Our ability to savor our lives relies on our capacity to create internal abundance. With it we thrive, without it we feel empty and lost.
I took a virtual yoga class with Darren Rhodes on YogaGlo a few weeks ago (his teaching is so my jam-highly recommended). He posed the question: Is your practice giving to or taking from you? Are you profiting (physically/emotionally/mentally/spiritually) or creating deficit (burn out)?
Like most lessons you learn on your mat, you can take this one into your life. And that’s what I did.
This question has been living in me:
Is this (activity/way of being/relationship) adding to the quality of my life or taking away?
We all consciously want to live in a state of abundance, right? However, as I looked deeply at myself in the light of this question I found a lot of areas where I was creating deficit.
In the name of courage + vulnerability, I will name 6 things that have been draining me:
Gossip
I have an old friend that I speak to from time to time. Because I developed patterns with her so long ago, I tend to fall into an outdated way of being. Namely, I gossip. It’s compulsion. It’s a habit that creates deficit for all involved. It feels like crap.
Social Media
I have found Facebook and Twitter to be great ways to connect with WILD Wo(men) all over the world. For that I am grateful. My ‘Friends’ are constantly posting interesting things and things that are funny or adorable and even things that really piss me off. When I engage on Facebook for over 10 minutes it feels like getting sucked into an alternate time continuum. I find myself depleted and reading some obscure interview with Rashida Jones. I mean I love her but come on! I wonder if others feel so depleted and empty after jumping down the rabbit hole. I worry about us, in that way.
Excessive Sex
There was a time when my partner and I would make love several times a day. While we had so much fun in the moment, we left feeling depleted, moody and less than productive. Now we consciously practice moderation in this area so that our love making adds to our lives, not takes away. I know for many of my friends (guys and gals) the same feelings arise around excessive masturbation. Shifting here has been a game changer.
Sugar
I love sweetness and sometimes I get carried away. I have realized how much sugar affects my moods. I know when I am crossing from ‘adding to my life’ territory into the sad sugar abyss. I can feel where that line is and I am starting to honor it more.
Comparative Mind
The second I start to compare myself to anyone, I go into deficit. When I genuinely celebrate someone I get filled up. I am aiming to do more of the later.
Over Committing
This is thing where you agree to do A. more than you can or B. more than you want to. I’ve actually been working on this for a long time. I still find myself agreeing to do things I do not genuinely want to do. This month, I made huge progress when I turned down an opportunity that would have paid but that I did not truly want to do. I really believe we should only do what lights us up. By walking my talk, I profited instantly.
I have actively started shifting my behavior around these areas and it feels oh-so-good. (Example: I have scheduled in Facebook time and have off limits periods)
Now, your turn. Join the discussion.
In the comment section tell us:
Truth: What is 1 area of your life where you are creating deficit?
Dare: What are you going to do THIS WEEK to create profit instead? (Go do it!)
Deep Awareness + Inspired action= Transformation
When we are in energetic deficit we panic/we rush/we forget to enjoy. Start profiting with your actions and words and you will begin to Savor this Moment.
Happy Practicing! Until Next Week…
In love and gratitude,
Chris
P.S~Give your Mama a squeeze and tell her what she means to you!
P.P.S~Te gusta? Share this with your peeps!
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Chris Maddox is the founder of The Wild Woman Project where she teaches women how to utilize the gifts of the Wild Woman Archetype in their everyday lives & how to lead women’s circles in their local communities. She is the organizer & facilitator of the beloved annual WILD WOMAN FEST, a women’s retreat-festival hybrid which fosters a deep connection to nature, a direct experience of the divine feminine & profound spiritual sisterhood among the women in attendance.
An ever student of the great mysteries of existence and nature itself, Chris believes women are holding innate gifts & tools that society at large needs – now more than ever. She is committed to helping women remember their special magic and to bring it forward into every corner of their lives, for the greater good of the planet.