I was on the phone last week with my amazing mastermind group, expressing frustration that it was taking me so long to get website copy written for my new offerings. Writing “sales copy” makes me want to pull my hair out. I have lots of stories about why. And my experience of hiring a copywriter was slightly traumatizing and honestly, a disaster.

One of the women in the group said simply, “What if it were easy?”

Right. Of course. What are the chances something will be easy when I’m constantly telling myself it’s going to be painful and awful and hard?

I witnessed this with my daughter at breakfast today, as she prepped to take her antibiotics. One swift swallow and she’d be on to breakfast. Instead she stared at it on the spoon, psyching herself out about how terrible it was. She had a glass of water in one hand and some dry cereal to dull the taste. She finally got the single teaspoon down in three swallows. It was torture to watch.

We do this all the time as humans, telling ourselves stories that make life harder and more distasteful than it needs to be.

As you go about your week, every time you encounter a task or a conversation that you think will be painfully difficult, take a breath and ask yourself, What if this was easy? Do your best to see the possibility of it and to allow the stories in your head to shift, even just a touch.

It might take some practice and you might be resistant (sometimes we feel validated by the story of hard – it makes us feel brave and special or it gives us a justification for playing small) but stay with it. Keep asking the question and see what happens.

You never know. Life just might get a little bit easier.

P.S. This was the second year I attended Sat Nam Fest in Joshua Tree, a Kundalini yoga and music festival. Every year, I get nervous about how physically hard it will be and how much my muscles will shake and whether I’ll be able to do what’s asked of me. And both years there have come times when I’ve had to give up on a pose or take a break from the intensity of a particular exercise.

But there have also been times when I’ve surprised myself with my strength and my ability to push through the discomfort. And part of that is knowing that the reward of doing the work is bigger than the pain in the moment. So there’s that too. Sometimes things just aren’t easy. But we persevere because we know that what’s on the other side is so good.

And sometimes it’s both – easier than we anticipated and worth every moment of discomfort. The stories we tell ourselves in the midst of it will affect the outcome. Watch those stories this week, with compassion and acceptance and maybe even love, and notice if there any you are ready to release.

 

I’m tired of trying to be in control.

It’s an illusion anyway, control. I know this. I consciously practice living from a place of trust in the universe. But I still catch myself thinking some version of, “If I just do x, then y will happen…”

Sometimes it’s true. And sometimes it’s not and I find myself wondering what I did wrong.

Then I remember…

It’s not all up to me.

So this week (and last week and next week and the week after that) I’m consciously handing it over to God, the universe, spirit, my angels – to whoever is listening and willing to take it on.

Every time I feel stuck, or worried, or afraid, or challenged, or I don’t know which direction to go, I press pause on my thoughts and breathe, then announce to the universe that I’m handing it over and to please guide me to the next right move.

Hey universe, I’d love it if you could guide me to a clean rest stop on the highway in the next 30 minutes because we’re in the middle of the desert and I’ve stopped around here before and it’s been disgusting. Thank you.

Hi there angels. I’m really struggling with this situation and it feels awful so I’m going to give it to you now. I know that the perfect solution is out there and I trust you to help me find it when the time is right. I’m letting go of my need to control it and putting it in your hands. Please help me recognize your guidance, because sometimes I’m a little dense. Thank you so very much. Amen.

Hi universe, it’s me again. If I’m meant to do this thing that I’ve been thinking about, would you please give me a clear sign? I’m handing the decision over to you and trusting that if it’s in line with my purpose and in service of my highest good, you will help me know.

Then I let go of the outcome, sit back and follow the signs – both internal and external. Or I do my best to anyway.

This doesn’t mean I don’t DO anything. It just means I’m more interested in what feels right than what was on my to do list. It means that more and more I’m letting go of the should’s and focusing on the want to’s. And it means that I’m learning to value the quiet, restful moments as much as the productive, get-things-done ones.

Tosha Silver writes wonderfully about this in her book Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead. If you already know and practice this way of living, her words won’t be new but her voice is fun and fresh and she’s a fantastic storyteller. And if this kind of thing is new to you, then pick up this book and let it rock your world.

So will you practice handing it over with me this week? If you do, come back and let me know what happens. I can’t wait to hear.

Ada is on spring break. We’re at Disneyland for three days, then Sat Nam Fest, a kundalini yoga festival in the desert, for the rest of the week. I’ve started three separate posts and the words just don’t want to come. So I’m giving myself permission to do what feels best.

I’m goin’ fishing, metaphorically speaking.

It’s a choose-your-own-mantra Monday. If you feel like sharing yours, I’d love for you to leave it in the comments below.

 

It’s 9am on Monday and I’m already feeling a teensy bit of overwhelm about my week. I have a horrendous habit of thinking things will take me half as long as they actually do. My daughter is out of school at noon all week for parent-teacher conferences so my work days are cut in half and my office is in the midst of a re-org that has everything spread out on the floor.

So to keep my sanity, my sense of humor and to aid with my new moon intention of making the choice that makes me happiest, I’m scheduling in dance breaks. I’m setting my alarm for a couple of random times throughout the day so I can stop and dance it out. Because the combination of some favorite music and moving my body always makes me feel better.

I invite you to join me in dancing it out this week. Whether you’re flying high or feeling blue, music and movement are two of the most powerful ways to either celebrate or shift your mood. And when I say dance, I mean you can sit in your chair or lie on your bed and move your arms or bob your head or wiggle your fingers and toes if that’s all your body is capable of. Or you can join me in a full out booty shake or three minutes of interpretive modern dance.

You don’t have to pick happy music. You can dance it out to angry music, to music that allows you to release your tears, to music that connects you to beauty or peace or a deep desire. You can dance to silence or spoken words. You know what you need.

So dance with me this week. You’ll be in good company…

I believe it is in my nature to dance by virtue of the beat of my heart, the pulse of my blood and the music in my mind. ~ Robert Fulghum

Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people. ~ Alvin Ailey

When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way. ~ Wayne Dyer

The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs. ~ Charles Baudelaire