Embracing Life’s Unexpected Moments: The Power of Reframing

Ever had a day where everything seemed to go wrong, only to look back and understand  it was a blessing in disguise? On this transformative episode, I recount an eye-opening experience when technical glitches halted my podcast recording, nudging me to step outside and relish the beautiful day. It was a powerful reminder to flow with life's currents rather than fight against them. This story underscores the incredible value of reframing our challenges as hidden opportunities and letting go of guilt when things don't unfold as planned.

Join me as we also explore the profound significance of self-love and acceptance through reflection. Embrace your past experiences and uncover the lessons they hold with a deep sense of compassion. Learn the benefits of gradual habit changes and strive for progress instead of perfection. To promote inner peace and self-love, I'll guide you through a relaxing meditation focused on the gentle sway of a tree in the breeze. This mindfulness exercise will help you reconnect with the present moment, providing serenity and relaxation whenever you need it. 
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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:38

The lesson that I learned and it was really a powerful lesson I want to share and make the theme of today and with it, I hope, to inspire you that not everyone gets it right all the time, and by reframing how we look at obstacles, reframing how we look at obstacles, we can instead take the gifts of them. So I was being very, very fixed. Um, I'll just put it, I'll just paint a picture for you. Right? It was a beautiful sunny day outside. The garden looked really inviting. I had several books that I would like to read, et cetera, and also some creative projects that I wanted to do. However, something in me felt like it couldn't just do that, and the reason being was that it was a working day. On a working day, even when I'm working for myself, I like to get some work done. I enjoy it not all work, of course, but creative projects and stuff like that definitely. Well, I was supposed to record my podcast, but for some reason, the system that I use would not work. I went on all the health things. It just did not want to work. So if I had been more in the flow and more aware, right, I would have worked out that it was the universe telling me that this particular afternoon wasn't the time to be recording my podcast. And I got fixed because it goes out every Wednesday and I thought let's do it a couple of times, for whatever reason. Generally, nine times out of ten it goes out every Wednesday. So I'm thinking, oh my gosh, like I'm going to let all these people down.

Speaker 1: 2:38

And I kind of got into this kind of spirally, kind of poor me thing and the added frustration was I tried for three hours to get this technology to work. I was so stubborn, I just kept trying different things. And don't get me wrong, sometimes we have to do that kind of stuff. You know, like sometimes we do have times when things aren't working, but no more, what, what I did? Right and I'm not an expert on technology, but I can get things working. Nothing was going to work, absolutely nothing was going to work. So instead of kind of like thinking, ah, okay, I can't do it, accepting it and go and enjoy the day, I I kind of tried and I got all, like you know, you just kind of feel a bit like suffocate because it's really nice outside and I was indoors, and then I called my partner and he's just like well, why did you do that? And I and you know I stepped back and I just thought you know what this was something to do with guilt of like, because I had it as a working day.

Speaker 1: 3:45

I decided that, no matter what, I was going to record this podcast and of course don't get me wrong I like it's good to have guidelines and deadlines and times to do things, but I had forgotten, like my yogic head, my shamanic head, of seeing like this golden opportunity. But I could have a go at myself and think, oh, why was I so stupid? But instead I see it as a blessing because it really opened my eyes. I just thought, you know what things don't always happen when we want them to do, and I can do my best creative stuff when I'm kind of in the flow. And this was like a golden opportunity for me to work on my creative stuff and yet I kind of sabotaged it. But hindsight, awareness is everything and I just thought this is such a valuable lesson and the guest is on the show next week now and they're going to be fabulous. But I thought you know what? Again I could think, oh, I haven't had a guest on for a few weeks because you know, I like to do a mixture of both self-hosted and guests. I like that balance. But again, I could have thought, oh, there's been so many since I've self-hosted and so many since I've had a guest, etc. But no, I actually I saw. It's a, it's a massive learning thing and a reminder that a humanist of like myself and others and how you know we can, it's not even a mistake. It's more like an awareness. I just thought you know what. Actually, next time that happens, I'm going to you, I'm going to remember this and how frustrated it was, and I am instead going to use that golden opportunity to connect with nature, be with my shamanic energy and be out in nature and ask a question to you.

Speaker 1: 5:31

Dear listener, has there been times when that's happened, you know where, either like something didn't work out how you want it to be, or like I don't know it could be work-wise, relationship-wise, finance-wise, and some of these things are very tough and hard and by no means belittle any any anything. But looking back on all those incidents, can you find or can you feel what was the lesson? And even if it wasn't how you wanted turned out, was there some sort of gift in there? And that is something that I feel quite strongly about, some sort of gift in there, and that is something that I feel quite strongly about. And, yeah, it made me realize that what was the gift in in all this? And I realized a to let go of guilt because I decided it was a working day and instead I'm working now on a non-working time because that's just the way I roll. But and trust the universe and see that the sign sometimes that's that that was a big sign because there was no.

Speaker 1: 6:37

I looked and there was no reason for this technology not to be working. There's no report instances. I couldn't get through to the, the help desk people it was, I don't know. But and I realized this thought gosh, I've kind of cocooned myself in this, in this air of stubbornness for three hours. And have you done that with things like I could look back, like relationships, and at the time was so upset that they didn't work out, and then fast forward into the future and actually none of those people were right for me and I'm sure I wasn't right for them and yeah, and then jobs that didn't work out. You know, I got this dream interview in this wonderful office. I got through to the second interview. This is several years ago and I didn't get the job and I was so disappointed and, yes, it would be nice to get the job, but hey, and you know, like when we lose clients, when we gain clients, it's just, it's all part of the past and parcel of life.

Speaker 1: 7:37

So my task for you is, if you have a journal or something that you can remind yourself I have a little book which I write in of all the things that I need to remember, because, yeah, there's so many things to remember, so kind of just bullet point things, and one of the things is to remember that. So do you have a little book where there's nuggets of wisdom that you've learned, heard, realize yourself, and perhaps you could start one of those such books and just write down that next time things don't work out how I want it to be and it's not to say not to try, but I should have tried right for about 20 minutes and then after that given up. In my opinion, you know, it's kind of like whoa. So has there been cases in your life where you've kind of tried too much and and realize afterwards? So maybe make a note of thinking if things don't go the way I want them to? Do I go with the flow, or do I try and walk through brick wall, which is seemingly impossible? Right, when things don't work out, do I force or go with the flow? Of course I, but then, when it doesn't work out, I let it go and realize that the universe has a much brighter, wonderful thing ahead. Whatever way that may be, and I trust it completely.

Speaker 1: 9:11

Yeah, and then another thing is you could also write on another page, and again you can summarize, because I do use a lot of words sometimes, but on another page you could put, looking at any instances in the past and not belittling their impact they had on on myself was there any gifts within those situations and what was the lesson that I think I learned and how did it help me become a better person today? It's all about the kind of shift. And then another thing you could write in that book to remember is compassionately I accept the humanness of myself, knowing that sometimes I make mistakes and knowing that this is a journey. And when I learn not to make the same mistakes again, then that is kind of when I've cleared that. You know we're not going to be perfect.

Speaker 1: 10:13

I'm on a pretty strict diet not as in diet isn't his weight but and isn't a diet to just tweak some things in my health. And occasionally I don't follow 100%, but I try my best. I follow it probably about 80% of the time and I'm cool with that. I'm thinking, yeah, that compassionate edge that I have with myself if I was only following 10% of it and I'm cool with that. I'm thinking, yeah, that compassionate edge that I have with myself if I was only following 10% of it and I was thinking, oh yeah, it's okay, just the rest of time not to do it. And then it kind of defeats the object of me going to see a naturopath etc.

Speaker 1: 10:48

The reason I'm digressing a bit, but the reason I'm sharing that story, is that I'm accepting the humanness of myself. I'm never going to get it 100% all the time, but I'm trying and I think that's the best thing that you can do for yourself because those habits you can form new habits and your neural pathways. It's just. It's just a case of trying a new habit each day. And if you recall my previous series at the start of the year when I said January is probably the worst time to set new intentions because it's quite a tough month and I also went on to say that by doing bits like, by trying to change a little bit each day, it's better than trying to change everything about you. You know, like we're perfect at the same time, but also we want to change and progress, so it's finding that balance of self-love and help. So I really would love to hear from you, dear listeners, please let me know of any instances where you've kind of seen the the gift in a difficult situation, when you realize you've been doing something that's not kind of of benefit to you, like how I did when I was trying to make the tech work when obviously the universe had different ideas.

Speaker 1: 12:09

Here is your meditation. Top tips for the meditation is either sit nice and cross-legged on the floor with a nice straight back always nice to sit on a block or a cushion, or that's not available for you you sit in a chair with the back nice and straight. The important thing is you're not slouching and if you're doing something that requires your concentration, all you need to do is just pause this and you can reconvene the meditation at a time that is good for you. If you're doing the meditation, let's begin. So, if you look at the tree in front of you either that is a physical tree or a tree that you've imagined after seeing in a book and you just have your gaze in one spot and you just allow that tree to move. You allow the branches of that tree, as you look at it, to move in the breeze, the reverberation as the wind hits against the leaves, casting a green and magical breeze like a sea in the air. And just think that wind is blowing away all your cares and you're just allowing yourself to be. Imagine that you're as perfect as can be, as beautiful as you are in the moment. Allow, allow and be. Watch as the leaves move and they dance and they sing and they prance in the wind and the gentleness of the breeze helps to illuminate a sense of ease within your being.

Speaker 1: 14:14

Perhaps today has been a little bit more difficult to navigate than other days. Meditation may feel a strain, but if you look at the tree it can help you feel this breeze, the sense of ease as you inhale through the nostrils and you exhale and you let it all out. You allow yourself to be yourself, to be free within this moment. Allow yourself to be the greenery why it resonates with the sense of self-love, inner love, outer love, love for others, love for ourselves.

Speaker 1: 14:58

Nature is so godly in the sense that it is beautiful, it is there, it is resilient. It's not that nature never has a care for. It can be difficult for nature to navigate who's eating who, who's feeding off who, but within it, nature is in the moment, nature is in the now. Nature is so beautiful. Nature just knows. How Can you be in line with that nature?

Speaker 1: 15:32

Take a calming, deep breath and just allow yourself to gently listen to the tree as it moves so gracefully in the breeze. And if your mind pops off somewhere, don't despair. Just come back to the breath, breathe deeply as you take in that tree, just allowing yourself to feel completely and utterly free. Allow, allow, take a calming, deep breath in and out through the nostrils as you inhale, exhale, as you slowly come back into the moment, come back into the room, knowing that whenever you feel a bit of sense of disconnection, try this meditation as you look towards the tree. So next week we have an amazing guest and, yes, as always, do stay tuned. And if you like the show, please leave the five star rating. And if you would like a shamanic session, then do check out our website.