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How To Pursue Your Dreams When You Are In The Season Of Struggle
As a mum of two, who is ambitious, deeply curious, and highly drawn to serving humanity, I’d say finding balance in life can seem like a tricky task at times. Especially, in this season of life, where my children are young, and exhaustion is constantly on the horizon.
However, I’d love to share with you some tools which add value, and bring harmony in my daily life, allow for pockets of freedom, rest, consistency and make me feel more in control when it comes to pursuing my goals, despite the obstacles I am faced with.
Self-Awareness How To Pursue Your Dreams When You Are In The Season Of Struggle
Becoming aware of yourself, and making it a daily practice can truly transform your life!
I stand by this wholeheartedly because without it, how can you possibly know what you feel, think and do in life, let alone create a future which will bring fulfilment your way?
I’m sure if you’re reading this post you resonate, and most definitely are self-aware, however remind yourself that consistency is the key to success. Therefor, prioritise moments in your day to pause and look at yourself, hear the thoughts in your mind, observe your reactions or contemplations, and note down any revelations.
This will not only strengthen your awareness of your reality, but it will also deepen your intuitive guidance.
When you pick up the signals more easily, and follow this inner guidance, you’ll be able to realise when you’re feeling resistant to certain experiences, and by doing this you can ask questions and more easily discover the answers you seek.
I’ll be honest and say that at times I get depleted by forcing my way through struggle, because I feel some type of urgency to progress forward, when in actual fact, my intuition is screaming, ‘STOP, REST, LET GO’!
Trying to multi-task so I can progress, or figure something out when under-pressure, is one of the lessons I’m still trying to lean into, and accept about myself in this moment of time.
However, something I recently came across, is that the sense of urgency we feel in getting something done is usually connected to Ego, whereas the process of alignment is linked to Intuition.
So, becoming self-aware is extremely useful in recognising when a task is necessary, or it will in fact result to fulfilment.
Some practical tasks may require urgency, but when it comes to creativity and aligning to what is true for you, consider tuning in, and allowing your intuition to direct you.
If I approach a task with urgency, for example getting this post done because ‘I must be consistent, or what are people going to think’! Then I can clearly see that the task is being influenced by an outside force. But, if I shift the focus and ask myself, what is important for me to know in this moment, and how can I prepare myself to receive guidance, then my intuition can start to speak more clearly and perhaps say something like this, ‘Take a moment to sit still. Breathe. Are you hungry? Fuel your body, rest for a couple of minutes, look outside into nature, and then revisit your intention once more’.
I applied the above message, and got back to my writing. Mind you, I changed the entire topic of the post, because nothing is certain, but the pocket of opportunity I have available right now is open for me to deliver this message to you, so here I am.
How to do it
When you notice a strong emotional reaction, pause and ask yourself, ‘What am I feeling, where do I sense the emotion, how can I relax into this state of being, and fully embrace the experience?’
Meditation
Meditation practice is the best way to enter the state of inner communication and reflection, but if you too, find yourself in this season of struggle, there’s hope, I promise.
Adjust to the flow of life, practice the meditation tools you can, and leave out the ones you cannot right now. The last thing you want is more struggle in your life!
Yoga teachings suggest that, first comes concentration and then meditation.
Avoid fixating on a particular way of practising meditation, if it doesn’t suit your life in this moment. Choose parts of what does work and make the practice your own!
Mindfulness is a great place to start, and allow for concentration to develop further.
Apply this to any activity you do in your day, just set the intention first, that you’re going to practice it. By doing this, you have the best chance of becoming fully present with the experience.
Use mindfulness as a tool to enter the now. When you wash dishes, fold laundry, have breakfast, when in conversation with others, even with Self! This will begin to direct your energy toward the here and now.
You’ll be able to observe what you do, make needed adjustments in future, but most importantly, by entering the present moment you’ll energetically align your mind to the only moment which truly exists. By doing this, even in the moments of pain, struggle, frustration or despair, you can truly sit with the emotions which arise, and through this allow them to be seen, felt and in turn released more easily.
Because, you see, sometimes what we think we want to do, may be a way of escaping our reality, especially when life is difficult. Therefor, having this practice be part of your daily life, will prepare you for anything life is here to teach you.
The more open you are to the experiences you’re in, the more in flow you’ll get through them.
And, this goes for the positive aspects of reality. How often do we miss the loving moments, the success, and kindness from others when we are not present? I know that I often have to remind myself to look at the other side of the coin, and realise that life is worth living for, that seasons change, and even in the struggle, blessings can be found!
Through self-awareness, you are able to shift perspective. Even when someone is unkind, to realise that he too, may be struggling and projecting his pain out.
When life seems unfair, that through the struggle, we become stronger and more resilient for it.
How liberating is that! To know you can overcome any obstacle, because you already have made it to this point in time!
How to do it
Make a list of the challenges you have faced in your life, and the ways you overcame them. Celebrate you achievements, and realise you are stronger because of them!
Begin your day with an intention - for example:
Today I intent to be mindful of my breathing / communicating / time management etc.’
The more consistent you are with setting the intention, the more you direct focus towards the experiences you want to have.
Be gentle with yourself, and explore with curiosity.
Conscious Breathing
Befriend your breath! Through modification of the breath, we can step into different energetic states, adapt to life situations with more ease, and even transform how we feel emotionally.
Life begins when we take our first breath, and it ends with the last. It’s really a miracle, if you sit and think about it, how this constant process of vitality is keeping us alive, even when we are not aware of it. However, when we do become aware, by observing our breathing, we can begin to consciously adapt from within, and through that change the external experience also.
Consider this scenario. You find yourself talking to a friend, but the conversation turns into a confrontation. You notice the change of energy, and remind yourself about this magnificent power of the breath.
At first you see that you are begging to get quite irritated. Then, your breathing becomes shallow, predominantly in your chest area, and the ratio is particularly short.
In that moment, you decide that you have control of your actions, and choose to regulate your energy.
You sit with the emotion, continuously observing where, and how it feels in your body.
Then, you take a deep breath in through the nose, directing the focus to your abdomen. You notice by lengthening the breath, how the belly expands. You then steadily release the breath back out through the nose.
By repeating this a couple of times, you may find that your body begins to relax, and by focusing on the breath, and how you currently feel, that you are fully present with the experience.
This may not change the narrative of the situation, but it can bring clarity and offer more aligned choices moving forward.
Through consistent repetition, you’ll have more opportunities to be reminded of how to regulate your energy. By entering the present moment, and making choices from a calm, clear and comfortable place, you have the best chances of success.
Let your intuition guide you in that moment, and show you the path ahead.
How to do it
Make ‘conscious breathing’ a ritual for the every day! Set aside at least 5 minutes a day to sit down and breathe deeply into your abdomen.
As you feel more connected to your Mindfulness practice, integrate the breathing practice too.
In this way, you can be reminded to take deep breaths during your day, especially when life gets challenging.
If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more, check out 5 ways to live in the moment; simple tools for abundant results
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