Stop DOING to start BEING!

(photo of last night's sunset from the poolside)

(photo of last night's sunset from the poolside)

Earlier this afternoon as I was sitting on the sun lounger basking in the warmth after sharing a beautiful lunch with my AirBnB the hosts at the table on the veranda, I realised I was still caught up in the 'doing'. I was thinking about all the books I 'had' to read before the end of my holiday, fingers itching to write lists of to-dos's, and wondering what the time was to see how much of the day had already gone.

Those feelings confused me. Typically when I'm away on holiday it's the one time I find that I am able to switch off, able to just go with the flow and enjoy the day without any expectation or apprehension of not having done enough. I wondered why the subtle anxiety still bubbled beneath the surface and why my thoughts were different this time around.

Then I realised. I might be on holiday, I may be in a new location, I maybe sitting in the sun yet or the first time I still have my laptop, my iPad and my phone right at hand all connected into Wi-Fi ready to ping me notifications at a moments notice, ready for me eager hands to tap buttons.

Just because I've changed location, doesn't mean my mind has.... 

I realised that in order for that mind shift to happen, from doing to being, I needed to be more disciplined. I needed to create a mental space for that change to occur. I needed to put away the phone and the laptop when I didn't need to use them and switch all off onto airplane mode. Yes it is a working holiday but it's also a test to create a balance between work and play. It's a chance for me to sit and think and read and write... all those creative and crucially important parts of my business that I all too often push down the priority list as life gets hectic. 

This was my 'soul' purpose and my 'sole' purpose for this holiday...

My coaching practice centres around BEING rather than DOING, my life is about walking the talk, about experimenting with myself and exploring my life and questioning the mental constraints we build so that I can help others more powerfully explore their own journey. 

None of those things can happen in a constant state of doing. Allowing time as I sat there on the lounger to simply 'be' IS my work!

This is for you too. Your life happens in the BEING, not the DOING. I don't mean that you 'do' nothing, we all have busy lives, and our lives involve 'doing' lots of things on a daily basis. But find space within those moments, and the small pauses in between... find space to find who you are and what makes you come alive. Focus on being.

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