Month: July 2021

Give Yourself Grace – The ebb and flow of your life energy

Give Yourself Grace – The ebb and flow of your life energy

Posted on by kbodtmann

As much as we all wish, we can not be “on” all the time. There will be days you are beaten down, tired, and feel the weight of your to-do’s hanging over you. Days you just feel “off” yet the reason evades you. This is a signal. Take a break. Laugh. Linger in a conversation a bit longer. Play music and daydream. Smile. Breathe. Relax. Be magnetic instead of machinic.

Your to-do list will always be waiting for you but life won’t. Your kids will grow up. That trip can’t be taken later. Your friends will change – sometimes people move on and sometimes new people move in. Cherish the relationships you have today. Invest your time in ways that show the people you love that you love them. Fill your cup.

Nothing in life or in nature grows without first nourishing and nurturing itself. You are no different. A day of stagnation leads to explosive creation. Embrace the moments where you can pause. Give yourself grace instead of guilt. Watch the ebb and flow of your life energy. Our lowest low may be happening so we can experience our highest high. Accepting this simple truth may make all the difference.

Everywhere You Go, There You Are

Everywhere You Go, There You Are

Posted on by kbodtmann

What patterns and beliefs continue to guide you? One-off situations do not need to be analyzed. However, if you repeatedly find yourself complaining about the same things over and over – is it really the other person or place? Is the world really conspiring against you? My guess is no. Time to take a look at yourself and the role you play in your own life and relationships. Any time you find yourself assigning blame to another for your behavior or happiness (good or bad), therein lies the problem.

Self-aware people are hard to come by. Odds are if you get the feeling that people are moving away from you, they probably are. Recognizing this may be difficult, but once you have, changing is even harder. If you find yourself always seeking a “fresh start” only to find yourself back to where you are, you are not alone. Everywhere you go, there you are. Your patterns, attitudes, beliefs follow you because they are ingrained in you. Or are they? Personality is not permanent and your attitudes about life are malleable. I truly believe you can reinvent yourself at any stage and design the life you want. If your coworkers are “out to get you” and you feel no one supports you at work. If your relationships are always fraught with conflict and unhappiness and no one can provide the love you seek. If you tell yourself you are “too old” or your metabolism is “too slow” to lose weight. Then you are right. Everywhere you go, there you are. These same patterns will play out time and time again until YOU look inside yourself and take the initiative to be a different person.

I have a few ideas on how to get started. Any time a circumstance or person makes you angry or unhappy, ask yourself if you really want to allow someone else or something else to have that much control over you? Life is short and I like to believe that no one can control my inner state except for me. So if someone triggers you, CHOOSE to keep your inner state level, stay present, and then respond in the way you want instead of reacting in a way you will regret. Decide to show up differently than you ever have before. When you get a feeling or an impulse to do something ( yell at a loved one, eat that junk food, react in frustration) just experiment and do the opposite or do any behavior that is different than what you would normally do. If you wake up and watch tv, lay in bed, or check your phone first thing in the morning then STOP and try getting up and going for a walk outside first thing instead. Happiness is not the opposite of depression, purpose is. Treat others with understanding first and kindness second. Do things for yourself that bring you joy and catch your negative thoughts before you ruminate or act on them. Accept the moment as it is and be thankful every day that you take a breath on this beautiful earth. Find your purpose moment by moment. Everywhere you go, there you are. Why not love the person you are and you have become and bring your best self into everything you do and to everyone you love.