I decided to take the plunge into Brooke Snow's course called Mastering the Art of Showing Up. You not only consume content but really start to implement the daily habits that over time will compound into something great.
The timing when she offered the program seemed to be fitting for me at the time. It's putting us back a little bit on savings that we could use towards other big purchases like a home or a car. But after being in Jody's program for two years, I realized the payoffs that come from investing in yourself. I felt like I managed the motherhood transition so much better than if I had not put the time to work on my thoughts every day, day after day.
Brooke's first couple of lessons are about identity which I've heard her talk about a lot in her podcasts and books. She believes we all have two identities, our true self and our false self. Our true self is when we're living our 'ideal' of happiness, peace, patience, contentment, full of love, etc. It's in a sense, living in the way God designed for us. Our false self is not our true self. It is full of anxiety and depression and shame and fear. Her purpose for this course is to live more fully in our true identity.
She says that she rarely has a bad day. She has bad moments occasionally but she has learned the art of 'flipping the switch.' Going from our false identity to our true identity. And you would think it would take a lot to flip that switch. But she believes all it takes is a breath. Or maybe two or three. :) But breathing in that light and releasing that darkness.
Her recent lesson was on habits create identity and vice versa. Our beliefs can shape the habits that we practice and those habits reaffirm our identity. For example, being a patient mom is already something inside of us. And when we decide to think and act like a patient mom would, then those habits of patience reaffirm that belief in us.
This could work negatively or positively in our life. In a way that an identity has worked against me is believing that I've never been good with hair and make-up, grooming, clothes. This is kind of comical to think now but for a long time I've had it fixed in my mind that I was a 'medium' in clothes size. I've been a medium since high and all through college and part of my marriage. But because I've held onto that belief, I've had terrible experiences shopping for clothes. Nothing fits! It's because I've been looking in the wrong section the whole time. I'm actually more of a small and sometimes x-small depending on clothes brand. It's sometimes hard for me to see that still because for so long I've had in my mind that I've been a certain body type or size.
The way that I've seen this concept used positively was this last week. I got the book Positive Parenting by Glen Latham at the library. I started reading a little bit and some things resounded with me. Every morning I would pray to have more positivity in my parenting. I would think more often during the day to smile more, I would give Dallin lots more hugs and kisses and winks, and be more gentle in my correction. There were definitely moments of frustration (oh those late nights of him waking up or smashing the truck against the wall several times) but overall, I was much more calm and that helped reinforce that I was a positive parent.
A couple of areas of habits I want to develop are in my use of technology and developing a morning routine. And some fun ones like I want to think of myself as a yogi and to be able to get my head to the floor when I'm in a stance. The belief that I'm not flexible or it's impossible is subconsciously in the back of my head but I really want to make that switch.
I love the example that she gave of Moses. We all know Moses is known for parting the Red Sea but that's not what the Lord focused on at first. He reminded him that he was a son of God. If God was to tell him all the amazing and wonderful things that He would require of him, it would probably be over whelming and he would doubt himself. But God instead made sure He knew who he was and that would shape the habits and practices Moses would cultivate in his life to get to the point where he could part the Red Sea.
I wonder what things I'll be known for. What will be the thing that stands out to others about my life? What work does the Lord have in store for me? Trying to show up every day as my true self, implementing the habits that will be a strength in my life, will help me be who He needs me to be.
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