How you get into water, does it reflect your approach to life?Jul 31, 2022
IS HOW YOU GET IN THE WATER YOUR APPROACH TO LIFE?
I’m curious.
Do you dip your toe, or dive straight in**?
Whether it’s a pool, the sea or a lake, how you get in the water to swim, may have vast similarities to how you approach life.
Are you a toe dipper? Do you stand at the edge for ages overthinking, analysing, procrastinating? Do you get knee deep but then stop half way? Or do you just dive straight in? Boom!
Thinking about how you get in the swimming pool, lake or sea can compare to how your mindset deals with life situations.
I discovered my hidden mindset when I was setting up my business. I was so fed up with procrastinating and fearful of how to get things done. Why was I like this when others appear to be flying ahead with ease?
Then one day I saw it. The similarity. I noticed that when I got into the swimming pool I would wait for ages, overthinking, on the steps, knee deep before taking the plunge.
But once in, I’d wondered, why on earth had I wasted so much time and mind energy thinking about it.
Bouncing this analogy around with friends, I was amazed at the similarities.
So I tried an experiment. I had moved to live by coast and hadn’t yet swam in the sea. Why?
The thought of the cold, the splashing waves, I didn’t believe I had the courage to get in the cold sea so I kept putting it off for another day.
Hummm. That’s what I was sometimes saying to myself in my business as a sole entrepreneur, relying on my mind for encouragement. I will get round to using that new technology, arranging my new workshop etc, I will do it, soon....
Does this sound familiar?
Is there somewhere you are procrastinating in your life, waiting and wishing you could just do it?
I decided to take action and change my mindset.
So, costume on, I march down to the sea, and walk in… knee deep, the mind starts going crazy with all the reasons why I shouldn't do it, I keep walking, the mind tells me I will never get my shoulders in, too cold, I keep walking, arms in and go….swim swim swim, cold cold, cold, ohhh lovely. I did it!
I felt a million dollars! If I can do this, then I felt that I can do anything.
I managed to focus on my end goal, ignore all the crazy conflicts in my mind and had such an amazing time.
I practice and teach meditation, I understand that our thoughts contribute to our outcome, but sometimes when things get uncomfortable we can allow our thoughts to go wild, take over, get caught up in that conflict and make mind based decisions based on fear.
How do we know what uncomfortable is unless we have experienced being comfortable?
So now when I get stuck watching from the side lines or get caught up in fear, I remember this analogy.
How I get into the water is how I approach life.
I can choose to spend all my time to overthink and procrastinate, or I can get straight in.
Simply by seeing your thoughts about a situation, you are then able to change them and have a new mindset.
Having changed my mindset I am now able to walk straight in to the sea, with ease and excitement, which gives me the confidence that I can do whatever I choose in life.
It is only your mindset that stops you.
Changing your mindset, changes your life, opens up possibilities and allows you to live life liberated and without limits.
What once appeared impossible can now be an exciting reality.
How can doing the same activity have two totally different perceptions a few weeks apart?
Nothing has changed other than the way I think about it.
From impossible to possible.
From dread to delight.
What are you telling yourself that you can’t possibly do at the moment?
Where are you holding back in life?
Be curious. See your thoughts, emotions and beliefs, and know that they do not have to define you.
YOU are that which is aware of them. Discover your TRUE SELF.
I love this analogy. What a great reframe!