If you read my very first blog, then you know about a breakthrough that changed the course of my life and started me on the path to becoming a coach (and if you didn’t, you can get the full story here.)
It’s one of those dark-night-of-the-soul kind of stories that actually happened in broad daylight. The kind where enlightenment pops in through a window that’s been sealed shut for years—only to be pried open by the strong hand of suffering. Because let me tell you, there’s nothing like suffering to help you get clear in a hurry! Pain helps you understand, double-time, what it is you really don't want. And once you know what you DON'T want, it’s a lot easier to figure out what you DO . That’s the key to the kingdom, my friend. Knowing what you want is the most valuable information there is! So when my struggle with writing hit an all-time miserable low, I finally gave in and listened to the message of my heart.
I realized that I didn’t want a book as much as I wanted PEACE. And once I understood that, I started taking the necessary steps to get it.
That’s the great thing about pain. When it gets bad enough, we tend to stop fighting.
And when we stop fighting, we’re more likely to surrender to what WANTS to happen. That’s when grace rushes in. That’s when the window opens up and answers suddenly wing their way into the room. The simple truth of it is, you’ve got to LET GO You can dance with the problem until dawn, but if you want a solution, at some point you’ve got to change partners. Which means you’ve got to do something different. Which means you’ve got to stop trying to FIGURE IT OUT. And the only way you’re going to be able to do that is to get out of your head and into your body.
Go for a walk.
Wrap a present.
Finger paint with your kids.
Take a bath.
Do the Macarena in your living room.
Put your hand on your belly and breathe
ANYTHING to interrupt the mental tango that has you going in circles. You may think I’m joking, but I’m not. Get into a relaxed frame of mind and BINGO! That’s when the angels will sing. And sure, it may take you a while to get the hang of it, especially if you’re all tangled up with the problem. But don’t worry. After days of dragging your worries around, you’ll eventually get tired and let go. And a small answer will flutter in out of nowhere. Then the problem will grab you by the shoulders and spin you around. And you’ll be right back where you started. But that’s okay. Relax just a bit and the answer will come, you can count on it. Because the angel’s are always singing, darling. You just have to be on the right frequency to hear it. Let me put it this way. The logical mind wasn’t designed to do all the fancy footwork. If you want to be the brilliant genius you are, you’ve got to honour BOTH halves of your brain. Now please don’t misunderstand; these two hemispheres are always working together. It’s not like you can turn one off while you use the other. It’s just that most of us have been taught to value activities that engage the left, analytical side . . . which means we often treat the right hemisphere like the ugly girl at the dance. And that’s a terrible mistake! Because the left side can only go so far when it comes to solving a problem. And when we push it as far as it can go, we get stuck! And that feeling of mind stress is our tap on the shoulder—a sign that it’s time to switch partners. Your right hemisphere is crazy-good at seeing big picture stuff and finding connections that the left side can’t see. But you’ve got to waltz with it, baby! So how do you dance with the right side of the brain? DROP THE PROBLEM. Engage your senses. Look at art. Move your body. Listen to music. Climb a mountain. Laugh out loud. And the sensation of struggle will disappear. Relaxation allows the right hemisphere to do its thing. When it finds a solution, it will send it straight over to its buddy on the left. And POP! You’ve got your answer. So if you’re experiencing your own dark night of the soul, REJOICE! You’re already halfway to your solution. Just give your thinking mind a break. Let it take off its shoes and wiggle its toes. Start dancing with the right side of the brain and watch what happens. Before you know it, the light of day will be pouring in through a long-forgotten window. And you'll hear those angels' singing.
Sending you so much love,
