Welcome back to our May Momentum series! If you haven’t read last week’s post on mindfulness and intentions, I suggest checking it out first for suggestions on how mindfulness can help you tune into what you really want in life. ICYMI, week 1 and 2 here:
So, if you acted on last weekend’s post, you’ve tuned into your thoughts and feelings, you know how you want to feel, and what you want to change in your life. Fantastic!
But Holly, I hear you ask, how is mindfulness supposed to get me there?
Hi, I’m Holly, a career/life coach and mindfulness facilitator. Here at Zestful Zen, I share tips on self-care, creativity and personal growth, to help you live mindfully with zest, zen, and purpose. Subscribe to join our supportive community and our Gentle Gatherings. Come inside and cosy up by the fire. You’re so welcome here. ☕️💕
Acting mindfully
To take mindful action, we turn again to enquiry/self-reflection.
As you consider the steps you might take towards your goal, tune in to your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.
Reflect on times you’ve made changes before; what actions worked (or didn’t)?
What actions felt good? Which made you uncomfortable?
What pushed you out of your comfort zone in a good way and helped you grow?
What have you learned from previous experiences?
What might you do differently this time?
What have you seen others do that might also work for you?
When you think about taking specific actions now, how do you feel?
Do you notice any physical responses when considering different actions? What is your body trying to tell you?
Reflecting on these questions can help us to decide which actions are feasible to take forwards; and to devise realistic, self-compassionate plans.
As you progress on your journey, take time to notice the impact of your actions and behaviours (the results they deliver, and how they affect you physically, mentally and emotionally), and decide whether you need to adjust your plans or goals.
Perhaps you don’t like how something makes you feel; or you discover that the thing you’d been afraid to try wasn’t that difficult after all (and you can aim even higher).
As you fine-tune your awareness, realisations may start popping up to guide you.
For me, I realised that I’ve been avoiding ‘selling’ my services (i.e. talking about them), due to fear of annoying people. And I thought that something I’ve seen others do might help me overcome this: a ‘100 days of rejection’ challenge.
So far, it’s working! It’s fun and exciting to treat it like an experiment, and I get a happy flutter in my chest when I click send on a pitching email – totally unexpected. It’s also helping me think more creatively about how to market myself, without fear.
Work with me! How I can help you ✅
For career clarity, navigating change and personal growth: 1-to-1 coaching.
Manage stress, build mind-body connection and be fully present through mindfulness (live group classes and self-paced e-courses).
Overcoming obstacles mindfully
The path to true love (of our lives/careers) never runs smoothly…
When we hit hurdles on our journeys, we can turn to mindfulness again: to soothe our nervous system through meditation and other practices; and to help us figure out the best way forward.
Pause, breathe, and take some time to reflect on what’s holding you back. Notice what’s going on in your body: the subtle signals of emotions you may have been suppressing.
Check in with yourself – your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations:
How are you feeling right now, in this moment?
Do you just need a rest and some time to reset?
Do you need some support to give you space to act?
Have limiting beliefs snuck into your mind? Are they paralysing you?
Are you judging yourself and the pace of your progress?
What’s really holding you back? (The obstacles aren’t always what we first think.)
Once you’ve identified the barriers to progress, you can work on overcoming them.
For me, this means setting more realistic timelines. Ambition is great, but I often overestimate how much I can get done and then beat myself up over how far behind I am.
Using TogglTrack for a few months has been enlightening. I can see, at a glance, how long tasks take; which projects I’m spending more of my time on; and overlay the timer record with my calendar to compare how much time things actually take, compared to the slots I allocated for them. Usually a lot more!
Now that I understand my true working pace, I’m able to plan better and stop judging myself: I’m not Wonder Woman and there’s only so many hours in the day.1
I’ve also had to accept that big life shifts (my mum’s death, moving countries, changing jobs, becoming a solopreneur) mean major upheaval and that I can’t carry on in ‘business as usual’ mode in these circumstances. It’s okay to press pause.
It can be discouraging when we feel like it’s two steps forward, one step back. But recalling past triumphs can give us confidence, self-belief and the determination we need to keep going and to maintain momentum.
Feeling a bit ‘institutionalised’ after 15 years as a civil servant, and wary of burning down my financial security by leaving, I reminded myself that: I’d quit jobs before and landed on my feet; I’d only been unemployed for two weeks of my adult life; I’d succeeded at most things I put my mind to; and that I had a wealth of valuable transferable skills.
This reassured me that I wasn’t throwing away my career or making the wrong decision in pursuing self-employment. I could rely on my capabilities and succeed.
What evidence of success and capability can you gather to reassure you?
Balancing Doing and Being modes
In chasing big goals, sometimes we risk heightened stress, or we fear tipping into burnout.
Mindfulness teaches us that there’s a time and place for Doing mode and for Being mode. Doing mode isn’t ‘bad’; we need both modes, in balance, for wellness.
To build momentum in my career transition from diplomat to businesswoman, I had to spend much of my time in Doing mode; completing my teacher training modules, learning how to set up my website, writing this newsletter…
But equally, to become a mindfulness teacher, I need to embody the practice; to meditate regularly, to reflect, to go about my daily activities mindfully.
Fortunately, with the increased awareness that mindfulness brings, we can think before we act and choose our steps mindfully.
So, I’ve slowly found my way, balancing Being and Doing mode sufficiently to keep up my momentum without burning out.
Chances are, if you’re chasing a big goal, Doing mode will dominate your life.
But don’t forget to build in downtime for recovery and to give you space to think. Rest and reflection are just as important for your success as ticking off tasks.
How can you make some space this week to just Be? What would help you to slow down?
Build a mindfulness practice that supports you by joining Mindfulness for Wellbeing. The self-paced e-course version of my foundational mindfulness programme launches on Monday 18th May.
Zestful Zen readers get an exclusive 30% discount using code ZZSUB202630. A limited number of free bursary places are also available. Email me at info@zestfulzen.co.uk.
Moving forward with kindness
Whatever our goals and plans, mindful self-compassion can help us to achieve them. As you push forward and build momentum, keep these ideas in mind:
Treat yourself kindly (would you talk to a friend the way your inner critic talks to you?)
Don’t judge yourself or your progress. You’re only human and you’re doing your best.
No ‘shoulding’ on yourself: choose what you want to do; keep coming back to your why, and how you want to feel.
Remember that rest is an investment in yourself and doesn’t need to be earned.
Check-in with yourself regularly, tune into what you need in this moment, and give it to yourself, no guilt required.
Notice the balance between Doing and Being modes in your life; and adjust as needed.
Ask for help when you need it and accept it when it’s offered.
Like all of us, I can be my own worst enemy at times, and my mindful self-compassion practice is one of my works-in-progress.
But when I pause, breathe, check-in and notice, these principles rise to support me, and I know, deep in my heart that I’ll get to where I want to be; and how I want to feel.
And when I do, I’ll savour the moment mindfully. I hope you can too. 💕
Self-reflection and journal prompts ✍️
What would mindful action look like to you? What would it feel like?
When you tune into your body and emotions, what do they tell you?
How can self-reflection reassure you that you’re on the right path?
Where do you need to apply self-compassion to help you move forward?
Share your perspective ✨
I’d love to hear your reflections on taking mindful action. How has tuning into your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations helped you gain momentum?
If you enjoyed this post, please comment, like or share with others. Thanks for your support! ✨
I’ve had to overcome corporate conditioning too: despite opting for self-employment for the flexibility and autonomy it grants me, I found after a few weeks of tracking my time, that I’d slipped into thinking I should match the typical 35-hour ‘working week’. Nooooo!