It's good to be back in Chicago from two solid weeks of working with clients in LA, and doing workshops in LA and San Diego. I found ways to take it easy on the road. I went to the Ocean before and after jobs. Then there were the nice hikes on my favorite mountain trails. I enjoy being on the road. But, when I come back from these action packed trips, I focus on melting back into my home. This morning I slept in. I didn't get out of bed right away. I spent time looking at the new leaves on the tree outside my window. For some reason I'm hard-wired to be enthralled by nature. It's my version of TV.
When I did get out of bed, I went and got my acoustic guitar and brought it back to bed with me. I played my guitar and made up some songs. It felt good to have the sun on me as I sang. I started to feel strong and alive again.
I know I need this time to myself. There were sometimes thoughts in the back of my mind that went, "You need to get out of bed and start working. There are lots of things to do. You're wasting time." But I knew the thoughts were wrong. I wasn't ready to work. My taking it easy and resting is essential to my being effective when I do go back to work. So I ignored the "warnings."
Looking for ways to be easier with myself have gone a long way to giving me a more satisfying life. When some kind of mental anguish comes into my mind, bringing with it a big shot of adrenalin into my heart, I've been stopping and going, "What's going on here?" "Is this true?" "Am I tired?" "Do I need to eat?" "Is there actually a problem now?"
One of my clients last week said with a great deal of anxiety, "I can't find my wallet! Why do I do this? Why do I keep sabotaging myself?" I said, "Maybe it's not sabotage. Things happen. Maybe it's underneath something and you haven't found it yet."
He was calm again. He found his wallet a few minutes later.