My kiddos make jokes about the length of time it sometimes takes me to respond to them, which can feel very delayed. They are accustomed to fast returns in every avenue of their experience. With parenting, I’ve learned to slow it down and know there’s value in applying this elsewhere. Often the first words that come to me are not an accurate representation of how I want to navigate a situation. Sometimes the first words, thoughts, and response to something are pieces of an old story we don’t want to tell anymore.
To make room for change and growth, the first active step is giving some space between stimulus and response. We don’t expect to gather a harvest the same day we plant! The areas of life you spy for improvement are like little seedlings. If we look at making changes in those areas with this understanding, the entire process can become one of self nurture. After you begin recognizing the parts of your story you want to change, you can start the process of allowing room to think about yourself differently and then to respond differently. That requires absolute presence. The only moment you can change a response is in the moment you’re responding.
Give yourself room to notice old storylines and acknowledge your progress in identifying them. Once you’re aware of what you’re saying or doing you can notice if that’s a match with what you want to say or do. If everything isn’t quite lining up, give yourself some room to grow.
Presence and Positivity 