Pause. Breathe. Slow Down.
It’s ok to be frustrated, knowing what you want in life, and ending up right back in a version of what you’ve always had. Today let’s dive in to change, and why as humans left to our own devices we just aren’t going to do it AND why that should excite the hell out of you.
“Wait what? How is knowing being stuck is inevitable for all humans exciting?”
Follow along and you will see just why this should excite you and discover access to hacking this oh so fabulous human default today!
In a world that is asking us to go faster, respond sooner, know now, choose quickly, inundating us with 15 second clips and ads and notifications, luxury today looks like slowing down, and who doesn’t want a life filled with luxury.
Now, if you’ve ever had a coaching session with me you have likely had me request a pause (aka interrupt you), likely mid sentence. With any personal development work awareness is step one, and without slowing down that awareness is rarely available. Without awareness and that beauty that only comes in slowing down, you will be running on autopilot whether you want to or not. So when I interrupt with a pause it is definitely with intention.
Our bodies are designed to keep us safe, and to do that we are biologically designed to run automatic programs. Those programs are created by events and actions we take most often. I often think about hearing my mother growing up as we would drive to dance class or the grocery store say “man i’m on autopilot, i don’t even remember how we got here”. Now while that would scare me as a child thinking “what does mom mean, isn’t she paying attention to traffic and the road” what i know to be true today is she didn’t really have to be because in order to lighten the load on her system her body recognized a familiar pattern and did it’s thing, having us arrive to class on time or errands with success.
So let’s translate that to personal growth and transformational work. You are here reading this and you’re living a life with the reality that is. Whether it’s a reality you’re madly in love with or one you can’t stand or anywhere in the middle, know this - you’ve created it and will keep creating it unless you interrupt the programs and patterns that are already in motion.
Now you can imagine that if you are on autopilot creating and re-creating the exact life you already know very well making a change all of a sudden may not seem as easy as some make it to seem. Simple, sure, easy, not at all.
So back to my famous PAUSE, BREATHE, SLOW DOWN interruption.
If you are wanting something new in life, anything new you must SLOW DOWN. That something new might be getting more sleep, or kicking the morning sugary pastry. That something new might be leaving an unfulfilling career or moving across country for love. The what here is in fact not the main factor, but rather the way you approach it all together.
How often have you beat yourself up for having the healthy idea of starting monday with getting to bed earlier, knowing all the amazing health benefits and the impact on your life, only to be back binging an extra episode, having a late night snack and tucking in way later than planned. Or you’ve had that email at 4:55pm from the boss you can’t stand requesting you stay late again, and you feel like you can’t say no, you dream of resigning to find a place to work that has you feel valued, appreciated and part of a team, only to reply to the email with a “no problem” forcing a smile like usual, going home late cursing the job and yet you convince yourself by morning it’s not as bad as you make it seem and staying is what’s best.
Big or small, left to your own devices you’ll stay exactly where you are.
If you’ve had enough, you’re all too familiar with this hamster wheel, know this, you can stop beating yourself up, you’re not defective, you’re HUMAN!
To be human is to stay exactly where you’ve always been. We were designed this way to keep us safe. In prehistoric times it kept us alive, literally. Today it may also in moments be the thing that saves our lives when in true danger. That said, a change of health habits, a shift in career, a big move for love - those are meant for you and your system just isn’t wired to make it happen just cause you want it to.
So SLOW DOWN.
First notice the program aka AWARENESS. Knowing you’re being run by subconscious programs is exciting - because knowing gives you power. So start looking at the areas of your life that aren’t exactly as you’d like and notice the pattern or program.
NAME IT, BE WITH. GET TO KNOW IT WELL.
Once you know the program well and you are aware of the results it produces you can move to step two INTERRUPT. Next time you notice an all too familiar pattern emerging or program running the show,
INTERRUPT IT. PAUSE AND BREATHE.
Now that you’ve seen it and you’ve allowed yourself to pause it’s time to TAKE NEW ACTION (step three). Ask yourself what you truly want for your future. Remind yourself that little voice in your head is there by design to have you think you’ll die if you don’t do what you always do.
then DO THE NEW THING.
What aligns with the future you say you want? What would the future you do now? It might be something slight, it might be a massive change, don’t judge the new action, simply allow yourself to see the program, step outside it and build the future you know you want.
From there repeat and become an expert. The quicker you get at noticing when the auto-pilot is running the show, the sooner you will interrupt and take new action and voila new results and the access to anything you desire.
Some can do this on their own, and become experts quickly. Others are so deep in patterns it takes them time to even see the pattern. There’s no right or wrong here, there’s no prize for being the best, it’s a very unique individual experience. The steps however are the same and as a coach it’s my honor to get to know clients deeply so that when they’re in the game of life i can watch from the stands and jump in and speed up the process.
Anything is possible, truly. it’s time to see you deserve it, learn the tools and master being human.
