First, take a breath with me.
Seriously, take one.
Your body will thank you.
Go ahead, close your eyes and take another one – one of those deep, cleansing belly breaths.
I don’t usually get all political, but today kinda has that vibe, so I’m rolling with it…
No doubt we’ve all been feeling the pressure.
And we all cope with the pressure differently.
Some of us try to relieve the pressure by searching for answers; why is this happening, who’s to blame?
Once we find an answer, we latch on for dear life regardless of whether the answer is true or helpful.
We become so attached to the answer that we’re willing to stop listening to friends and family or others with another perspective.
We feel safe in our “answer” and get angry when anyone or anything challenges it.
Some of us get so overwhelmed that we shut down.
Afraid to even approach the complexity of the problem, we don’t ask any questions at all.
We just follow along.
We choose a leader (often unconsciously) and follow.
Honestly, I’ve done both.
And here’s what I’ve learned…
Breathe.
It’s amazing how a conscious breath can help bring us back to our inner wisdom.
The truth is there is ALWAYS an opportunity that is equal and opposite.
It’s not about hope or buying into a fantasy.
This is the nature of the Universe.
The stress and pressure of this moment in history could become our greatest triumph.
But we have to breathe.
We have to ask better questions (different from the ones most of our leaders, news anchors and talking heads are asking).
We have to open our minds, and our hearts.
We have to be willing to make mistakes, to be wrong, to let go and to forgive.
We have to be willing to not KNOW and to accept that nobody outside of us knows either.
So we can stop looking outside for answers.
And we can turn within and trust our inner wisdom.
That’s where we’ll find inspiration, creativity and REAL solutions.
So whether you’re leading yourself, your family, your community…
remember to breathe.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
We are the ones who can bring love, peace and understanding into every one of our conversations – even, and especially, the most difficult ones.
We don’t have to know “how.”
In our essence we are love, peace and understanding.
Every conscious breath helps us remember.
So together, let’s breathe and go shine like the world depends on it.
xoxo