to solve.
There's always something.
And because we're so accustomed to being responsible, getting things done, and looking ahead, we can spend an enormous amount of time thinking about what still needs our attention.
Even when nothing needs our attention right this minute.
I was thinking about this in terms of my own life and how much I genuinely enjoy my everyday routine.
I love getting up early, doing my spiritual practice, writing these emails, spending time with my dogs, and walking along the beach before I start my workday.
This morning, as I was watching the sunrise, I met an interesting guy who lives here in the winter.
And we talked for about 30 minutes before I headed home to my dogs. And as soon as I turned away from the beach, the first thought I had was how grateful I was that I could spend that time without thinking about what it disrupted in my day.
I'm setting up new boundaries to not so tightly pack my daily calendar, and this was proof it's working.
This is a life I consciously created, am still consciously creating, and confirming every day. And I appreciate it more than I can tell you.
Yet, I can still catch myself mentally working on something while I'm doing one of those things I love, that isn't work.
I can be sitting with my coffee, reading, and enjoying the quiet, and suddenly I'm thinking about what I need to get done later.
And the funny thing is, whatever I'm thinking about usually isn't something I can do anything about while I'm sitting there drinking my coffee.
So why am I giving it that moment of my life?
It's a habit we've developed over years, sometimes decades, of believing that being responsible means always staying one step ahead of everything.
We get so used to looking for what needs fixing, improving, organizing, or figuring out that we can overlook the fact that there's actually nothing wrong with the moment we're in. In fact, that's the goal.
And that brings me back to something I learned at the very beginning of my personal growth journey.
Appreciation is one of the easiest ways to shift our emotional state.
When we're appreciating something, we're giving our attention to what feels good right now. We're allowing ourselves to experience the pleasure of what is already here.
And we don't have to wait until everything on our list is finished to do that.
Because if we wait until there's nothing left to do, we'll be waiting a very long time. It never ends. We just keep adding to it.
I've spent much of my life teaching women how to create the life and business they consciously choose, to question old beliefs, and make choices that allow them to live more fully.
But there's another part of conscious creation that's just as important.
We have to allow ourselves to enjoy what we've already created.
Otherwise, we can spend our whole lives moving from one desire to the next without ever fully experiencing the satisfaction of having any of them.
There's nothing wrong with having new dreams, working toward new goals, or wanting to make changes in our lives. I'm doing all of those things myself, and I have no intention of stopping.
But I also don't want to miss the life I've created because I'm too busy thinking about what comes next.
We don't stop to appreciate, acknowledge, and congratulate ourselves on our small victories, either.
Finally being able to figure something out after several failed attempts while editing a video. Getting my carousel built and posted in 10 minutes when the first few took me 30 minutes.
Or the fact that I was so rusty at recording with slides, I had to do my masterclass a few times to get it to a place I felt ok about putting it out into the world. Little things that at the end of the day, I can high-five myself for, because I did that.
We need to celebrate all those little things. They matter. We learned something new, made time for something we had previously pushed off, mastered something that had been a thorn in our side.
When other people are posting about $100,000 months or $1,000,000 months, it can make us feel like our small victories don't matter. They do.
And so does taking time to play with your dogs, or your grandkids, instead of working. Going to the park instead of something you told yourself you 'should' get done.
Sometimes the most loving thing we can do for ourselves is simply give our minds permission to stop looking for something to work on.
The unfinished project will still be there when we're ready to return to it.
The decisions will get made.
And the things that genuinely need our attention will receive it.
But this moment, the one we're living right now, won't come around again.
I'd like to enjoy more of those moments while I'm in them.
Today's Gentle Practice
At some point today, when you're doing something you enjoy, notice whether your mind is already moving on to the next thing.
Ask yourself:
Can I let myself fully enjoy this moment without needing to think about what comes next?
You don't have to finish everything, solve every problem, or have your whole life figured out before you allow yourself to feel good.
Give yourself a few minutes to appreciate where you are and what you're experiencing right now.
With you,
Lynn
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