When you think about your “peak” moments, you will find that they probably happened when you didn’t expect them or plan them. They happened when you were fully present and something unexpectedly wonderful unfolded. Patricia Moreno recounted such an experience at the beginning of Intensati class today (it’s an awesome spiritual fitness class she teaches in New York if you don’t know). She described dropping her day’s work to go pumpkin picking with her daughter’s class and the joy she found in watching her 3-year-old delight in the activity. She asked us to consider what’s most important right now, today, in general?
I found the question pretty disconcerting. I teach “Design Your Life” so I am all about deciding what’s most important and doing it, but the thing is, I often make decisions consulting only my mind (vs. my heart). I do the math: my week has 168 hours, 50 of which I like to sleep through, 7 of which I like to spend eating and about 63 of which I like to work through. I had been contemplating how to maximize the other 48 and feeling a little grim over what could really realistically fit of ALL the other things I am committed to.
Patricia’s class woke me up. I realized that this was not the same maximizing she was talking about. Mine came from the head, hers came from the heart.
I often have practical efficiency in mind rather than heartfelt purpose embodied.
Heartfelt purpose is a whole different speed, flavor and quality of life. That sh#% is spiritual! It is not about what you fit in, but honoring what is important to you, savoring it and making it special, and being happy and satisfied with your day because you did what was most important.
Of course, I would argue that the head still has a valuable role in this. The head makes sure that you have some design and structure to your day, which then gives you the flexibility and peace of mind to let your heart flourish. But I have taken that logic way too far. I “get off” on the structure, order, plan and how much I can get done, and at the end of the day, it’s not nearly as satisfying as what Patricia described feeling.
I pass on the beautiful opportunity Patricia gave to me today so that you can ask yourself this question: What is important to me? Most important? Not “what should I be doing,” but rather the quality of life you want, the feeling you want to feel. When you’ve located that, decide what to do from there. Patricia noted that when she returned from the trip with her daughter, the rest of the day was smoother than ever and other things just seemed to fall into place. That is something I have experienced as well, and you probably can relate. When you do what is most important to you, space seems to open up, your mind gets clearer, other people seem more helpful and things that seemed complicated when you were in a tizzy simplify. This is also the space in which serendipities take place, and where magic seems to happen out of nowhere.
Mastering time is not about hammering your 168 hours a week into submission, it’s about honoring it as the currency of your life and treating your life as a sacred endeavor. Thank you for the reminder, Patricia! Please write a comment and tell me what’s most important to you right now.
Love, Laurie