This last year has blown my mind; travelling the world, learning from some of the greats in person, as well as speaking at my first US conference, then spending the summer months in Spain, going into the autumn launching Meditate Your Mind, and selling out and needing a waiting list. This whole year has been a humbling and amazing experience, and I’d like to thank all of you who joined me on the maiden voyage of MYM, every one of you who sent me emails, who were there at each step of this year and those of you cheering me on. Wow – I have loved sharing every second with you!! You are awesome!!
Now, I’d like to reflect back on a story I shared with you a while ago, as I have now created a video version of it. Here’s the link to the video –
And here is the story again for those of you that missed it.
I’d like to share a story with you from the first launch of Meditate Your Mind. I had a really amazing question from a lovely lady called Claire.
Claire wrote to me and said:
‘Savannah,
I love your work and have been really excited to see you sharing more. I wanted to ask you something, honestly. “Busy” is my daily life – how can I find time to sit down for 5 minutes, let alone meditate!?
I’d like to know how I can begin to just feel like I can breathe again.’
I asked her if I could share my answer with you – obviously, she said yes.
So, here goes:
Firstly, Claire, thank you for your question, and I am thrilled you are enjoying the information – I’m loving sharing it. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. How is it that some people seem to move mountains in short periods of time and others never seem to get anywhere?
The three surprising reasons you feel too busy are:
- It’s simple, but it’s true: the more you tell yourself you are ‘too busy to (fill in the blank)’, the more you become too frantic and busy and are controlled by the situations around you rather than taking the reins on your mind and being active but purposeful in your activity.
Yes, there may be lots of things that require action. Trust me, it’s all possible. Do you know what your priorities are?
When someone next asks you to do something, try saying, ‘I have a lot happening in my life, it’s a lot of fun and my current priorities are (fill in the blank).’
- You feel you are too busy because you are flitting from one task to another, never completing it. This is something that is known as ‘interrupted movement’. A chap called Bert Hellinger, a world-renowned German psychotherapist, has done extensive studies around this. Bert noticed that when you do a task, if you interrupt the movement of the task, it can actually create a state of neurosis in your mind. Neurosis is where you become obsessive about that one thing. Your mind is so powerful that if it has been interrupted or blocked from doing a task, part of you knows it, and you keep trying to complete it by doing the same things again and again and again – trying to finish it. Left unchecked, you can become a little crazed, stressed, chaise your tail and even lose touch with reality.
So, I invite you to stop, step back, take a breath, and ask yourself: What are you looking to achieve and how can you complete the movement from A to B?
- The final reason you think you are too busy is we have been taught to practise speed in our daily lives. Move faster, do more, get onto the next thing. Emails, TV, and radio shows exemplify this speedy approach. Next time you watch TV, observe how fast the adverts are, and how many things you are told in less than two minutes before zooming off to the next topic. We practise jumping subjects a lot. Do you know the average person will know if they like, are interested in, or will keep watching something within eight seconds? Our attention spans have become so short.
A very wise man once shared a simple sentence with me that I repeat to myself and share with others often. It has been the remedy for a speedy, distracted life:
Give everything the time it deserves.
So, Claire, that is my answer to your question. I hope it helps.
Keep doing your best to pause, consider what you would like to achieve and take the time to complete things. Even if that is a simple task, like making your bed or finishing the washing up.
Now, it’s over to you: What have you done to take the reins on your mind when you have felt overwhelmed and too busy? How has being ‘too busy’ affected your life? And what advice would you give to someone trying to ‘find the time’?
If you’ve enjoyed the read and found it useful, and feel moved to, please share this with a friend.
And if you are that friend reading this – come and join in on the fun and subscribe so next time you get the chance to enjoy this direct to your inbox, no spam included, ever!!!
With love,
Savannah
