2020 is here! It’s January 2nd, 2020 and this year is coming at us quickly with lots of energy. Can you feel it? I certainly can. Not only is it a new year, but it’s also a new decade and I believe it’s going to be an important one. It’s a decade for change, evolution, growth, and love. It’s a time for true connection and a release of anything that is weighing us down or holding us back. It’s a time to heal the wounds of our souls and step into our fullest self. It’s a time to do the work so that we can live that life we have always felt we deserved to live. You know, that life that we see when we are sitting at our kitchen table, daydreaming while drinking our coffee or tea… that life we have glimpses of when we are taking a shower or a long hot bath, that life we dream of where we are vibrantly alive, doing the things we love – and loving the things we are doing with people we love and who love us as well.
Yes! Yes! That life…That’s what I want. That’s what we all want. But how do we get there?
Even though it feels possible in certain moments, in more moments it feels far away, almost impossible from where our feet are currently lodged in the sand. Or maybe for some of you, you feel close but can’t quite unlock that last door, or find your way through that last path… you feel great in most aspects of your life but not in all. Well, I’m not trying to say we can have a life that is without struggle 24 /7. But I am saying we can be living that life we dream of where we are at our fullest potential, if we are willing to do the work. But what is the work? This is the question of the decade.
For each one of us, the work will be different, but I want to share with you from a fellow human being who is also on her own journey, what I have learned and what I am still in the process of learning. Let me say that again, I am IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING and DO NOT KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS. I can only share what I am learning with you in hopes that it will spark something in you that will help you find your own answers. Because we are in this together… and I stress the word together. Yet, we each must also do our own work within ourselves. And while that can make us feel alone it actually will bring us more connected to each other.
So, let’s get started:
One of the most important things we need to do on a consistent basis is to take what I call, “A Moment of Me.”
Take time for you. Everyday. Even if it is only for 5-15 minutes. You are the key to your own happiness. This means you need to be with you for a few minutes each day to check in and see how you are doing. You have to be your own best friend in this process of life. In this day and age with ever increasing demands on our time and more stimulus than we can handle, we need to stop and listen and check in with ourselves. No input from outside sources, no demands from outside sources. Just you and you. How else will we know what is going on inside of us? How will we know if we are hurting or happy? Scared or angry? At peace or in turmoil? If we keep moving, and just doing with out consciously knowing what is going on inside of us, we will probably just react to the things around us. And if we are only reacting to the world around us, then we are not creating anything and are certainly not creating that life we want.
There are many ways to take a Moment of Me. Meditation is one of the ways to do it. But, if you are not into meditation, try this…
Maybe while you have your morning coffee or tea, or even before that, or right before you go to bed, maybe you step outside onto your front porch, or in your back yard, or go back upstairs and sit by the window… and ask yourself, how are you doing? Say it out loud, “Hi Me.. just want to check-in and see how you are doing”. Continue with, “Is there anything i can do for you to make you feel better, safer, more loved? ” This is just an example, remember, this is about you and you have to find what works for you, these are just suggestions. Set a timer if you are on a tight schedule. Now, once you’ve asked yourself, this or set an intention for your Moment of Me, just be. Be with yourself, breathe and be open to your thoughts, let them pass, let your mind go blank, let your body relax… notice what is going on, notice the aches and pains from a body that works hard to get you through the day.. or notice the fatigue, or the nervousness, or just feel the love…and allow the messages to come through. You may find nothing really comes up or you may find you have been in need of a cry and you might find yourself tearing up. You may suddenly realize you are angry or upset about someone. Just observe… and send yourself some loving energy, or send the person you are upset with loving energy. You may just draw a blank… you may see and or feel nothing, but by pausing, you are healing yourself. Because you are giving yourself the gift of a moment with yourself and the gift of your own presence and attention are a gift that keeps on giving.
Other ways to take your moment would be to go for a walk, take a long bath, sit where you are and close your eyes. If you live in a house with a lot of people, maybe make a project day where you all make a pretty Do Not Disturb sign and you put it up, outside the bathroom and you can all use this sign when you need it, and you all honor when someone has the sign up. Remember, we all need time and space and we need to respect those boundaries in ourselves and each other.
To be honest, I fell off the Moment of Me bandwagon over the last few weeks with the holidays and my busy schedule. And it caused a lot of turmoil in my relationships with others. I started to react to things around me because I was unaware of what I was feeling inside. And those emotions started to run amok and create havoc. Like little children who want to be seen, who act out because they don’t know what else to do? Well, that’s what I was doing. So, I am with you in this journey. And this is also a gentle reminder for me to take my “Moment of Me” everyday.
So, for me what I am back doing is a 30-minute meditation. I have a few different ones I do but a friend of mine and an amazing healer friend of mine Eric Nies just shared with me a meditation he is doing and it feels right for me, so this is what I will be doing for my “Moment of Me’. And while i just started back up yesterday, already, I feel more grounded and aware, clearer with my boundaries. I am more aware of what is going on inside of me, and somehow, I feel more neutral. And that makes my day much better for me and those around me. ( I want to also share that for the past year I have been doing a Kriya yoga meditation that involved visualization of my chakras and that has also done really well for me as well so remember, how you take your “Moment of Me” can change as long as you stay consistent. Consistency is really the key here.
A daily practice of your “A Moment of Me” will go a long way. I promise. Take the next few days to find what works for you and create the space to implement this in your life. I promise I will do the same. Let’s all do the work to take care of ourselves and find our way to our fullest lives in 2020. I want this for you all and I want this for me. I want this for all of us so let’s do it together.
My next blog will have more on how to “do the work” to live our most fulfilling life. And thoughts on other things to help in ways that I can. I hope you will join me be a part of the Carrie Ann Conversations Community. I would appreciate your presence very much.
Please take moment to share your thoughts, questions and how you take your moment of me so we can work together to make our own and each others lives better.
