Lighten UP

The Coaching Corner
By
Mary Mantei

Summer is a time of lightness in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our days seem longer as the light of day extends late into the evening. We wear lighter clothing, perhaps eat lighter foods, and at night, we fall asleep under light coverings if anything at all. There is a sense of freedom in the many kinds of lightness we experience during this sweet season. We seem to automatically detach from many of our rituals and habits of the darker, chillier months

I wonder what lightness we could feel in our lives if we were able to detach from many of the habits and rituals we consciously or unconsciously practice. What obligations are you carrying around which weigh you down? What are you saying "yes" to these days that prevents you from using your time in a way that is completely satisfying to you and to those you love? What are you doing unconsciously because the world suggests it is the way things are done? What are you so attached to that, without it, you think you wouldn't exist in a valuable way? Musing over these questions, maybe even answering them with brutal honesty and taking action, could be a way to "lighten up" a bit . . . so that you can be more of who you really want to be in the world.

Here is a filter which might help you take a step towards lightening the load of obligation, resentment, and attachment. Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun and teacher says, "When you do not seek or need external approval, you are at your most powerful." If you were to take Pema's quote to heart, what would you stop doing right now? What would you start doing right now? And, what would living in that way give you?

Lightening up is a path to more joy, more authenticity, and more energy to create what is truly important to you. I'll venture a guess that when you are lighter emotionally and mentally, your light shines brighter for everyone around you.