I was recently asked what my ‘self-care’ regime looks like.
‘I have learned how to just be how I need to be in the moment. I allow myself to feel – sad, happy, triggered, or empowered. And I am continually working on feeling with no judgement. I am a work in progress. Oh, and I also go to Yoga.’
Oooooh, the tools I have acquired on the mat have been invaluable and the benefits have flowed into every other area of my life.
How many times I have walked into class with my head in a negative place, only to walk out sometime later feeling completely relaxed, grounded, and with a wonderful new sense of perspective.
Have you ever noticed that when something is not right in one area of your life, it impacts all the other areas? Like the elephant in the room, it seems to get bigger the longer it is left unaddressed.
If your health is not good, it impacts your patience or tolerance levels for other things. If you have problems at home or in your relationships, it often shows up in the quality of your work or how you relate to clients and colleagues. And the annoying part is, most of time it happens without us realising. We don’t consciously snap at people and are unaware we are walking around with a scowl on our face.
In case you were wondering, this is not going to be a post about yoga, but the practice does teach us the value of being a little ‘philosophical’ at times, as well as encouraging us to be present and stay in the moment. This means not trying to be perfect, accepting what ‘IS’ and embracing our highs and our lows, our faults and our strengths.
Sometimes it takes a comment or action from someone else to remind us that there is always another way to do something and always another point of view.
We all walk a difficult path at times, and the key is finding something to grateful for… and there is ALWAYS something.
A Little Story About Gratitude
A blind boy sat on a busy street corner with a hat by his feet. Next to him was a large cardboard sign which read,
“I am blind, please help.”
Many people ignored the boy not even looking at the sign. Some glanced at it and continued on their way. Others paused for a second to throw a few pennies before they quickly moved along.
There were very few coins in the hat and it was only the spare change from folks as they hurried past.
A man was walking past. He stopped and took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the cardboard sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Very soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were stopping and for longer. As they paused they gave money to the blind boy. Some even thanked him.
A few hours later, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were going. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote,
“Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.”
Both signs spoke the truth. The first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see…
Gratitude is a way of being. It is not about living in denial but living in acceptance. It is not about ignoring the dark clouds but looking for the rainbow or the good, with a feeling of appreciation. The challenge is to accept and appreciate, regardless of your circumstances.
Some years back I was offered the point of view that I lived (most of) my life in denial. The comment stuck with me and I wondered more than once whether this could be true. Today I know the importance of seeing the ‘glass half full’ for me does not constitute denial but demonstrates acceptance that things are not perfect. There is always something to be grateful for and there is always room for improvement. It all comes down to how you choose to see the world.
Experience has shown me that often in our darkest moments we find our biggest revelations. Perhaps one of my biggest lessons has been the importance of making life count. Time, relationships, our work, our actions, and our words all need to count.
Sometimes it is the smallest things that make the biggest difference.
Other times it is the huge things that remind us that it’s always the little things that matter.
Oh, and the best things in life aren’t things!
Much love
Dalya xx 💙