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August, 2015
A Note From Judy
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I've been bitten by the "clearing out" bug. And I haven't even read, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing yet! Everyone is telling me it's a must read. Right now, I've got it on my "next up" list after I finish going through my files. P.S., If you've read it, I'm interested in what you think.
Today's phase of cleaning has been a pleasantly focused meander through writings, workshop folders and digital articles. I found some good short reads from the MIC blog you probably haven't seen. Here they are, slightly rewritten ...And there's a video too.
Article #1 About taking that leap...
There are as many ways to make changes as there are reasons to make them. No matter what the change or the reason, at some point you'll need to take a leap.
Picturing a leap most people imagine a person suspended over a rocky chasm with arms and legs outstretched. It looks free. It's enticing. It looks scary. You wonder if you could do it. Or, you're sure that leaps like that are for other people who aren't afraid, people who are not you.
Because you're focused on the midair moment, you may not realize that one foot must be firmly planted on the ground before even attempting to leap. Getting off the ground is preceded by a series of accelerating steps that build momentum until the moment you are ready to plant that foot and let it fly.
Though part of making a change is getting comfortable with knowing that you will change and not knowing exactly what that will be like (yes, the scary part), it doesn't have to be overwhelming. Change can be made on your timetable. It can be grounded in steps. These steps will be motivated and gather momentum. It is your decision just how high, how far and when you jump. But, jump you must because if you don't you may find yourself stuck in a rut.
Article #2 Stuck in a Rut? Video included.
A rut: a path, a channel, a track, a trench.
If you grew up with snowy winters, you remember those first few sled runs down hills fresh with newly fallen snow. They were tough going until you took multiple trips packing down the snow, and then- wheeeee!
You made a rut and it worked for you.
The sled run is a metaphor for what goes on in your brain when you are creating neural pathways. These neural pathways are the biological stuff of learning everything and anything. When you create habits and routines, you're laying down these paths.
If you want to know about how that happens read, "Brain Stuff" (below). Otherwise, skip right on down to, "Functioning on automatic has a downside."
Brain Stuff...check out this brain scan of pathways! 
When you learn a routine or form a habit, neurons connect haltingly at first and after repetition the path becomes fast and faster due to fatty coating around the fibers called myelin. For example, when you learned a motor skill like handwriting, playing the piano, driving a car, it was slow. You had to think about every step but after lots of practice, you accomplished more and more without much thought to mechanics.
(Want to see pathways forming before your eyes? Watch a baby learn to reach for an object.)
We have pathways for everything we've learned. You've created gazillions (that's a scientific term) of pathways between thoughts, feelings and actions in mind boggling variation. Which paths form and get stronger is influenced by ourmold friends nurture (your experiences) and nature (DNA).
Functioning on automatic has a downside.
So, yes, a well-worn track is a very good thing. You can grab stuff, ride a bike, call up multiplication facts quickly and read what's written here. In other words, you can perform countless life-supporting functions, automatically.
Yet, despite it's benefits, operating on automatic has a downside.
Have you ever driven to work on a day off because you started down the same road on the way to somewhere else?
Imagine, if you will, that you have other habits (of thought, feeling and action) that send you somewhere you no longer want to go. So too, automatic can be stopping you from heading where you truly want to go.
Hence, stuck in a rut.
When you act by default, you're no longer participating fully, which you detect by these...Signs that you're stuck in a rut; boredom, lethargy, negativity, struggle, frustration, anger, faltering self-confidence and vague overall dissatisfaction.
You could be stuck in a rut that looks like a daily routine...the morning walk to kitchen -> make coffee while grumbling. Or, the rut you need to get out of is the career you thought you would be buried doing no longer makes you feel anywhere near good (that was me years ago).
Getting out of that rut.
First, change something. Change something small. Have tea instead of coffee. Get a new mug. Practice paying attention to how you make the coffee. Start walking up a staircase with your other foot. Leap when no one's looking.
Small changes beget bigger ones. Small seemingly insignificant changes in routine give you energy and renewed interest in your life. Be sure to ask the part of you that dismisses small things as pitiful compared to the big change that really needs to be made, to please take a break while you play a bit.
Watch this video!
Here is artist, Levni Yilmaz, on getting out of his own rut. It's funny -
You'll understand how it applies to you even if you're not an artist because you're smart. Be forewarned, he drops the f-bomb a few times.
Ta Da! You read to the end, again. Thank you for being a subscriber. If you received this email from a friend, I hope you enjoyed it and I invite you become a member too.
Move Into Change Coaching
Southfield Ave
Stamford CT 06902
917.450.1524
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