Next Right Thing
| Ciao Amica Mia, As life continues to flow one day into the other, I’m hoping you’re able to pause and enjoy the gift of simply being alive. Some days that’s not so easy. Trust me I know. Some days, what we’re now calling our new normal, feels overwhelming. Last week I’m convinced I picked the sucky-lucky lotto winner. At the same time a dear friend of over 50 years was swimming in a similar headspace. That’s the good news-bad news. Because what do you do when you’ve pulled out all of your self-coaching and spiritual tools and your results are “nada”. Well, if you’re like me you grab your cell phone, stick your ear buds in and call a friend. But when that friend is riding an emotional roller coaster too – you brew a cup of Chamomile tea or pour a glass of Pinot Noir, depending on the time of day, choose who gets the virtual talking stick first, while the other holds the space, then you have at it. Then you ventilate. Then you let it all pour out of you like milk spilling forth. No holds barred. Nothing censored. In the sacred container of trusted intimacy, you rip your heart wide open exposing your deepest fears and pain. As well as your cherished hopes and desires. The truth is my friend, we’re all experiencing something of the sucky. Another way of saying it, we’re all living through or have lived through, trauma. No one breathing on this planet has not experienced, on some level, suffering. It’s part of the human condition. For a few moments, days, and perhaps years, we’ve forgotten that our innate essence is auspicious goodness. We’ve been so wounded that living in the darkness seems a better alternative than healing. However, we can seek help. We can seek guidance. We can seek the light. Whether through prayer, a call to a friend, self-reflection, self-coaching, self-education, working with therapist or an integrative coach. Or, we can wallow in the anguish. Stay stuck in the muck. My friend shared an AA recovery meme with me, “do the next right thing.” It’s brilliant. “Do the next right thing” feels subtlety different to me than, “one day at a time.” Because “do the next right thing” aligns with my philosophy of taking authorship of your life. It’s an action step. “Do the next right thing” doesn’t feel overwhelming. It answers the question, what do I do right now, in this moment? That’s all we need. A breakaway strategy that moves us one simple step forward. Much like building the foundation of a house. You create a site plan, clear your inner terrain, open to grace and build your foundation, frame and shore up your interior and exterior walls of fortitude, etc., one skillful step at a time. Until you’re ready to adorn your life with your unique creative expression. Like it or not, trauma is a given. But what I want you to remember is that trauma doesn’t have to debilitate you or keep you from living a meaningful and purposeful life. Trauma doesn’t have to extinguish your joy. Trauma can be the catalyst to an even greater life than you ever imagined. So, let’s together, you and me, pause, take a deep settling breath, then “do the next right thing.” With so much love and appreciation for the light of your being, xoxo Paulette Please join me on my Private Facebook group. I really want to hear what your next right thing is. |
