All this month we’ve been talking about how one way of getting out of overwhelming, stressful or negative states can be to take a step back (or in Al’s case, a step above, she does love looking down on the world) and look at the the broader picture. Perhaps even see if you can see the stressor as if in hindsight. We know it sounds weird, but it can really help to look at the nitty gritty details as if they have already passed us by. There’s a cool little thing called the 5 by 5 Rule. If it’s not going to matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it.
The secret is to know which things are the five year interests.
In Greenlights, McConaughy shared this little bumpersticker: “I’m good at what I love. I don’t love all that I’m good at.” And this could be the key to unlocking that little secret. The things we love are worthy of our energy. So if you are faced with the option of worrying about doing your ironing (even if you are an ironing champ) or spending time doing something creative for yourself, the answer seems pretty clear.
We think that sometimes where we get stuck, is we have subscribed to a belief that things/life/love has to be ‘hard’. That we must suffer for our art or our successes. This can be both true or not, depending on where your focus goes.
This week we would love you to have some thoughts on this: do you have a story that says that life is hard? Do you think that change is scary, or that if things change (which deep down, we know they will) you’ll be worse off? Imagine if your story shifted a little, whereby you could consider releasing these ideas, and simply “hand it over”. To put in your wish, raise your energy so that you are excited and curious to see what happens next, and simply step aside and let the Divine do the work.
Take some time today to look back over your life and notice all of the times that there were changes that were either outside your control, or that you didn’t plan (Hello there 2020). Then see if you can see how those challenges ultimately benefitted you. Yes, we know some of these changes could be painful, or sad. We also know, that if enough time has passed, if you have managed to see them as something in the distance, you will be able to see the positive. We are asking you to do this in some detail, because we think this might be one of the big ways that you will be able to negotiate 2021 and beyond with grace and ease.
As Heraclitus said, “The only constant is change” so let’s use change to have our best year yet.