February 1, 2016
Follow-through
There’s an old joke that goes “Put your nose to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel. Now try getting some work done while in that position.”
This after-the-holidays-and-before-spring-renewal period is something of a “red zone” for a lot of us. It’s when we’re faced with what we see as the relentlessness of keeping the promises we made to ourselves for the new year (the grindstone), and the deepening of our commitment to enlightened living (the wheel) for the rest of our lives – or not. That first rush of “I’m so psyched” is giving way to “Oh, yeah, I have to do that – tomorrow (or the first of the week, or as soon as it’s warmer, or on my birthday, or right before vacation, or fill-in-the-blank).”
Wholeness is a healthy balance in all areas of our lives – body, family, inner spirit, work, partnerships, environments, relationships. Knowing this and following through on making it all happen, though, are often two different things when it comes to the everyday discipline, energy shift, determination and restructuring of values and habits; it’s in the follow-through part that we slow down, get fuzzy and lose momentum around the edges.
Now is the time, though, to reach for trusted friends, partners, spouses and other support resources to help us stay focused. Now is when we see ourselves as worthy of the promises we made to ourselves to get in better shape, stop smoking, clear out the clutter in our lives and closets. Now is when we put distance in toxic relationships and reinforce long-neglected boundaries in school or work.
Living our wholeness begins with knowing it’s our birthright; it’s everyone’s birthright. Seeing our wholeness as a joy can help us transform this seeming “red zone” into a starting point. Now is when we convert what we saw as a grindstone and wheel into a lighted footpath.
Now is not the time to slow down and get fuzzy – now is the time to get focused. Now’s a great time.
