Spring is the Perfect Time to Renew and Refresh
It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.
BC Forbes
Spring has sprung! New leaves are beginning to bud and plants are shooting through the soil renewing our landscape. Just like nature’s annual fresh start, our spirit can benefit from a fresh perspective to renew our creativity and vitality.
One of the best ways I know to renew my perspective and bring myself into alignment with my own flourishing is to read (or listen to) things that inspire me and let it soak into my soul. Beautiful prose and inspiring stories can lift us up, but that inspiration can be fleeting unless we allow it in – do something to embody it and make it part of our felt experience.
When we take an ‘aha’ and then integrate it by taking that inspiration and changing the way we show up, we harness the powerful law of attraction.
We come into alignment with the energy of that inspiring thought by becoming it and then attract more experiences, thoughts and people emitting the same type of energy. We take that in and then attract even more.
So this Spring, with the intention of regularly refreshing my perspective, I have challenged myself to pay close attention and regularly ask myself these two things:
- What kind of content am I watching, listening to and reading?
- If something inspires me, am I willing to embody its energy and effortlessly bring more or that feeling into my experience?
Already I am noticing a difference with my choices and the impact they are having on my overall mood and energy level.
I tend to gravitate toward the shows that have the “good guy” being victorious, but when I started this challenge and looked at what I was putting in my brain and consequently my body, I noticed how many shows I watched that were violent or aggressive.
I also noticed how I had gotten in the habit of clicking on the news notification on my phone when I turned off my alarm in the morning. A lot of the lead stories are negative in tone and end up triggering distress, frustration or anger – not the energy with which I want to start my day.
To start I decided to stop watching all those murder mystery/news shows (like Dateline, etc.) before bed. I didn’t want that to be the last thing in my mind before I laid my head down. In its place, I have chosen more uplifting shows and reading material. I then decided not to read any news upon waking up, but to instead do inspiring and grounding meditation. This way I begin and end my day with the energy that is in alignment with who I want to be in the world.
With my meditation I am taking the theme and typing it into my calendar and seeing it every time I look at the calendar (many times a day). When I notice the theme there, I give myself a chance to ‘feel’ the theme. I imagine how I would feel and act if I truly believed it.
For example, today’s theme was “When I don’t resist I am in grace?” When I take that in, I feel relaxed, curious, free and energized. Then I made a commitment to myself to act as if I believed it.
So when it was time for me to go into a workshop I had signed up for, instead of resisting and avoiding the networking portion of the event (usually not my favorite – not a big fan of small talk or meeting lots of new people at once), I took a deep breath and dove in. I ended up making some great connections and learning a lot more during the workshop because I was curious and open.
After doing this for a few days, I noticed that choice was extending to other parts of my day. I am choosing inspirational/positively toned audio books, podcasts, magazine articles, news stories, etc.. I am not completely putting my head in the sand, but I am aware of when negatively toned content begins to impact my mood and then I make the choice to refresh with something else. As a result, I have experienced a greater sense of well being and an increased amount of creativity and productivity.
My invitation to you is to notice if you are refreshing your system regularly and whether you are willing to consciously choose more nurturing “ingredients” for your soul.
