A Personal Safari to Find Our Inner Lioness

By Debo888

Created Mar 2 2012 - 8:13am

By Deborah Viapiana-Ricci, TSB Contributor

March beckons as February parts. March will begin with our "inner lioness" lying in wait…for just the right moment to carry out her “mindful” mission. Yes, the message for March will be Mindfulness.
Dr. Ellen Langer's book, “Mindfulness” speaks of how much being mindful can make an incredible difference in all of our lives.
And, truth be told, most of us lull in and out of our days rather mindlessly…sadly. Bringing this kind of awareness to the table won’t be as easy as a fleeting conversation about it. Nothing this meaningful can be truly sought after lightly.
It’s all or nothing, my friends…we are awake or we sleep; not much gray area there, I’m afraid. Every year, we New Englanders ponder the oncoming of the first taste of spring. There’s just something about winter leaving us with the hope of warmer days on their way.
Each season has something to offer but I think spring in this part of the country is a welcome event. We begin to chase away the dreary days with thoughts of our garden to come. The magic of it all somehow makes us glad to be alive. It’s a wonderful time, indeed. Okay…now for the tough part. We’ve had all winter to be holed up with our hopes and dreams.
S0, now what are we willing to do to bring them to fruition? Have you been journaling? What have you been thinking about? What kinds of things do you want to change? We have work to do if we intend to have a great crop of accomplishments come harvest time…and spring is the perfect time to start! Here’s what we’ll do. Let’s pick one thing we could use a little more clarity about.
We’ll take small steps to build on that idea so we bring ourselves closer to manifesting our desired outcome. We don’t need to have all the pieces in place at once, just so long as we keep our eye on the prize. You know…our very own prize…the one we’ve been searching for a good long while.
Then, plot a course by being accountable to yourself…Create a list of measurable results and peck them off one at a time. Maybe you have a gal pal who wants to embark on her own treasure hunt and is willing to help you with yours. You can meet once a week and report of your successes and celebrate together. I love crossing things off my list, don’t you? As we happily step into March, summon your inner lioness and keep an eye on the periphery of your life…mindfully…one day at a time, and in two weeks when we check back in with each other, let’s share our victories, big and small…they ALL matter.
Now then…get some water, sit down with pen and paper and make that list…keeping it small though. We don’t need to set ourselves up for failure. Remember thirty short days is all it takes to begin a new pattern of behavior…not that much in the vast scheme of things.
When the end of the month rolls around, our lioness will give way to our peaceful lamb that can begin calmly guiding us with a pace of grace.
Deborah Viapiana-Ricci is a freelance columnist living in McKinney, with her husband, Wil. She can be found brushing her mane and practicing her roar just in time for spring! Feel free to write Deborah@teresinas.com