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Growth Spurt

I shared with a friend that I am going through a growth spurt. In a physical growth spurt, favorite jeans become flood pants and long sleeves reveal the forearm. The outer covering gets tight and uncomfortable and must be shed. Sometimes we replace it with a lookalike! Other times, this growth is an opportunity to try a new style.

Now, I am 54 years old and done growing taller. And, no, I am not growing wider by the day! But I am growing inside, reconfiguring thoughts, emotions, and the ideas that give meaning to my life. And I am saying “Yes!” to new and different activities, challenges, opportunities. In the process, I find myself letting go of long practiced habits (even the healthy self-care practices that have supported my journey) and activities and trying new ones. And it is SO exciting! Who will I be when I grow up? (NOTE: I actually don’t plan to ever stop growing!)

What about you?

When was the last time you allowed yourself a growth spurt?
What is too tight?
What is too short?
What is calling your name?

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One last thought …

Since many of us have a habit of over committing, of saying Yes when we want to say No, of responding from “should” rather than “truth” … I ask you to think about those “Yes” responses that are accompanied energetically by “No”. What happens when you participate, help, serve, give of your time and all the while you think:

“I don’t want to be here.
I don’t have time for this.
Can’t this be over already?
I can’t wait for this to end!”

Yes, we’ve all done it. And, we’ve all been on the receiving end of someone else being physically present with us but emotionally absent. It doesn’t feel good. Take some time to scan your life’s activities, the ways you invest your energy. Where are you a Yes physically, but a No energetically?

What is this costing you?
What is your impact on the “other”?
What options do you have?
Which are you willing to take?

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A bit more about Yes and No

Did you know that you can be an energetic yes AND a necessary no at the same time? Try these on:

  • I want to support you without a doubt. And, what you are asking of me doesn’t work. Can we negotiate?
  • I am so in! I love your idea and would delight in participating. And, the timing is off for me. Hopefully next time.
  • What you are planning sounds so needed – and a gift to our community. And, it isn’t something that feels right for me to participate it at this time. Thank you for asking me.

The next time you face a decision, consider:

Am I a Yes?
Am I a No?
Am I both?

What is my most authentic response here?

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What about those “No’s”?

Just as there is powerful energy in “Yes”, there is also energy in “No”. Try these on:

  • “Well, ah …, hmm. No.”
  • “No, but …”
  • “No, I couldn’t do that – it scares me.”
  • “I so wish I could, but no.”
  • “No, not now.”
  • “No way! How dare you?”
  • “Absolutely not. That would never work for me.”
  • “Thank you for asking. No.”
  • “No.”

Practice again with those “No’s”. Can you feel the energy in each? The next time you make a choice and the answer is no, consider which energy will serve you and honor the “other”:

Which “No” leaves you drained?
Indebted?
 Guilt-ridden?
What “No” is empowering and freeing?

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Heart Excitement

I woke to an awareness of an energy in me – that of heart excitement. When I bothered to stop and be present to it, I felt a fullness in my chest and pounding in my heart. It was a feeling of opening that was expanding up through my throat and the crown of my head allowing light, joy, possibility and abundant ideas to flow in from the Universe, be received and molded by my imagination, and then energized by the energy flowing through my veins.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because this feeling, and the expansion of awareness that is possible, is accessible YOU! The trick is noticing. We must stop doing, stop thinking, stop managing and controlling long enough to become aware of other sources of insight. Yours may not be heart excitement – it may be tingling in your fingers. It may be a tightness or energy ball in your throat that says, “I have something to say”!

 How does your body speak?
What energy source do you ignore?
What would paying attention look like?

What practices will raise your awareness level?