About My blog

Holding space is the process in which a person is fully present with themselves and with others. As a mental health therapist for thirteen years, I was honored to hold space with my clients. In 2009, I realized I needed a break, so I have temporarily stepped away from my career. I am now re-learning how to hold space for myself. This blog follows my journey.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Back to the Blog

I have been eating salads for breakfast. That's right - lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, the works. I got the idea from the book, Born to Run. The author of this book talks about running coaches who recommend eating salads for breakfast. I tried it because I want to run in a half-marathon this summer. So, I've been running four to five times per week, I've added strength training, I've cut down on sweets, and I'm now eating salad for breakfast.

My running regimen isn't really that hard because I've been a runner for about fifteen years now. The difference in my current routine is that I'm more disciplined and determined. This newfound discipline has got me thinking about goals and why some stick, but others don't. Like this blog of mine. When I started this last fall, I planned on writing one post per week. It sounded reasonable. Not too hard. Not too ambitious.

However, I've had this blog for several months and this is my third (that's right - third) post. It doesn't take a math genius to conclude that I've failed at my reasonable, not too hard goal. It reminds me of an exercise that I used to do with my therapy clients. I would have them stand up with their arms behind them. They would look straight ahead and talk about their goals (or failed goals), and then they would talk about the obstacles preventing them from reaching their goals. When they talked about the obstacles, I would gently pull one arm so their body turns. This exercise shows how obstacles in life diverts our attention away from our goals. These can be big obstacles or just everyday life demands, but it feels like we are cheating ourselves when we let life events/issues get in the way of our attempts to better ourselves.

As a way to stop cheating myself, I am back to posting something on my blog once a week. One of my major goals is to become a better writer. The only way to do that is to write, and then write some more. So, to my seven followers, I will see you next week.