The winter doldrums have set in, and most everyone I talk to is feeling it. Lately, I haven’t been practicing my own mix of mindfulness: yoga, hikes, dharma talks. It is, of course, exacerbating the winter blues and I have to get back to it.
The thing is: We have to practice what we preach over here at Aspire and sometimes it’s hard. Life gets in the way. Weather, injuries, too busy, too overwhelmed—and then it snowballs. What we give out has to be filled back up and if we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we don’t have much left to give to our clients, friends, or families. Everything starts to feel like the cold, wet weather and dark clouds that have pervaded Raleigh lately.
The good thing about having a practice is that you notice it when it’s gone. You miss it. You crave it like a hot beverage after a long walk in wet snow. You know something is missing and you become driven to find it again.
Who knows what I’m talking about?
The Daring Way™ is essentially about learning a practice too. I am looking forward to our March Daring Way™ retreat in Chapel Hill, needing it to get here soon. The Daring Way™ is about learning a practice of self-compassion, self-care, self-awareness, empathy, and meaningful friendships and relationships. It fills you up while gutting you at the same time.
Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, writes in her book Tiny Beautiful Things, “Let yourself be gutted. Let it open you. Start here.” Sound terrifying? Sound exhilarating? Yes, it is both of those things. And there is so much beauty to be found in that place of openness that you should not live your life without experiencing it.
Start here. Join me.
