Last week I blogged about ways to make your resolutions stick – namely considering what you could take off your plate – wring out of your life – in order to make room for all that 2019 will bring. Now we are in 2019 and my question to you is, Are you are willing to – open to – receiving what will come your way in 2019?
Have you seen the FedEx commercial with the cookies? It starts out with a husband and wife team proclaiming their millionth cookie order – the next scene goes back in time to their first big order – the following scene showing them in their small kitchen grinding it out, exhausted, just to ship an order – followed by them sitting at the kitchen table, the husband sharing the idea that they could sell their cookies – and the final scene is the best. They received a mixer as a gift and the husband says, “but we don’t bake.”
There's a quote on my desk. It says, “minds are like parachutes – they only function when they are open.” The couple in the commercial could not have gone from “but we don’t bake” to selling the millionth cookie order without an open mind. LeBron James and Allen Iverson would have never been the famous basketball players they are had they not been open to pursuing a different sport. (They both had NFL dreams in high school.)
In church we are taught to approach faith like a child. (Matthew 18:3) Perhaps we need to approach life like children too sometimes, willing to try things, do things, if nothing else for pure curiosity. I’m not asking you to revert back to eating crayons, rather to remember what it felt like to wonder if the crayon, with its unique smell, had any taste, and know that the only way to find out would be to put it in your mouth. What else in your life is tempting your taste buds? What do you enjoy? Where do you want to see improvement?
I have a book, “The Universe has Your Back” in which author Gabrielle Bernstein sites several examples of when the world opened up and things fell into place with less effort when she consciously opened her heart and mind to the universe – literally saying out loud that she was open to what might come her way. One specific example I recall reading was when she and her husband were looking for a new home. They only looked at what they thought they should be looking at and they found nothing, became very frustrated in the process. Then they stopped and decided together to be open to whatever comes their way. A completely new avenue opened up and they found their dream home.
People often complain that opportunities don’t come their way, but I wonder if they let them simply pass by? My husband and I always said we would be willing to take jobs anywhere in the U.S. - possibly the world. Neither of us ever received an offer, but we are the first to admit we never made it known outside the two of us. No wonder it never happened! Being open to what comes your way takes guts, no doubt. There have been days I only wished to go to bed with nothing different than when I woke up that morning, but 2018 brought plenty of challenges, changes and choices in my life. I’m now on a shifting path and I'm not even sure how to strategize for it. It’s exciting to know, though, if I remain open to possibilities that the universe will open itself to me. I just need to keep my heart, my mind and my eyes open. It’s still a big world with so much to offer. We can't just let everyone else take advantage of it!
“An open-minded person sees life without boundaries, whereas a close-minded person can only see what’s beyond their eyes.” - Kaoru Shinmon
Trainers purposely put blinders on racehorses so they don’t get distracted by what is on either side. Sometimes we do the same thing, with limiting beliefs, our need for control, and out of fear we might not like what we see beyond the blinders.
Take a few minutes today to consider where you have consciously (or unconsciously) created boundaries in your own life, either because of fear for what is on the other side of your blinders, or because by limiting your scope, you feel more in control. (Remember, life begins outside your comfort zone :-) I’ve been talking to students in my yoga class – several of whom have mentioned they joined FFC (the club where I teach) so they have an opportunity to try new classes. I congratulate them for stepping outside their comfort zone to try something different. What will you be open to this year, taking on the curiosity of a child?
I wish you discovery, hope and happiness!
Namasté