What would things look like if it did not have to be perfect?

I have been exploring this question in different ways- morning pages, meditation, and yoga to name a few. The more I practiced, the more I noticed a pattern.  At first glance, it was a desire to have consistency and discipline in my life. When I dug a little deeper, consistency and discipline meant that I was a good person doing the right things. If I was a good person doing the right things, it meant I would not feel distressed or hurt. I took a pause there. Gotta love self-awareness.

So lately, instead of using those practices to get rid of [insert distressing feeling here], I have been dedicating my practices to welcome and invite in whatever was present. The experience can be intense so when I needed some extra help, I used the Welcome the Wave exercise from the Hacking Your Nervous Card Deck. There are a few steps to the exercise but my favorite part was the phrase, “I will take care of you for as long as you need to stay. You are welcome and safe here.”

For me, it’s less about the outcome and more about softening and starting to open physically, mentally, and emotionally to whatever is arising. The spaciousness of the present moment lends itself to experience life just as it is. All of it is welcome.

I encourage you to give that question some thought and notice what you become aware of.