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Just published: Martha Treat #198
Are YOU at the top of your To Do List?
When consulting I notice personal actions are often put at the bottom of client Next Actions lists. Frequently in sessions, I invite people to make the calls as we work to get their personal appointments (medical, lunch/dinner with friends, exercise etc.) on their calendar. They often remark how long it has been in their head to do.
In my own experience, if I am not giving to myself first, I have no enthusiasm to handle what is being asked of me. Saying yes to ourselves first is crucial if we want to increase our energy, engage our enthusiasm and experience new levels of joy.
One universal behavior we all do is to expect ourselves to manage everything in our heads thinking, I don’t need to write that down, I will remember it…and then we don’t. Writing all to-dos down even the seemingly insignificant ones is giving to ourselves. Delegating to paper or digital lists releases the pressure of undone things pulling on our attention regardless of their simplicity or complexity.
How often do we say yes to things without asking ourselves if that action is aligned for us to do? Before saying yes, I have a practice of asking myself if the action is aligned for me as well as for the other person. It adds to my clarity, focus, and balance.
And then there are the dreams we have never dared to tackle or the fun things we love to do that don’t seem to get scheduled. Here is one of my dreams I dared to tackle.
I have always been physically active but not fully connected to my body and how it moves. I would just push my body to do. In yoga or Feldenkrais classes when a teacher would say feel that muscle, I was often baffled at my inability to actually feel it. My wonderful mind would override any body sensations. Finally, last year I said enough and committed to being fully in my body focusing on being grounded and connected in my body which has included working with a Gyrotonic’s teacher.
This week I felt a muscle connection in my body that has always alluded me. My trainer was excited as she watched me move and hold muscles that prior to our work over the past year I was not yet able to locate or isolate. Tears filled my eyes realizing that the commitment I made to myself a year ago is actually happening. In the past, I gave up as it didn’t happen fast enough.
Committing to ourselves IS putting ourselves at the top of our to-do lists. Say yes to yourself often by taking care of your body, mind, and emotions. Practice doing what engages you, keeps you enthused, allows your mind and body to relax and breathe.
Taking care of yourself first will allow you to take care of everything else in your life with grace and ease as you will be doing from overflow. It all starts with saying Yes to you first.
Martha Invitations
1. Schedule one thing right now you have been putting off doing for you.
2. Before saying yes to anything, stop, breathe and ask yourself if it is aligned to do.
3. Ask yourself before plunging into your to-do list if there is something you would like to do for you.
virginia@msia.org
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Read Previous Treats:
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2019
Treat #
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2018
Treat #197 The Tiny Finishings
Treat #196 Emergency,Crisis,Fire Treat #195 Mastership Treat #194 It Works Every Time Treat #193 Let the Stuffing Be Gone Treat #192 Whole Focus Treat #191 The One Thing Not to Complete Treat #190 Just Keep It Flowing Treat #189 In Between Time Treat #188 What is Stealing Your Energy? Treat #187 To Skim or Not to Skim Treat #186 I Love January |
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2017
Treat #185 Both Hands Please
Treat #184 I'll Remember Treat #183 Creating New Doing Paths Treat #182 A Habit Worth Quitting Treat #181 Eclipse of Action Treat #180 Forgive Me for Multitasking Treat #179 What are You Looking At? Treat #178 Are you Squishing Snails? Treat #177 Relaxing the Grip Treat #176 All the Time in the World Treat #175 When is Enough . . . Enough Treat #174 Engaging Yourself to Completion |
2016
Treat #173 A Kink in the Works
Treat #172 What's Stopping You? Treat #171 All of Ours to Do Treat #170 Attitude Adjustment Treat #169 IN Consciousness Treat #168 Completing Past our Reactions Treat #167 Keep Your Dog Leash Treat #166 The Essential Piece Treat #165 Day is Done Treat #164 Do-Nothing Time Treat #163 Curbside Calm Treat #162 Pile-Up |
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2015:
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2014:
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Treat #161 Gentle Doing
Treat #160 Freedom in the Discipline Treat #159 Finding New Routes Treat #158 Keeping the Awe Alive Treat #157 "Finishiative" Treat #156 The Exquisite Sound of the Moment Treat #155 Up-to-the-minute Treat #154 Uninviting Interruptions Treat #153 What's bugging you Treat #152 Competing Attention Treat #151 Our Inner Awareness Treat #150 Spontaneously Fresh and Alive |
Treat #149 Without the Push
Treat #148 100% With... Treat #147 Are You Signaling? Treat #146 What is Pulling on Your Attention? Treat #145 Gathering Ourselves Out of Overwhelm Treat #144 Wonderings – Another Kind of Incomplete Treat #143 Asking – A New Form of Delegating Treat #142 Split Attention Payback Treat #141 Getting All the Way In To Doing Treat #140 Willingness to Look Treat #139 Follow Yourself Around Treat #138 A New Kind of Flow |
2013:
Treat #137 Well Done
Treat #136 Moving from all-at-once to one-at-a-time
Treat #135 All the Way Through to Completion
Treat #134 Out of Control Into Freedom
Treat #133 The Present Processor
Treat #136 Moving from all-at-once to one-at-a-time
Treat #135 All the Way Through to Completion
Treat #134 Out of Control Into Freedom
Treat #133 The Present Processor