MAWMonday Motivators 01/15/2017

by: Dr. Michael A. Wright In Blog, Coaching DiaryTagged , , , , , ,

#MLKDay Are you happy? Other people have it worse. Other people have less. Other people don’t know anything different. Could it be that their station and experience is why they are more contented than you? It’s a question I am pondering. More than just the sense of comparison or the jolt toward feeling content, my question is one of being trained for consumption rather than contentment.

Could it be that you too have been taught that success is about getting and achieving? You must re-learn, not the opposite idea, but the more sustainable idea. Your life is valuable. You are enough. You have what you need to do what you want. You are love and loved. And, just because life never promised to be fair, you are also gorgeous.

I pulled some tweets from Twitter to help me make a point this week like every week. You need to get tired of not being satisfied. You require enough frustration to change your perspective, logical foundation, and your expectations. Once you see the world for what it really is, you will realize that you are perfection in this moment. The only question is what you will do with that truth.

1. Getting Tired

What you were taught can be wrong. What you have been working so hard for could be worthless. What you have invested could have been a waste. This is the bullshit of life–that we bought into a set of standards, ideals, obligations, circumstances, and perspectives that we did not take time to examine. And, when we are unhappy, dissatisfied, anxious, and unmoved, we search the dung for answers rather than seeking living water to cleanse ourselves with new perspective and start again.

You will have to get tired enough of the same old that you change the game completely. You will have to get to the point where you seek light more than fame, money, self-protection, and approval. That light is centered in right now, born out of allowing, and resting in the “already.” Look around you. You have what you need. Anything else is outreach to spread your joy. Reset. Re-see. Now. Reach.

2. Restful Sleep

What are you in a rush to do? Has rushing ever resulted in anything good? That’s the problem with desire and busyness, it clouds your vision of what is right in front of you. Not just the metaphysical, mindfulness reminder of life and joy in this moment, but the important awareness of your next step.

Your meditation is not just about making you feel better and reducing your anxiety. It is an affirmative call to the universe for revelation. Not a “tell me” or a “show me,” but rest. Allow me the faith to release any need to see, and allow me the peace to move from this moment to the next without anxiety. Not just one foot in front of the other, but one important, engaged, joyful, present step at a time. It is open palm, clear mind, relaxed ego. It is rest.

3. Getting Scared

Not fearful or anxious, but every new experience has an element of fear and anxiety. Like swinging to the next rung on the monkey bars, there is always that moment during progress when you hold both rungs, yet feel that you are between two certainties and at your most vulnerable. Get used to that feeling. But more importantly, notice how much stronger you have become. Your progress has resulted capability, strengths, and new vision. The next rung has its own challenges, but you are bringing more ability than you have ever had.

4. Taking Flight

I thought about it this week. Some people actually spend their whole lives in one neighborhood, one city, one state, one side of the country, one country. Not just visiting other places. I am talking about living new places. I get it. Where you are is familiar. It is predictable. It feels safe. But, you are not complete. Could it be that a change could make the difference between could be and I am?

I am biased because I have lived in various cultures within the United States. I have been challenged to adjust, resist, and integrate. I have been forced to take the bad with the good. I have developed a sense of self and the other that is beyond place while critically informed by place. I’m not suggesting that you live in a new location physically. But, I am wondering if the characteristics that hold you in that one place are not consistent with the life you envision.

5. Nevermind Your Speed

Disregard is not something you would typically attach to your progress and productivity. But, it works in this regard. Your speed is not the indication of your potential for success. Even in physics, speed is associated with momentum not potential. Potential concerns itself with acceleration. In other words, are you making improvements, discovering efficiencies, bypassing pitfalls and red herrings? Simply stated, are you pointed in the right direction and making progress. If your answer is yes, by universe and physics standards, you are succeeding. Refuse the anxiety about getting there more quickly. In addition to enjoying the process, also enjoy the progress.

Dr. Michael A. Wright received his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Since 1997, Wright has led MAWMedia Group, LLC, a firm helping individuals and organizations tell stories and translate ideas into capital.