By: Rebecca Liston
Some days I can’t think of a single thing to write about. Not a one.
But today?
Today there are a thousand things racing through my brain and I am trying desperately to find a thread with which to weave them together such that they might actually connect to make a really good story to share with you…Something inspirational, perhaps. Maybe a “think-piece,” or at the very least a useful bit of content that might fuel your own inner fire on a cold November morn.
But I got nothin’.
The only thread I can find is this: “These are the (seemingly) random things that are on my mind.”
Is that enough to bind them together?!? It’s the only thing that they appear to have in common…
So I’m going to share them, trusting, as I do, that the very process of sharing them creates a thread that, even though I cannot see it as I sit to write in this moment, will create a little bit of magic somehow…
###
Random Thought Number One: Teenagers are weird. Wonderful at times, yes, but also just plain weird. Yesterday one of my girlfriends in the UK posted an “ad” on Facebook that read:
“Free to Good Home: Rude 17-year-old.
Key points to consider before agreeing to take him:
Produces mountains of washing daily;
Needs feeding regularly otherwise turns into a diva;
Expects to be treated like a lord;
Needs to be financially sustained to a high amount;
Occasionally cracks a smile and is pleasant (this usually precedes the words “I need or can I have”);
Likes to sleep in bed for hours;
Has a hard life and I have no idea how that can be so.
Any takers?”
The “ad” was greeted with many humourous replies from across the globe; parents commiserating with one another about the oddities of raising teenagers. It was heart-warming and reminded me that some truths are Universal: Teens really are weird (and sometimes quite wonderful).
###
Random Thought Number Two: It’s important to stop and congratulate yourself for a job well done.
This thought is directly related to a call I had with a private client yesterday who has tripled her income in less than a year. And while it’s true that money is not the most important thing, let’s be honest here: That’s pretty damn impressive.
As we worked at anchoring this new income into her bones so that this, now, is her “new normal” below which she shall never dip again, I paused to remind her of the magnitude of this moment. It’s an important step towards making sure she achieves it again.
###
Random Thought Number Three: I hate bunk beds.
There. I said it. I out-ed myself.
I hate bunk beds.
Why, you ask, am I thinking about bunk beds?
I really have no idea…this is just how my brain works some days.
###
Random Thought Number Four: I’m proud to see more women were elected to Congress in the United States yesterday.
And not all are white women, either.
Their decision to run was not, I wager, undertaken lightly. And I admire their tenacity and desire to create change and make a difference in their own lives, and the lives of others.
###
Random Thought Number Five: My jeans are too tight.
Halloween candy got the better of me this year.
Sigh.
###
(Seemingly) Random Thought Number Six: Acknowledgement is the key to just about everything, I think.
Sitting to write but can only think of random bits and bobs of things to share?
Acknowledge that. And write anyways.
Have an angst-ridden teen?
Post it on Facebook and acknowledge that there are days you just want to give him away.
Have your own angst-ridden teen that is making you batty, too?
Reply to your friend and acknowledge your own feelings.
Achieve an incredible milestone in your work?
Acknowledge, acknowledge, acknowledge.
Hate bunk beds?
Say it loud, say it proud!
Impressed by the actions of others?
Voice it. Let them know that you see them, and honour their achievements.
Eat too much sugary junk?
Own it. No judgement. No shame.
And now I see the Thread…it was there all along…
What else could be possible if..
~ We acknowledged the plight(s) of our fellow human beings, not just nodding numbly as they shared their stories of hardship and woe, of terror and abuse, of sorrow and shame, but instead paused and took those stories into our own bones, acknowledging not just the person who is speaking to us, but the events that transpired that changed them forevermore;
~ We acknowledged the successes and achievements of our fellow Earth-dwellers, not just tossing a “Oh, yeah, good job,” at them as we walk by, but instead pausing and looking them square in the eye: “I see you, friend. You’ve done well;”
~ We acknowledged our own “suck-age” (as I like to call it), and didn’t try to pretend like everything in our lives was all champagne and roses, but instead vocalized our pain and our difficulties, shared them, and did so without self-judgement or shame;
~ We acknowledged our own accomplishments, out loud and proud, and didn’t try to pretend like “it was nothing” or not worthy of praise, but instead vocalized our delight, shared it, and did so without self-judgement or shame?
What else could be possible if we acknowledged that acknowledgement itself was key?
Now that is the thought I shall ponder this day, and see just what magic it might bring…
Rebecca Liston is cofounder and business intuitive at Las Peregrinas, a creative and consulting agency. She specializes in anchoring folks in a clear-eyed understanding of which path is theirs for the taking. She’s got one foot in the land of the subtle and unseen, and the other foot firmly planted in the land of ruthless pragmatism. Oh, and she swears like a sailor, which makes us love her more.
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