Finding time to live each moment to its fullest is right at the core of heart-based time management. How wonderfully full of possibilities life looks, feels, and actually is when we are present and open, and have full access to our energy, heart, intelligence, and creativity!
Consider how different a moment feels when self-critical thoughts are nibbling away at your confidence. You know what I am talking about. It's terribly distracting and debilitating, sapping your drive and your focus. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you simply can't perform at your best when you're basically acting as your own worst enemy!
This is a point that I want to emphasize, because it's not merely a subjective experience of your time that I'm talking about. Yes, life looks and feels different when you are present and open... and it really is different. That's because the energy that you bring to each moment truly affects what you encounter, what you choose... and what happens next.
That negative, critical voice that we all carry around drains the color and life out of the moment, and distorts reality as surely as a wavy mirror at a carnival will. Silencing the critical voice, and connecting with your heart is like suddenly coming to see clearly again. The world looks different, you are able to greet it from your powerful core, and that changes everything!
So how can you recognize and counter these critical voices? The first and most important step is to accept that they are there - we all have them. Quite often they originate in messages you received in your early years and then adapted as you grew. By now they are probably so familiar and ingrained that you hardly even notice them. Most likely you are giving yourself these messages almost constantly.
It's a very energy-intensive process. Not only do you whisper self-criticism as you go about your day, but you also react to it. Maybe you fend it off rebelliously, feeling defensive and chronically angry. Or maybe you feel discouraged and victimized. I would bet that, just below the surface, you are experiencing a wide range of emotions in response to the messages of your droning inner critic.
A vicious cycle, indeed - and the good news is that at any point you can step in and make a change that will affect the whole process! When you recognize a self-critical message and counter it with reality, you are breaking the cycle. If you realize that you are discouraged because you are reacting to your own inner critic, give yourself a validation instead, and experience how your energy shifts!
Realizing that your inner critic's messages aren't reality based and that you can intercept and change them is a very, very powerful tool in the heart-based time management toolbox.
Ask yourself these questions to reclaim your energy and joy, and live your moments and fully as you can:
- What kinds of critical messages have taken root in you?
- How do they chatter in the background of your life?
- How do they drain you and muddle your time choices?
- What happens when you counter them with reason and compassion?
No comments:
Post a Comment