Hey Team,
Today, I would like to remind you that you have already succeeded at lots of things in your life and that you can borrow from those successes to fuel your current efforts.
Please note: There are a LOT of different ways to succeed. You can follow your initial plans, you can follow a modified plan, you can change your mind and pick a different goal (and a different plan), and you can choose your own definition of success along the way. The goal here is for you to move closer to the life you want to live and your understanding of how to get there is going to change and expand as you proceed.
Ok, with that note in mind, let’s carry on…
So, you have succeed at all kinds of things throughout your life.
Some of those things were HUGE and some were small but they all took effort on your part.
Your success depended on you making plans, figuring things out, adapting to new circumstances, adjusting your plans, taking a break, starting again, getting help, dealing with various levels of motivation, dealing with interruptions, and, basically, developing a wide range of new skills.
Even if your previous successes were in a whole different area of your life, you can apply the skills you learned to your current practices.
Imagine, for example, that you once learned how to bake cookies and now you are pretty good at whipping out a delicious batch of shortbread at a moment’s notice.
On the surface, your shortbread success may seem like it has nothing to do with your current attempts at building a yoga practice but when you look at baking in terms of skills, there are all kinds of parallels.
Before you made that first batch of shortbread, you did some research and picked out which recipe seemed most doable…kind of like how you could do some research on different types (and teaching styles) of yoga and figure out which one resonates with you.
And when you shopped for ingredients, you probably sought other people’s advice at first and then developed your own preferences over time…just like you could do with yoga.
And you probably took things very slowly and paid very close attention at first but, over time, as you learned how the ingredients came together, you could relax and enjoy the process more. Doesn’t that sound a bit like how you first struggle to follow yoga instructors and then learn to trust your body and move in the way you need to move?
Your first batch of shortbread might have turned out pretty good but I’ll bet that your most recent batch is way better. I’ll bet you still celebrated and enjoyed those early batches though. You didn’t wait until you had your baking perfected before having a cookie and sharing them with others. You can also enjoy your early yoga practices now and enjoy future sessions even more.
I’ll also bet that all of your batches didn’t turn out perfectly. And I’m sure that you have had to substitute ingredients, you’ve had to make a batch in advance and freeze them, you’ve had to keep a roll of cookie dough in the fridge because you didn’t have time to do the baking part in the moment, and you have probably cut them into different shapes, added different decorations, tried some new things, all without being hard on yourself about your skills as a baker.
Just as all of those things can be part of being a shortbread baker with competing priorities in their life, making changes, adapting your movements, trying new things, and working in short bursts of time can all be part of developing your yoga practice.
Your skills as a baker have actually taught you a lot about how to add yoga into your life and if you consciously apply those skills, your baking success can help support you as you learn to practice yoga regularly.
And, of course, that was just one example.
You have been successful at hundreds of things during your lifetime and you can bring the skills from any or all of those victories to help you succeed in your current goals.
So, Team, today I invite you to consider some of your successes – yes, even the smallest ones count – and think about how to apply them to your current project.
What skills did you learn?
What qualities did you need to build or strengthen?
What did you learn about what helps you persevere?
What did you figure out about how to deal with setbacks?
How does your previous success support your current efforts?
Now that you are considering previous successes, can you reframe any of the challenges you are facing in your current practice?*
Whether you are considering past successes, planning future successes, or you are doing whatever else you need to in order to move towards the life you want, I wish you ease and self-kindness today.
And, of course, I offer you this gold star for your efforts. (Notice all the shiny green successes in the background that are supporting that star!)
*Take the baking example above – During a busy time, making the dough one day and baking the cookies on another would just be good planning but somehow breaking down your yoga practice to do some poses today and different ones tomorrow can lead to feeling like you ‘aren’t doing yoga right.’ Reframing your thoughts on yoga in light of your well-planned cookies might make a big difference.
