Living half-heartedly or living fully engaged? It’s your choice
Showing up and being committed to your life is about focusing on what is important to you, and then at every opportunity expressing this. You may have set goals for yourself, such as furthering your studies or progressing at work, and obviously, you need to focus on the actions you must take each day to achieve them. But true commitment to your life is more than these actions, it’s about how you want to show up in your life emotionally. What sort of ‘heart’ do you want to express into the world, every minute of every day?
Look at this list and choose the three emotive qualities that are most important to you …
Kindness
Appreciation
Being energetic
Positivity
Being action-orientated
Clear-mindedness
Being dedicated
Being solution- focused
Fully engaged
Or any others that are important to you
Scan the last few days of your life and think of all the times when you did express these three qualities. Now scan your diary and all your arrangements for the next four days, and imagine how you want to ‘show-up’ at these occasions. Sit back, set your mind free and create your own movie of yourself showing up in a truly committed way. Enjoy your movie, add bright colours, music, and whatever makes it feel good and real to you.
Now, let’s take a look at how you sometimes ‘show up’ in your life in a way you would rather not.
Look at this list and choose the three you sometimes find yourself expressing, but would prefer to change …
Lazy
Critical
Devious
Unreliable
Lethargic
Inaccurate
Dishonest
Procrastinating
Scatter-brained
Disengaged
Overwhelmed
Or any others that are significant to you
Where in your life have you possibly been tempted to express these qualities? Recall the situation, and then think of what triggered you to respond in this way. Now consider how you would prefer to show up when this trigger is present. Make an internal commitment to yourself to practice showing up in your preferred way. You can practice being alert to these triggers, and ensure that you do not show up in a way that is not true to what is important to you.
Here is a great formula for ‘showing up’ and living a committed and whole-hearted life:
You are here. You are present. So be present. Do the work.
Show up!
Anonymous