Is it just me? Or is anyone else surprised to realize that this is already for the fourth Saturday of the year “+2”?
Well it is, and as time continues to slip into our future, on this edition of “Becoming Today” we’ll glance over our shoulders the week that was.
It began as seemingly all our weeks do, on a Monday. Here in the United States, it was a holiday Monday, more than a three- day weekend, it marked the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In case you missed it, you can revisit our thoughts about “ Always Dreaming of the Content of Our Character” by clicking here.
One key takeaway I’d like to point back to in Dr King’s I Have A Dream Speech is quote,
“… We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises…”
Adding my own Ro-notation to it… oh yeah Ronotation is my new name for annotations that I Rochelle, make to things. Any way I added to Dr. King’s words by including this thought:
Now is the time. The time to make it all come true for each of us. Someday never comes, today I am and hope you are always doing all you can to be “Becoming”.
Then as it should, Monday was followed by Toosday. Not a misspelling, just another Ronotation as in this day TOO, shall ______ ( fill in your own blank). This past Tuesday was no exception as for me that day too served to allow us to focus on “Nurturing Your Self”.
As we came to recognize what self-care is, then too we also explored some of the benefits of this practice.
“Becoming” More Productive
When you care for yourself and become more balanced in your approach to any situation, your goals can become clearer. You are able to focus better and concentration is boosted allowing for you to get the work done.
“Becoming” Healthier
There is all kinds of research, both from medical and psychological professionals that show Self-Care is healing. Studies have shown those who do adopt the strategy are able to activate their parasympathetic nervous system. This allows your body to enter into a more restful state which strengthens your immune system. Researchers have also learned that those who adopt healthy self-care rituals also catch fewer colds, are less likely to get the flu , have fewer instances of upset stomachs and have generally lower stress levels.
“Becoming” via Positive Self Esteem
Yesterday we focused on the need for and benefits of improving or maintaining a positive sense of self. Treating yourself like you matter and are valuable can silence your inner critic and discourages getting involved in negative self-talk.
“Becoming” Of More Service
Being good to yourself allows for you to find and develop the resources needed to be more accepting and compassionate. This allows you to build on your strengths and be able to give and assist more freely.
Then by no coincidence, especially since I do not believe coincidences really exist, we arrived on Wednesday. Where our shared path connected to work on “Making Your Reality Real”.
It’s something we have all had to ask ourselves, multiple times. Some more than others, but nonetheless it is simply a part of the human condition.When we suffer emotional pain, how do you let go of the past and move on?
First you always need to accept that it is a conscious decision. One that involves taking action. Holding on to the past is just like letting go and moving forward you decide . It’s your choice. Once you make the decision then you take action to make it happen.
To me it seems the best way to heal is by learning a lesson from the situation, then using it to be “Becoming”. Channel your thoughts, intentions, desires and energies into focusing on growth and building that momentum that moves both forward and upward.
Do not get stuck in the “coulda, woulda, shoulda” mentality. Hanging onto what should have happened, what could have happened, or what you wished would have happened, give yourself motivation to get over it. Release it and heal. Or keep a grip on it and be paralyzed; immobilized by feelings of pain and bad memories.
The choice is entirely up to you.
Oh by the way I also spell Thursday a little differently.
I make the “t” a small letter and in pronouncing it It also becomes silent.
Then I capitalize the next three letters which I alter to H – E – R, then drop in an apostrophe and then return to lowercase letters put in the s and day.
So all together that spelled t- H- E- R- apostrophe- s- d- a- y. And is pronounced as Her’s day.
There’s a lot of reasons for that and perhaps one of these weeks we’ll spend a day discussing them.
Any guesses which day of the week it might fall on? (audibly giggling now)…
On this Her’s day we spoke about Two words. Simple. Easy to spell. By themselves just kind of ordinary. However when you place them side by side they are very powerful.
As we delved into this phrase of “So Ordered” I offered the following:
“Now that we have reached what is, I hope, a somewhat common understanding of the two words in the phrase individually, now let’s examine their combined focus and strengths.
What led me to this expression most recently was its power as a resolution. It instituted a correction to a lingering problem. With two simple words, just nine letters this phrase pronounced an undeniable truth. One that is freeing, enlightening and very “Becoming”.
As the judge decreed, “So Ordered” I reached a new level of my destiny.
Now not only respecting my privacy but that of others involved, I will not be sharing all the details, I will say that as we travel along this shared path of “Becoming Today” we all have our own twists and turns. My involvement with the court was a civil matter that I had sought a resolution for, for far too many years. In fact it was something necessary for me for several decades and yet it lingered, unanswered, unable to advance until we reached this time of Transformative Transition and it was quickly and suddenly resolved with just two words.
“So Ordered”. So healing. So freeing. So wonderful. So transformative. So “Becoming”.
As was yesterday’s discussion about “Overcoming Procrastination”.
If your first response to the headline was, ‘why would I want that?’ Well then this is not a post for you. For the rest of us, overcoming procrastination and sometimes procrastinators is something we all have to address in this process of “Becoming”.
To begin with, procrastination is not being lazy. Procrastination is a choice. It is an active process. The individual is making a conscious decision to choose to do something else instead of the task that they know They should be doing. Whereas laziness is an attitude. The lazy person is often apathetic, prefers inactivity and generally has adopted an unwillingness to act.
The handy Dictionary function built into Google Docs offers this definition, the action of delaying or postponing something.: “your first tip is to avoid procrastination”. Synonyms include vacillation, dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying, or kicking the can down the road.
Procrastination can involve not only ignoring an unpleasant task or a difficult decision but always involves failing to undertake a more important task, instead opting to do one that is more enjoyable or easier.
Like all poor decisions there are ramifications. Serious consequences including feelings of guilt and shame. It can also lead us towards a pattern of reduced productivity and failure to achieve our goals, thereby restricting us from “Becoming”.
Extended periods of procrastination can also lead to a complete lack of motivation, disillusionment and depression.
Procrastination is a habit. A bad habit of regularly and intentionally deciding to put off important tasks. It is far different than being lazy, which is an unwillingness to act.
Procrastination restricts your potential, delays your life, disrupts the life of your family and leads to poor spirit and even depression. The first step to overcoming procrastination is to recognize it. Then ask yourself why leading to the voluntary choice to adopt strategies to overcome it.
I hope we’ve been able to help.
Another week has come and gone and Hopefully for you it was not a roller coaster ride as it was for the weather here where I reside. Come Monday we’ll discuss the current season we are in meteorologically, metaphorically and for me personally here on “Becoming Today”.
Have a safe and blessed weekend.
Becoming Today with Rochelle Jeanette 