meditation mondays: a new way of looking at success

it’s monday! and the middle of march! and i began a new meditation series this morning! all of these things excite me, as you can tell.

 if you’ve followed me for a while, then you know that a few times a year i take part in a meditation series. i hook up with a free series online and let every morning for 21 days start with focus, breathing, and inspiration. i truly look forward to these little 3 week spurts of guided and silent meditation. my practice really, really grew in the past year because of figuring out how to commit to giving myself this time.

so, today, i began a new 21 day series called “manifesting true success”. to be honest, it sounded kind of… meh. i don’t like the word “success”. it conjures up thoughts of money, upward mobility, business, competition – all things that make me cringe inside. but, as i said, i love being part of this series, and i will take part in it no matter what the theme is.

turns out, the more i think about it. perhaps “success” is something i need to focus on right now. i feel that a shift in my life has been going on with this move to sweden. a big shift, actually. like the ending of a huge chapter/phase of my life. one that began with my divorce 7 years ago and included a long journey of discovering who i am + finding a balance of inner peace.

there is a bunch of internal upheaval within me right now. and i am almost certain it is because of this shift, this change, this moving on. it’s moving from a 7 year inward journey to knowing that it is time, once again, for me to move out into the world. it is time for me to use who i am, to give back, to bring meaning to everything that i have learned.

and somehow, the word “success” feels just perfect right now – even if i don’t really like it. it is just the practical push that i need to turn outward and focus on producing instead of soaking in. am i making any sense?

so, just after 9, after cleaning up breakfast, i got on my meditation pillow on the floor, lit a candle, opened my journal, and pressed play. the voice soothed me, and i knew i was in my happy place. slowing down + tuning in…

i’m not going to share the whole meditation with you – only the main thought that i came away with. i hope that you will join me in meditating these next 21 days (i’ll give you links and such at the end of the post). the idea of success that will be presented over the next 3 weeks is all about creating success from within. we have the possibility of living a life filled with creating success constantly. but, it is not a destination – like climbing some corporate ladder. instead, it is an inner state of being that begins with choosing a long term goal – a dream that gives us focus and sustains us for a long time. it is something that comes from the depths of our soul, based on who we are, ever-evolving as we evolve and grow and change. it comes from knowing who we are and what we are here to do.

and, this, my friends, is exactly the step that i am at in my life, i believe. i know who i am, what things fill my soul, what things i will not sacrifice and what things i need to have in my life in order to continue to live authentically.

early in the meditation, we were given a chance to think about different words that represent what we can give to the world. words like: love, compassion, teaching, protecting the weak and poor, promoting culture, exploring and discovering, service, etc.

what is it that you feel that you can give to the world, based on who you are? this is the question that was posed to me. and immediately, from deep within, a word came:

inspiration.

that is my long-term goal. my dream. why i am here. to inspire – with words + photos. this is what fuels my soul and, at the same time, provides meaning to my life, letting me make a difference.

i want to inspire. i want everything that i do inspire others to be exactly who they were created to be. i want to inspire people to slow down and observe and soak in the world that we live in. i want to inspire people to see + understand + feel the sacred beauty that is in every moment and person. this is my calling. this is who i am. this is the success that i am chasing.

and it became so clear to me as i sat on the floor this morning. the amazing thing is that this whole give + take thing is cyclical. the more that i inspire, the more that i get inspired. and the more that i feel inspired, the more i want to inspire.

success is not something we seek to achieve. it’s not associated with wall street and stocks and corporations and jets and celebrity status. success comes from within. it is something that, if we slow down and listen, simply bubbles out of us.

with just this meditation today, i feel a sense of focus and energy that i have been lacking recently. i actually think i am on to something. and it all may, or may not, show up here on the blog. new branding? new images? i don’t know just yet. this is going to be a long changing process for me it feels like. but, i have definitely closed the door on the old purpose of be.love.live – which was to discover who i am through being, loving, and living. well, that is done. now, it’s time to look outward. it’s time to share what i have learned, what i know, what inspires me. and that’s where this blog + my book come in. i’ve done all of the taking in, now it’s time to give back.

oh my gosh. this was only day one! this is gonna be an amazing 20 days!

onwards + upwards!! xoxo

want to join in with me? you’re not too late, even if day one is done. you can start with day one tomorrow – each meditation is available for 5 days. click –> here to sign up. you will get an email every day with a link to the meditation of the day. it’s usually 20 minutes total. there is some talking for about 4-5 minutes in the beginning. a chance to learn and listen. then, it’s all about meditating. there is also always music in the background, so it’s not dead silent – and, yes, my brain wanders all over the place still when i meditate. i go back and forth between some minutes of silent peace to moments where i am making lists of things i need to do in my head. but, i stick with it.

give it a try! join me! and, please, let me know if you do decide to join in. i’ve love to keep you in my thoughts as i meditate.