Day 22/366 days Towards Self-Mastery. Status: confused
"We are made for these times." It's becoming a common saying in New Age parlance, and I'm not entirely sure what that's all about.
Some form of self-encouragement perhaps. Something that soothes the panic of confronting more years of debt, of doing without, of struggling, of coming to terms with great losses due to natural disasters. "Buck up, you chose this, this is what you came here for!" That hits the guilt button right there. No complaining allowed because, hey, you chose this.
Whatever that's about, some sort of pre-birth decision-making process that I'm reckoning never happened, living in the present has it's challenges.
And until we're fully enlightened and totally cognisant of the cosmic jokes that apparently enlightened folk talk about, it's actually no joke at all.
I'm all for living in the present. Don't get me wrong. And whilst I don't have debt, I don't have a great income either, and I have to figure out how to meet my considerably reduced cost of living whilst I study full-time.
The inspiration for today is
We have our livelihoods to consider. Our family and loved ones to cherish. We have learned how to live as a consumer, and now it is time to learn to actually LIVE, to find the prosperity in life itself.
Are you ready to find your pioneering spirit and create a life that fits your means, your interests and your passions? Are you ready to lean into living fully with what is, in this present moment?
When I began parenting solo, I was confronted with a choice.
The online dating scene grabbed my attention for a while and it wasn't long before I realised that I didn't have the capacity to build a new business, parent a 5 year old and put energy and effort into dating and building a new relationship. All 3 were suffering and I wasn't getting any happier.
Something had to give, and I made the choice to focus on parenting well, and building my business. That decision served me well.
Now, since no longer needing to parent so intensely, I'm confronted with more choices. Strive to build a new business in my sixties, sift through all the magnificent online formulas, or lean into what is.
I'm choosing to lean into what is, mostly because I want to BE my business. I'm experimenting with the idea that my interests could be my business. That would solve the energy output required to build a new business as it wouldn't feel so arduous. But will it work?
At this stage of my life, I'm a little beyond caring, and that's probably a good thing. My greatest obstacles are that I think too much, analysing everything, trying to figure things out, generally trying too hard. It's time to pull back that energy, Josie.
Everything will work out fine. That's how I console myself. It always has and it always will. Or not, and then I'll choose the next thing.
So yeah, living in the present is exhilarating when I catch glimpses of it. The rest of the time I'm trying to figure out if I'm present or absent. In this I am a work in progress.
And you. How is this for you? Is this even important for you?
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.