He thought about it but didn’t have an answer so I asked him if he was up for a new adventure; walking to Disneyland instead of driving.
He got excited when he thought of it in terms of an adventure so we started walking. During our walk, I would point out certain things to look at along the way and asked him if he’d ever noticed these things when we were in the car. As he started to catch on to what he was experiencing, he’d say, “ Grammy, look at this. When did they put this here? What do you think this is? Can I touch this? Let’s get a stick and poke it to see what’s underneath!” We talked about the adventure of our walk. He’d asked if it was dumb to walk because we could get there so much faster if we drove. I pointed out all the fun things he’d miss if we had driven and as young as he was, I could tell he understood that both driving and walking was a way to get from here to there but the adventure was about what happened along the way! Anthony is a grown man with a daughter of his own now. I often think of those adventures with Anthony when I’m traveling from here to there. When I’m walking, I remind myself to be mindful of what’s in front of me and not to make the walk about going out and getting back but what I experience along the way! Mindfulness is possible in the car as well; instead of always listening to music to pass the time, I ride in silence and notice what’s outside my window. When I’m working at my desk, I make time to step away and be mindful of my body; what does it need? Food, stretching, water, a change of scenery? We always have an opportunity to practice mindfulness but our self-talk often has a way of talking us out of it with thoughts like, “you have a deadline, you promised you’d do this today, people are counting on you, if you don’t finish, people will think you’re lazy and slacked off!” Mindfulness is impossible when we’re more concerned what others will think of us than what we think of ourselves. If this article has come into your awareness, I'd love to know how this message has inspired you to make time for mindfulness in your life! Nancy Mueller ~ Life Sensei
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I want you to be proud of me and I want you to see my value.
I really am trying so hard to be what you want me to be but when I compare myself to how others look, talk, walk, dress, eat, and read, I know you still think I’m inadequate. Maybe if you talked nicer to me! Maybe if you told me you love me more often! Maybe if you told me I’m just as important, beautiful, talented, creative and successful as those other people you’re always noticing, I might feel better about myself. What else can I do? I’m desperate to feel loved, nurtured, safe and taken care of. What else can I do to make you understand that I matter? How do I make you understand that I am enough? Why can’t you notice the special qualities that I have? Why aren’t I good enough for you? I’m not sure what else I can do; you say you love me but this doesn’t feel like love. I don’t even think you’re listening to me most of the time. You smile, you put on a good show in front of other people, but when we’re alone, I feel so inadequate, so meaningless, so unimportant. Do I need to lose weight, get a different job, or change my hairstyle? Would that make you prouder of me? Is that what it’ll take to finally feel like you love me? I don't know why I bother talking to you, I know you’re not listening, I know nothing is going to change and I know you don’t have any answers for me. You never have answers for me because these conversations always turn out the same; I’m always begging you to love me but I don't like the way you make me feel. Talking to you never changes anything because you’re only a reflection in my mirror. Nancy Mueller ~ Life Sensei
Am I ready to accept how fabulous, talented, gifted, creative, and powerful I am?
WOW, sometimes it can feel like a lot of pressure to say "yes" to my greatness because I used to believe it's a sure sign that I'm being arrogant! That can be fearful, thinking others might accuse me of being arrogant because sometimes I forget the only person's opinion of me that matters is mine! Every choice I make is based on a feeling of love or fear. Since the only thing that exists is love, I know fear is not real. So if fear isn’t real, what does it mean when I feel fear? Feeling fear, is my mind’s way of asking me a question, and the question is, “are you sure you really want this?” Some fear is meant to keep me safe, so fear will ask the question, “Do you want to walk down this dark alley late at night knowing there might be danger ahead?” Fear is my mind's way of letting me know I'm moving towards a change in my outer world or a shift in my thinking. Because I'm thinking of making this change, my emotions are on high alert and what feels like fear is merely a question, coming from a place of love, wanting me to do whatever it takes to believe it’s safe to accept the abundance coming my way. When my answer is yes, but I feel the fear, I hesitate, because fear doesn’t FEEL good. Of course, this is ego’s purpose; to stop me from moving forward, from leveling up, because that’s ego’s job; it thinks it’s keeping me safe by staying where I am. Fear is my mind’s way of asking me to be very sure about what I'm saying, ”yes” to. Moving forward, leveling up, that's where I want to be. I want more of those paying clients, I want that bigger bank balance, I want that comfortable home, I want that healthier body, I want those loving relationships, I want that higher spiritual consciousness, but I don’t always stop to really think about the question fear is asking me because I usually feel it before I understand it! Now that I understand fear, I know the feeling of fear is my intuition, letting me know I'm being given the opportunity to be more of who I am. Accepting more of who I am keeps me out of a lack mindset and into an abundant mindset. Knowing this gives me the confidence to understand that fear is an opportunity to shift my paradigm. Either way, I know fear is giving me the opportunity to make empowering choices in my life because now, I understand fear! Nancy Mueller ~ Life Sensei |
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