Boost: A Quick Burst of Inspiration When You Need It
Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up eager, excited and feeling blessed to have that little extra time to get started, which you happily do…and then “Bam!”…it takes off in a whole other direction, leaving you feeling like, “What the heck just happened!?”
I had one of those this morning. I woke at 5:50 am, did my morning meditation, and got out of bed eager to fit in a little stretching and exercise before my work day began (something I was letting slide for a bit). However, in the hustle and bustle of getting my pre-teen to the bus on time, things went downhill fast.
What started with good intentions to make sure she had her lunch, resulted in opening her lunch bag to yesterday’s wasted food (a common occurrence these days) and escalated into an argument. And the excitement about my day was replaced with frustration and upset.
Some days it can be easy to shrug things off, but today wasn’t that day. My attempts at a productive morning weren’t going well, in spite of going over how I wanted it to go in my head. I knew I needed to reset or my whole day would be compromised. So, I did what I often do on a day like this – sat myself down for a few moments and meditated. It was relaxing, engaging and I felt much better when I was done – back to feeling like myself again. I was ready to go.
Once again, I proceeded towards a productive work day. I had my tea, a snack and just as I was about to sit…“Smash!” Over went my big full cup of tea… Half of it was on my computer…some on my chair…lots on the floor, along with my favourite mug, now in pieces. I quickly wiped my computer off and left it upside down, and proceeded to clean the rest of the mess and make another tea, while wondering what was with my day.
I knew something was off, and fortunately it didn’t take me long to figure out what it was. In my attempts to maintain my focus on things that propel my goals and keep me inspired, I was ignoring a monumental experience. This Sunday, Dec 16th would mark the anniversary of my father’s passing. And although I’ve have been aware of it, I didn’t want to dwell on something that is essentially negative.
However, upon giving it more thought, l remembered that I didn’t have to focus on it in a negative way. I could acknowledge it and honour him in a positive way. And so I decided that on Sunday I would bake what is one of my daughter’s favourites, and what was a Sunday tradition of my dad’s – tea biscuits – to acknowledge him and my love, without the all-consuming negativity.
Today has been a reminder of a couple of things for me…
One is something I heard Oprah say once, that went something like, the inner messages start with a whisper and get louder and louder…which can often turn into negative experiences when we ignore them. My inner voice was trying to get me to acknowledge something important, and when I didn’t listen, the whisper got louder until it got my full attention. I don’t usually ignore myself, and this is a good reminder not to start. The feelings will come out one way or another, whether it’s negative emotions, fighting, accidents…
The second thing is that we can always reset ourselves when things feel off. Once you acknowledge it, you can figure out a way that will work well for you in the moment. It may be listening to or reading something inspiring, meditation, a mantra or exercise. When we reset our minds and thoughts, we can continue our day productively, feeling good and back in line with our desires. Or as James Allen eloquently put it in his book, As a Man Thinketh, “Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it” (p.18). Here’s to resetting!
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