The Magic of Taking Time to Unpack

When I first discovered the power of a gratitude practice, my life began to truly change for the better. I’ve kept that practice in one form or another for the past decade. When my friend, Terri Beuthin, invited me to join her Magic book Study group, a book club to do the 28 day gratitude practice together, I felt like I already knew the thing, but love Terri and figured it couldn’t hurt to uplevel my practice.

Halfway through, I find the author turns gratitude practice into a transformative art form. I chose to slow down and really dove in. I want to share the shocking discovery I made on Day 13—which I’ve spent the better part of a month on. Perhaps my revelation will give you some food for thought for your own life—or kindle a desire to explore gratitude through the Magic book as well.

So here I am—I FINALLY finished Day 13!!! I literally took at LEAST one day for the assignment: Take each of the 10 Dreams I Have, write out my Thank you, along with how I feel when I receive it, who I first tell about it, and what first great thing I did when I receive it.

This one has been particularly powerful for me and I didn't want to rush through and miss the juicy goodness. Like going to yoga or PT--if I rush the motion, I miss all the range where my body is trying to stretch or integrate and it becomes a motion without meaning or impact.

So what I noticed is that first, when I REALLY tuned into my heart, each of my 10 dreams are completely within my reach--none of them had to do with making a million dollars or traveling to an exotic place or anything like that. They are almost mundane and yet they are deep, deep heart desires that somehow continue (to this point) to remain unfulfilled. Like beautifully organized closets and drawers or moving everyday to strengthen my body and help it be more flexible and energized.

As I wrote about them becoming realized and how that made me feel, such powerful emotions came up--most around how they each made me feel that I was valuing myself and honoring my self-worth. How I felt expansive and joyful instead of constrained by schedule and obligations. And it wasn't all about taking baths and eating chocolates! There is work involved in these things, but the work is prioritizing what is in my heart rather than what I feel is expected of me.

Now where I get those expectations of me is quite the thing to unpack and discard or at least get more clarity on. Being responsible and caring for others is deeply ingrained in my psyche and has over the years given me a sense of worth and being good enough as well as a way of ensuring I receive what I think I need--the love and approval of others.

And that's all well and good and has served, but it also has led to self-betrayal when I put those expectation at a higher value that my deepest core values for myself AND for my family. That creates a real unsettled resentment in my soul and that ambivalence translates to my vibration in the world.

I also reflected that these dreams for someone else might be "shoulds" that would be boulders in their backpack so to speak--like some people might find prioritizing trail running and yoga daily or clean closets to be heavy burdens or judgements on how they are in the world and that wouldn't be a dream come true. But for me, these are little acknowledgements that my life, my body, my family are worthy of my time, attention and care and that my life purpose, my mission, my responsibility to the greater world will be better served when I value my own life.

There is a new learning of balance here. And I dare say, there are times in life, such as when you have a new baby (or new baby business) when balance is not the key and you set aside some of these things-like sleep!--to tend a new life or vision. And that others times in life recovering that balance is vital to creating a nourished life that has something real to offer the rest of the world.

I wonder, what are the dreams in your heart? What is stopping YOU from creating them? What would happen if you started? Or even just took the time to write them down and explore what you would feel if you DID create/receive them?

I’m moving onto the 2nd have of the Magic book now, but I am also going to be focusing in 2020 on really doing the things that it takes to realize in the material world the 10 dreams that I have for my life.

If you’d like to join us in the book club, comment or message me and I’ll add you to your FB group.