Happy Sacred Sunday!
It is the last Sacred Sunday of Faithful February and by this time next week we will be ready for a new month, and a new theme to ground us in our intentions.
This upcoming week is the time to notice how your February intention showed up in your life. Where did the theme expand, how did it guide you in your thoughts, actions, and choices, and where did you struggle with it?
This is a transition week where you are still closing the loops of the month but you also know the new month is arriving quickly. I use these transition weeks as a way to slow down, savor the moment, and stay mindful of the season I’m in and the one I’m stepping into.
Next week we’ll talk more about this, and we will welcome March together, but I wanted to invite you to pay attention to this transition, so it doesn’t catch you by surprise.
As for today, I want to share with you a concept that I believe can change your life:
There is always evidence to support your thoughts. And you have the power to look for evidence that supports the life you long to have.
I spoke about this at length in my podcast this week, but I want to share a story with you that just happened this weekend.
On Friday I went on a field trip with my youngest son to Circle F. Ranch. One of the cool things about this field trip was that the chaperones were allowed to participate in the activities along with the kids. There was kayaking, rock climbing, archery, and horseback riding.
Super fun!
One of the things I most want in my life is to be “athletic” into my old age. I didn’t grow up an athletic child by any stretch of the imagination. I was never able to cross a monkey bar. Never played a sport. The few times I tried something mildly athletic, I got hurt.
But as I got older I longed to be fit, strong, and active. When I met my husband, at 25, he took me skiing with his parents. His mother was 50-years-old and an avid skier. She started skiing when she was 26. She inspired me and I used her as evidence to support that I could become more athletic with age. I’ve been looking for evidence of that ever since.
One day I was talking to my friend, Dan Thurmon, who is the most agile older man I know. He literally does headstands on a lectern. I asked him what was his secret of maintaining this level of physical fitness. His response:
“Keep saying yes.”
“I know that at this age, the day I say no to doing that headstand or riding my unicycle, is the day I start losing my ability to do it. I have to practice it constantly or I will lose it.”
Now let’s be clear. I have no intentions of pulling off a headstand on a lectern, nor do I care to ride a unicycle. But I do want to be the kind of person who does things that I think would be fun, even if they scare me.
Back to the field trip.
I had the opportunity to horseback ride, but I have never done that before. (At least not as an adult where I’m handling the horse by myself.)
When it was our group’s turn to do it, and the lady started to give instructions, I confess I started to panic inside. I kept imagining my horse becoming wild and running off with me, or me doing something wrong and being knocked off the horse, kicked by the horse, or unable to control the horse.
I wanted to back out. But I kept thinking of Dan. You must keep saying yes.
Then the lady asked a question.
“Is anyone here nervous about doing this? It’s important that you put your ego aside and let us know so we pair you with the right horse.”
My hand flew up. I was the only one who admitted to being nervous. I found out that a few of the boys were very nervous also although they didn’t admit it!
The horse wrangler then instructed me to the front of the line and told me she was going to put me with her special horse. This was the horse she could always count on to take care of who was riding her. She was the safest horse.
When I arrived at the stable, my horse was “Frenchie.”
The reason that mattered is because Frenchie is my best friend’s nick name! She is my safe person. The one who always takes care of me no matter what.
Frenchie was evidence that I was safe to say yes!
I enjoyed the synchronicity of daring to ride the horse (which is exactly what the E in DARE is all about.).
Now, I fully understand that riding a horse (who is completely tamed and will walk slowly down a walking trail) may not fit your definition of being an “athlete” 🤣🤣🤣
But that’s okay because it fits my definition of who I want to be in my late 40s. I want to be the woman who can get on the horse, and off the horse. I want to be the woman who can try things even when she’s scared. I want to be the woman who is fit and strong enough to play with her kids. That’s athletic enough for me.
And that’s why I continue to look for evidence to support the life I want.
There is plenty of evidence to support all the things I cannot do. There is plenty of evidence to show me that I was never meant to be athletic and that I’m not as capable as other people to do things I wish I could do.
But those thoughts don’t serve me in becoming more of the ideal version of myself. So why look for that?
This is what I’m talking about on today’s episode although I did not share this story on the podcast. (This one was just for you because you are a loyal reader.
If this idea resonates with you, I invite you to listen to this week’s podcast episode for more stories and inspiration about choosing your evidence.
What if this week you had faith that you could be the person you want to be and live the life you want to live and achieve the things you want to achieve …and you focused on finding evidence to support that faith?
I can’t wait to hear what you discover if you just open your eyes.
As always, I invite you to reply to this email and let me know if this resonated or what it stirred up for you. It serves as evidence that we are together in this journey and that this work has made its way into your heart.
Sending you so much love today and every day,
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P.S. Want even more support? The Well is my intimate coaching community where your vision becomes your lifestyle and we are now enrolling new members. |