Let the beauty you love be what you do.

 If you are paying attention, you will sometimes get complementary messages from unrelated sources. This happened to me last week, and now that I've ruminated on it a while, I want to share it with you.

The first message came from a session with a client. One of the goals this client is working on is scheduling time to write and being accountable to that time.  Writing brings her great joy; it allows her to create worlds and explore her more imaginative side (she's also really good at it). Finding time for it is challenging, however. She has a demanding, high-profile job, a husband and two children, a desire to stay active and fit, as well as a handful of other familial and social commitments. But writing makes her happy. And one truth I've learned from my life-coach training and personal experience: Happy people are more productive, more present, and more fun to be around. My client realizes this, and is trying to align her calendar accordingly. In our session, she said something that struck me: "We can't help what makes us happy, right?" So simple. So true. But that was the first time anyone had ever vocalized that truth, and it keeps popping up in my mind. 

A couple days later, my husband's aunt (who I have taken on as my own because she is so amazing) sent me a link to a video she took while on a retreat in Scotland. She was captured by the soothing words and lyrics of the Taize prayers, and her friend at the retreat allowed her to capture a couple on video.  Take a moment to watch this one:

The words are from a Sufi couplet by Rumi, the 13th-Century Persian poet. Here's the phrase I can't (and don't want to) shake: "Let the beauty you love be what you do." How wonderful is that?!?  What if we all just filled our lives with what we love, what we find beautiful, what makes us happy?  After hearing this, I quickly circled back to my client's powerful quote: "We can't help what makes us happy, right?" No. We can't. We can't help what makes us happy or what we think is beautiful. So what then?

We need to find more time to do what we love, to do what makes us happy. But how do we do this? In a world full of obligations and distractions, how do we hold sacred that which brings us the most joy?  Here are a few ideas, some of which I must attribute to my fabulous client in the story above:

• First of all, define what makes you happy. What are your values, interests, and priorities? Where is your happy place? When do you feel the most like your true self? If you don't know the answers to these questions, a life coach can help you. Contact me to schedule an appointment.
• Once you know, put it on the calendar! If you're like me and my client, you would be lost without the calendar. Calendars are more effective than to-do lists, so  use it to your advantage. Block out time committed to whatever makes you happy: writing, hiking, playing board games with your kids, under-water basket weaving, etc. 
• Set boundaries so that others know that time is sacred. My client let her family know (lovingly, of course) that if she's in her writing nook in the morning, she is off-limits until a given time.  Without distractions, she can focus on writing and then come out of that time refreshed and ready to support her family as they begin their day.
• Minimize wasted time. This takes work, my friends. I am currently trying to wean myself off the habit of checking e-mail and facebook every time I pick up my phone. Not only do I waste time scrolling mindlessly through the news feed, but I get distracted by what I see and that interrupts any flow or efficiency I might have going. One strategy is to schedule it and then make it off limits any other time. And set yourself up for success by making it less accessible. Right now, I'm taking the Facebook app off my phone and vowing to check it just once a day (except when I need to post a new blog post:)). 
• Be accountable. One of the benefits of working with a life coach is accountability. At the end of each session, I ask my clients to tell me what action steps they are committed to before we meet again. Then, at the beginning of the next session, I ask them about it and see what they have done and what they need to work on. If you don't work with a life coach, find a friend or family member who can hold you accountable to spending more time doing what makes you happy. Because everyone wins when you are a happier version of yourself.

If you want to find ways to "let the beauty you love be what you do," contact me to set up a complimentary appointment.