Hey Wednesday! These last couple of weeks have been very powerful and potent for me. Lots of learning. Commitment to releasing old patterns. And trying something new. One of those new things is inviting grace as I spoke about on the blog on Monday. This week's Joy Tip Wednesday is dedicated to finding ways to invite grace more into our lives. And it's all about three interconnected words...time, space, and pressure.
Let's start with time. Ah yes time. The one thing most of us want more of and create as our biggest obstacle to grace. I know the story. Oh, well if I had more time I'd be able to create more grace in my life. To give myself a break. But I just have too much to do that I can't afford more grace. Mmm hmm. I know these lines well because I say them to myself. What I know to be true however, is that this is absolutely untrue. The fact is how we spend our time is a choice. And when we say "yes" to one thing with our time we are saying "no" to many other options to how we spend our time. So first, to invite grace in, we have to get real with our time. How we spend it. What we say "yes" to. And we have to commit to saying "yes" to grace.
Space. Grace comes with space. And if we have no blank space in our calendar we are sending out a false invitation to grace. How do you create some space? You say "yes" to grace. You say "yes" to creating time for grace. And then you put it in your life. You mark it in your calendar. And you stay committed to it. This can take many forms. You could mark it off as a block called "grace." You could leave it as white space in your calendar. Whatever trick works for you. There are some spaces that I know I have to block off in my calendar. Like meals which include time for just eating and just being. Or my morning meditation. The more I say "yes" to grace, create space on my calendar for it, the more I show up for it.
Pressure. So many of us put undue pressure and expectations on ourselves. I know this one well. My mind tells me if I say "yes" to doing one more thing with my time that I'll have space for grace later. Later. Because what needs to be done needs to be done right now. Right now Marci! But really....really. I mean let's have a "come to Jesus" moment with ourselves. How many times do you wind yourself up around the axle about needing to do something and what you really need to do is nothing? Often when I'm so convinced that something has to be done right now what I really need is to do nothing. What I really need is grace because I've lost perspective on what is a priority and what is not. I've overworked my mind and it needs a break. I'm running out of gas with my body and it needs to stop. The third part to inviting grace in is by giving yourself a break. Relieving unnecessary pressure and paying attention to when you are putting pressure on yourself to do something when you really need to do nothing. Absolutely nothing.
So how do we invite grace? Here's how we can start:
Say "yes" to spending time with grace. Saying "yes" means you say "no" to many other things one could do with one's time.
Create purposeful space for grace in your calendar. This is putting your commitment to saying "yes" to time into action.
Give yourself a break. When you feel pressured, check in with yourself and notice...do you really, I mean really, need to be doing what you are doing right now? Or do you really need a visit from grace?
I've gone through ebbs and flows in my life of being right with grace. It wasn't until the last year that I realized just how important She was in my life and how much I was committed to her. As I round out 2015 and move into 2016, I'm saying yes to "grace" more than ever before and I'm finding myself managing my time more effectively, more recharged, feeling less pressured than ever before, and experiencing more magic in my life.
Could you give yourself the gift of grace this holiday season and see what She can create for you in your life? Try it out as an experiment just to see what happens and let me know the results. And if you are ready to make some powerful changes to start designing your life with more intention, contact me for a 30 minute consultation.
In the meantime, send out your invitation to grace and let Her work Her magic. I'm sure you won't be disappointed and will be dazzled by what's possible with a couple more doses of grace in your life.
Much Love,
Marci