Hi Lovely,
Today’s a day of reflection, but first, I want to see what happens when you read this…
It’s April 10, 2017.
What does that mean to you? Take a second to think about it or write down your immediate thoughts without censoring them…
Here are mine…
I can’t believe how quickly this year is going by.
I have trips and events coming up this month — that makes me super excited, but I also feel like I have a million things to do beforehand.
We have two launches right around the corner — are we ready?! (Again, overwhelm sets in.)
How is it already 2017, and how am I 31-years-old?
I can’t believe I’ve lived in London for nearly seven years. (Have I made the most of it?!)
What if Oprah dies before we get to work together. (Just being honest with you!)
I can’t believe I’ve been running my business for nearly three years. (In some ways it feels like I’ve done more in three years than I ever thought I would but at the same time, it feels like it’s gone by quickly.)
Even as I write this, I’m realizing I’m “behind” on my daily tasks.
There are a lot of things that come up when we think about time and timing, right?
The truth about time and me is that we haven’t always been friends, and we’re still a work in progress.
There have been quite a few moments in my life where I’ve felt like I…
Should be further along.
Did something wrong to end up in this place.
Felt like I was running out of time.
Showed up like I had four months left to live.
Felt overwhelmed about everything on my plate.
And one of my more recent (and biggest) realizations about time is that I often make the present moment wrong.
I know what you’re thinking — sometimes you’re not where you want to be, sometimes there’s pain and suffering, sometimes it’s far more exciting to think about the future and what’s coming than to live in the present moment.
And sometimes the present moment just sucks. (Or so we think.)
But what I’ve learned through some deep transformational work over the past few months is that none of the above means that the present moment is wrong, and in fact, when you make it wrong, you’re basically reserving a more long-term spot in that “wrong” place.
(I didn’t know that by making the present moment wrong, I was keeping that suffering going for a longer amount of time, did you lovely?)
I’ve also learned that you get more of what you focus on in life so if you’re consistently making the present moment wrong (painful, sucky, annoying — you fill in the blank) you’re going to get more of that.
I know this might feel super heavy, but stick with me.
How often have you been upset with your current life circumstances, only to be grateful for them later on? Maybe those experiences helped you connect with clients, lead you to the work you now do, inspired you to start your business.
How often have you learned a valuable lesson about yourself or grew stronger out of an experience that was painful, a struggle, or maybe even caused some suffering?
Did your quarter-life crisis really need to last four years?! (That one’s for me…!)
How would it feel to be grateful for those challenging moments (after all, you wouldn’t be able to recognize the moments when everything felt amazing without the contradiction of the not-so-amazing!)?
And what if you — during those similar moments to come in your life — recognize that there’s a chance that you may be learning an incredible lesson, and that everything is happening for you not to you?
How much more positive and freeing would that feel?
I’d love for you to reflect on those questions this week…
One of the other tools that has helped me immensely when it comes to this topic and enjoying the present moment is the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
It’s been a solution to so much of the suffering that I’ve experienced for years — everything I mentioned above and much more.
Here’s a quote from the book:
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you have chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”
I know for me, the sooner I recognize that the present moment is perfect — even in the most challenging of present moments — and drop my resistance to what’s going on and instead look for the lesson, the sooner I find peace and joy and experience the needed growth and transformation that that moment is gifting me with.
So here’s to you and time, lovely!
Lots of love,
