Deliberate Decisions
Deliberate Decisions
Audio of newsletter: http://tiny.cc/5h8c101
How do you build on what matters most to you to create agency in your life? Building your life is a process of deliberate decisions that move you forward, transitioning you from following your life to creating it. What are your dreams? Do you have dreams you hope to bring to fruition? What do you do with these dreams? Too often, we sabotage ourselves, fearing the unknown because we feel we need control, or we replay experiences, expecting the same result. What if you trusted that you’ll figure out what to do by creating new experiences that prove how capable you are? Think about what matters to you, and what moves your goals forward. You can’t know everything, but you can learn and grow by investing in your life instead of staying put. From awakening to these transformative experiences, notice how taking action opens up other possibilities.
“Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Now here’s another question. When you take an action to improve, does this new routine feel like an obligation, or do you take pleasure in it? Changing some of our habits and how we interpret things can make a huge difference. Things need to be congruent, or you’ll notice a lack of follow-through or effective results. You know the saying, “the proof is in the pudding.”
Personally, I love the outdoors and being physically active in nature; everything is new and different from day to day, even if in the same environment. If you, for instance, prefer a routine of going to a gym to work out, do you do the same routine every week? Isn’t this a habit that you can too often get trapped in while expecting more improvement? Science now shows that changing your routine and environment makes all the difference in your outcome, from breaking habitual routines to making small shifts that improve your health and agency.
Another passion of mine is exploring The Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement (ATM)® lessons daily. It’s never the same lesson because I’m different from day to day. I slow down and turn my attention to small things, making subtle changes that create a whole new awakening in how I explore, rather than a rote exercise. Unless a lesson has a specific constraint, I recognize that the most organic movement is one where all of me is invited, passively, to participate. That’s what makes it organic: it reduces unnecessary strain on my entire system. I learned that ‘no Pain, no gain,’ when that pattern became my habitual, unchecked, and compared with another way of being, created more havoc. From that way of being, I can share honestly, I never experienced myself in a freer, more potent way. I learned to better discern what feels like an organic movement and noticed huge gains, grateful to learn how to become more efficient. Paying attention to the timing of my coordination helped me recognize when something was off instead of forcing and working harder. When you get curious, there’s no limit to how you can improve and change your life.
“Let us not go back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.” – James Thurber
Dr. Feldenkrais shared that awakening your awareness is crucial to living a richer, more potent life. This can happen at any time in your life. You’re never too old, so do something today, every day, to step outside your known and compare how potent and vibrant this makes you feel. It’s okay to be a bit scared, as Eleanore Roosevelt shared, ‘do something every day that scares you’. Then you’ll realize there wasn’t anything so scary that you couldn’t learn to deal with it and find other ways to move forward.
I hope I’ve earned the privilege of your time and attention this week, and got you curious about taking a little action to move forward.
Warmest,
Peggi
