I can't remember if I told you all that I had a book all drawn out in my mind. It has been floating around like a ping pong ball between my two ears. It's all about mantra being medicine for the mind and heart and, ultimately, the body. I would love to see any science behind this concept, but have not had a chance to dive into that!
I sincerely believe that optimism and hope drive success. That is not to say there will be no struggles or that it will be easy. What I'm saying is that the optimism and hope will allow you to come out on the other end of whatever struggle you have with a look back that says, "Wow, I just did that. There were moments that I was not sure of myself or the process, but damn I'm good!"
I was laying in the sun today. Well, really basking and maybe a little baking. However, my public service announcement is "Use Sunscreen". With that being said, as I was relaxing, listening to my music, the wind began to blow. My windchimes began to sing to me. And, I really just thought that I need to develop the wind's attitude.
What is that you may ask? There is time for full-blown wind, time for a gentle breeze and time for silence. I would categorize today's wind as somewhere between a gentle breeze and a full-blown wind. It was enough wind to allow the dust on my shoulders to be swept off. The dust of frustration and self-doubt. You see, I'm recovering from another smallish hip surgery. But, as I said the dust is gone. As quickly as the wind that cleaned me up today came through my glorious backyard, there was silence. A snap of the finger quickness from wind to silence. To calmness.
The silence also provides opportunity for cleansing and mantra. It won't help if you use that silence to tell yourself, "This is too hard. I can't do it. I'm not worthy". It might take some practice but going into silence with one of my favorite yogi's suggestion, "If I have a thought, don't chase it, let it go" is incredibly helpful. Use the silence to down regulate your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response).
Be like the wind. Realize there are times to be blustery, times to be gentle and times to be still. Find your balance.