Flexibility ~ Get off your bike and take a deep breath

“Be clear about your goal but be flexible about the process of achieving it.” ~Brian Tracy

As a life coach, I am always re-learning the lessons I teach. This week I seem to be having an avalanche of "aha" moments. As I look back and reflect on my recent posts, I see how they each pertained to a different client, but col...lectively; they all work together in supporting our goals. As we reflect on the uniqueness of each individual, we realize, that we must first be ourselves; we must follow our own path, and even make our own mistakes. That is called experience. When we think about the obstacles that we perceive as blocks, we are invited to open our minds to possibilities that will make those blocks insignificant. When we feel stuck, we may realize that we have no plan to reach our goals, or we may not even have clearly defined our goals. And once we have clearly defined our goals and created a road map for achievement, we may become frustrated when life does not go according to plan.

This is where my "aha" moment came in. My life, by design, is pretty well scheduled. I like order, I need routine, and lately I've been feeling a little discombobulated, sort of, like life is not going according to plan. Six months ago my mornings were a slow, easy, peaceful pace, by design. I would wake up, brush my teeth, get my coffee, give Charlie a good morning treat, and then settle in to my big denim sofa to pray and meditate. Morning meditation flowed perfectly into a stretching/yoga practice. The mornings were quiet, predictable. Even after losing Charlie in January, except for the void of his soft, furry presence beside me, my mornings did not change.

Then, on May 1st, we brought not one, but two, 5 month old cocker spaniel puppies home and my serene and peaceful life transformed into a chaotic, puppy directed tornado. My meditation went out the window, prayer time turned into potty training time, stretching or yoga, right! The little darlings had taken over and while I adored all of their soft and cuddly cuteness, I really was wondering if we hadn’t made a huge mistake bringing them into our lives. Could our lifestyle support their seemingly inexhaustible need for exercise and attention? But, it was too late, they were here and I needed to get a grip. So, I enrolled the four of us in puppy classes and we committed to training. Our date night, was now Family night at PetCo!

It all works out though because I was true to my goals. Being healthy, in mind, body and spirit and being responsible for taking action to maintain my goals were at the core and so I had to adjust my plan of action, my routine, even my mindset. I realized that I could get my stretching in before I even got out of bed. Even better, I realized that I feel better when I do that. I still get my prayer and meditation in after the pups go outside and before Rick comes out for our walk. While my yoga practice was replaced by a brisk one hour walk with the puppers every morning, Rick and I have enjoyed the extra time together, and have met some new neighbors.

Prayer, meditation, and exercise are some of the most important things I do for myself and being clear about each of them supports my ability to be flexible in finding a way to keep them present in my life. Has your life changed in such a way that you feel you have to give something valuable up? Can you see a way around it? It may not look exactly the same, but there are often many paths to the same destination. I would love to hear your story.