Ecstatically Em: Quotespirational Monday 24/08/15

I was scrolling through Pinterest when I came across this quote, and somehow it seemed very apt. Recently I've been doing the meditation videos by Jessica Mullen on YouTube, and I was actually on Pinterest searching for a quote similar to something she said in one of her videos: If you want something, then make peace with not having it. If you don't want to do something, then make peace with doing it. Pinterest failed me with this one, but the quote above still carries the same message for me.

We are so often told that to achieve something we must work constantly, and if we don't get what we want, well, then we haven't worked hard enough have we? In school, work, fitness, weight goals, relationships...we have this message pushed at us from every angle. But sometimes we just need to let go of the control we wish we had over everything and let things happen. Say that you revise all day every day for 6 months in preparation for your A-Levels. That's what I did right there. But then, in the middle of your exam paper, is a question that, although you know the principles of, you just can't get your head around. Unfortunately we cant control life, and it sometimes likes to throw little hurdles in our way.

So, back to Jessica Mullen's quote: I desperately want to be muscular and strong. But I am going to make peace with not being this way. Making peace with not being muscular and strong doesn't mean I am giving up on my goal at all, it just means I am shifting my perspective. If I make peace with being the way I am, I can then concentrate on becoming better at my crow pose, learning to do a headstand, reaching my planking goal of 5 minutes straight. Instead of trying to control my end goal, I will be focusing on other things. I will be "just letting it happen". Maybe my body will develop strength differently to how I expected, but I will be at peace with the way it is. At the same time I will unconsciously be making an increase in strength happen.

Say that you want a raise at work. Make peace with not having that goal wage. Once you do, you'll be able to focus upon, and possibly even improve, your work. You may become happy without the wage. But then at the same time your shift in focus on to the actual work (in place of the money incentive) may convince your employer that you deserve the wage.

So, this week make peace with not having the things that you are aiming for. It sounds counter-intuitive, but once you take a step back and just let life do it's thing, it might actually be pretty kind to you.