The Journey Board Series – Pause and give yourself the gift of presence

Wherever you are, be all there. – Jim Elliot

Have you driven to a destination and, when you got there, you couldn’t actually recall the trip?

That’s often not such a bad thing, you’ve zoned out because the trip is, so commonplace, that you can operate on auto-pilot.

 But what of your life?

Our days can certainly be so busy.

Racing and rushing and juggling our responsibilities. To-Do Lists that mate and multiply. Overwhelmed by options in our businesses and lives and the bright shiny objects and shoulds and musts that clamour for our attention…

Busyness has become somewhat of a badge of honour and to press the pause button, well that’s virtually akin to pushing the guilt button.

It was a bit of a wake up call when I realised that this overloaded autopilot mode had actually switched on for too many of my days. I also became aware of the language I was using and the thoughts I was entertaining.

It started with an opening wail of “I’ve not had enough sleep” when I first woke up and was exacerbated by incessant mental list-making before my feet even hit the floor! “I’ve got soooooo much to do” was my battle cry and resentment my shadow.

It certainly didn’t help that I kept my iPhone right beside my bed. Diving into my inbox at 6 am followed by a quick tour of Facebook did nothing to reduce my internal angst.

And that refreshing morning shower? Well, that was just another space of time to future trip, immersing myself in worrying about how this and that would go or past pondering, wishing that things I’d already done had gone differently. So much mental energy was expended on things I couldn’t change.

Hmmmmm, the freedom and joy of having your own business? It wasn’t quite living up to the promise!

That seemed to be the start of my every day back in mid-2012 but fortunately, I did wake up to myself before I went too far under and I let go of the marketing agency that was at the core of my stress levels and I turned my attention inwards, to listen to what my heart was trying to tell me.

You have to get quiet and slow down to clearly hear your truth.

A good friend of mine talks about her craving for  S  P  A  C  E .

Time and space to simply be. To be a human being rather than a human doing.

I think the most important part of this is the fact that when you gift yourself the grace of time and space (which is selfFUL not selfish by the way) that’s when you can actually tune into your intuition. That’s when your real desires can begin to bob to the surface. That’s when the idea that’s been eluding you for your business or program or product or event or whatever it is that you’ve been challenged or frustrated by or yearning for will begin to emerge.

You can only hear the calling of your heart when the background noise drops away.

Let’s see if you have been engulfed in noise and busyness for too long shall we? A wee litmus test to see if you’ve disconnected from yourself.

Consider these questions…

• What do you love to do?
• What lights you up?
• What do you most value and stand for?
• How do you want to feel?
• What do you want to create?

Do your answers arrive quickly, clearly and completely, resplendent in colour and form? Does clarity and certainty overflow from your heart and pour into the vision you have for your future?

If it does, bravo! You’re connected to the core of you and from there, you are able to freely uncover your Purpose and create your Vision.

But if you are a little like I was, there may still be some work to be done. And please remember, progress, not perfection is what we aim for in our Next Chapters (perfect is a myth, you do know that don’t you???).

I’ve introduced some simple rituals in my days to stop me from falling into the headspace of overwhelm and resentment. I call these the Bookends of my day – simple meditation and journaling in the morning and a gratitude list at night.

I’ve created this business, my Next Chapter Business, that’s wrapped around my core values and feels a lot more easeful and fulfilling. It’s a perfect alignment of my skills and experience with my passion and purpose.

I’ve become a lot more present in my days. More aware. More intentional.

I use the Power of the Pause as often as I can to help me respond, rather than react.

And I’ve also banned the phone and ipad from my bedroom!

I believe that conscious connection and mindfulness, in contrast to the sleep-rushing habits we often fall into, are two of the golden keys to clarity and confidence.

And that’s why I’m sharing the tools, philosophies and practices that I’ve found to be the most powerfully effective for me, in becoming present in my life, with you in Module Two of Your Journey Board, an illuminating self-paced program that will help you make peace with your past (and find the gold that’s buried there), consciously connect to the present (because that’s where your power resides) and create a Purpose and Vision Statement to guide you into your Next Chapter.

Your Journey Board is a gift to yourself.

As you stand on the edge of a new beginning.

You know you want more. You want purpose. You want fulfilment. You want different.

I know Your Journey Board is the first step into that future for you.

You can access this free program here. Invest your time, attention and open heart. It will be oh so worth it, I promise.

I can’t wait to hear more about who you are becoming in Your Next Chapter!

And please, share this program with a friend so we can create a powerful wave of expansion across the world…

BTW This is the second post in Your Journey Board Series, you can read Post One (Harvesting your past for confidence and clarity) as well.

Warmly,