A Whole New World

I spent the weekend at a workshop that opened a new door for me with regard to changing what I believe is possible. It’s really so funny how we make assumptions that don’t have to be true. What I learned was that even though I am open to shifting my beliefs and limitations, and I do it on a regular basis, I am still living in a box of sorts.

The key to the weekend was pretending. Remember when you were a child and you could pretend anything? You didn’t have all of the restrictions that said “well, that would be good, but it’s not really possible” – you were UNLIMITED!

I will never forget the first time I watched my stepson play a driving video game. He was around 9 or 10. When I played the game, I was all about keeping the car on the road and not running into anything. When he played, he wanted to see what would happen if he ran the car into the building or into a tree or through a lake. The funny thing about it was that the video game was actually designed to reward you if you did some of those “off the wall” things. You got a shortcut by running into the building, extra points for driving in the lake, etc. It was my first view of how much the box made of rules was keeping me from exploring my true potential.

It reminds me of the huge life lesson I learned from Benjamin:

To beat the other guy in the video game, I didn’t have to fight him, I just went around him.

When we allow the rules that we have accepted as true to limit us, we are limiting our potential, our joy, our creativity, and our very life. Isn’t it time to take a look at what rules are running you? After the weekend, I’m re-visiting what’s around me.

Of course, some of the rules may still be important to you. You don’t have to change anything you don’t want to change, but it might be good to have an understanding of what’s there. If you don’t know how to look at what rules are keeping you in place, simply pretend that you know, and go from there.

Out with the Old

This time of year always gives us the opportunity to review what we’ve done and to decide what we’d like to do in the coming year. It’s definitely a time for reflection, if you’d like it to be. Pausing to take a stock of your life and to plan for next year might be a higher choice than getting caught up in the tension and drama of the holidays. I’m not saying don’t get involved in the holidays – really. There are some things about the holidays that are really magical. We simply need to choose what’s important to us and focus there rather than getting caught up in the whirlwind of dysfunction that is available for all to partake in.

Sometimes, we have the tendency to want to toss out everything – to clear the decks to make room for whatever is shiny and new. We can stay grounded and move forward by really examining what we love and what is no longer serving us in our lives. These things may include relationships, lines of work, hobbies, beliefs and other energy patterns, or even activities that we are taking part in or would like to be taking part in (exercise, spiritual practice, nutritional practice, etc.).

If you’re in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area, I’ll be offering a workshop on December 13 entitled Opening to 2010 – Leave Behind What’s No Longer Serving You. I’d love to see you there as we do a little holiday cleaning to get you ready for the shiny new year. We’re not looking to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It’s important to recognize and hang onto the things that are working that are in alignment with your plan for the new year.

If you can’t make the workshop, stay tuned for a teleclass that will be announced in the next week or so.

In the meantime, breathe, relax, and reflect on what makes your heart sing.