Modern Yinster
Success Without Sacrifice
Happy ‘I am in Control’ Day! I’m sending you a quick message of encouragement and empowerment!
When we live life knowing we are in control, we are putting our crowns back on our head, standing tall and stepping into our power.
You are so very powerful!
It’s here! Can you feel it and smell it all around? The Fall season is upon us as we begin our final leg of this most interesting year.
In the Fall a tree will loose its leaves. The leaves wobble to the ground as they begin to settle on the ground. We are comparably those leaves.
Perhaps you’ve been feeling a bit unsettled as wobble through the season. Have you noticed a feeling of an unsettled mind recently?
This month I’m reading the book, Deep Work by Cal Newport. He writes about the lost art of long bouts of time in deep thought on one subject.
He says that when we can practice Deep Work, then we build the skill of attention and this increased attention bleeds into the shallow moments and we more skillfully change the outcome of anything.
He even goes as far as to scientifically prove this!
So in this month of October, what will you be paying attention to?
When we strengthen the skill of attention, we can produce more positive outcomes!
I know this might seem weird coming from a Gal that preaches stillness of the mind, but we are striving to find a balance and harmony as we don’t want the mind to become dull.
What ever you decide to focus on during October, keep you attention on your intention!
Pause Frequently,
Erika
P.S.
Meditation is a form of concentration on one point. It allows us to dive into deep work inward. Meditation will also allow you to clear the mind so you can create clarity in your deep thoughts.
P.S.S.
Free Discovery Calls are still available! Click HERE to schedule with me!
Please enjoy this 50 minute Yin Practice. Begin to feel at more peace in your mind and ease in your body within the fist few minutes! This practice is from our virtual VIP Membership and Accountability Coaching private group. For more information on how to receive customized Yoga you do on your own watch, click HERE
If this is the only thing you ever do with me, that’s okay!! Please know that I truly appreciate you!
If you are interested in creating more flexibility and flow in your mind and body, enjoy a free 5 Day Flexibility Series!
Click HERE to receive immediate access!
I acknowledge that I have either had a physical examination and have been given my physician’s permission to participate, or that I am participating in activity and/or use of equipment without the approval of my physician and do hereby assume all responsibility for my participation and activities, and utilization of equipment in my activities.
I used to think Acronyms were kind of cheesy but then I created this one for FOCUS and I must admit, I feel creative and clever!
Creating the Acronym helped me focus in on the intentions of our 5 days together and frankly, energized me!
In case you were not able to join our Kick Off Zoom and Coaching session, Here is that Clever acronym for our 5 Days of FOCUS
Feed Your Creativity
Offset Distractions
Clarity in Intention
Understand Yourself Better
Set Yourself Up For Success
So Today’s FOCUS task is….
Steve Jobs said, “Creativity is connecting things.”
So, let’s begin to connect things…
Creativity is vitality. Vitality is strong and focused energy!
And remember, creating sustainable focus is ongoing work. It’s not a one and done kind of things… BUT all of these tasks are instant gratification!
You got this!
I’ll see you tomorrow as I give you a simple, unique and maybe a little nerve racking FOCUS task! ( come on… let’s get a little uncomfortable! What do ya say?)
Below I added some music to help you get into the flow of your creativity today! ENJOY!
I had a magical “ugly cry”. It wasn’t pretty but the outcome was beautiful. The end of the year is always hard. It’s a blend of happy and sad. I am floating on a cloud because this is that time of year when my children were born and I clearly remember the excitement of the anticipation of adding to our family and the current excitement of birthday celebrations.
This is the time of year of family togetherness, games, food and merry drinks. The sad part comes in because this is when my Dad’s 4 wheeler malfunctioned, flipped multiple times then threw him 70 feet to land head first on concrete. He sustained uncountable injuries but the one that keeps his cognition equal to a two year olds is the Traumatic Brain Injury.
I’ve felt stifled the last few days and I knew it was because of this time of year and the stagnation in my heart. I knew rolling out my mat and practicing Yin Yoga would help. While in a pose, I thought of everyone in my life whom I loved and I sent them love.
Then, I thought of Dad. And like a freight train out of nowhere, I burst into uncontrollable sobs. Let the Ugly Cry Therapy Commence. No ugly cry is complete without slobber and a puddle of salty tears.
I’ve ALWAYS looked at the positive in his accident. I’m thankful for the accident bringing us together as a family. I’m thankful of the strength it has given us to figure it out. I’m thankful for the faith it’s given us to know that what ever comes our way, it’s going to be okay.
‘But what I haven’t done is addressed my hate. After all, hate is a bad word. I even teach my kids to express their aversion using other words than hate. I’ve never explored hate because I’ve always gone to the positive. It’s my nature. It is my strength. But my strength has bullied my real feeling on the matter.
I allowed my self to pivot towards my hate. Not mask it with my natural positivity. So when the hate was the first thing I felt in my ugly cry, I leaned into it.
<insert Ugly Cry visual here>
I HATE that this happened to him!
I HATE my Mom has to live without a partner!
I HATE that My Dad’s cognition level keeps him always dependent on someone!
I HATE that my little Brother had to grow up without a Father!
I HATE that my children don’t know this amazing man before his accident!
I HATE HATE HATE HATE that this is the way it is!
Now that felt good. I am okay with my hate. I am at peace with this feeling.
<insert epiphany Ugly Cry here>
I was surprised at myself. I actually to experience the hate it instead of putting a warm cozy blanket of positivity around it. I was ready to move on. That blanket had served me well for years until it didn’t. I accepted that I felt this way. I gave myself grace to feel that way.
It was a beautiful pivot moment to really be in the experience the hate I had been neglecting and covering up with a blanket of positivity
Why do I tell you this? I tell you this because I want you to be okay with pivoting into your experiences. It’s a beautiful liberation.
Gift yourself the gift of courage and allow yourself to be vulnerable. Open that door even though you don’t know where it leads because what’s on the other side is freedom of our know and unknown demons.
Be sure to subscribe share this article and subscribe to her blog. Also, you can find Erika’s private group on Facebook, Braving Vulnerability Together, HERE
People have always told me I’m loud, I have a dominating personality and I’m intimidating etc…. Until recently, I didn’t realize how much I have let these criticisms silence my voice.
Over the past 10 years I’ve developed into a nurturing Mother. This has definitely helped me ‘soften my edges’.
Top off all of this by my fear of living in any stress or urgency that manifested when my Father was in a traumatic 4 Wheeler accident and now lives with a severe brain injury and requires care 24/7. This experience showed me how quickly it can all be taken from you so never spend a second unhappy. I vowed to never spend another second in stress which buried deep into my soul and kept me living in a place of fear.
All of this accumulated into a false personality trait of timidness, lack of drive and complacency. It was liked I tipped the scale in the other direction.
THEN the break through. OMG I’m seeing this same personality starting to develop in my children. I saw fear peeking it’s head through in their school work, social life and sports. That’s when I made the decision to practice overcoming fear by doing scary stuff and expecting more from myself.
This decision created a drive in me to push my perceived limitations and expect my children to do the same. I’m now searching for ways to fall on my ass and get right back up. I’m excited about being bold again. I’m eager for my voice to be heard. I laugh in the face of stress. Without a little stress and tension in life, we can’t see what we are made of.
To say YES to the big failures.
KNOW I’m succeeding and I will continue to succeed forward.
I say “YES” to choosing courage to expand over building walls. We are all meant to walk forward in live with our God given voices?
My 11 year old asked me recently to skate with him. You see, he’s a big skateboarder. He’s passionate, focused and driven to do his best on his board. So, I said ‘YES’. What an opportunity for me to literally fall on my ass and get back up! How great of an opportunity for him to see me saying yes to something that scares me and only to succeed by failure.
And that is just what happened. I fell on my ass… hard but got back up. Just as his bravery and determination has afforded him time after time at skate practice. We both set goals as to what we wanted to accomplish before we left the skate park and we hit them before we left.
Our children are always watching. And we may not see our decision and fears directly impacting our children but they do. We need to be asking ourselves, what message am I sending to my kiddos? Is what I’m doing right now cultivating enough life so that our kids can face fears, jump over walls and really know the limitless potential of the greatness inside of them?