Direction - Personal Practice

I had a very interesting conversation this past week about direction.

It was a discussion in passing in which it became clear to me that I may lack focus on some of my intentions I’ve set for myself because I no longer have clear direction.

In pondering my direction of life further, I noticed I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to make those intentions I set for myself at the beginning of the year fit into my life as it is now.  

In spending all this effort recently to meet the needs I previously defined for myself I have started to flounder.  I have even felt guilty for not achieving these intentions.

I find this unsettling as I like to think of myself as a goal oriented person with clear focus and direction.  

I realized recently that I am not goal oriented and lack clear focus!  I was feeling weighted down by lack of direction. 

So I started to investigate my Intentions.

Upon investigation I saw that some intentions I’ve set for myself over this last year are no longer valid.  My circumstance has changed so much that some of my priorities of twelve months ago no longer seem like a priority.  

I’m currently morning the loss of their importance in my life.  It feels almost unnerving to discover that I don’t need those intentions for myself any longer.  

With this self discovery, as is normal at the end of a calendar year, I see that I now need to set my new list of intentions and place priority on them and then build goals for each priority accordingly.

I started my list of intentions with so much hope and promise for my future!  I had clear direction and it felt great!

I have had many successes with that list of intentions and have achieved many of the intentions I set.  I celebrate those successes fully!

Now as I let go of some of the original intentions from that list that no longer fit into my life and circumstance, I plan to replace them with new intentions.  New Intentions that help me to be focused and happy with direction toward the wonderful possibility of achieving these New Intentions!

So, off I go to see how far I get with this new list!

Direction - Yoga Lesson

What is direction to you?

Once you start to think of your direction, it may seem as though you are light hearted and feel excited and inspired.  Or possibly you feel heavy and burdened with lack of direction.

What is it that you feel?

How to you clarify your direction?

Can you let go of past ideas for yourself that no longer apply?

Can you find new and exciting directions for your life if you are feeling heavy with lack of focus?

Give yourself the gift of direction!

Circumstance - Personal Practice

I’ve been feeling sorry for myself lately as I have reflected back on past circumstance.

I want things to be as they were in so many ways, but I also want what the future holds for me with the transitions I’ve made in my life.

Then it dawned on me that I haven’t been very good at practicing being in the moment.

I’ve been forcing and fighting the circumstance I’m in and complaining.  

This is not the person I want to be!

I want to be in the moment!  

I’ve decided to change my attitude and remember why I made the choices I did and to remember that every step of the way to my circumstance I’ve made the choices.  No one forced me into this circumstance.

Change can be difficult, so I’ll cut myself some slack.  It’s hard not to want some of my old comforts and ways of living life.

When I reflect back on past transitions that were difficult I know that when I settled in I found myself in a better place.  I use those lessons to remind myself to have patience.

Circumstance is a tricky and it’s important to keep myself from blaming my circumstance on others.  It was all my choice!

This is my circumstance and I embrace it!  

I want my circumstance!

If I didn’t, I have the power and choice to change it.

I’m in this moment.

Circumstance - Yoga Lesson

As defined by the dictionary circumstance is the sum of determining factors beyond willful control.

As a friend said to me “Most people if given the chance would change their circumstance”

Why not start thinking of circumstance as something within your control by living in the moment you are in.  

Practice stepping away from the moments of the past that have brought you to this moment.  

Instead of thinking about how your circumstance is going to change in the future, rather accept this moment as it is.

When in this moment make active steps to slightly modify existing circumstance so you can transition in the direction of your intentions.

Accept the circumstance of this moment.  You are here for a reason.

Learning - Personal Practice

I have recently had a lot of changes in my life.  

I moved.  I’m living with another person where I use to live alone.

I visited a foreign place.  I have new projects at work. 

One constant in all of this has been that I have to keep an open mind and be willing to learn and adapt.

This is easier said than done!

My routine has completely changed!  I am like a fish out of water!  I get frustrated and I cry because I miss the comfort of what is familiar and easy to me.

However, I choose this!  I’m glad I’m choosing to change and be different!  I’m happy and excited and feel alive to challenge my comfort zones.

I could choose to stay the same and never change.  I could stop learning about myself and think that “this is who I am”.  

I could take a job where I do the same thing all the time.  I could surround myself with people who do not challenge me or press me to try new things.  

I could choose people to socialize with that accept my approach to life and do not challenge me to try new approaches to solve problems we may experience in sharing our experiences together.

I choose to allow discomfort in my life.  This way I know I’m being challenged and I’m learning.

Don’t get me wrong.  I want to be comfortable and have a familiarity with places, things, jobs, and people.  

However, I don’t want to think that things are not going to change.  That I will stop growing or that my job has no challenge left for me.  Or think that the significant people in my life will not grow or offer challenge to me.   

I want to learn and evolve to keep the journey exciting and interesting.

So I say to myself when things are hard and challenging that this is part of learning something new.  I accept the discomfort and frustration.

I want to learn!

Learning - Yoga Lesson

Often we think we know it all.  We have learned all there is to know with regard to ourselves, our jobs, and those in our social circle.

Maybe you haven’t learned everything?

Possibly there is something you have been holding back on because you thought it would be impossible to do.  Learn how!  Do it!

What if there is a deeper layer to the job you do?  What if all you have to do is take a new approach?  Maybe start asking your co-workers questions to see what they think.  Take the positive and forget the negative.

How about some of the people you know?  How about catching yourself whenever you start to cast judgment on them?  Just when you think you know how they are going to respond, stop yourself from assuming they will respond as anticipated.  Why not wait to see?  Maybe you will learn something new about someone you thought you knew.

Take time to have the attitude you will learn something new and possibly you will gain a new appreciation of the things and people in your life.