This morning I woke up faced with a predicament. I had multiple things I wanted to get done and I didn’t know what to do first. This isn’t the first time I’ve faced this conundrum, and it’s probably common for many, but what made it unique was that for the last two weeks or so, I have been loyally beginning my day with watching a 1-hour Conscious Cleanse video and taking rigorous notes on the enriching subject matter at hand.
I have found that even though I joined this 21-Day Conscious Cleanse late, as I have gone back to watch the videos and process them on my own, I have found it quite grounding to begin my day by watching one video each morning. It is centering for me. One, because it gives strategies for how to live a centered, conscious, mindful life, and two, because daily routines are inherently centering. I particularly like starting my day with these videos, because I find I have a lot of mental energy in the morning, and there is quite a symbiotic relationship between my eager, recently awakened mind and these videos, which, as I mentioned above, are chock-full of wisdom and enrichment.
When I watch these videos, I feel grounded not only by the wise teachings, but also simply by the presence of the teachers, Dr. Shefali Tsabary and Suzi Lula, who have personally experienced the growth they are sharing with others, as well as have comprehensive backgrounds in the subject matter. I simply watch and soak up their energy and their presence, while voraciously writing down their words.
So this morning when I woke up feeling at odds about how to start my day, I soon realized that the answer would likely be to watch the next video of the series. But before committing to that, I deconstructed why I wanted to do the other activities beforehand. (Deconstructing a situation is one of the main teachings of this Conscious Cleanse course). I realized that the reason I wanted to work on two cover letters for recent job postings was because I felt pressure to get this task out of the way. Finding a job that I want, and then putting myself out there for it, creates a lot of stress for me; I hope and yearn for the job as I write up my cover letter and after sending it off, I feel a deep sense of lack of control over what will be.
The other task I had weighing on me was replying to more of the Facebook comments on a post I made to a Facebook group I am in. I was curious to see what the additional replies were and how much more conversation would come out of it, as yesterday I had spent a good few hours replying to others’ comments and speaking on the topic at hand in great detail.
In deconstructing these two alternative activities that I could start my day with this morning, I realized that both activities carried with them an emotional charge. (Another term from the Conscious Cleanse course!). Meaning, I felt this sense of urgency and drama when I thought of writing up the cover letter and engaging in the Facebook conversation. When I thought about it more, though, was there really a rush to do these two tasks?
Regarding the cover letters, today is Thanksgiving and I will not be applying to the jobs anyway until Monday. So I have a few days before that to complete the cover letters. Therefore, what feels urgent is not the writing of the cover letters themselves, but rather the emotions (the charge!) that I attach to it: that is, my longing for reassurance that I will in fact get a job that I will find fulfilling and which meets my professional and personal aspirations.
And as for the Facebook group, sure, I was curious as to what others had said since yesterday evening, but the conversation would still be there in a few hours. So the charge I had associated with going on Facebook was my curiosity for what was said, and my feeling of wanting to respond and be seen and heard. It was the emotions associated with the Facebook post, not the Facebook post itself.
Now, with all that being said, watching the Conscious Cleanse the first thing in the morning is not the only way to do it. I could watch it later in the day. But I wouldn’t be bringing my freshest mind to it, that renewed energy that I have when I wake up, which feels so cathartic to pour into delving into the depths of self-awareness and personal growth with these two charismatic and wise teachers. And I wouldn’t get the benefit of having that grounding morning routine if I simply displaced it to another time of the day. Not to mention, I may not do it later if I get distracted by other events. So while there is an emotional charge to doing this course—namely of feeling the pressure to stay on track and do one video every day—there is also the conscious realization of the authentic benefits and grounded reasons to continuing my practice of beginning my day with watching these videos.
Speaking of which, I am going to go watch one right now!
Mindful Nuggets 