I’m Halfway!

I have officially hit the half-way mark with writing my book, and thank goodness I hired a content creation expert, Amanda Johnson, to help me.  I write in spurts of energy and enthusiasm, but then hit blocks.  I wonder how to phrase my ideas.  Are they too repetitive?  Will they trigger someone or make them feel uncomfortable?  I find myself getting upset as I poke around at old memories and lay them out for the world to see in an open and vulnerable way.  

Luckily, hiking grounds me back to the earth so I can breathe.  I also do a lot of tapping/EFT work with myself.  I’m even using my EFT practitioner once a month to help find deeper sources of patterns I cannot see on my own.  It’s been an invaluable tool of healing and processing emotion so I can neutralize the past and keep using those stories to help others.

I Like Getting Halfway

I started reading a book once called The Way you Do Anything is the Way you Do Everything.  I got about halfway through it, like I do with most books that are not fiction.  But the point was valid, and the video below I took reminds me of that book.

I started hiking a mountain, but hit snow.  I wasn’t sure, due to the melt, if I should walk across it or not.  I know a lot of these mountains have deep crevices and holes that are buried under snow, or streams that run deep underneath, creating potential pitfalls for the average hiker wandering alone.  I wandered at the same level for a long time, entertaining myself by building a small snowman, and taking pictures.  Then-I found tracks in the snow leading up.  So, I followed them.  I had planned a 3-4 hour hike round-trip.  The book had said 3.5 hours, 6.9 km (4.29 miles), but I had already deviated from the path and circled the mountain to a different path— a ninety-degree difference on the map. 

Should I Keep Hiking?

I kept going, bit by bit, checking in to see how it felt to go farther.  Was I going higher up because I wanted to?  Because I felt I should get to the top because I was already halfway? 

So, embracing my inner child, I just did what I felt like at the moment.  I took a rest on some rocks in the sun.  I thought about patterns of pushing myself for others.  How often I do things in life because others expect me to, want me to, or because I just want to prove that I can.  I forget to tune in sometimes. 

As I write this book that asks people to tune into their bodies as they learn to integrate physical contact into their life in a way that is both comfortable and consensual for everyone involved, I realized I better start doing that in all areas of my life.  Tune in.  Be present. Make choices. Say ‘no’ when I want to, even to myself, no excuses needed.

YAY! I did it!

I did make it to the top, after checking out a live bug hanging out on the snow with me, here and thinking about how I want to overcome and make a bigger impact on the world.  17.72 km (11.07 miles) and 6 hours later I was back at the bottom, waiting for the bus.

Perhaps, if I can allow myself to conquer the mountain bit by bit, using play and exploration to figure it out, I can do that with the book as well.  I can use the support of my coach, my friends, and my own healing tools and get it done.  No rush, no timeline.  Of course I’d love to have it done before I come home in January so I can focus on my business.  Yes, it would be amazing to have it done by November so people could have it for holidays.  It would be even more exquisite to have it done before I leave the safety of my friend’ s house in Norway in a week so I’m not stirring myself up and trying to travel at the same time. 

But, I am going to remain playful.  I am going to heal the world by balancing a wooden spoon on my nose. I’m going to try to be zen, or at least laugh, even when being surrounded by black flies while hiking a fjord.

I encourage you to do the same.  Find something that you do habitually, a pattern that exists in your life, and shift it to something that suits you more. That allows you peace and balance and freedom.  That allows you to tune into yourself and your relationships on all levels. Be prepared-bring a carrot along for the snowman you want to build, but upon finding no snow, eat it instead for energy.

My Question For You

What do you want to do different? Can you make small changes to make that happen?

Let me know how I can help you tune in.  You can email me from my contact page on my website, put a comment below, or give me a call.  My work phone works in Norway!  I would love to hear from you. I sometimes get the best service while I’m hiking, so that’s fun.

With love,

Dawn