Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about the recipe for realizing your dreams. Just to give you a refresher, here’s a quick summary of the steps.
- Relax.
- Get centered.
- Meditate.
- Imagine with your emotions, not just your vision.
These steps aren’t difficult once you get into the practice. But that’s the key—you have to practice.
Over the years, I’ve guided a lot of clients through these steps. One of the most common things I hear is, “I really feel better when I do this but I just don’t have the time.”
I kind of understand what they mean. I’ve asked you over the past four weeks to add four new “to-do’s” to your already too-long, and maybe overwhelming, list. I understand that it can feel like the old saying about not thinking about a pink elephant. Suddenly, and for no other reason than you were told NOT to think about it, all you can think about is a pink elephant.
In the same way, sometimes when I suggest to clients that they really need to find time to quiet their mind, they reply, “Sure, I’ll do that. As soon as I find the time to find the time.”
Here’s the reality. If you schedule time for everything I’ve suggested over the last few weeks, it will take less than thirty minutes. That’s for the whole week.
Yes, you can create a life-changing self-care program in thirty minutes a week.
But I can still hear some of you. Really, I can hear you.
You just don’t have an extra thirty minutes.
So try this. Figure out what you can do. How? Ask yourself this question:
“Can I just….?”
And then pick one thing.
- “Can I just meditate for two minutes today?”
- “Can I just find two minutes to unplug and relax when I get home?”
- “Can I just spend five minutes feeling the sensation of that new career as I’m falling asleep?”
There is power in asking, “Can I just?”
Why? Two reasons.
First, the answer is almost always yes. Yes, you can just.
Second, once you’ve done the first thing successfully, momentum kicks in. Even if your “just” is imagining before you fall asleep. If you “just” do that three nights in a row, you’re going to start to enjoy it and then it won’t just be something to cross off of your self-care to-do list. It will be something you look forward to.
I understand that the concept of self-care is new to some of you. It feels self-indulgent. Good. It’s about time you indulged yourself in your well-being. We’ll also work on getting you to a point where you will realize how important that process is and you’ll welcome it because you’ll understand how important you are.
If that’s too much to think about right now, that’s fine. Don’t think about it. Just do one thing on the list. You choose. Relax, get centered, meditate and imagine. Which resonates most with you? Which are you willing to try? Which practice can you just start?
Your homework this week is a repeat. If you’re having trouble finding time to complete all four steps this week, pick one or two. Give it two minutes at a time. Trust me, your soul will thank you for it.
Tell me in the comments below how the “can I just” method works for you.
