When we are committed to diving into the process of discovering what really matters, we first create the container.
Creating a container for getting clear on what really matters to us is, to me, about find quiet space within. This can be blank pages, this can be meditation (which can mean many things, including silent meditation, mantra meditation, and movement meditation), and it can be even simpler.
Take a moment right now (after you read these next couple of sentences so you know what you’re doing) and close your eyes. Feel your body. Maybe touch fingers to one another or touch your arm or rest your hand on your leg so you can feel the physicality of who you are. Notice how your body moves to make space for the breath within. Notice that you are a container. Allow yourself to feel this.
Creating a container for getting clear on what really matters to you can be as simple as taking a moment of pause when faced with a situation, or even the next step in a larger situation.
Close your eyes. Feel your breath. Ask yourself, what really matters right now?
Do not worry about what the answer will be. Do not let your mind get bogged down by the anxiety of what it will look like or how it will take shape. Just allow yourself in this one moment to feel what really matters.
These are stepping stones because we do not often take massive leaps in our lives (and when we do, they usually have had at least some foundation built over time, whether we are aware of it or not).
I pause. I ask myself what really matters right now. It is hunger. I walk into the kitchen and listen to my body and nourish myself.
I pause. I ask myself what really matters right now. It is breath. I commit to staying inside and giving my body a break from the pollen.
I pause. I ask myself what really matters right now. It is simplicity. I chose the words I write to you with care, hoping to illustrate the idea of simplicity to you.
I pause. I ask myself what really matters right now. It is thirst. I drink more water.
I pause. I ask myself what really matters right now. It is balance. I make time for writing, for mala making.
I pause. I ask myself what really matters right now. It is deeper understanding. I read books by those who see the world from a different perspective.
I pause. I ask myself what matters right now. It is giving back and finding ways to support other women. I seek new ways to show up and share in the world (including donating 15% of sales through today to the Philly Mama’s Bail Out Fun).
Moment to moment I pause. The pause is the container.
