Are you living in a state of “mind-is-full-ness”?
As a work-at-home self-employed mother passionate about her business and conscious parenting, it is very easy to find myself in a state of “mind-is-full-ness”.
My life is full. So full, in fact, that when I sit down to work, or stand up to do housework I often experience a sense of overwhelm. Where do I begin??
My business “to do” list is never-ending as are the piles of laundry and skattered toys; the fridge is empty fridge and meal ideas lacking.
All of this leaves me in one of two places: either frenetic or paralysed. And so, for some strange reason, I invite more extra-curricular activities into our children’s lives, more playdates, more toys! Or, as an entrepreneur, I connect with more people through my marketing efforts or attend more training or networking events.
Or maybe I just turn off, close my study door and facebook for the afternoon (it is marketing after all, right?)
What’s going on here?
In our attempts to move out of this state of overwhelm we often move into auto-pilot – a “working” mode that becomes increasingly disconnected from the big picture and our priorities. Our energy becomes dissipated rather than focused, and consequently, our time is not driven by a connection to our essence. And so we move forward without clarity, intent or focus. Our energy and time is used inefficiently.
And as our day nears its end, we might feel that sense of inefficiency as we look back…maybe we ticked a few “to do’s” off our business list (but they weren’t of priority, really), perhaps we folded a bit of laundry, tidied up the book shelf, and bought french cheese and pate (because when we got to the shop we couldn’t recall what we really needed, and YUM, it did appeal at the time). Or maybe (in my case) our entire afternoon was sucked up by Facebook before you looked up and noticed it was time to pick up the kids! In fact, I cannot count the number of evenings I have found myself starting one email, then switching to facebook, then to business administration and organising a child’s playdate – all within a period of ten minutes?
Sound familiar?
And so another day’s work done, but instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment (as we should do after our acts of love towards family and passion towards our business) we feel inefficient; and this is translating into a feeling of possible failure. This then feeds our a sense of uncertainty, insecurity, perhaps, vis-à-vis our intentions as a mother and our visions as an entrepreneur. Argh. Humpf.
If this sounds familiar to you then HOORAH, you are human – you are aware, conscious and yes, have chosen to live a full life that is driven by your passion. If this sense of inefficiency is something you are committed to change then DOUBLE HOORAH, you are reading the right blog because I have discovered the answer!
The answer here lies in a place you didn’t expect, but an easy place to access…it lies within.
Surprised?
Yes, rather than “hamster wheeling” through your day, STOP, STEP-BACK and CONNECT with yourSELF. My coach, Corrina Gordon-Barnes calls it the “daily connection practice”, and sees it as “the only place where anything truly meaningful can begin”. And I say that this is a practice that will keep yourSELF balanced and grounded as BOTH a mother and an entrepreneur!
In practical terms, this is what has worked for me:
Sit for a moment in stillness and breath, bring your awareness to your breath and remember your intent for this lifestyle you have chosen. If thoughts come, let them come then bid them farewell and take your attention back to your breath. Do this for 5 to 10 minutes and then open your eyes, and with a piece of paper and pen write down your “to do’s”: for business, for houswork, for meals, for the kids, for yourSELF. Prioritise these with numbers and with one deep breath, GO. But this time you are going with clarity and intent.
Interestingly, after only a few connection practises, I realised that to deepen my sense of clarity it was FUNDAMENTAL that I do a big clear out of a) the house, b) my business space and ideas/ thinking, and c) my mind generally. This became priority. And with intent, I managed to declutter my living space, clear my desk, systematise my files and become aware of thinking patterns that blocked myself from reaching my goals.
And so, thanks to my simple connection practice, Spring has honoured me with an incredible sense of clarity – inside and out.
In turn, this clarity has brought mySELF as a conscious mother and passionate entrepreneur many benefits…
Stay connected to learn more. And if this resonates with you, don’t forget to share it!
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