The Power of the List

Happy July! I hope you are all enjoying the summer so far. A couple of weeks ago I was spending time with a friend of mine that is going through a challenging time. Often, when we experience difficulty it is coming from several forces at once and it can make us feel quite overwhelmed. We were having dinner and she mentioned (almost apologetically) that even though she knew she should be writing a gratitude list that instead she was writing a shit list. 

She then proceeded to explain to me what her process was and I understood. She needed to look at all the challenges one at a time. That is mindfulness. She needed to absorb each of them and accept that this is the place she is in in this moment. Only then would she be able to cultivate mindful change.

The power to face difficulty and hold it is exactly what we need to move through those challenges. I shared this with her. I also suggested perhaps the opportunity  to have both “lists” running concurrently. It is important to acknowledge and face the difficulties, however if we can pair those difficulties with some joy too…. well that offers us even more. 

This story is what I shared with students on the mat last week. We have the chance to use this strategy with our bodies as well. Noticing the challenges and accepting limitations is important however when we pair it with gratitude for all we can do, it allows for valuable perspective and a bit more joy.