As September picks up its pace, it brings with it transformation and new beginnings.
This is a month filled with that “back to school” vibe, seasonal shifts, and an invitation to review what needs to transform and change in your life.
It is an ideal time to rest, review and recalibrate.
Consider what changes you might be waiting to implement in your life.
What needs nurturing?
What parts of yourself have been neglected?
Where can you be softer and understand yourself more?
What parts of your soul are yearning to be noticed?
I’ve learned over the years that it’s important to give myself permission to just be me and follow my gut instinct instead of doing what everyone else wants me to do or what I believe is expected of me.
So many of us find it difficult to take the time to really listen to what our soul is calling us to do from moment to moment.
We have been brainwashed in such a way that we are constantly living up to someone else’s expectations of us.
We live in this culture of chronic occupation, where you are constantly busy and stressed, worn like a badge of honor. The more you want to do, the higher your value in this world.
What will it take for you to go against this?
Can you take the afternoon and go for a walk in nature? Do you allow yourself to do this if your soul is calling you, even if it goes against everything you feel is ‘right’ and ‘acceptable?’
It is these simple calls to action that are most important to heed.
When you wake up and want to go for a walk outside after breakfast, but you don’t because you want to catch up on the laundry, or answer all your emails, or create the kids’ activity plan or whatever else you you simply have to do, you essentially neglect the call of your own spirit.
What about you and your needs?
You will be a better friend, partner, parent, worker if you learn to follow your heart and soul inclination.
Even if other people raise their eyebrows at first because some people don’t like it when you start doing things differently, you will benefit in the long run and so will they.
What about if you allow yourself to trust yourself and in your higher consciousness – that inner voice that whispers in your heart? It is the voice that is calling you to slow down, take care of your health, your body, and your mind.
Read this quote from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh,
“It doesn’t take any work to stop. Resolve to do every job in a relaxed way, with all your attention. Enjoy and be one with your work.”
How does this make you feel? I’m sure you understand its principles, but then you move on and forget about it in the rush of life? We are all guilty of this. It is one thing to relate to information; it is another to practice living that way.
To incorporate consciousness into our lives we must be in touch with ourselves.
Most of us are always drawn into the future, thinking about the next thing and the next thing. We rarely experience the moment itself.
What if in September, you allow yourself to start living mindfully? To be present in every action and follow the calls of your soul.
This does not mean that you will ignore what you need to do and shirk responsibilities. It means slowing down, seeing where you weren’t taking care of yourself, and following what you like and turn you on.
It means on purpose that you take longer to wash the dishes because you are enjoying the feeling of cleaning your beautiful dishes and appreciating them.
It means taking a ten minute break from the computer and phone to walk outside and stretch your arms and touch your feet. To look at the wind blowing the leaves. To drink tea carefully in your favorite chair by the window. To let your mind settle, so you can hear what’s underneath the chaos.
Here are some top tips:
- Give yourself permission to let go of your need for approval.
- Start saying “I want” instead of “I have” and follow that into action.
- Ask for help and assistance when you need it. Don’t burn yourself.
- Do something new every day that in the past you told yourself you couldn’t or shouldn’t do.
- Set boundaries with your time and energy, make sure you get time for yourself every day.
