I came across a powerful quote the other day from this 20th century Spanish philosopher named Jose Ortega y Gasset. "Tell me what you pay attention to, and I will tell you who you are." Take that quote in and think about it. "Tell me what you pay attention to, and I will tell you who you are." So what are you paying attention to? If you think about your day so far, or even this week, where have you been placing your attention? What has been your focus? You see, where you place your attention reflects your priorities, and what's important to you. Look at your calendar or consider how you use your time. That's an indicator of your attention. Reflect on where you spent your money. This, too, is an indicator of what's important to you. What kind of attention are you paying to your relationships? How about your health? Maybe your own sense of well-being? Have you been paying attention to any of these areas? What are you paying attention to? After you take a quick inventory, go ahead and ask yourself: Are you satisfied with where you've been placing your attention? There's no need to bring any judgment to what you notice. This is merely an exercise in self-reflection. You see, if I could take this philosopher's quote, I would change it ever so slightly. Instead of just saying, "Tell me what you pay attention to and I'll tell you who you are," I would actually add a few words at the end of it. My quote would be, "Tell me what you pay attention to, and I will tell you who you are choosing to be." The essential you always has choice. You get to choose where you place your attention, and you can change it if you want to. If you don't like where you've been putting your attention, and your energy, because as we know, "Your energy flows where your attention goes!", then you can choose to focus on something else. And when you change what you pay attention to, you're changing who you're choosing to be. So maybe the real question here is: Who do you want to be? How do you want to show up? What aspect of you is wanting to come forth, in whatever situation you might be experiencing? And once you're clear on that, then let that answer guide you to where you decide to place your attention. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. 
What do you need, right now, in this moment? The other day, a client shared with me how exhausted he was feeling. He said to me, "I have so much responsibility. I have to take care of deadlines at work, and then I'm having to navigate so much in my home life. I'm not sleeping well, and I'm just so stressed. I'm always feeling tired." I could feel the energy of his frustration, and so I decided to ask him a simple question. I said to him, "What do you need right now in this moment?" "I'm not sure what you mean," he said. "I just wish I wasn't feeling so overwhelmed all the time. I'm tired of feeling tired." I responded, "Well, go ahead. Let's take a deep breath." So he breathed in. And then, I gently asked him again, "Now tell me, what do you need, right now, in this moment?" He sat with the question, took a few moments to breathe it in, and then he responded. "I need rest." Once he said those words, his body softened and he allowed himself to feel the weight of those words. "I need rest." You see, I meet a lot of people who have this belief that if you want to be successful in life, you have to always be on the go, go, go. The idea is that, in order to be successful, you have to burn the candle at both ends. Or you have to go above and beyond all that you need to do to take care of your loved ones. Or even with exercise, you know, pushing yourself so hard because you believe in that adage, "No pain, no gain!" When I asked my client what he needed, he didn't realize that he was running on autopilot, doing all of the things that he thought was expected of him, not once taking a moment to breathe, and then to check in with his own inner being to see what was needed. So go ahead. Take a moment for yourself right now. Take a deep breath. And ask yourself the question, "What do you need, right now, in this moment?" Perhaps you need rest, too. Or maybe you need to do something to get your body active. Or you might need to connect with a loved one. The point of this question is for you to pause and to tune into the whole of your being – the physical, the mental, the emotional, the spiritual – and to see what arises. You see, the wisdom that you seek lives inside of you. Sometimes you just need to take a moment to ask the question, "What do you need right now in this moment?" And then to be open to receive the answer. Abundant Blessings and Namaste |
About JoselitoJoselito is a spiritual life coach helping people create a purposeful, spiritual path to career and financial freedom. Sign me up to receive the free newsletterPopular Blog Articles Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories How my body told me to quit my job How I was offered an all-expenses paid cruise after making my Vision Board Today I choose to live my GREATNESS You are not your stories. You are the story-teller. Your job is not your Source. |
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