30 Second Doorway to Your Day
In preparing for our Australia trip, I found a post with a video that was released under the name that belonged to the video below. This video was made a month or so ago, but I was so excited that I wanted to share it with you. I'm still engaged in the process of observing my thoughts and weeding my mental garden. Please enjoy and connect with me. We are on a journey together.
Thank You, Meryl Streep!
I was channel surfing between the quarters on Sunday and happened to see Meryl Streep doing an interview on a talk show. Could I respect an actress more than this great lady?! So I stopped channel surfing for a moment and dropped in on her interview.
Meryl was talking about her role as the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. She acknowledged the fortitude of Thatcher and all politicians for the ability to deal with the constant negativity that was thrown at them. She also said it was the hardest role she had ever played.
And.... and this was the AND I needed to hear... Meryl Streep said that she got nervous when she walked on the set for the movie.
Thank you, Meryl Streep! I'm free!! You have freed me from my Anxious Annie Critter that attacked me just days earlier. It was a major mental maelstrom and I hadn't had one of those in years.
Then I remembered that Katherine Hepburn always got nervous before a performance. And Barbara Streisand said she went through the same thing! Knowing that I'm not alone and that it's not just me that hit those slippery slopes, helped a lot.
But here's the rub, as Shakespeare would say - If I'm nervous, that's one thing. Entertaining self-defeating thoughts is another!
So my goal for the next time I have to do filming (which is in the very near future) is that even if I get nervous...
- Acknowledge the nervousness
- Recognize it for what it is
- Release all self-deprecating thoughts!
- Take a deep breath and visualize the positive outcome I intend
- Do whatever I need to do to have that outcome happen (which is usually to 'over' study)
I did everything except number 3 last time and it is that third one that sent me into a downward spiral. So I'm on my game again. I've learned something very powerful as I return to weeding my mental garden with more commitment to the process than ever before!
Shift This Moment & the Next Will Follow
Whenever I talk about the One Minute Meditation (see video here) people ask me to teach it. I was in Adelaide about seven weeks ago and I had approximately 100 people in the room. I happened to mention that I use the One Minute Meditation when I'm feeling stressed or I'm not on my game and it was a room stopper. The entire group responded affirmatively when I asked if they wanted to learn it.
It was pretty amazing. The room was in an active state and within one minute of 'breath in - be still, breath out - let go' the entire energetic field shifted. The feeling was palpable from high energy moving in all directions to a sense of stillness, presence and focus.
I have since received a tremendous amount of feedback from these and others who are using the One Minute Meditation. Here's what one person communicated...
"When I feel stressed or I'm beginning to feel edgy, I turn my attention inward for a moment, take a deep breath, and say the words you taught us - 'be still, let go'. It's amazing how quickly I can still my mind, reconnect with myself and shift into present time. Thanks for that. I would recommend it to everyone in these stressful times!"
So with all of this feedback and after much consideration, I have decided to share a few more of these short one or two minute meditations. These are One Minute Meditations that I use and they come from my private tool chest. Each fulfills a different purpose, but they will all strengthen your mental focus, enhance the energy of the heart and amp up the power of your intention.
Just as we are learning to do core training for the body, these short meditations are like core training for the heart and soul. Each meditation will help you shift your awareness, energize your presence in the moment and change all the moments that follow.
