Good Humaning: Change is happening all the time.

Change is happening all the time, even when you feel most stuck.

There is a goal I have my eye on, and I know I’m not quite there yet.

When I’m “not quite there” I am generally hyper-focused on the barriers, the challenge, and the difficulties I have to conquer and not fully appreciating, or even noticing, the benefits of the change as I go along.

Even my language is harsh. “Conquering” leaves no room for the lightness of small wins, the encouragement of those around me, or the freedom of my own breath to flow through me.  When I have to “overcome” something, I am usually holding my breath.

Change is no small thing. It isn’t just one single decision. “Just Do It” refers to the myriad of small decisions it takes to arrive at a cumulative effect. Just…wake up earlier. Just…walk longer. Just…breath deeper. From there, add more.

Change almost always happens in stages even if we are not fully aware of them. I am not the person I was yesterday. If I learned something, I am yesterday +1.

Lasting change is almost always much more complex than a “Just Do It” and usually requires education, support systems, and ever-increasing awareness about maintaining the direction and inertia of your decisions.

If you are not quite ready to change, contemplating change, reading about the benefits of change, and seeking out support may actually be service of laying the foundation for lasting change.

In the end, it is just about putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to trip.

/This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice “good humaning.” It’s about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: Failure v Fame

Whichever way you’re tipping, the goal is to stay neutral.

Whatever is happening in my life, the joyful or the painful, I can’t get swept up in the reactivity of either. High highs are fun but it takes time to settle back in again. Low lows are never fun and take a lot of energy to regain equilibrium.

Craftsmen understand this emotional pendulum well as they show up to their Craft, day in and day out. They know the thrills of solving a challenge and learning something new about a medium they’ve dedicated their lives to deepening. They know all too well the depths of frustration when problems remain unresolved and new, unpredictable constraints present themselves.

When this happens to me, I have to remember patience. I have to practice compassion. I have to regain perspective.

/This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice “good humaning.” It’s about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: Be unpredictable.

Don’t hold a grudge against those who have you wrong. That’s what people expect.

It’s hard though. When I’ve been slighted, felt used by others, ignored or overlooked I want to retaliate, strike back, humiliate or malign. It’s a natural reaction.

And we are, all of us, just sorting it out, trying to find our tribes. I move on.

Instead, go be successful.

/This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice “good humaning.” It’s about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: Maintain joy.

Joy is something innate to each human being. There is no need to go in search of it.I need to remember that under all my worry, my thinking, my processing, that it is there lying dormant and waiting for me to access it.I need to remember to:

• find gratitude for what I'm capable of (it guides me),

• find joy in the work I choose to labor over (it feeds me),

• the journey I'm on (that enlightens me),

• the people in my life (that nourish me),

• the difficulties I have (that teach me),

• the uncomfortable emotions I have when I'm learning (they wake me up).

/This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice "good humaning." It's about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: Don't shift your burden.

Take responsibility for what is yours.

Don’t transfer your (anxiety, frustration, competitiveness, need for approval, etc.) to someone else.

/This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice “good humaning.” It’s about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: I am my own best witness.

When it comes to the person you are or the work you do, you have two witnesses to contend with: others and yourself. You are the principal witness of your own life.The voice of the "other" is powerful because we have been told to listen to it above our own voice for so long. We are told what to do in school. We are told how to achieve in our careers, and from there what skills we need to learn, when we will get promoted, when we can take vacations, etc. Yet, we are told to "take charge of our lives."Craftsmen know the importance of accurate self-evaluation. They know that of the two perspectives, it matters most what they think of themselves, their work, and their own sense of progress.Between others' opinions and my own thoughts, I know best what is going on. I have to continue working on perceiving myself with compassion but also not allowing self-deception./This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice “good humaning.” It’s about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: There are no dead ends.

All threads from my Life Path lead to where I am now, and the work I’m focused on now. There are no dead ends, no dangling threads.

If everything I have learned and experienced is in service of the work I do, then why do I feel shame in the unfinished? the incomplete? 

Ego drives shame, disappointment, and frustration. Learning to let go is one of the hardest lessons with which I reason, frequently. Ego lets feelings get in the way of feel.

In the moments I reframe dead ends as being in service of where I am today, I soften. I relax. I experience happiness. I am closer to getting a feel for what it is I should be doing.

..and it’s infectious.

/This post-series is about trying to anchor my experience by exploring within and reminding myself about what it means to practice “good humaning.” It’s about moving forward imperfectly. To follow this thread in my posts, look for these tags: #NotesFromMyYogaJournal

Good Humaning: Confusion

When you take time to reflect you start to realize that:

• thoughts don't really begin, they just are

• and they are endless

• they appear but are not concrete

• and, if there is no beginning and no end, no way to contain or house them--

Then I have no choice but to remain open so that these thoughts can pass through me. This insight helps me apply the cliche of "being a vessel for change." I truly am. I am not the person I was a year ago, or even a month ago. If I don't remain open, I am literally hoarding these thoughts, most of them useless distractions.Useless thoughts are unwanted, heavy, and limiting.