Showing Up For Yourself

How many times have you thought to yourself – I’ll do this later? I’ll go tomorrow? I just have no energy for it today?

The irony being that these are the things that are giving you energy, clarifying your focus and nourishing your soul.

Too much cleaning to do? I’ll skip the gym.

Fridge bursting with fresh produce but cant be bothered cooking so you get take-out.

Don’t have time to meditate but just spent  good half an hour trawling social media?

Why are the very things we love last on our to do list?

For me I know now that it is 100% my state of mind causing me to back out, because when I show up I DO have the energy for that yoga class, I have the stamina to sit in the meditation practice I thought I wanted to skip and I absolutely have something to say when my fingers hit the keyboard.

So why do we convince ourselves not to do these things?

When I sit back and dream about my life it is full of kids, laughter, my husband smiling, lots of champagne with girlfriends, my family and friends around, daily yoga classes, an hour or two furiously typing out my thoughts on a computer, holding my own books in my hand and a lot of blissed out moments of meditation, travel, beaches and relaxation.

If that is the way I want my life to look then I have to ask myself, why do I spend so much time in the kitchen doling out requests for food, spending wasted time on social media, cleaning up mess after mess because we have too much stuff and chasing my tail on everything that I have to organise or follow up on?

Because I’m scared.

Because I don’t feel worthy of my dream life. I have a belief that things happen to other people, too many people have my dreams and have beat me to it. There will be better yoga teaches, authors, home decorators, minimalists and sometimes even better Mothers than me. So why don’t I give up right now?  

Cognitively and in my heart I know that I am worthy, I have my own unique voice and take on everything I want to create and put out into the world, I just need to start showing up.

But doubt, my inner critic and pure laziness makes me hold back.

A study was done to work out why some people are better than others at things. Despite predictions of who would come out on top, be most successful, earn the most money, looked the most naturally gifted or talented, the results surprised the hell out of the researchers.

When they drilled down to what mattered most, when it comes to people who are the top of the field, the answer was their own personal dedication.

The scientists found out that it was the hours spent alone, working on the things they weren’t good at, perfecting what they were good at, and their mental attitude that made the biggest difference.

It was the people that were showing up for themselves, not just when they were at work or in a class or during team practice, that were truly exceptional.

I want to be exceptional.

I’m sure you want to be exceptional.

But how do we make that happen?

This is how I interpret the data:

If I can’t make a yoga class, I show up on my mat at home. When the baby is sleeping I gather my thoughts and bang them out as quickly as I can. When the kids are eating their breakfast I go meditate.  I carve out time for date nights. I invite people over. I organise nights out with my girlfriends. I commit going through a drawer a day and throwing things out. I sit for five minutes and work out what needs to be done for the next day. I carve out reading time, dreaming time, watching inspirational video time. I smile as often as I can. I respect myself and my time, I respect what really matters to me and I am there for myself.

My dream life appears when I start showing up.

What else happens when my dream life starts happening?

My moods change, I have greater energy levels, other things start falling into place and people start treating me with respect because I know that I am worthy.

On an energetic level, even if they can’t put that thought into words, other people sense the change.

They see you sparkle and they respond.