It’s a funny question, huh?
No really, what were you thinking, just now before I interrupted you?
Were you thinking about something on your to-do list? Working out? Getting to work? Going to the store? Unloading the dishwasher?
Or maybe you were thinking about a relationship. A friend? A spouse? A child? A parent?
Maybe you were completely zoned out, scrolling online, unconsciously comparing your life the images and stories passing by.
I catch myself letting my thoughts wander freely several times a day. It happens so easily, most of the time I don’t even notice it.
Repeatedly leaving our thoughts to wonder on their own will end up directing the course of our entire lives.
During our intern meeting yesterday, Gabby showed us a picture of her beautiful friend who is a runway model. She is super tall and thin, with pale skin and eyes. No offense if that’s you, seriously (if I was tall and thin, the rest is totally me;-))
My point is, as she was showing me the pictures, I was thinking about how serious and sad she looked.
Then she scrolled over to her Facebook page and that same girl was bright, smiling and full of life. I mean hardly recognizable. I was looking back and forth and couldn’t believe it was the same person.
As I thought about our minds this morning, it occurred to me, that’s the kind of discipline we should have.
A runway model cannot walk casually down the runway smiling and waving, stopping to say “hello”. No. She keeps her head and eyes high. She walks briskly in step with the music. She’s focused on that runway.
She’s thinking about her next step.
This same idea is true of athletes, successful entrepreneurs, recording artists, honor students, martial artists, calm parents and skilled creators of any kind. To sharpen your skill, you must learn to focus your mind to produce the skill you’ve practiced.
I can’t help but wonder what would happen if each of us decided to practiced our skills of loving.
What if we started small and practiced, just in our minds, while we scrolled Facebook?
Think about what kind of difference that might make.
You could take the rest of this week and when you catch your thoughts running rampant, remind yourself of Brené Brown’s wisdom, “I am imperfect, I’m wired for struggle, but I am worthy of love and belonging.’
Then, when you catch yourself judging someone else, in your real life or in your Facebook feed, remind yourself “She is imperfect, she’s wired for struggle, but she is worthy of love and belonging.’
It might sound a little contrived, but I’m learning that’s how it has to start sometimes.
Creating more love in the world has to start with practicing the belief that every single one of us is imperfect and worthy of love at the same time. (Brené nailed that!)
Let’s start honing that skill.
Try it with me! Will you?
Let me know how it’s going!
To more love,
Crystal
P.S. I cannot wait to share with you soon about our upcoming collaboration with our social enterprise partners, the Love Makers and My Refuge House to put on a runway show of our own. You’re not going to want to miss this!! WooHoo!
