Promises kept

This morning I woke up with promises on my mind. 

Today was the day I had promised to make changes to my routine in order to fit in some much needed exercise time for myself. 

The promise:  Exercise every morning to a dvd while the boys are busy getting themselves ready for school, then head out for an hour long walk once they have left on the bus.

I popped in the dvd and set up my yoga mat to get ready for the 25 minutes of heavy duty workout that the dvd case promises.

After 8 months of not working out at all, I have to say it was a tough 25 minutes...  The boys loved it though and took a ton of pictures of me on my stability ball, of which I deleted the minute they were out the door :) 

Then it came time to go out for my walk (as promised). 

All I can say is that it was cold enough to freeze the snot in your nose as your breathed...  'nough said?!?

My "promise" theme continued throughout my walk, when I kept hearing a message play over and over again in my mind.

"The only promises worth keeping are the ones you make to yourself."

Of course my mind debated this as a selfish practice.  However the more I debated the stronger the message got and I realized that the message is a reminder that if you can't keep a promise to yourself, then how can you keep a promise to someone else.

Usually it's the promises we make to ourselves that are the hardest of all to keep, it seems easier to find something else to do that is more appropriate or is more helpful to someone else.

I'm glad I kept my promise to myself today.  I'm glad I didn't postpone my plan for the sake of housework (which is what usually happens). 

Here's hoping that it's just a little bit easier to keep tomorrow.

Good Enough

When was the last time you felt "not good enough"?

I'll go first....

2:00 this afternoon.

Thankfully, I've grown to recognize these moments for what they are.....total bullshit! 
It did leave me wondering though how many people aren't feeling like they are "good enough" these days.

How about the new mom that can't seem to get her baby to stop crying.  The dad that's been laid off from his job due to cutbacks.  The parents learning how to deal with teenage drama.  Or the woman who envies how beautifully the girl next to her can hold a yoga pose?

If we allow ourselves, we can be overcome by feelings of "not good enough" because everything around us suggests that we need to be doing more to be getting more.

The truth is that you are more than enough in every way right now.  I know this because each of us is exactly where we need to be right NOW.  If we weren't, we'd be somewhere else doing something else.

The need to recognize our unique characteristics and abilities is extremely important to developing a sense of well-being and balance in our lives, as well as overcoming these "ego" challenges that pop up once in a while. 

How do you do that?  How do you go about knowing who you are, what would really make you happy?

It can be really simple, or you can make it as difficult as you like.  Depends on how you like to do things.

I'm a simple kind of girl.  For me, it's just about being aware of my emotions when I'm dealing with each moment.   And to do that it takes some quiet time, lots of deep breathing and lots of talking to myself.

Just like today at 2:00 when I got a twinge of that "not good enough" stuff coming up.  I took a moment, took a deep breath and looked at my reality. 

The reality is I'm doing great just the way I am!  I don't NEED anything more to make me happy or to make me feel more productive or fulfilled....  WHEW!

Then I asked myself "do you really want to learn more to do more OR do you really want to have more time with the people in your life to affect change now with what you have?" 

That's an easy one....  I pick door #2.

The other thing is to recognize why you want to do more.  Are you doing it because it would please the status quo if you did?  Maybe get hubby off your back about the finances?  Maybe prove to your unapproving family member that you are worth something?  If you are going to take part in something just to please someone or something outside of yourself you need to rethink your strategy!

I've found that it's the simple things in life that make it all worth it.  When I steer myself in the direction of "complicated", that's when I find things get a little stressful and I get stuck more often.

"Complicated" doesn't always equal "good enough".

It's a Wonderful Life!

"It's a Wonderful Life" is my most favourite movie.  I don't wait till Christmas to watch it, I stick it in the dvd player every chance I get.

Today felt like the moment in the movie when Jimmy Stewart "comes back to life" and all of his friends file into the house emptying their pockets of all the money they have to save him from bankruptcy...

He had no idea how loved he was.  He had no idea what the people in his life would do for him.  He had no idea how his actions created a ripple effect of love and appreciation in the community around him.

It's an accurate picture of my life, really.  And probably your life too.

I do things because I want to do them, because they make me happy.  I enjoy being in the company of my friends.  I enjoy sending them notes of appreciation and encouragement.  It's easy for me to welcome people into my home, invite them to share meditation and Reiki with me.  It's easy for me to smile and embrace people.  It's easy because it's who I am.

We are all like this...  We do all kinds of things in life, thinking they are too small to make a difference because they come naturally to us.  When in actuality that sharing of what you love and those small bits of yourself transform themselves into amazing things!

For instance, you have coffee with a friend and share with them how much you appreciate them and how much you believe in who they are.  Then "POOF" one day you get a message from that friend who tells you that she's been able to move forward with a dream she has had because of your support and belief in what she has to offer.

So, just in case you've never been told.  YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Don't deny yourself the knowledge of all the good that you do in this world.  Whether you hold the door open for the next person or you spend the day cleaning the bathroom or doing the laundry.

Your impact is immeasurable because you are here and you are being what you need to be in the moment.

It's a wonderful life when you embrace the life you are living, whatever the situation.

Go on....embrace it!