Mindfulness Practice - All It Takes Is One

When life propels us down a challenging path, it can sometimes feel like there are only dark days ahead. Yet if we stop to reflect on monumental moments in our past when just one thing changed our lives for the better, we can replace that negative inner chatter with hope for a new chapter.

Take this time to think about what moments in your past transformed the trajectory of your path in life. Perhaps it was an email from an employer with a job offer. Maybe a former colleague connected you with a mentor that helped you finally turn your side hustle into a full-time business. Perhaps a friend offered a few words of encouragement that helped you believe in yourself and press forward to achieve your dreams.

Now think about all the times you were the one who helped someone else. Maybe you were the patient who allowed a medical professional in training to stick you for a second time when she was unsuccessful on the first try, helping her to believe in herself and her abilities. Perhaps you were the CEO who realized that offering a team flexible hours and better benefits would increase productivity and morale in the long run. Maybe you were the mom who encouraged her children to explore their interests so they could eventually find their passions. Perhaps you were the person who reached out with an email to support an unemployed friend who had lost hope.

No matter where you are right now and no matter where those surrounding you are right now in their journeys, there is always hope. As Emily Dickinson once said, “Hope is the thing with features that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.”

Remember this: all it takes is one. One phone call, one conversation, or one email to change the direction of your path or the path of someone else. This realization is what will always bring light into the darkest of days.

Believe. Act. Never give up.

“Be an Encourager: When you encourage others, you boost their self-esteem, enhance their self-confidence, make them work harder, lift their spirits and make them successful in their endeavors. Encouragement goes straight to the heart and is always available. Be an encourager. Always.” ―Roy T. Bennett

Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.

The Gifts in Silence

We’re all living within a world where being busy has oftentimes turned into a competition. We run our children from one event to the next while eating a dinner we really don’t take the time to taste. We race home after work to throw loads of laundry in the wash, never stopping to inhale the scent of fresh clothes after we pull them out of the dryer. When a friend wants to talk, we might view that conversation as just another item to check off our to-do list rather than making a point to listen intently. As we race from one place to the next, feeling frazzled every step of the way, we may eventually realize that being busy is filling only our calendars, not our hearts and souls.

What if being busy all the time is not the best companion for contentment?

As we face the current crisis that has enveloped our world, we are now forced to deal with what many of us view as the most terrifying consequence of this moment in time: silence. Despite our fears of what might come with the overwhelming quiet associated with social distancing, there are many gifts that also come with silence. Remember when you learned the important rule to successfully crossing the street by yourself for the first time? Now is the time to stop, look, and listen.

“Listen to silence. It has so much to say.”

—Rumi

With this unplanned silence comes gifts. The gift of learning. The gift of unconditional love. The gift of a short commute or a commute with less traffic. The gift of sunshine. The gift of fresh, clean air. The gift of the sounds of nature. The gift of meditation and prayer. The gift of good books that help us leave our troubles behind, even if for a short time. The gift of technology that allows us to stay connected. The gift of the truth. The gift of positivity, even in dark times. The gift of hope.

“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”

—Albert Einstein

Most importantly, this silence provides us with the gift of time. Time to think. Time to believe. Time to volunteer. Time to be creative. Time to contemplate where we want to go next. Time to reflect on where we’ve been so far. Time to wonder, dream, and share our talents with the world. Time to set goals. Time to write or journal. Time to just BE.

Take a deep breath. Now imagine yourself letting go of all your worries while floating on a leaf downstream. As the current carries you to places unknown, notice all the gifts that line the banks of the stream. A hug from a family member. A smile from a stranger. A phone call from a friend. An opportunity to stop, look, and listen to what your heart wants and needs, not what your schedule demands of you.

All these wonderful gifts are there, just for you. All you have to do is open your eyes to see them.

“Through the portals of silence, the healing sun of wisdom and peace will shine upon you.”

—Paramahansa Yogananda

Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.