Running one song at a time

A friend of mine recently suggested I start running one song at a time. I was familiar with the concept, but not necessarily naming it this way. Actually naming the overall idea has really helped me hone in on how important the concept itself is and definitely not just when it comes to running.

I go through spurts with jogging and whenever I stop, I find it a challenge to start it up again. You know what I mean? That happens with lots of habits that make us feel good, but that take a bit of discipline before they become a part of our life. Do you have a routine you'd like to start, but haven't quite made it a habit yet? Then here are a few things to keep in mind.

The main idea behind Running One Song at a Time is finding some element of pure enjoyment. I love music and I love the way my body feels when I move it. So, I recently re-started my jogging routine by finding some gooooood running songs for my iPod. I know what kind of songs make my heart feel big and expansive and make me want to move so those are the kind I chose.

I put my running shoes on & walked until one of those songs came on and then I jogged to the music. Just one song in the beginning. Sometimes I took a break and then I ran for another song, but usually not more than 1 in a row in the beginning. The key was that I let my body decide. I didn't say to myself 'ok. run for 2 minutes and then walk' and I didn't say just run 10 blocks first and then take a break. I actually didn't think at all. I just ENJOYED the music and listened to my body about when it wanted to listen to another song & run a bit more.

I've always known the importance of starting off with small goals in the beginning in order to keep that motivation flowing. But this felt a little different as I was letting go of all of the 'shoulds' and any rules about what is 'best' when you start off jogging. I quickly increased my song selection to 2 and then 3 and then 5 and soon, I was running the entire 3 miles. It felt free and easy and enjoyable and had nothing in common with the 'no pain, no gain' mantra we often hear.

So, keep this in mind next time you'd like to start or re-start a new routine or habit. What might you do to connect with some element of pure joy in this new activity? How can you truly listen instead of pushing in a way you think you 'should' push? Ask yourselves these questions, be curious and enjoy experimenting with this.

 

 

 

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Full Circle

I was a bit absent on my blog this month since I spent the last 3 weeks in Sweden. The trip was rich with memories, learning & lessons. I thought about this story as I sat on the plane on my way there. Whenever I think of it, I am always amazed by the twists and turns of life. And more & more, I see how much is happening in the background without our knowledge if we aren't paying attention AND how much power we have when we DO pay attention.

 

I'll never forget the day I went to my first teaching assignment in Stockholm. I just got hired as a freelance Business English teacher and I took the train out to a suburb to the company I would be teaching for, Telia AB. Just as I was walking up to the building where I would have my first class, it hit me....

About 11 years earlier I was working at a Japanese trading company in Stockholm doing administrative work. I had a lot of contact with customers in Sweden and was the middle person in the purchasing of telephone cables from Japan. Our biggest customer was Telia (at that time it was called Televerket). One of the men I had a lot of contact with told me once that he was taking English lessons that his company provided him with.

I remember thinking that teaching English at a company was something that I wanted to do. I wasn't very fulfilled doing the work I was doing at the time, but didn't see how I could teach English since I had no training. I quickly gave that idea up. A few years went by, a relationship ended and I found myself back in California feeling lost and confused. Finally, I decided it was time to go back to school. I did and earned my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language.

After earning my degree I was ready for another adventure. I found a job in Finland and taught at the university of Turku for a couple of years. This was a huge challenge and a wonderful learning experience. While at the university, the idea of teaching Business English kept coming back to me so in 2002, I decided on a new adventure, going off to Stockholm to see if I could get a job doing just that.

As I stood there that day ready to begin my teaching career in Stockholm, I realized that this was the exact company and the exact location where my customer had been receiving English lessons many years before. It struck me how the plan had been unfolding the whole time without me even being conscious of it.

I've had a few of these experiences in my life and they have taught me the importance of being clear about what we want. As I've become stronger in myself, I've realized also how we can speed up the process of achieving our dreams by talking about what we want, writing about what we want and even living as if we already have what we want. This last one is key as it brings up the FEELINGS of having what you want - which helps the energy wrapped around your goal find you much more easily.

Sound a little spooky? Yeah, maybe. But I can tell you, that day as I realized the synchronicity of what had happened, I knew that I was EXACTLY where I wanted to be doing EXACTLY what I wanted to be doing. I also knew that with even more awareness of what I was choosing to focus on, pretty much anything was and IS possible.

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