Could superquestions improve your spiritual nutrition?

I'm back in Melbourne after 11 weeks of travelling around Australia and it feels warm and comforting to be back in the fold of family at this time, despite the cold and miserable weather outside.

It's been challenging at times, this travel and transition, and I thought you'd like to know how I've kept myself grounded and focused.

I've been through quite a fast transition as I've returned to the South - and oh my resistance feels stronger when change is happening fast!

I've felt lethargic, vague, unclear. I know you know that feeling too.

And yet sneaking past resistance is the most grounding thing I can do amongst this change. It keeps me stepping forward and anchored in my spiritual reality rather than tied to my changing physical reality.

So how have I done this, I hear you asking?

Well primarily I've fallen back on some special Superquestions to kick my spiritual nutrition up a notch in these changing times. Much like Superfoods, these are the ones that have great nutrient-density, that add to my health and raise my vibrations - especially when change and overwhelm are afoot.

The how?

It's based on the premise that when we ask a question, our brains love to find answers to it - so why not asksuper-questions?

My favourites?

How can I be kind to myself today?

How soon can I experience greater abundance?

How soon can I write something wildly awesome (create an amazing poem/artwork/sculpture)?

How can I step up today?

Which habits can I add today to improve my vitality?

You get the drift I'm sure - any question that empowers, that raises those vibes, that expands from the heart is a gem for sneaking past that resistance and stepping up.

Get into lovelies and feel that shift.

Xxxx

Bluffing

I have to do it. I have to write something creative. I have to be amazing . I have to be something.

This voice is Resistance at work. It's the edge beyond which I extend myself, beyond which I stretch my comfort zone.

You got that Lovely? You got resistance in your life too?

Resistance doesn't want us to go there. It loves when we fail, in fact it's job is to stop us from changing and moving into success.

And this is the tricky part you see, for it uses our enthusiasm against us. It takes the motivation we have for being creative and changes it to obligation.

It knows that our will can't handle that. It knows that we'll give up pretty soon if it feels like hard work.

And then it's won. It's convinced us that we need motivation in order to write (or study, or make that birthday cake or phone call, or do that job), that we need inspiration in order to move forward.

Then we're at the mercy of the next bout of inspiration - our power given away, dis-ease sinking in yet again.

So how do we turn this around? How can we trade up our thoughts to outwit Resistance at its sly game?

We bluff.

We say to our Resistance I don't have to write much, just one sentence. I don't have to write anything amazing or perfect, just a few words. 

That's all - a small, subtle gesture in the right direction that sneaks under the nose of Resistance.

If that isn't enough then we try something smaller - I just need to sit down with a pen and some paper, I just need to pick up that pencil ...

I don't let it beat me. I get stubborn. 

How can you get stubborn and sneak under the nose of Resistance?

The Resistance Train

Got resistance in your life? I have.

Lately I haven't felt the motivation to write. And I've let this stop me.

I've tripped myself up, wallowed in the pervasive tiredness I'm feeling in the heat of Northern Australia and allowed myself to drift into 'what if's',  'if only's' and 'maybe's'.

I thought I was smarter than this you know. Thought I'd notice my trains of thought heading in an ineffective direction. But that's how resistance works right - it sneaks up on you when you're not looking.

Clearly resistance has outwitted me again these last weeks.

"Resistance by definition is self-sabotage" - Steven Pressfield.

Of course I could feel this malaise creeping up on me - could feel its downward pull - and was pushing against it, fighting it with my will until I was exhausted, then doing nothing and dealing with the guilt instead. My usual downhill spiral of stress and overwhelm.

Resistance is a tough enemy.

And then, this time, I chose to do one thing differently - I didn't panic.

I took deep breaths, let myself feel my fears fully, and stepped off the resistance train.

It felt better so I kept going.

I asked myself an empowering question - and ran it on repeat in my head for the day...

How can I support myself today?

I let that sit there, that thought, until a chance came for some time to myself. I took it and wanted to sleep the tiredness away, but chose some yoga instead, knowing that a few poses would be enough to give me more energy than a short nap.

In short: I took small, positive steps forward and traded my thoughts up, one at time.

And then - here's the clincher - I read some of Steven Pressfield's The War of Art....

 "Resistance is a force of nature. It acts objectively", and then I really GOT how it had beaten me this time.

I say down and picked up my pen....

Got resistance in your life? (Look for it - we all do babe).

My advice?

1. Admit to it. Even if only in your journal. But be honest about how it feels (strong, icky, tight, like a wall - give it a name).

2. Face your fears - for resistance points to where we need to go next - make yourself a list of reasons who you should feel resistance about this.

3. Take that first small step up

 - do some yoga

 - take a deep breathe

- give yourself a positive phrase or question

- pick up that pen!

Xx