Shift with Me

This week's shift with me post is about learning to unlearn, and getting real with yourself. 

Here are my top three from this past week.
How to cultivate anything: check out the full video here
First of all, this is a complete biased post because I absolutely love the duo from BareSlate team who you will see in this video - they cover some amazing topics that we all need to hop on board with! In this particular episode, they are discussing some of the teachings of Dr. Joe Dispenza - another brilliant human you need to know about, if you don't already. What he teaches is understanding of how our brain works when it comes to learning, new habits, creating strategies for our lives, etc. BareSlate do an excellent job discussing some of his main points.

Learning how to learn, unlearn and relearn is essential for all of us. It is extremely important to make time for reflections, taking a moment to think of what is next, where you are headed and why. In my work with clients, I often see this happen - you reach mid to senior level in your profession and all of a sudden - you realize that something is off, something is missing, and when looking back you forget how you even got to where you are today. This happens to many people. Why? Because we get so caught up in day to day hustle, and time flies - only for us to turn around and realize we have merely drifted through several years of our lives without being fully, consciously, truly present and in charge. So, if I had the biggest take away from this particular piece is that we MUST make time to reflect, we MUST make time to check in with ourselves, where we are headed, WHY, and habits /routines that drive our lives - are they helping us or hurting us? What do we need to let go of? What do we need to do more of? Less of? People to spend more time with? Less time with? Answering these questions requires us to be so raw and honest with ourselves in order for change to happen - and if we are not able to do that, then what is the point? Why are we here? Surely not to work and work and work, and pay bills and then die. There is a reason why work is boring for most people. I wrote an article about it, which you can read here. A better way to live is with a purpose, a drive, and of course with love and community. 

A Calendar of Wisdom - Tolstoy on Knowledge and the Meaning of Life: full article here
This piece covers Tolstoy's collection of small drop of wisdom from top philosophers of our time. You know what I find fascinating about philosophy, history, and people that have shared their wisdom for generations? The fact that they are right! Their advice is usually spot on! Yet, what do we do? We don't follow it! Here are a couple to reflect on: 

A sage is not afraid of lack of knowledge: he is not afraid of hesitations, or hard work, but he is afraid of only one thing — to pretend to know the things which he does not know. You should study more to understand that you know little. (Michel de Montaigne, October 1)

This speaks so much towards our continues need to learn and be curious - there is no limit to learning. How much time do you spend learning something new each day? Week? How much time to spend being curious about what you don't know? How do source new and different perspectives?  And, if you are not expanding my perspective and mindset, what is it costing you? 

The difference between real material poison and intellectual poison is that most material poison is disgusting to the taste, but intellectual poison, which takes the form of cheap newspapers or bad books, can unfortunately sometimes be attractive. (January 1)

This one is fire! This even relates to people we have in our lives, I mean how often!!! do we fall into traps of being around people who are just toxic; how often do we pay attention to what we consume on social media and television - and then we wonder why we are stressed out, anxious and life is not going as we planned. Because we are consuming poison! Yet, do we spend time reflecting on this? Or do we just get used to it and think this is normal life? Well, it is not, but it is hard to see from behind toxic walls (physical and mental). Trust me, I have been there - in toxic situations - heck, I used to be the toxic person - it leads to a deep dark hole. Check yourself when needed, sometimes you are the problem, sometimes your circle is the problem, but in all cases - you have the control to make the change. 

Take away here - we can learn a lot from our ancestors - as they say history tends to repeat itself.

I loved this so much, I ordered the actual book to keep as a reminder! 

How to stop emotional eating: full article here
This one is personal. I have struggled with being a 'foodie' and eating my emotions since I was a kid. Maybe it came from my own body image insecurities - growing up in Russia where everyone is thin & tall and just generally beautiful - well, I was not - not according to societal standards at least. I was short, the minute a hit puberty I gained some extra weight, and let's just say I was never the thin girl - and have been trying to 'get in shape' most of my life. This is NOT a self-pity post - after years and years of work - I am confident and feel beautiful to a point where it is almost dangerous! And, overall, I feel pretty good about myself - to a point where some might even find it threatening. But, this post is about the fact that emotional eating is a THING, it is a real thing. And, I have experienced it. What helped me overcome it was teaching my brain to STOP and THINK of why I am reaching for the food. I realized that often time I am not even hungry or thinking about food - I just reach for it for comfort - when I felt down or not valued or ignored or just bored. I was not one of those people who don't eat when they are stressed- no no I ate. I loved my sugars, loved my carbs. It took me a while to get on the healthy journey but now years and years into it - I can tell you it is a different world - eating clean, exercising, and most importantly loving yourself along the way does magic. If you are struggling with emotional eating, you are not alone. And, support and strategies are available. 

PS. I am still a foodie, just a more mindful and healthy one. 
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Which of the 3 stood out the most for you today? What are you reading these days?

Feel free to schedule a chat with me. I am always eager to meet new people and reconnect with contacts! Book with my Calendly 

'See you' next week! 

Elena