Swimming Upstream

Sometimes, I just want to coast along and enjoy the momentum and success I have created in my violin practicing and in my health, maybe take a break from making it important, enjoy the success of yesterday and hope today goes just as well. Of course, by all means!! We are to take a rest and be grateful for where we are. If we don't, we burn out and are full of strain instead of life. We cannot sustain a constant striving without taking moments to reflect and rest and examine and be grateful for where we are and where we are going. "Remember the Sabbath" is ALL about THAT!!

But, we cannot take a break for very long and expect quality to stay put. We must get back to it. Put our intentions back to work, take one step after another towards something. See, there is a current that will take us backward if we aren't pushing through. Think of salmon as they swim upstream. They must swim against the current to get to where she needs to lay her eggs. Think also of the Law of Entropy. Things naturally fall into a state of disorder when left alone. That means things DON'T naturally fall into place when left alone. My intonation does NOT get better when I don't work at it and keenly listen for it to be a certain way. My fitness level does NOT get better when I skip my workouts or my walks. My health does NOT get better when I don't care what foods I put into my body and do only what is pleasurable in the moment. My mental health does NOT get better when I allow all the negatives around me to keep my focus. My spiritual health does NOT get better when I spend zero time in prayer, in worship, in devotion. My relationships do NOT get better when I only think of proving myself to be right, and needing everything to accommodate my discomforts and fears. I do NOT grow if there is not an intention with action to grow.

Action....We can say and think all the right things, but we must be willing to take action steps to go anywhere...and here's the rub, those action steps must be taken daily, regularly to make a difference. Practicing intonation for one day, does nothing, literally NOTHING for the long term 😂. All my musician friends will relate! It's an ongoing Tending To that makes the difference. I can go to the gym for many hours in one day, but that does NOTHING for getting fit and healthy long term. (Actually, it might make me less likely to go ever again because I will be SO sore!!) I can eat all organic for an entire week, but that does NOTHING for my longevity. See, it takes daily habits, actions, if we want to see long term changes, to reach a new level in our growth. What am I willing to do, what am I willing to give up to level up? On my worst day, what are my minimums/maximums, my boundaries for what I will allow and make sure happens?

It is powerful to make a promise to yourself and keep it. It's also powerful to make a promise to yourself and break it. If you make promises that are too lofty, you cannot sustain it. The daily actions MUST be doable. There will always be good and bad days. Those bad days are often the ones that make us the strongest when we stick to our promises to ourselves. If I want to do a workout every day, but I expect that workout to be 30 minutes long and include so many reps and weights and heart rate, etc, especially starting out on a health journey, it is not likely that the stars will align for me to consistently do all that every day or even every other, and I might give up completely. Whereas, if I promise to do at least 1 pushup, on my WORST day, I know I can ALWAYS do ONE!! The hardest part is to get started. Once you are there doing one, the likelihood of doing more than one is very high! But, keeping that promise to myself is invaluable. That is the most important part, the most powerful part. I am sending the message to ME that I AM important. The message I send to myself when I don't keep my promises is that I'm really NOT all that important. What follows is usually a whole slew of defensive thoughts and excuses, but it always will boil down to one thing...my choices. Who is in charge of me? What is in charge of me? If this is important to me, why don't I do it? That one pushup leads to more, leads to more, leads to more.

Not everything can be important all at once. We must be thoughtful in how we begin reaching for a goal. If it's too much or too hard, we cannot sustain, so one step, one goal at a time.

The steps are to:

1: Set a goal. Then ask yourself, "What do I want? Why do I want it? If nothing can get in my way, how will I show up in my world? When would I like to achieve this goal?"

2: Evaluate where you are currently. What is my current reality? How am I feeling in this reality?

3: What micro steps can I take daily or regularly to reach my goal? On my worst days, what are my minimums, maximums?

Then, you must swim upstream...slowly but surely. Take moments to enjoy your journey, appreciate how far you have come, celebrate your wins, look for what is going well and look for what you are grateful for, find days to rest and reflect on where you are, where you were and where you want to be, but then...get right back on the path. One more step. One more step. One more step. Make those steps habits that become automatic over time. So automatic that they are second nature not needing so much attention.

Here's the progression...

1. Unconscious Incompetence

2. Conscious Incompetence

3. Conscious Competence

4. Unconscious Competence

Once we get to Unconscious Competence, what has been built in is MINDFULNESS that really doesn't allow a lower standard to exist. We are AUTOMATICALLY tending to that which remains important. My standards for my intonation only get stronger, and I just don't let poor intonation to get through the cracks. I deal with it immediately. I have zero tolerance. As soon as I begin to accept less than, foundations I have built will crumble and I will have to begin again. I have ways to measure and assess whether my intonation is true. I come back to my compass every single day and am constantly checking myself against that knowing I may have been led astray by other influences or my own tendencies. I have never assumed I am too good to need my compass again. I have to know myself and STAY mindful. It's THAT important to me. Red flags and warning buzzers go off very quickly when I begin to go astray. And, I'm always looking for better. Like going to the eye doctor... "which is better, #1 or #2? #3 or #4?" I do not ever assume I've arrived. There is always more growing to do. And OH the JOY of experiencing the fruit of having pure and powerful sound, the kind that reaches into the soul and takes your breath away. Being in tune requires us to be In Tune. We find that through our struggle, through our journey, through our seeking. Through our surrender. Through our connection to Source.

The smallest and the biggest habits of mind and body, inside and out are created the same way.

Think about brushing your teeth. On your worst days, you probably still brush your teeth. On vacation, you probably still brush your teeth. It doesn't matter...It's built in. It's automatic. You have decided that brushing is good for you - both short term and long term. There is a reward and consequence built in. You have a standard that you uphold and don't dip below. The same can be true of ANYTHING you want to apply this skill to.

Swimming upstream makes the salmon stronger and READY to lay her eggs. What we gain from our journey is similar. Enjoy the path. Enjoy the view. We will be stronger and more ready for the growth we are hoping and praying and searching and striving for BECAUSE of everything we are doing to get there.

You CAN do what you set your mind to, your heart to. Lean on others and ask for support. Find people who value what you do. Learn from them and be inspired and encouraged. Careful the thoughts you let yourself believe and the words and actions you expose yourself to. You become most like who and what you spend the most time with. Once again, you get to CHOOSE.

And, I am beginning to see that actually, we never "ARRIVE". There is always room to grow into the image of our Creator. The Journey itself becomes the Destination.

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As I learn and grow, I want to be able to share with others the hope I have found, the blessings God has allowed, the wisdom I have come by. If what I share resonates with even one person, it is worth it.

I am passionate about finding purpose on this planet, through my music AND through my life journey. I am passionate about being healthy, inside and out. Being healthy has a ripple affect touching everything in my life. I am proud, now, that part of my identity is putting my health first and sharing that with others. Paying it forward and sharing what I have found is simply a reflex that I literally cannot help!

Always know, you can reach out any time. I am thrilled to share what I have learned with you. I now coach people with their own health journeys. It is thrilling to watch others' lives transform as they seek to create health for themselves. Join me!

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