Have you ever heard the story of the farmer and the calf? The farmer would lift the baby calf over the fence to let him go eat in the pasture. He did it every day until, before he knew it, he was lifting a fully grown bull.
But he was doing it with the same ease that he had been lifting the calf because his increase in strength was so gradual and proportional to the weight that he was lifting.
I feel like I am lifting huge bulls in my life today!
Never did I think that I could manage a growing and thriving business (coaching, writing, teaching yoga), family life with my incredible husband and toddler twins, and an active social life with such ease and grace.
I thought I would never get to a place where I adore my body, feel so comfortable in my own skin and eat whatever I want, whenever I want while feeling and looking amazing.
I honestly did not think that I would experience the kind of inner peace and harmony that now fills my veins. And I certainly did not think that so many clients would be thanking me for transforming their lives from the inside out.
I would look at spiritual teachers, leaders and visionaries and want what they had, but I felt SO freakin’ far away from it and it was so painful to acknowledge that they were lifting bulls and I could hardly lift a calf.
So how did I get here?
How did I create a life that nourishes and excites me moment to moment? How did I get strong enough to lift not just bulls, but whole herds of cattle at a time?
I recognized that every day I can choose to focus on what lights me up just a little bit more than what dims my light. And I can start to take small steps to lean in the direction of what I like.
So when I have a choice between calling my ornery relative, who frequently drains me in a conversation -OR- spending the same 20minutes writing out a vision where I am interacting with people who uplift, inspire and see the fullness of me… you know what I would choose!
The relative will still be disgruntled no matter what I say, but I will be feeling more and more successful after I choose to do what makes me feel good.
And if every day I begin to slightly lean in the direction of the thoughts, activities and interactions that nourish and uplift me, then before I know it I will have body-builder-strength to lift any cattle I choose, screaming from the rooftops in Santorini: “I have arrived! I LOVE my life! I feel invincible!”
Here is one question you can ask yourself every day to transform your life: What’s one thing I can do today that inspires me?
What lights you up will be different on different days, but following your highest excitement will always pay off in amazing ways.
Now tell me: What can you spend a little bit more time on today that will nourish and exhilarate you? And how can you outsource, release or surrender one thing today or this week that drains you?
Remember that no step is too small as long as you take it!
And before you know it, you’ll be lifting bulls and accomplishing your greatest visions as easily as it was for you to write a comment to this post!
In Joy,
Lana
“I recognized that every day I can choose to focus on what lights me up just a little bit more than what dims my light.” – What a great reminder, sometime I forget that. I get caught up in the daily grind and and just forget. Loved your video! I will be focusing more on what lights me up and outsourcing what I can that doesn’t.
I forget that too, Holly! That’s why I surround myself with people, books and videos that remind me! And why I write blog posts about it! 😉 Hope you have a phenomenal day focusing on what fires you up!
Great video, Lana, and such a wonderful reminder!! It’s SO easy to get caught up in the day-t-day grind, ESPECIALLY on Mondays. I know I feel a sense of unbalance when I’ve spent too much time in the studio/office/computer – it’s like this draining feeling. But as soon as take the time to take care of myself, I feel 100% re-charged. Outsourcing/hiring an assistant def helps, too!! Thank you!
Isn’t it so wonderful that we can feel when we are off and correct it, Desiree? So many people learn to ignore that inner voice and then end up feeling drained and not being the best version of themselves, which is too high of a price to pay. And like you, I love having an assistant so that I stay on those tasks that are clearly within my zone of genius and someone else takes care of other things that matter to me!
Lana, Love that you did this video so simply and it was so good. I’m grateful each day for so many good things and am seeing my life become more and more of what I’ve envisioned for years. I literally can’t wait to get up each morning and it’s all because I’m doing what I came here to do and I can feel my alignment and balance…and when it’s off…I know immediately and do a little tweaking. Sometimes it’s as simple as taking my dog for a walk…which is what I’m doing right now.
Like Silvia, I love that you did the video so simply and naturally. Your spirit really shines through in it. I also LOVED the story of the bull. I hadn’t heard that before.
Before the cruise, I interviewed past proteges and people I coached. I asked them what was the one thing that changed their lives. Their response was baby steps. They started to do more of what they love and less of what they didn’t, just as you said.
You don’t see it if you’re looking day to day. When you look back on a year, though, it’s like night and day. You can totally transform your world in as little as 90 days with this practice of leaning.
Thanks for the reminder:-)
Thank you so much mystical Nneka! The story of the bull was told by Abraham at one of the Abraham-Hicks workshops and I loved it too because let’s face it, it’s the journey that matters, not just the destination. And the journey is always step by step!
I try to put this into practice every day. I choose things and people that are on my path–instead of my cranky relative. The love and peace that I feel is overwhelming. I love that everyone has this choice and you are so right–a small step every day can make a huge difference over time. Thanks for inspiring people to take that step!
It’s so easy to get caught up on the things that “need” to be done but don’t excite us. Yes, sometimes we just gotta. But as I embark on this new career and build a business for myself, I’m learning that the days I feel most free and in the flow are when I’m feeling alive. When I get caught in the minutia of to do lists and judgements about what I “should” be doing, I feel the life get sucked right out of me. I started meeting a friend every Monday afternoon at her gorgeous, green art college to write and commiserate about life and spirituality for this very reason. It’s strange how indulgent even this feels to me, which tells me I need more of it. 🙂
I love that you recognize that if it feels indulgent, it means you are on the leading-edge of your abilities to allow more good in your life! And that you welcome it into your life. You are a wise soul Shauna! And when I get that feeling of the life being sucked out of you (what I call being out of alignment with who you really are), no amount of action can achieve the kind of success that you are I am looking for because I’m not in it just for the destination. The journey IS the destination! (Love your website by the way and the Bay Area where I spent most of my life has a very warm place in my heart!)
Fabulous, Lana! Love the energy in your video. You’re spot on!! Keep the good stuff coming.
Source-ress, altruistic divine. I. Have. Declared. Nudity. Vulnerability. I’ve decided to nourish my art (my expressions) despite the ridicule I have received. It’s not my fault I’m a genius. I’m truly accepting who I am and I don’t give a damn about who doesn’t like it!!!! I’ve shared my writings with a couple of people today and I will be publishing more and getting in front of the camera this week. Here’s to freedom!