Creating a holistic life – what it takes

There’s a saying “It takes a village to raise a child” which I agree with. It also takes a holistic approach to create a life. There will always be something on your to do list that doesn’t get done. It’s natural and really it’s okay. There will always be some aspect of your world that could use improvement. That’s what makes us strive to be better human beings. We can however work on those aspects and create a sense of flow in our lives. The more automated we can make those menial tasks the more mental and physical energy we will have to focus on what’s truly important to us, our families, our careers, whatever is most important to you.

I can’t say that this process is easy, not by a long shot. It’s necessary though. Do you need to be perfect? Absolutely not! There is no such thing. As a recovering perfectionist I’m telling you it’s necessary to learn to let that need go. To let that desire for perfection go. Do your best but don’t get so stressed out trying to be perfect that you never begin!

I’ve taken the last two weeks off. It made me feel guilty for doing it but I realized that if I didn’t I would never be able to figure out what I needed. I started the process a little over a month ago by turning off the facebook notifications on my phone. That was incredibly helpful I have to say. Then, 3 days ago I removed facebook from my phone entirely. Again, one of the best things I have done for myself. It just got to be too much and my anxiety was so, so bad. I have to stay on fb due to my business but if it weren’t for that I would seriously have turned it completely off.

So why am I telling you this? This is a process. It’s genuinely a process of healing, learning, learning to love myself, even the parts I hate, integrating into one whole being. Instead of hiding those parts of myself I’ve hated for so long I’m working hard to bring them to the light and understand the why behind it all. If I need to shift a thought process and change then I do so. If I cannot then it’s a process of embracing it and loving it without condition.

We do what we have to do for a while in order to survive. But at some point we really need to stop and ask ourselves how long we can really maintain straight survival. And beyond that how long do we WANT to maintain a straight visceral level survival. I assure you the answer is not very long. Burn out is a force to be reckoned with and it’s not one you want to encounter too many times.

 

Amber-2

 

Heart Centered Choices

Heart Centered Choices

Choice

There are times in this life when we feel as though we have no options. There are no other choices to be made and we sit down and accept our fate. The road is muddy and the path is foggy. There are other times when we literally feel as though there are far too many choices and we just don’t know what the right path or option is. We allow ourselves to become so overwhelmed that we again sit down because in a sea of options we begin to panic and alas it’s easier to do nothing then to try to move forward.

I want you to pause when you’re feeling this way! Take a deep breath.

Look, I understand that in these moments everything seems too much. Too much pain, too much anger, too much uncertainty, too much (insert your own word here) but the fact is that if you took a moment and a deep breath and really looked around, you would see a clear path.

If the path is foggy then we need to take a moment and process it and figure out the next best steps. But the point is keep moving. Break every thing you have to do down into bite sized pieces. This allows you to make some choices even simple ones like what to eat. Make sure they are good and healthy choices so when you look back you see it as an accomplishment and not as a failure. If you have the choice between that piece of cake and a smoothie and you have joint pain, which one is going to help you achieve your main goal of being healthier and reducing your medications?

This seems trivial but it is in these small wins and these small moments that we gain traction and can move on to create lasting change.

Life can move very fast and that can cause us all to rush through things rather than slowing down to really think about the choices before us.

Make sure you take time to unplug and really listen to your heart and your body. As cliche as it is you really do only get one life and you might as well do things that foster love, kindness, and nurture your soul.

Move with a purpose and you will create a life you love and a life that is worth living! The choices we make dictate the life we lead. (quote from the movie “Renaissance Man”)

Are the choices you are making everyday heart centered choices?

Namaste