After putting everything that I had into inspiring people to make a good start to the year I realised that by the end of the two weeks my self-care was down to a skeleton of routines combined with some radical pacing. It’s important to me to live in the way that I’m encouraging others to live, not only to practice what I preach and avoid being a hypocrite, but because I’m just as deserving of the results as anybody else is. So today I’m taking stock.
The first part of my coaching program is all about creating a vision, recognising the essence of that vision and finding ways of including that essence in daily life now. I already have my vision but I’ve realised that I’ve not been paying much attention to its essence recently. Fortunately, I was recently invited* to consider what does success feel like for me and how I could experience more of that feeling right now. This was an absolutely great question for me because I really do believe that we attract what we pay attention to. I’ve been so busy ‘doing’ recently I haven’t been paying attention to the things that I was to attract. Finding ways to enjoy the essence of my vision now is important for attracting more of it:
Paying attention to the essence I’m already experiencing:
The first feeling involved in my vision of success is a sense of satisfaction of knowing that I am helping others take back control from chronic illness to live more relaxed, balanced and fulfilling lives. I’ve been so focused on helping more and more people and finding new clients for my program that since the end of years’ reviews, I’ve paid little attention to the fact that actually I already am succeeding with that. That satisfaction already is available to me if I just pay it some attention. It may not be available on the huge scale that my vision of success represents, but if I want to attract more of it, I need to focus on how great it already feels now!
A similar feeling that I could pay more attention to is the sense of being loved and cherished. In my vision this involves finding a partner and a soul mate, but I already have other experiences of being loved and cherished that I could pay more attention to and show more appreciation of.
Another important feeling in my vision is the sense of companionship/ comradeship of being involved in creating something together. While I’m here in England, that’s available to me when I’m preparing meals with my Mum. While I’ve been busy, I’ve been distracted by my thoughts while we’ve been cooking, but when I pay attention to being present in the moment and appreciating the process of co-creation it is so much more enjoyable.
Another of the feeling that my vision brings is a sense of freedom. Again I already have many freedoms and I could chose to recognise and appreciate more how those feel in the moment. It’s easy to forget just how free I am. If I want to sit here in my pyjamas while I writing this article I can. I’m free to get dressed when I want to and go out for a gentle walk. I’m lucky enough to have access to a car and could drive to a nearby beauty spot. All of this is freedom if I choose to recognise and appreciate it!
Practising habits that invite the essence:
Another of the feelings that I experience in my vision is a sense of peace associated with a sense that nothing is lacking. I let go of many of the things that usually fuel this sense of peace during the last week of my launch but I need to put them back up to the top of my list of priorities. I deserve to take all the time I need to feed my spirit, and not let my work load get in the way of time I devote to yoga and meditation. I need to get out in nature and enjoy some quiet and gentle walks. I’m in the wrong country to work on my veg plot but maybe there is some way I could nurture something that grows.
One thing I have been able to keep up recently has been appreciating the trashy novels I’ve been reading that have helped me switch off and really relax, and the entertainment provided by Netflix when I haven’t been too stimulated to cope with a screen. Feeling relaxed and entertained is also a part of this sense of peace and abundance that I find in my vision.
Using memory and visualisation
Another way of experiencing the feelings involved in my vision so that I can attract more of them is to dedicate quiet time to visualisation. This is most effective when I can invoke as many of my senses as I can. I imagine myself going through a day of my life and aim to see what it looks like, I aim to invoke the smells that would be involved and listen to the sounds. Most importantly for me is to imagine what it feels like as though I am already experiencing it.
This is really important with the health aspect of my vision, I imagine what it would feel like to be strong and energetic again. I use the memories of what it felt like when I was well, or in more recent glimpse moments, to invite my body to find the way back to it. My muscles feel light, free and springy. There’s a sense of flow and vitality to my body. This is a practise that needs to become a regular part of my routine.
