I realized something today. It’s something that I’ve known for quite awhile. It’s something that seems so obvious.
It’s much harder to find calm in the midst of chaos than to find calm in a state of calmness.
Duh, right? It seems so simple, and it is so simple. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean that we always easily embody and live this truth.
Here’s an example: For the last several days, I’ve been feeling extra stressed. I’ve been feeling tightness in my chest. I’ve been having a harder time taking a deep breath in. I’ve been resisting doing my daily meditation – thinking that I just didn’t have time. I’ve been feeling the weight of a too-long to-do list. I’ve been feeling scattered, overworked, and overwhelmed.
And then, just now, as I was logging into my computer to get some work done, I saw a wonderful visual that feels like the perfect metaphor for this state that I’m in. My computer desktop was filled with icon after icon – taking up the entire screen (and even going beyond it). Each icon related to work and represented something that I needed to do, projects I am in the middle of, things to remember, etc.
Underneath all of these many, many icons was a picture that I could barely make out. It’s a photo of a beautiful beach, which is my symbol for calm, serenity, and peace:
This was such a perfect visual glimpse into my mind and into my life. Without even realizing it, my priorities have gotten way out of order. I have allowed work to consume me and take precedence over my own self care, my own needs, my own well being.
Instead of the expression, “The writing’s on the wall,” I can say that the icons are on the screen!
It was so helpful for me to see this in full color. It sunk in deep within my soul and helped me see that I’m just not okay with having my own inner peace be buried underneath all of these tasks.
My inner peace should take center stage. It should be at the forefront of my mind and my life and of everything that I do. Everything else must, must, must come after that.
So I immediately began to rectify this chaos by cleaning up my desktop. And while I still have the projects that I’m working on, and I still have the long list of things to do, just seeing my beautiful beach uncluttered and front and center helped me breathe again:
It’s my hope that this reorganizing will move off of the desktop and into my life. If nothing else, it will serve as a wonderful reminder for me to make sure my priorities are in check each time I open my computer.
I want to feel calm. I want to feel at peace. I want to feel like I am putting my own wellness and happiness at the front of the line in this life of mine. And seeing this beautiful beach front and center each time I go to work is a great way to make sure I continue doing exactly that.
How about you? What are some ways that you can remove some of the clutter so that you, too, can embrace a calm, peaceful life?
We all deserve that and so much more.
Hugs,
P.S. – I have some VERY exciting news! Membership to the Soulful Life Sanctuary is on sale through the end of the year! And the next 20 people who join will receive over $1600 in welcome gifts (donated by fellow sanctuary members)! These gifts include intuitive readings, coaching sessions, numerology sessions, and so much more! You can see all of the gifts, learn more about the sanctuary, and sign up here: http://www.soulfullifesanctuary.com
This is such an important insight and I’m so glad you are discovering this, Jodi. Your revelation makes me wonder if it’s possible to make a living via one’s blog without burning out. What do you think?
I could definitely clean up my desktop space! There’s a beautiful picture beneath my icons too.
That’s a good question and something that I’ve often wondered, too. I do think it’s possible if we are mindful of the “never being completeness” of it all and can sit with that rather than stressing over it. Among other factors, this stress is what led to my adrenal fatigue – which has been a gift in letting me see another way to view this blogging world. It’s always in process and never finished, which means there’s no reason to stress about it – always changing and growing. And we get to change and grow along with it. Big hug!
I have found that I get frustrated and angry at thoughtless interruptions that occur constantly. There is the double whammy; the interruption and the disruption to my concentration, then the time spent resenting it. I’m trying to see that some interruptions are unavoidable, and then take a deep breath, let it go, or take a short break, and then get back to work with a calmer mind.
That’s a great point, Kay – that we can decide how to interpret a situation and take steps to stay mindful within it. Beautiful insight!
Thanks for the post. many times we get so caught up in our everyday work and trying to get ahead we forget to take time to focus on things that truly matter.
I have a beautiful view of the ocean and mountain from my windows and was just looking and admiring the view but I realize that even though it has been there for years I might just realize how beautiful it truly is.
Thanks for giving me that insight.
Wow, Rose – your view sounds amazing! It is funny how when we see the same thing over and over again it can be easy to forget how beautiful it is. And with a little consciousness, we get to see it again as though it’s the first time. 🙂
Believe it or not, I keep my desktop icon-free. If there’s something there, I tend to stare at that icon and see what it does or add more icons in the desktop until it’s filled to the edge with no space for any more icons left to sit on.
That’s great, Matt! I don’t know if I could go completely icon free, but I’m so glad it works for you! 🙂
I love this, and the ‘icons on the screen’ visual, WOW! they sure were. I love it when life shows us externally exactly what is going on internally with ourselves. Often it is just a case of taking time to notice. I’m sure that now you have re-organised the icons the energy of that shift will start to manifest in your life. What a great post and what a great picture of calmness you have, I love it. A fabulous reminder to us all to pay attention to the ‘clues’ that life gives to us.
Thanks, Heather! It’s so funny because my desktop is almost full again. So it’s a matter of both consciousness and practice. 😉 I’ll be sure to clean it up again today – such a great indicator of what’s going on internally. Big hug!
This is one of the best analogies I’ve heard in a while! As a fellow passion-preneur, I have to check myself all the time, too. It’s kind of like child-proofing a room, I have to regulate how I operate all the time. I put filters on certain emails so they go into a separate folder away from my inbox so I’m not tempted to jump on them, I keep my phone on silent from 9AM-6PM, I have an app (free) called “Self Control” where I can block certain sites that eat up my time (Ted talks are great, but addictive), and not giving people a fast answer has been helping a lot too, space to think about how I can really help them – with elbow room – is nice. All kinds of passion-preneur tricks. Thanks a TON for this fresh illustration Jodi!
I love that you also use a social-media app to control yourself – I use Anti Social for the same reason. It works like a charm! Big hug! 🙂