Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 2:02am
Wait for the movers
Column: Unclutter Your Life
I use a three-day process when I feel or see a shift in my life and don't want to jump without knowing where to jump. I state that between that moment and the end of the third day, I'll absolutely know what to do; and then I Put It Down, metaphorically, and do and think about other things.
This is where I've been lately, so I applied this process. This time, I noticed I'd put it down and picked it back up. It's like the call was placed to Universal Movers and Shakers, Inc., and the movers are due to arrive on a particular day to assist me with a piece of "furniture" in my life. Instead of going about my business, I'd walk over to this thing, hoist it onto my back and walk around with it. If real movers were expected to move a piece of furniture, either to another room or out of the house, say two days from now, I'd never dream of doing anything other than wait.
Sometimes we believe if we think or worry enough about something, we'll change it or fix it. How often does that happen?! Some of the greatest inventions or solutions come about while someone is shaving, brushing their teeth, cat-napping ... doing something with a relaxed mind. When the mind is busy, like an engaged telephone (pre-call-waiting days), no other party — in this case the Universal Consciousness — can reach us. The line (mind) has to be open to receive the transmission.
Right after I had the above realization, I told myself, "Put it down." I had to give that directive to myself several times, but did so gently. No need to judge or fuss at the self. That's like adding gasoline to a fire. Then I decided to put Everything down and watch a movie. About an hour later, an idea that had never occurred to me occurred to me, and I went to my computer to follow up. That's when a few things really came together in my mind.
When it's obvious something needs to shift or is shifting and we need to change direction, we try to use logic to get through it. Often, our "first line of defense" should be our intuition. Logic is what makes us choose the shorter line at the grocery store, even though intuition nudges us toward the longer one, and we shake our head as the longer one moves faster. This is precisely why I created this three-day process for myself.
Additionally, we may have others in our lives who clamor about what we are going to do and when we are going to do it. We have to step away from that, as well, especially since most of them are coming from logic, not intuition. The Bible story about Jesus bringing the soldier's daughter back to life states he had to kick all the naysayers out before he performed his miracle. In short, no one can function at their best surrounded by negativity. Usually, the "naysayers" are limiting beliefs and judgments we repeat ad nauseam to ourselves.
In America, we have a "fast food" mentality about nearly everything. Sometimes we need to put down our heavy load and wait for the movers. If you're facing a life-changing decision and waiting three days isn't going to cause harm, perhaps use this process and see what happens.
— — —
Joyce Shafer is a life empowerment coach and author of "I Don't Want to be Your Guru, But I Have Something to Say," as well as "How to Have What You Really Want," and contributor of articles to various publications. She has an eclectic background and focuses on learning, growing, and sharing information at every opportunity. She can be emailed at {email jls1422@yahoo.com}jls1422@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Joyce Shafer.
This is where I've been lately, so I applied this process. This time, I noticed I'd put it down and picked it back up. It's like the call was placed to Universal Movers and Shakers, Inc., and the movers are due to arrive on a particular day to assist me with a piece of "furniture" in my life. Instead of going about my business, I'd walk over to this thing, hoist it onto my back and walk around with it. If real movers were expected to move a piece of furniture, either to another room or out of the house, say two days from now, I'd never dream of doing anything other than wait.
Sometimes we believe if we think or worry enough about something, we'll change it or fix it. How often does that happen?! Some of the greatest inventions or solutions come about while someone is shaving, brushing their teeth, cat-napping ... doing something with a relaxed mind. When the mind is busy, like an engaged telephone (pre-call-waiting days), no other party — in this case the Universal Consciousness — can reach us. The line (mind) has to be open to receive the transmission.
Right after I had the above realization, I told myself, "Put it down." I had to give that directive to myself several times, but did so gently. No need to judge or fuss at the self. That's like adding gasoline to a fire. Then I decided to put Everything down and watch a movie. About an hour later, an idea that had never occurred to me occurred to me, and I went to my computer to follow up. That's when a few things really came together in my mind.
When it's obvious something needs to shift or is shifting and we need to change direction, we try to use logic to get through it. Often, our "first line of defense" should be our intuition. Logic is what makes us choose the shorter line at the grocery store, even though intuition nudges us toward the longer one, and we shake our head as the longer one moves faster. This is precisely why I created this three-day process for myself.
Additionally, we may have others in our lives who clamor about what we are going to do and when we are going to do it. We have to step away from that, as well, especially since most of them are coming from logic, not intuition. The Bible story about Jesus bringing the soldier's daughter back to life states he had to kick all the naysayers out before he performed his miracle. In short, no one can function at their best surrounded by negativity. Usually, the "naysayers" are limiting beliefs and judgments we repeat ad nauseam to ourselves.
In America, we have a "fast food" mentality about nearly everything. Sometimes we need to put down our heavy load and wait for the movers. If you're facing a life-changing decision and waiting three days isn't going to cause harm, perhaps use this process and see what happens.
— — —
Joyce Shafer is a life empowerment coach and author of "I Don't Want to be Your Guru, But I Have Something to Say," as well as "How to Have What You Really Want," and contributor of articles to various publications. She has an eclectic background and focuses on learning, growing, and sharing information at every opportunity. She can be emailed at {email jls1422@yahoo.com}jls1422@yahoo.com{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Joyce Shafer.