Do It Your Way

“My inner strength knows no bounds”

~

If you ever get the chance to watch a dance fitness class at a gym, don’t watch the teacher. Instead, watch the people participating. The teacher is doing a routine they’ve probably done hundreds of times, and the clients are trying to keep up. Inevitably, the clients are almost always a couple of steps behind the instructor.

If you’ve ever done a fitness class like this you can probably relate. The moment you get a move down you light up and it feels really good. But then the instructor goes on to the next move and you’re out of sync again. When you finally catch up to that move, you experience that wave of excitement again, only to have the instructor move on to the next move. It’s a constant game of catch up. And while it can be really frustrating not doing the choreography perfectly, that’s not the biggest problem with these types of classes.

When it comes to moving your body, if you’re trying to follow someone else, like a fitness instructor, your attention naturally goes to what they’re doing. If you’re constantly staring at them and trying to copy them - or catch up to them - you can’t pay attention to your own body and what it needs. You won’t be able to discover what your individual capabilities are. And you won’t be able to explore the depths of what your body can do. Exercising by merely copying someone else’s moves won’t allow you to be fully present in your own body and recognize what it needs.

“When you move in a way that feels unique to you, you’re going to activate all these different parts of yourself - both mind and body ”

If you’re going to put in the effort of a positive change, you might as well do something that’s going to be best for you. And that’s what the next Truth is all about.

Truth #3:

YOUR WAY IS THE RIGHT WAY

Because you are unique (Truth #1), you were designed to do things a certain way. That’s especially true when it comes to following your truth. While we all have the same basic make-up, that doesn’t mean we’re all supposed to do the same things. That’s because you have your own dreams, desires that are unique to you. Your goals, intention, your likes and dislikes, genetics, and so many other things that contribute to figuring out the best way forward. Because of this, rather than merely copying someone - when you act, you should explore behaving in a way that feels right for you.

But how exactly do you do this?

When I first encouraged my clients to be creative, many of them looked at me in a very confused way. They’d been so conditioned to only follow the leader, that they didn’t quite understand what I wanted them to do. However, it didn’t take long for them to embrace what I was asking. In fact, I was amazed at how quickly they were able to find their own unique way, It is so beautiful to witness this transformation.

This experience is one that I’ve seen play out over and over again, all around the world. No matter who it’s with, or what experience a person has, when you give someone permission to be free, they just do it. Look at a baby when they hear music. They just move in whatever way that feels natural. It’s an innate response and it never leaves you. That’s why finding your own unique way is as easy as turning the music on and going for it. You just have to go for it!

You Can’t Get it Wrong. When you trust yourself to act in a way that feels right for you, even though that will be different from everybody else, you will naturally do things the way you were designed to. Meaning, that when you do it your way - you can’t get it wrong.

Let me repeat that because it’s really important.  When you behave your way, you can’t get it wrong. However, when you are just following the way someone else expects you to, it limits you to whatever their limitations are, and pigeon holes you to their level of creativity and expression. Not that you can’t draw inspiration or ideas from others. Rather, it’s that so much can open up to you when you start to trust your inner voice and act in a way that feels right for you. And you’ll only know what your right way is, when you try.

So, let yourself be different. Embrace your uniqueness. Trust your intuition. Let yourself be weird and crazy. You’ll discover things about yourself that will blow your mind when you simply give yourself permission to be unique.

I promise you... Your way is the right way!

Beware of Fear-Restricted Activity

While behaving in a way that’s right for you can be extremely liberating, it can also be scary. Sometimes even when you’re in your own home, by yourself, when no one is watching, you can hold back because you’re afraid of what others might think.

Isn’t that crazy?

Even when no one is watching, you can still succumb to “fear-restricted activity.” This can totally stifle your creativity and ultimately prevent you from reaching your goals. And it’s not just in the way you behave. Fear can prevent you from achieving your goals in other areas of your life too. Because of this, you’ve got to follow your own unique path, even though it might terrify you.

Remember. Because no one actually cares what you look like (Truth #2), you really do have the freedom to move, act, think in the way that feels right to you.

“Life has ups and downs. You can choose to be miserable and sad. Or, you can choose to stand on your own two feet, and be a warrior and champion of your own life.”

Much like all of the Truths, coming to appreciate the idea that your way is the right way can take time. So, start with the way you behave. Go somewhere by yourself, turn on the music - or a Body workout - and start to experiment with the way you move. You’ll quickly prove to yourself that not only are you more creative than you think, but also that nobody actually cares what you look like. That’s because no one’s actually looking. No one’s judging you. It’s you judging yourself. If you can come to accept this, you will no longer be a slave to fear-restricted activity.

This will unleash your creativity and allow you to express yourself in a way that is right for you. When you behave in a way that feels unique to you, you’re going to activate all these different parts of yourself - both mind and body. You will be able to explore your full range of creativity, strength and flexibility. To express yourself in a fun, creative manner that constantly challenges you. To understand your needs. And to appreciate yourself and all of your  amazing capabilities and wonders. And best of all, you can’t get it wrong.

When you do things your way, or when you listen to your intuition, you can’t get life wrong either. So many of us think there’s a right way to do life and a wrong way. Even worse, we compare our lives to others and foolishly think that they have it all figured out and a handle on all their problems. But this just isn’t true.

Hardly anyone has it figured out. Everyone has problems. However, in my experience, the people who are the happiest, most fulfilled, and have the best handle on life and their problems, are those who listen to their gut and follow their instincts.

I hope that in the sharing of my story it helps you to your unique path and journey to fantastic mental health and personal happiness.