This past February, I was fortunate enough to experience a rejuvenating trip to Tulum, Mexico with my twin sister to celebrate our fortieth birthdays. Tulum is truly a mystical, magical place; one in which it would be hard not to embrace the moment. I can honestly say it feels like I left a part of me there.
One day as we awaited a fresh juice by the beach, my sister passed me a bowl of stones from the drink counter. “Pick one”, she said. I noticed each stone was engraved with a different symbol. My sister picked up the accompanying rune handbook that would decode my unique message. Feeling optimistic about a happy fortune, I picked one. Lara flipped to the relevant page in the book. “Separation.” she said. At first I considered this to be a bad pick. I mean, how can separation be a good thing?
The positives of separation quickly came to light as the description was read. Separation is often thought of as a painful, unnecessary thing; But what if you’re separating from something you’re meant to release. I’m not talking about a person, a marriage, or a relationship of any kind here. I’m referring to releasing our patterns or ideas that no longer serve us; old stories that we tell ourselves that are not necessarily true, or are unfounded. I’d heard of ‘letting go of ‘ or ‘releasing’ the past to find peace before, but the word ‘separation’ made the process feel so much more powerful, deliberate and lasting for me. Naturally, I began writing down ideas that I could separate from, as they suddenly became clear as day.
What are you doing or saying to yourself that no longer serves you?
In the world of physical fitness, we have a great opportunity for growth in this regard. That’s a nice way of saying that most of us are holding ourselves back from greatness. Why? Who knows. We’re human.
I do know that this habit of holding on to unfounded stories like ‘If I join the gym I’ll embarrass myself’, or ‘I’m not motivated enough to stick to an exercise regime’, or ‘I don’t have any time to get fit’, or even ‘I’ll never be slim/fast/flexible/coordinated/balanced….it’s just how I’m made’ so often stops us from just getting started.
On the other hand, when we remove these undesired views or habits, what do we leave room for? A new perspective. One that encourages us to just give it a shot and see what happens. One that leaves room for the possibility that we absolutely CAN achieve, even if we never have before.
Remember when I said I left a piece of myself in Tulum? I did. I left some of my old ideas behind. It’s just a start of course, but it has made an impact on my life.
How can ‘separation’ benefit you in the coming days and weeks?
What thoughts can you ‘separate’ yourself from that will help you take another step in a positive direction?
Please feel free to share with me.
Best,
Leigh
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