What Are You Missing Because You’re Already Thinking About What’s Next?

Grab your coffee. Mine is hot, which means there is at least a 50 percent chance I will actually drink it before it gets cold today.

I want to tell you about something I learned recently.

Well, technically, I had to learn it.

It was an assignment for my doctorate and coaching certification called BREATHe, from Charles Stone's book Holy Noticing.

You know how sometimes you do something because it is on the syllabus, and then somewhere along the way you think...

Oh.

I actually needed this.

That was BREATHe for me.

The practice is pretty simple. You slow down and pay attention to your Body, Relationships, Environment, Affect (your emotions), Thoughts, and Heart.

In other words, you notice.

And apparently, I am not always very good at that.

I am really good at doing.

I can teach a class, answer emails, work with a coaching client, serve on a board, write something, solve three problems, think about dinner, and mentally start tomorrow's list all before finishing the cup of coffee sitting next to me.

Maybe you know the feeling.

We are physically in one place while our brains are already three places ahead.

And here I am with present as my word for the year.

God has a sense of humor.

But there was one part of this practice that really stayed with me.

Instead of saying:

I am anxious.

Try:

I am experiencing anxiety.

Instead of:

I am overwhelmed.

Try:

I am feeling overwhelmed right now.

That tiny shift stopped me.

Because how often do we take something we are experiencing and turn it into something we are?

I am frustrated.

I am afraid.

I am angry.

I am overwhelmed.

I am not enough.

Wait.

Is that actually true?

Or is that simply what I am feeling or thinking in this particular moment?

There is a difference.

And sometimes that little bit of space gives us enough room to get curious instead of reactive.

What am I actually feeling?

Why did that bother me so much?

What story am I telling myself about this?

What do I actually know to be true?

And perhaps most importantly for me:

What do I need to notice here?

Not fix.

Not solve.

Not defend.

Not immediately respond.

Just...

notice.

That might be the part I'm carrying with me most.

I was trained as a journalist, so I learned to look for the story.

Becoming a coach has taught me to listen for the person inside the story.

And lately, I think God is teaching me to notice Him in the middle of all of it.

Maybe being present isn't about slowing our entire lives down.

Maybe it is simply learning to stop long enough, every once in a while, to realize we are actually living them.

So that's my Thursday Thought over coffee today.

Before you rush into whatever is next, pause.

Take one breath.

Look around.

Check your heart.

Notice what you're thinking.

Notice what you're feeling.

And maybe ask:

What am I missing because I'm already thinking about what's next?

I'll be practicing right along with you.

And hopefully drinking my coffee while it's still hot.

Happy Thursday Lovelies,

-srt

 

#ThursdayThoughts #CoffeeWithStacy #BREATHe #HolyNoticing #BePresent #FaithInEverydayLife #PauseAndNotice #ReaCoachingAndConsulting #LeadWithStrength #LiveWithPurpose