Noticing, Allowing, Shifting

Woke up today with a real sense of restlessness.  Four hours later, and I’m still in that space.  Have tried to channel it a bit — clearing, purging, following up — essentially doing tasks that I tell myself need to be done, and that once done will alleviate the jittery feeling in my stomach.  And yet, the restlessness continues. So, what to do?

My sense is that, from a leadership perspective, restlessness is a signal of some sort.  What it’s signaling I have yet to figure out.  Is there something I’m forgetting?  Is there something needing my attention?  Am I sensing something in the energy “out there” that I just haven’t yet been able to name?  Or is it simply a signal to take a break and get out of my head?  I’m really not sure.  Each of these possibilities has resonance to some degree or another.  And given this uncertainty, it would be really easy for me to “get stuck” today — and stay stuck.  But I’m determined to not get stuck.  I’m determined to stay in the flow, the flow that has been so much a part of my experience of the last few days.

Now here’s an interesting realization; lines up with a “stick  flowing in the river” metaphor.  As I picture this stick, I envision it getting stuck along it’s route, likely between two rocks or something of the sort.  Being determined to stay in the flow, doesn’t actually serve it in getting unstuck.  “Stuck” is a real part of it’s journey.  So maybe, rather than trying to get unstuck, there’s something to be said for me in allowing the stuckness/restlessness as simply part of the flow, rather than contrary to it.  Maybe that’s what will ultimately shift the restlessness — allowing, rather than resisting.

That’s where I’m at in this moment.  Going to go allow the restlessness, even as I know my objective is flow.  It’s all part of the deal.  Moving with and through the restlessness is bound to take me forward.  time to stop resisting and judging, and start allowing and shifting — and ultimately leading.  This is good.

One Little Step

Over the course of the last few days, I’ve been in a space of “idea-generation”.  It’s a fabulous, energizing place to hang out, especially once the ideas start flowing.  The only problem, in my particular case, is that the ideas seem to be coming at me non-stop.  Not only is it hard to keep track, I’ve actually gotten to the point of feeling a little stuck.  I mean, there are a myriad of new ideas that I’ve generated; how do I know which ones to implement, which ones to ditch — essentially where the heck do I start?

As I’ve been in the midst of this quandry, I came across a bit of wisdom on twitter (gotta love social media).  Essentially, the phrasing said something to the effect of “whenever you’re feeling stuck, take the next small step.”  Which struck me as powerfully simple and brilliant all at the same time.  Because when you take a step, regardless of how small, you effectively get yourself “unstuck”.  And one little step can lead to another step, and onward and onward.

I’ll bet you can relate to what I’m referring to here.  I’m sure you yourself have had moments of feeling stuck and unsure of what to do.  Heck, you’ll probably have many more of those such moments in the future as well.  What I’ve learned in the past few days is that “one little step” is all that’s required to begin propelling you forward.

I know, it can be challenging to take that step.  Another phrase I read (this time in an amazingly inspiring book called “Hannah’s Gift”) is to “make the best decision you can with the information you’ve got RIGHT NOW”.  Otherwise, it can be really easy to get caught in the trap of trying to be sure you have all the necessary information, or worse still, to look back and play the “if only…” game.  Those options don’t really serve.

So, I’ve taken a little ditty by the Barenaked Ladies (a Canadian band) called “One Little Slip” — it was actually used in the movie Chicken Little — and replaced the word “slip” with “step”.  This catchy little tune has become my theme for the last few days.  It keeps me moving forward and focused on the present moment.  It’s a good thing.

Bottom-line:  one little step is all it takes to move forward.  No matter how long the road ahead, you can still take a step right here, right now.  As the inspiring saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.”

Focus Outward

Those of you who’ve been following along know that my last few posts have been about finding ways to “move past” something, anything really.  Yesterday, in an effort to reconnect with some of my learnings from last year (because they were good and I know that!) I chose to reread segments of my journal.  More specifically I read segments from my “leadership” journal, “leadership” being the 10-month course I invested time and energy in.  Here’s the reminder I got out of that:  when you’re feeling stuck, take your focus off of yourself and create from what’s out there.  In other words, take your focus outward.

AS often happens for me, I was moved.  Because I could totally resonate with the energetic veracity of that instruction.  I know that what keeps me stuck is keeping my focus on me, my fears, my angst, my distress whatever it may be related to.  So when I put my focus outward, my attention gets drawn away from those things, and gets put instead on the things that matter most: what’s needed out there and how I might meet that need.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t about ignoring personal needs at all.  Indeed noticing your own needs and meeting those is vital.  But when you’re so focused internally that you can’t move, it really is time to put your focus elsewhere.  And what I know for sure is that whenever I can put my attention outward, particularly when I can do it from the perspective of service, I will get unstuck.  Which is a good thing.