Your Life Song
Have you ever tried to hum a tune while the radio was on in the background?
It’s hard. Especially if the radio is loud or if you aren’t particularly familiar with the song. And it gets harder to hold that tune when noise is coming in from a lot of directions.
Every person has their own inner “cadence” or rhythm. Their own life song. Like a unique fingerprint of who you are, who you are here to become and what you are here to give away.
At the end of the day (or at the end of this lifetime) what else do you really have to give but your song? I think it’s important to do what you need to stay in touch with it. To practice it, to get excellent at it, and (ultimately) to share it and give it away.
But it’s not easy to hear it when the noise around you is too loud.
Today I want to encourage you to take an honest look at your days, weeks, months and years.
Recently I’ve been trying to reserve one full day a week with absolutely no commitments for myself or my family. No birthday parties, no family get togethers, no appointments, no errands.
Just a wide open day where we can all wake up and see a full day ahead of us totally open to fill as we want as the day unfolds. Nothing on the agenda but open time.
I’ve been shocked at how hard it is to protect that day from life’s tendency to want to fill every second with something planned. But when I’ve succeeded those days have been glorious in the most unassuming, relaxing and surprising ways.
Today, I want to challenge you to take a little assessment of your days, weeks and months.
- Do you have time on a daily basis where you intentionally turn off the noise, slow down the pace, and make a practice of listening to your inner song for a while?
- On a weekly basis do you have protected stretches of hours or a day when you reserve open time that isn’t already booked with commitments?
If you have strategies or ways you bring in this necessary “retreat” time into your schedule, hop over and share it in the comments.
Or if you have ways that help you more closely practice your own “life song” in the midst of a very noisy world- I’d love to hear that too!
Lisa, I can really relate to this sense of having a inner song that gets drown out. I just signed up for the new course, and am so excited about continuing my own growth here with you and the others involved. I definitely need help with practical ways to practice this slowing, this making space that you are taking about.
I’m thrilled you’ll be in the class, too. It’s so important to surround ourselves with a tribe encouraging us and supporting us to remember our “song”… looking forward to our start!
I’ve learned that I HAVE to have down time – and my kids are beginning to appreciate “lazy days” (that’s what we call it : ) as well. It’s a lot easier in the summer since our schedule slows. However, once school begins the pace picks up so I have to intentionally block out time on our calendars before or after over-loaded days.
And, I LOVE yoga. I take a class 2/week – amazing way to listen to inner song (love the way you described). Even doing a few poses at home can quiet my mind.
Hi Angela!
Love your yoga techniques…I, too, can really quiet my mind when I’m moving my body intentionally….so soothing and lucid.
Lisa, Yes I have this time in my life – hiking one day a week with my family. We’ve practiced one day a week in our family life now for years. That’s our day with no commitments, but we commit to ourselves to be active in nature. It meets so many needs at once. Quiet time for myself – we don’t talk the whole time together, nature, recharge, heart pumping, sweaty exercise, etc.. I could go on and on.
Daily, I have a morning quiet time and afternoon reading I try to squeeze in. But what also works is turning off media and just being with my family in the midst of daily living.
I savor the thought of having this time with myself and my family, although it does leave me feeling a bit conflicted. As a recovering people pleaser, I fear disappointing people that are important to me as I create these boundaries. I also wonder how best to get my my husband and kids to understand the importance of this.