Day 48: One step at a time

I had a coaching session recently in which we touched on the notion of taking one step at a time.

It's so easy to find yourself in a situation of uncertainty, not knowing what step to take first. When this happens it can feel like the only way to move forward is to figure out every step needed to overcome the obstacle, before you can take any action at all. 

 

Interestingly enough, this approach may actually do more harm than good.

When we worry about steps past the first one, it can often impact our ability to see the opportunities that are actually available to us.

For the client that I discussed this topic with, common byproducts of trying to figure out every step upfront were fear, stress, and anxiety.

 

How many of us can relate? 

How many times have we gotten overwhelmed by trying to do everything at once? (No, just me?)

When we don't know what comes next it is so easy to fall into the vicious cycle of 'what if?'. 

What if this happens? 

Then, what if that happens? 

But then this could also happen, too. 

 

All of these hypothetical worries aren't helpful. And it's something that we all fall victim to at times.

We're all human.

We want to know what's going to happen in our own lives.

 

Sometimes, however, there's beauty and an advantage of not knowing what's to come.

 

All that really matters in each moment is the single, next step you will take.

That's it.

Nothing more.

 

Why?

 

Because we can't control any outcome (that occurs outside of ourselves). And if we can't control the outcome, how would we know what the outcome will be?

 

We don't. It's all speculation.

 

So why not take a more childlike approach?

What if we approach the unknown with curiosity?

What if we allowed the unknown to be a surprise?! (Remember childhood, when surprises were cause for excitement rather than anxiety? Maybe that's just me, too.)

 

Easier said than done in a lot of situations, I know. However, the intent remains the same no matter what the circumstance.

The intent is Openness.

 

When we take one step at a time it allows us to be open to wherever we end up. Each step takes us to a different place than we were before. Each outcome presents different opportunities than we previously had access to.

 

In many situations there is no certainty what the outcome will be. 

In many situations the outcome will not be exactly what we anticipated. 

This is a key thing to realize because if we are planning on a certain outcome with future steps based on that imagined outcome, we're going to miss a LOT of other, arguably better, options right in front of us.

 

Day 47: What's for breakfast?!

. . . On second thought, I'm not that hungry . . .

 

(Shout-out to the stranger who brought this to my attention by stopping in front of me to take a picture.)

Day 46: WANTED - The Haras Twins

The world has finally caught wind of the most notorious criminal duo, the Haras Twins. Formerly part of the SoSa Squad, the Haras Twins recently struck out on their own and have already caused quite a commotion. 

These women are not to be underestimated. I repeat, these women are not to be underestimated. 

Do not let them fool you. They are dangerous.

 

Righty Haras, (pictured above, right) can be identified by her slightly more prominent jaw line and faint markings of a removed teardrop tattoo beneath her right eye. Righty is said to have originally gotten the ink after 'taking care of' a man in cold blood with her bear-hands.

 

Lefty Haras, (top photo, left) has largely flown under the radar. She appears to be the lookout and mastermind behind the duo's string of crimes since going solo. Though she did cause quite a stir when publicly claiming credit for the crime that has made international headlines and put them at the top of America's Most Wanted list, stealing Wayne 'The Rock' Johnson's iconic fanny pack.

This pair of brawn and brains is still at large. Remain extremely vigilant and if you have any information of their whereabouts contact the FBI immediately.

This is a developing story.

Day 45: The Power of Being Where You're At

I shared before about how it can be helpful (and way more stress-free and pleasant) to enjoy the transitions in life. 

Lately, I've been finding myself feeling pressure to move forward into my next transition, to continuously progress, to never stagnate. And it doesn't feel good. 

Within this feeling of pressure is the thought that I 'should' be doing something more, which directly translates to "I'm not doing enough". 

To trace this thought back even further - as if we are studying the root of language - we will find that thoughts of this kind always stem from the base, core belief of "I am not enough."

[Made up random person:] "That's not true, I don't think I'm not enough."

Oh, yeah? Ok, that may be true. 

Though, I challenge you to consider every time you've doubted yourself or your abilities. That doubt is born from some inner belief you hold - regardless of whether it's 'true' or not. When we are able to dig down to the deepest root of our thoughts we find the hidden beliefs that we unconsciously operate from. 

As the saying goes, you don't know what you don't know. So, if you don't know that your life is being directed through this hidden belief of "I am not good enough" or whatever your belief may be, then it will be much harder to 

• understand why you feel the way you do
• overcome the obstacles that you encounter
• feel fulfilled and satisfied

Or simply put, it will be much harder to live a life that feels good.

Ok, back to me -

I took a somewhat lengthy check-in to step outside myself and see where I'm at and what I'm doing, objectively. I started by looking at what I wanted and was working towards. 

My ultimate goal: to build an impactful and thriving coaching business. 

Ok, great - I re-engaged into the reality that this is a future goal and will not be happening all at once or right away. Next step.

I remembered/thought about the next steps I needed to take to get there. For me, this focus weighs heavily on tackling the areas I experience the most resistance, like promoting myself and social media [I'm not a huge fan of either]. 

Fantastic, next steps identified! Then comes the part where I bring in my current reality. What am I currently doing to help further those steps and overcome resistance to them?

It was here that the pressure I had been feeling started to recede. 

This! Starting up a daily writing practice and publishing blog posts, that is what I'm currently doing to move towards my ultimate goal and overcome resistance!

With the acknowledgement of the effort I am putting in every day came a growing sense of pride. I'm stinking proud of myself! 

I may only be on Day 45, but I haven't missed a day yet. And I'm learning more about myself, further instilling and understanding important coaching concepts, and becoming better at sharing my experiences, vulnerabilities, and life lessons with others - all through writing (or drawing) and sharing a new thought each day.

It took a much needed reality check to show me that where I'm at is exactly where I'm meant to be. There is great comfort in reconnecting with the idea that everything in life is a process. Some stages take longer than others. Life isn't a race. Just because someone is at a different place than you are doesn't mean you 'should' be there too.

There's incredible power in being where you're at. To fully embrace and appreciate it. I'm so happy to have come to this realization and look forward to enjoying it for as long as I can.

Day 44: Wet Snow, Dry Snow

How is it possible that it snow can be wet AND dry?! 

Last time I checked, it was all still made up of water. . . and yet, it's only sometimes that a walk through the snow leaves you looking like you just stepped out of the shower - or had a bucket of water dumped on your head.

Then there are the days when a walk through the snow feels like you're in a dream or a beautiful painting, the flakes so light and fluffy.

 

And then there is the worst kind of snow. It's hard to tell if it's wet or dry because every drop that hits your skin feels like a dagger.

Day 43: Who Said That?!

Keeping on the theme of hearing things - let me share about my experience attempting to access the quantum field.

It all started with my sister, Sonia. I mentioned previously that we copy each other on a lot of random things - this is one of them!

She had recently been talking with her EFT mentor, who shared that she communicates with spirits and angels. When Sonia told me this my immediate reaction was - 

"WHAT!? How??"

Apparently she just sets an intention to enter the quantum field as she's going to bed. Or at least those were the instructions she gave my sister.

A few days later, Sonia had news. "I tried it and I think it worked!" she exclaimed. "It didn't last very long, but I saw Grandma! But it was a younger version of her. And it wasn't like I was dreaming - it was Different."

WHOA. Now my interest was definitely peaked. I want to see my dead grandma!

The night I heard Sonia's news I decided to try it for myself.

As I was nestling into bed that night I thought my intention to myself. Then I thought, 'I'd better say it out loud.' So I did:

"I'm setting the intention to enter the quantum realm."

And with that I let myself drift off to sleep. Well, almost. 

I don't know about you, but when I'm starting to nod off to dreamland I see various images as my conscious brain is shutting down, but there's not much in the way of sound that goes with it.

As the images took over on my way to deep sleep the last thing I remember was seeing a man and a kid - I think it was a girl - I'm assuming it was daughter and dad. 

The all of a sudden I hear, "Sarah." It sounded like someone was standing right behind me, talking into my ear. Then a beat later I heard another, "Sarah."

My eyes flew open.

My heart was POUNDING. 

I was really freaked out!!!!

Who the heck was calling my name?! I KNOW I didn't dream it.  

'I take it back! I don't want to enter the quantum realm. I'm not ready for this!!' I thought to myself.

I was expecting angels and my grandma, not a disembodied voice! Eventually, sleep won over my scared nerves and I woke up the next morning feeling much better. 

It was certainly an unexpected (and startling) experience. Perhaps one day I'll have another to add to the books.

Day 42: If it doesn't make you unique...

I've had a few experiences over the past few years where I've woken up to a very specific phrase in my head. 

I know I shared about one such statement in Love's Many Forms. 

The experience I'm thinking about now happened several years ago. I think it was either right before I started my coach training with iPEC or early on in the program.

It was morning and my mind was a bit ahead of my body in terms of waking up. The thoughts were [apparently] starting to churn, my eyes not yet open and body still heavy. 

It seemed right as I opened my eyes I heard in my head:

"If it doesn't make you unique, go back and do the work."

Huh?

I think I froze in place, perplexed by the thought I just heard. Not only was the message cryptic, but the fact that it sounded like I had heard it, rather than just thought it, had me a bit confused.

I shared the message with my friend at work. Neither of us knew what it meant.

It stuck with me, popping into my memory from time to time. The more time I had to process it, the more I felt confident the meaning was aligned with the idea of:

Whatever you do, do it in a way that is completely you. 

Don't fall into the idea of what you 'should' do. 

Forget the notion that being different from all that you see won't work. 

If what you do is true to you - true to how you express yourself and actually live (you know, when there's no fear of anyone else seeing) - then you'll never go wrong.