Calm in the Chaos - Tips for a Better Life
Sometimes the more we push, the less progress we make. Here's what to do instead.
by Jamie Spannhake
December 05, 2020
When I coach clients on their diets and nutrition in order to find a balanced and reasonable way of eating, I tell them not to try to find substitutes for things they love but are cutting out of their diets; sometimes forever and sometimes for a trial period.
What I mean is that if you are cutting out dairy, for example, to determine if you have a sensitivity that is negatively affecting your health, it's probably best to NOT replace it with a soy substitute. It doesn't taste the same.
It's more enjoyable if you find a different food to eat in its place rather than trying to recreate the same taste. So maybe instead of your usual yogurt for breakfast, you switch to a dairy-free smoothie of some kind.
The point is: when we hold on to things too tightly, we aren't open to different options that might work better for us. This is true in life as well.
When we hold too tightly to ideas and expectations, we may miss seeing the opportunities that are available to us. Instead of trying to recreate something from the past, create a new path or choice for the present. Be open to the possibilities.
One way to find these possibilities is through mindfulness and meditation.
Related Content: 5 Ways to Start Your Meditation Practice
As I was meditating this morning, one thing that struck me is that the absence of focusing on my thoughts allows me to think. The more I try to think and solve, the less able I am to find solutions and ideas.
Not focusing on my thoughts gives my brain the space and time to solve problems, craft solutions, and create ideas.
Related Content: The Importance of Downtime
It also struck me that life can be like this in general. Sometimes, the more we push, the less progress we make.
It is important to have goals and to know what we want because these help us identify the right opportunities for the progress we want to make.
But PUSHING for them sometimes just means that we are getting in our own way.
What do you think?
Want more?
I coach busy professionals so they can achieve more while doing less; so they can create the lives they truly want, lives that include time and space to work the way they want, to spend time with their kids, to laugh with friends, and to exercise every day: Time and space to do all the things I was told I couldn’t do as a successful lawyer.
My work with clients is based upon the principles in my book, The Lawyer, the Lion, & the Laundry: Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in the Chaos, available at www.JamieSpannhake.com.
Learn more about how I can help you, and apply for my coaching program here.
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