October 2004



Sitting upon sore glutes I relish in my recent immersion in learning. Spending three days in Estes Park practicing yoga, philosophizing about yoga and deepening my learning has created a new motivation in me.

We’ve all had the experience of coasting along in an area of life. We enjoy it but have become a bit complacent. Be it relationships, career, hobbies, parenting, yoga, it is all the same. We stumble upon a plateau, knowing that we are on course but not feeling the fire that fueled an earlier journey.

How do you take the plateaus of life and make them into extraordinary learning opportunities?

Boredom
Recently the question of boredom came up. What is boredom and why does it exist? Do you get bored when work slows, no longer racing, leaving you wondering what to do with your extra time? What I notice in myself is unconsciously I fill my time up again, as though open time is wasteful or that I need more excitement --new yoga poses or music or a new project to launch. Ah, to realize that boredom is my own creation and I am likely sitting upon what I already need for greater inspiration.

Resist the Urge to Bail
The temptation is great to search elsewhere for your answers, for your fulfillment—the illusion that it is easier to begin anew rather than work through the challenge before you. Of course if you are pretending to be someone you are not, working at a job that makes you ill, or are in an abusive relationship, stop. However, if you have merely fallen into a stagnant pattern and feel hum-drum about a once passionate endeavor, opportunity abounds. We often fail to recognize that jumping from one thing to the next merely postpones our growth and greater joy. An unending cycle of illusion.

Instead, immerse yourself. Begin by immersing in you. Get to know who you truly are, what lights you up, what needs you’re expecting to be met by external elements (another person to “make you happy”, a job to make you feel acknowledged / important). Turning inward is perhaps the greatest gift you can give yourself as a first step toward an extraordinary life.

Go Deeper
My sense is that our answers lie not in veering away from our boredom or lackluster element, but instead heading towards the center and diving in.

What would it be like if as a parent you begin a new kind of dialog with your child? What about pursuing specialty training in your career? Have your ever looked your partner in the eyes for a full five minutes in silence to really see one another, or discussed your most honest truths? What if yoga really is all the same poses and it is merely about going deeper into them? What if the learning and inspiration are right under our noses?

Ask yourself where the oomph has escaped your life. Then explore it—enroll in a class, attend a conference, journal about it, participate in a personal development seminar and apply it to your specific challenge, get a mentor, read a book, immerse. Bring new energy to an old element and watch it re-awaken.

Patterns tend to repeat themselves, thus the name pattern. Address your patterns and move into them, through them. Treat yourself to the boost you feel when stimulated by learning, and the liberation of moving through a challenge rather than trying to bypass it.

Single Steps and Moderation
Many of you might be what I affectionately like to call “All or Nothings”, people who are either totally on the diet or who eat cookies for dinner, people who think, “If I can’t do it all the way, what’s the point in doing it?” To you fabulous all or nothings, I waive the caution flag. Lasting success exists once thought and action integrate to become part of who we are. Take your time getting there. Overwhelm can paralyze us into inaction if the objective feels too great, so please begin with a step at a time. Start in a way that is exciting to you and can be readily incorporated into your life. Acknowledge the steps that you do take, rather than the steps you fail to take.

How will you get started in your re-awakening? Consider your first step now (10 minutes or less to complete) and write in into your schedule. Really, do it now.

Your steps need not be dramatic to experience dramatic results. That’s the beauty of living an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. It is the small conscious steps forward, a shift in awareness, and a celebration of what we already have that enriches the enjoyment of living. Enjoy the journey!

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