Face to Face with Excuses

During my most recent radio show with Martha Creek, I felt myself squirming in my seat as I came face to face with my excuses.  Yes!  I have excuses too!  In fact, even as I type this, I can feel the squirming again.  It brings me to this thought; When I come face to face with my excuses, I am left with a choice. Do I continue to feed the excuse or do I move beyond it with clarity, courage and determination?  Below are some steps to support you to not only come face to face with your excuse, but to move beyond it, so that you can experience the calm that comes from releasing it! 

• Discern the Truth.  If whatever you are telling yourself in your head keeps you from doing, living and feeling free to choose, it is an excuse.  
• See it for what it is, an excuse! Notice where it limits you:  Become clear that it IS limiting you.  It is limiting what you do, how you show up in the world and who you surround yourself with. 
• Feel the sensation of releasing it, as you break free from the excuse.  Allow yourself a moment to think about the why/how you are unable to be doing what you want.  Now take a deep breath and allow yourself to experience what it would feel like to be free of that thought.  What would it feel like in your body to be free of the barrier that your excuse provides for you?  Become aware of what it would feel like to break free from the limiting chatter that surrounds your excuse.
•  Take the step to Move Beyond It! Make a list of ways you've already overcome other excuses.  List times you surprised yourself with doing a little extra here and there.  Make a list of ways you can support yourself to take the next step.  AND then, JUST DO IT!  Take the step, surprise yourself!  

Itty Bitty Sh!#y Committee

Spoiler alert!  My Itty Bitty Sh!#y Committee was activated!  You know the one; the voices that start feeding you full of negativity.  I lost my purse and included in it's contents were credit cards, house key, car keys, and my cell phone.  The thought of someone having my ID, keys to my home and credit cards made my stomach drop and a lump form in my throat.  And then I told myself that it would all work out. I didn't give up.  I was actively working on the return of the contents while consciously choosing to bring my mind back to the possibility of it's return.  I would't surrender to the doubt and fear.  I appreciate that I get to practice what I preach.  Jill Bolte Taylor, author of My Stroke of Insight talks about the left hemisphere in the brain and how it relates to the negative story in the mind.  She writes, "In my opinion, making the decision that internal verbal abuse is not acceptable behavior, is the first step toward finding deep inner peace."   What kinds of events make your Itty Bitty Sh!#y Committee active?  What best supports you to quiet it when it starts?  If your committee is overactive, you have the right to choose to deactivate it!  You can choose to quiet it, tune into a different frequency, allow your mind to open up to experience your situation in a different way!  This takes practice.  Just as you wouldn't expect your newly walking toddler to walk up Mt. Everst, gift yourself with the same grace and patience.  Exercise the part of your brain that is seeking to tune into a different frequency.  Practice, practice, practice and notice your Itty Bitty Sh!#y Committee getting quieter!