I trust you enjoyed a nice Christmas day.

You know, it’s amazing where our inspiration can come from.

On Boxing Day morning, Ross and I went for a walk along Redhead Beach.

We love to let the water lap over our feet as we make our way to the section where the dogs can roam freely and frolic in the water, catching balls and generally hanging out with each other and having a good time.

On the way back to our car we cross over a little creek that runs toward the ocean.

The creek has enough water for kids to play safely in the water and build sandcastles and the like.

This morning we observed what looked like a rather fit looking grandfather pulling his granddaughter along on a foam board.

She was squealing with delight, “Again! Again!”

It was so nice to see the children playing and having fun. I expect granddad was enjoying himself too.

It got me thinking, when was the last time you did something that makes you squeal with joy; something that has you shout “Again! Again”?

As adults we can sometimes lose this sense of fun.

Life can become all too serious as we concentrate on all the tasks we need to get done, all the jobs we add to our “To Do” lists.

As we approach the end of 2024 and the start of another year full of hope, let’s remember to have fun in 2025.

Let’s put some of the delight back into our days and add some things that will make you laugh and squeal, “Again! Again!”

Wishing you a magical 2025. Thank you for being on this journey with us.

I wish you a year full of fun and laughter.

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This week I met with one of my business advisors.

We were discussing some potential new services I can offer.

I needed to get the wording right so that it flowed when I described what was included and how it works.

“Can we practise please?” I asked.

He sighed, thinking I was asking to book another time.

We had time left in our appointment, so he was relieved when I said, “Now, can we practise now please?”

We role played.

I made my offer.

He gave feedback.

I learned and was able to improve.

Practising is so important.

The reason is because when you practise you grow your muscle memory.

According to CSP Global:

“Muscle memory refers to the ability of our muscles to perform specific tasks more efficiently after repeated practise.

Contrary to what the term might suggest, muscle memory doesn’t reside in the muscles themselves but is rooted in the brain’s neural circuitry. When we practise a movement repeatedly, our brain encodes this information, creating neural pathways between the central nervous system and muscle cells that make the action easier to perform over time.

This process involves both neurological and physiological adaptations, allowing movements to become more automatic and require less conscious effort. Muscle memory is crucial for a wide range of activities, from everyday tasks like typing to complex athletic manoeuvres.”

If you practise, you can reduce the amount of anxiety you might have about your expected performance because your muscle memory will take over when your conscious mind goes to spaghetti.

In other words, your unconscious mind will show up and perform for you.

When I’m coaching clients I often encourage them to practise with me. They may feel uncomfortable at first, however practising having that difficult conversation or giving a presentation to me is far less risky than not practising and making a botch of it when it matters.

Remember last week’s thought – “We’re just practising” for the real show.

Think about some things on your To Do List that could benefit from practise.

Now that you know the importance of practising and thickening that myelin sheath on your neurons, are you more likely to practise?  I hope so.

As Les Brown says, “You don’t have to be great to get started but you do have to get started to be great”, well, part of getting started is to practise.

With the holidays coming up, you’ve got time.

What will you focus on?

And speaking of holidays, Ross and I wish you a fabulous festive season. Thank you for being part of our community. We appreciate you.

 

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Ever read the book, “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers?

It’s a great book to get you into action.

Another book I’m listening to and reading is “Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender” by David R. Hawkins.

Hawkins encourages us to simply acknowledge our feelings and let them go.

He also encourages us to let go of some limiting beliefs that may prevent us from doing just that, such as: “We only deserve things through hard work, struggle, sacrifice and effort” or “We don’t get anything for nothing”.

Hawkins tells us that “Letting go involves being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything about it. It means simply to let the feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.” (pp19-20)

As you let go, ignore all thoughts and focus only on the feeling.

According to Hawkins, “it is the accumulated pressure of feelings that causes thoughts. One feeling, can create literally thousands of thoughts over a period of time.”

For example, think of a time from your past that was painful or something you did that you regret. How many times have you gone over and over that situation, thinking about it?

If you could surrender the underlying painful feeling, the thoughts would disappear and you would forget the event.

I don’t know about you but I find this fascinating.  It’s opposite to what I’ve learned previously where thoughts create feelings.

Right now, I’m willing to experiment. I’m willing to acknowledge that I am feeling a great deal of fear. Fear about the future as I transition and the business evolves. This feeling generates all sorts of thoughts, some positive and expectant, some negative and paralysing.

And the important thing to remember, according to Hawkins, is that we want to let go of all feelings, not just the negative ones. Similar to the Buddha’s teachings, it’s about becoming detached.

It also reminds me of a saying I learned when I attended the 10 day Vipassana meditation retreat, “Arises, passes away” in relation to body sensations (you could call feelings) as you observe them and let them go.

How about you? Are you willing to feel the fear (or whatever feeling you are currently experiencing) and let it go?

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.