Yes it talks! Well to me at least!

“You better shut the door before the cat gets out” a voice in my head whispered. It is always a bit of a circus act getting the dog out to do her thing and corralling the cat so he doesn’t escape out into a world that is not meant for him. So I turned fast in an attempt to keep the cat inside and as I twisted the other way, my only choice was to not so gracefully fall off of the front step. “Crack” yes that was my bone and then that little voice whispered to me again, “This is the day you break your leg.”

Maybe as a way of protecting myself from the pain, my mind drifted to yoga. I remember exactly what was said that morning during our class…

1.  Practice Being Your Own Best Objective Observer

Our instructor consistently tells us to practice noticing the space between our thoughts. We are to do this without acting on them and without judgment. It became abundantly clear to me in this instant as I lay on my front steps how serious the “without acting” part can be. You see, I wonder to myself if I had not acted on my fear of the cat escaping would I be in this predicament? Yet, the “without judgment” part was what I had to practice now. Nope, no self-judgment, no blaming the cat just me accepting that this was the moment I needed to dance in now. I won’t lie to you-I can’t anyway because I broke my Fibula- sorry I couldn’t help but throw that in! This “no judgment” piece is some of the hardest work there is.

Back in the moment and the pain setting in this lesson popped up…

2. Just because you can wiggle your toes doesn’t mean your leg isn’t broken.

As I lie there, tears streaming down my face, the threat of losing my independence circling around me to the point of suffocation I stared down at my leg. I intuitively knew it was not bouncing back from this moment in a hurry and all I could do was repeatedly ask non-medical professionals, AKA, my family, “Is it broken?” I was holding on to hope that even though there was no way I could even think about walking the fact that I could wiggle my toes was a glimmer of light that my leg was not broken. Yet, I knew what was happening. I knew what had been done. I knew how serious this was. Still I continued to look to them for the answers. The lesson here is to stop trusting other people over your own self. Now let’s be clear here, I am not saying throw vulnerability out or forego connection but what I am saying is to deeply listen to yourself you know a lot. Don’t wait for things to get worse, or buried, or numbed before you connect with a trusted professional like a medical doctor or a certified life coach or licensed therapist. You know when you need support or help that goes beyond your caring family. Take that step if that little voice (your inner genius) is calling you to do so.

As reality began to sink in this little lesson became clear…

3. Appreciate value

The last thing you need is Negative Nancy in your head giving you a 20-page list about how much things suck. She is not productive or helpful and I guarantee her main goal is to keep you stuck, stagnant and depressed. There is a great scripture, “He must increase, I must decrease.” This scripture is so simple but so true. Strengthening the positive voices in your mind and giving them a bigger acting part in your life will keep you out of that stuck place. Two very concrete ways of doing this are to personalize the gratitude in your life by naming your internal appreciator, and by committing to express your gratitude. Just like the Negative Nancy voice has her own personal name so can her worst threat Polly Positive. This voice appreciates all that you are enduring and speaks kindly to you in support of getting you through a crisis. This voice may even take on the role of solely looking at what there is to be grateful for in this hardship. It’s easier to notice and hold on to the good things in our lives when we take time to appreciate things we already have. Like a warm comfortable bed, clean water and a lack of smelly armpits-Amen!

My being angry with my husband for only picking up one roll of tape to wrap presents was meaningless after I broke my leg. A useless worry because as I sit with this broken leg I have so much to be grateful for. See how that works?

After a few days in I realized this to be true…

4. Go to the gym especially when you don’t feel like it

It’s a simple tip but a true one. If and God-forbid when you ever break something you will use muscles you either didn’t know you had or forgot existed in your body. You become a very resourceful human being and if you have strength on your side life is that much easier. I must say my arms and good leg are much better off than if I had not gone to the gym at all. So take this tidbit of advice to heart, go to the gym even if you don’t feel like it. Time is going to go by anyway, what’s 45 minutes in the scheme of things?

I’ll leave you with this…It is funny how life can slow it all down for you when you don’t even see it coming. It is even more ironic how much we can learn when we do slow it down. Hoping this post finds you all well and healthy. Sending you wishes for big things in 2014! Go-Break a Leg- metaphorically of course!

My passion is to motivate the internal leader (inner genius) within us all! I am committed to life-long learning for myself and to make a positive impact on my community. I would love to help you explore your next steps; whatever you choose, we know you will make the right decision for yourself.

Read more about Nina’s work here

Although Nina was raised with little material or emotional wealth, she founded Metaspire a consulting and coaching company and took it from 0 to millions of dollars in just 5 years. Her past led her to experiences with therapy, Al-Anon and many leadership and life skill and programs. She is an intuitive, inspiring leader that carries a proven track record of coaching others towards profitable and sustainable results. Bringing over 20 years of business experience, her specialty is proactively connecting people with their vision, values, goals and objectives. Nina partners with leaders in order to create the plans and infrastructures necessary to cultivate positive change. She has a Masters in Organizational Management, is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Project Manager and Co-Active Coach.