There’s a saying that goes — like attracts like. It’s known to be a law of attraction. For example, if you are feeling stressed, you will attract more stress. If you are feeling calm, you will find more calm. So, the key is to have the self-awareness necessary to assess your state and if it is not helpful to your health and wellbeing, take intentional measures to move into a health-enhancing state, and then maintain it.
I had a call recently with a mentor of mine who raised $2 million to build out a 6500 square-foot yoga studio. This kind of scale for a yoga studio is very uncommon. Consequently, one can only imagine the salesmanship involved in raising that capital for a yoga studio of that size. One can only imagine the hectic detail of that scale of construction. When we were discussing all of this she told me how intentionally she was focusing extra on her self-care right now to keep herself in check and counterbalance the rest. She’s a yoga teacher and owner and considers it her personal responsibility to serve as an example no matter what she has going on. She is a good example of a conscious leader who knows how to maintain equanimity and she knows that it takes intentional measures to do it.
During the holiday season, it is easy to get rattled with overbooked schedules and a faster pace. We witness distracted drivers on the roads and poor behaviors in the shops. Yet, it’s the season of giving and too many of us are giving negative energy out in the form of stress, anxiety, or irritation.
Most of us can accept doing less. I’d love to have both the inside and the outside of the house looking holiday-worthy but it probably won’t happen this year. It would be nice to make several kinds of cookies with the kids but they’ll probably have to settle for one. While sometimes I like to peruse all the buying options for gifting at the mall, my gift recipients will probably receive gifts purchased at local shops or online. And I’ve accepted that I can have a festive tree, gingerbread houses, and poinsettias decorating the house and still have a lot of dirty dishes in the sink!
Even if you cut down the number of tasks on your to-do list, the remedy to overbooked schedules and a faster pace is self-care and a shift in perspective. Recognizing first that it is your personal responsibility to keep yourself in check, you can set an intention to enjoy the season of giving and not participate in the negative undercurrent that often chases the season.
There are two sides to that intention. The first is shifting your awareness to seek out and appreciate the beauty, the generosity, and the inspiration every day and ignore the rest. What you see and focus on has an effect on your everyday experience. The second is carving out the time for your holistic self-care. The counter to a fast pace is relaxation. Take a lot of long baths. Get a deep massage. Take more yoga classes. Sing inspiring songs. Do whatever you can to counterbalance the frenzy, the long to-do lists, and the negative energy cast your direction. When you reset your nervous system, you reset your mind.
I’m excited to report that my new book, The Yoga of Leadership, is now available for sale. In it, you will learn many ways to take care of yourself and all your layers so that you can find more joy and vitality in your days. When we feel balanced and whole, we are in a place where we can cultivate personal qualities inherent to success. Find links on my website, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Originally published at tarramitchell.com