It’s generally a good idea to practice what you preach.
I value integrity and I try to walk my talk, to never ask clients to do that which I am unwilling to do.
The value of rest is something I’ve written about a lot. It’s one of my eternal lessons and challenges, and seems to be such for most of my clients as well.
With temperatures hovering around 95º Fahrenheit and access to a pool, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to take some of my own advice and practice the sacred art of Doing Nothing.
I love to swim, but this practice was not about swimming. No laps allowed. This was a practice of non-doing.
I floated. I laid back on the water and allowed it to hold me. I trusted my buoyancy. I found stillness in its gentle movement. As I immersed in the cool waters under the blistering sun, I allowed my breath to support me. Staring up at the great sky, I watched the clouds move and I felt my own movement within the stillness of my repose.
With my ears submerged, all sound was muffled, and I found peace in the silence.
Time slowed down, and then disappeared.
It was a practice of BE-ing. A practice of honoring my worth independent of achievement and accomplishment.
That’s not to say this was easy.
Repeatedly, I heard the voice of my inner critic and judge, telling me I was lazy, that I had work to do, that I was irresponsible.
These voices, so entrenched from years of cultural conditioning around productivity, are bound to arise.
The practice is to let them be, but not give into them.
I am not a robot, and neither are you.
Our purpose, value, and worth are not in what we do or create, as valuable as those creations and contributions might be. The most important work we offer this world is in who we are and how we show up.
This is the practice of BE-ing.
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