Feature Friday- Intentions & Being Present
Happy FriYAY! Anyone else starting to notice a theme here? I'm loving alliterations and think they are the perfect motivation for unique posts to get us through the week, so here is feature Friday! What do I mean by 'feature', you may ask? Well, I'll try to focus on one particular word or theme (or something I'm working on that) I have been focusing on for the week and share it with you. Maybe it will motivate you to find your own theme for the week/day/month or you can always come up with your own as well!
This week after listening to Oprah's Super Soul Sunday Podcast, I became really inspired to set a purpose for each day. Many of the yoga classes that I got to, we set intentions at the beginning of class. Sometimes my intention may be something simple as 'get through this class' or sometimes it could be more meaningful, like 'push past your comfort zone'. I wanted to carry this idea over into my day-to-day and set an intention for each week, something that I am working/ focusing on to be better.
We all have things that we can improve upon (we're human), so it's natural to either take those weaknesses and believe that you cannot change OR take our weaknesses as a challenge to ourselves to be better. If we're not improving, aren't we just giving up on ourselves and settling? It's ok to be stuck in a rut, but acknowledge that you are in a rut and give yourself permission to accept that and know that it is just temporary. This can relate to injuries/ personal relationships/ work / chores etc. Know that while it is tough right now and you may lack that ability or motivation to improve your situation, it will get better and this challenge is natural, but you have the opportunity to improve it (maybe not in this particular second, but you can work towards that brighter day).
So what was my intention that I have set for myself this week? LIMIT MULTI-TASKING and be PRESENT. It is part of my human nature to multi-task and for so long I've viewed it as something that I am just 'wired' to do and would even brag to others about great of a multi-tasker I am! I've recently realized that the more you multi-task, the less invested your are in each corner of your life and you are not showing others (whether it's another person or chore) the full respect they/it deserves.
Have you ever been caught having a conversation with your loved one while surfing the internet while also having the television on? Yes, super guilty and while it was not only hurting myself, it was also hurting those around me because they could see that I was not giving them the respect that they deserve (unknowingly too). I completely believe that acknowledging that you are a multi-tasker is a great first step and to not feel guilty for doing (sometimes it feels like it's totally necessary to survive and get everything done!), but begin to change.
So, how am I trying to limit my multi-tasking? I've started keeping a daily journal and will begin meditating. I want to feel more 'in the moment' situations and really give everything I am working on the full focus it deserves. I love to have music on in the background when I'm getting work done, so this will be change (and maybe one that I never fully give-up), however I'm starting with the little things! Working on a project for a given amount of time and not turning my focus away from it. Eating in silence rather than standing and working and listening to the television and having a conversation all at the same time. It gets kinda exhausting when we multi-task, don't you agree?
So, my feature this week is setting intentions and working on becoming better. Being present in the moment.
What are you working on?