Riding the Current of the Current
/Imagine, for a moment, if this experience was your choice. Not the illness or suffering or division, but the practical day-to-day of what is happening inside your four walls. Inside your heart and head.
What if you had decided to take this year and completely turn your existing world upside down? A year to mostly stay home and spend a lot of extra time with your family. A year when you would see only people who lived close by or those you really enjoyed and trusted. A year that would prompt you to question your priorities and discover your true values, hidden talents and underlying fears.
How would you be living right now, if you viewed every thought, feeling and action, as if you had intended this year to be exactly like this?
Think about your time with family. Would you spend it feeling stressed, anxious and overwhelmed? Or would you feel relaxed, engaged and grateful?
…Your time at home. Would you be excitedly going through your list of “rainy day” projects? Or would you stay lost in the time warp of not knowing how or what to prioritize?
…Your time with yourself. Would you be reading, trying new hobbies and enjoying quiet reflections? Or beating yourself up for not getting enough done and then (mindlessly) crashing on couch for another night lost to TV and social media?
I know the first few months of this pandemic were incredibly stressful and in many cases traumatic. For a lot of us, the loss of control and absence of "normalcy" has shaken us to core, even mimicking the five stages of grief people can experience when they lose someone close to them.
So while the external circumstances might be outside our control, it is still our choice to live mindfully, with clarity and intention, rather than get swallowed up by the sea of uncertainty. When it comes to Control in the time of Coronavirus, there’s two pieces to the control puzzle for you to consider.
We were never really in control. Oh sure, you could put some plans in place, run through a to-do list and think you were managing it all. But there was always something – a sick child, a rainstorm, a broken appliance – that would break your rhythm and show you that we are always at the mercy of unexpected occurrences.
You still have control, over the only thing that has ever and will ever bring genuine contentment: this moment, right here and right now. Not in stewing over past negativity and missed opportunities, or anxiously awaiting a different future.
Next week I’ll provide some practical ideas on how to move forward with greater ease. Until then, consider this when you are feeling overwhelmed:
True joy is found in surrendering to the flow. The waves of 2020 will continue. And unlike the hypothetical planned year I suggested, we don’t know how or when this new paradigm will end. So will you take this opportunity to ride the current of the current? How can you reframe your current circumstance into one of choice?
If you are ready for this type of mindset shift, click here and let's talk. A 30-minute Intention Session can transform how you see yourself and the world around you.
With love,
Lauren