GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!

Do you scroll through Pinterest to fortify your travel lust?

Do you find you’ve got a case of  FOMO (fear of missing out) when you scroll through social media?

Do you wish it were possible to find time amidst the minutiae of the everyday to do what you really want to do?

We’re all busy. Today, it seems that ‘I’m busy’ is a badge of honor—but what if that was completely insane?

What if, for only one day, we replaced ‘I’m busy’ with ‘it’s not a priority to me’? Would your world turn upside down?

If we chose, each of us could say that there’s something to worry about within every 24-hour period. Getting kids to school and practices. Making sure there’s food in the house. Balancing work world and home world. Looking after elderly parents. Finding time to exercise and pay bills. All of this and more greets us each morning and remains when our heads smash the pillows at night.

What if we flipped a switch?

What if we made a conscious choice to leave the dishes in the sink, leave the laundry unfolded, have the kids make their own lunch and trust that we’re doing good work at our jobs?

What if we took that little step towards ‘other’ and ‘different’?

What if we looked fear in the eye and winked?

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? What would you do if there were more time for you?

Come hang with me in our new Get Out of Your Own Way column over at Second Chance Travels. We’ll share resources, suggestions, and ideas of how to blast through that comfort zone in as many steps as we need.

Maybe you go grab that spiritual guidance book from the library and start a journey into personal growth. Maybe you audit a class that you always dreamed of taking. Maybe you find your own therapy in the likes of hiking trails, beach days, yoga retreats, or lunch with a friend. Maybe your first step is clicking this column and committing to read a bit more.

Then you can get about the business of choosing life and love over fear, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and diving into what Oprah pitched and “live your best life.”

5 steps to get back to you

1. Take a few minutes each day to write a note in a gratitude journal or meditate.
2. Regardless of how busy you are, take one hour a few times a week to do something for yourself (take that exercise class, go for a walk, meet a friend for coffee, read that book, stare out the window).
3. Follow the advice of Princess Leia’s Carrie Fisher, “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
4. Keep a pad and paper with you and write down the things you’d like to do when they come to you (you know, before life intervened and you’re doing the things you have to do).
5. Whenever possible (and it’s always possible), choose positive

You’ve taken that first step; you’re here. We can’t wait to see you again in our next column. See you in two weeks.