A New Look Within

The Ripple Effect

I typically draft these letters on Tuesdays. That way, I build reflection time into the process. 😊

This week, while I’m in Colorado, it works well to write on Monday. I’m here for some work and a lot of catching up with one of my favorite humans. I hope to have mountain photos next week. 😉

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​“I alone cannot change the world,
but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

~ Mother Theresa

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Hello!

One theme I’m hearing amongst the circles I travel in is this: it’s taking ever more to stay regulated within. Our nervous systems are jacked up. And rightfully so. 

Today, let’s start by pausing together. 

Join me. 
Let’s sigh out a few breaths. 
Inhaling through the nose. 
Exhaling . . . sigh it out with an open mouth and an audible sound. 

A couple more times like that. 

Now, feel your feet on the floor. 
Tap into your connection to ground. 
Feel the support that’s underneath you. 

Relax your belly. 
Let your breath land there. 

Soften your eyes. 
Your forehead. 
Your jaw. 

🙏🏽 Thank you. 

I also have something for us to think about. 

I’ll start with disclosure:

I feel like an awkward person at parties.. 
Especially amongst a room full of people I don’t know. 
If there’s a way I can get myself into a service role in the kitchen? 
You better believe I’ll opt for pouring beverages rather than circulating throughout the room. 

I’ve always marveled at those who effortlessly engage with people they don’t know. 

How do they do it? 
Why can’t I be more like that? 

There are definitely techniques I have learned to try and build my social skill set while soothing my personal discomfort. 
I’m into learning and evolving. 

And, I’ve also started paying attention to what comes more naturally for me. 

I love one-on-one conversations. Especially when talking in-depth. 
If that conversation involves anything related to personal challenges, or growth? 
I’m all about the uplift for the other person. 
I’ve recently been told by two people I admire, they like the playfulness I bring to situations. 

Hmmmm, that’s something I’d love to enhance. 

Maybe I am putting more value on strengths I see in others? 
If it’s something I struggle with, then that must be the thing I should be able to do?
If something does come naturally for me, then it must just be easy? Not valuable. 

Here’s what I’m beginning to understand more fully. 

We ALL have different things that come more easily for us. 

The person who can charm and engage an entire room? 
May feel resistance to sitting down for an in-depth one-on-one. 

If something comes more naturally for us, why not celebrate its worth? 
What’s “easy” for us is probably really challenging for someone else. 
And, it’s the whole-darned mix of us that makes everything interesting. 

My question for you is:

What is one thing that comes relatively easy to you? 
That you do naturally?
Maybe it’s something you don’t even consider because it just seems part of who you are. 
I’m thinking specifically about something you do very easily when you interact with others. 

Examples: 

• Maybe you are a great listener, so people feel safe and willing to share
  
• Or, you uplift others by giving thoughtful compliments 

• Perhaps you see complex situations with clarity so you share solutions 

• Do you walk into a room full of strangers and readily make meaningful connections? 

• Are you the person who listens fully and provides support by holding space? 

• Do you ask engaging questions that put people at ease? 

Whatever it is, celebrate that. 
Bring that into the light. 
Allow that to lead your interactions with others. 

My hope is by acknowledging, by honoring, our own interpersonal skills, we can allow that positive vibration to ripple out and reach others. 
For our own benefit and for the benefit of others. 

With love, light, and longing for peace,

m

P.S. I turn to this every day to help my own nervous system reset: 
The Walk for Peace 🕊️