Last week, one of my coaching clients and I were exploring the concept of attachment–how we get attached to what we want as an outcome and ways we can work to let go of our attachment to what we think we want.
As we discussed that attachment can develop to not just the outcome but the TIMING of the outcome, I shared a favorite mantra.
“Everything is moving at the proper speed.”
That mantra comes from Living Your Yoga by Judith Hanson Lasater, a favorite book from my yoga teacher training in 2016.
In 2019, frustrated by a lost prospect, I opened the book and looked for wisdom. The line that jumped out at me: “Everything is moving at the proper speed.”
And it did. I didn’t get the contract I’d wanted, which opened up room for a different client, whom I still work with today. It was a great lesson in letting go of the outcome. It doesn’t mean I can’t be disappointed–it means I have to process the disappointment, trust the process, and move forward.
I experienced the wisdom of this mantra again this weekend when my husband, pup, and I got out of town for a weekend away up near Steamboat Springs.
We’d originally tried to go there in Autumn of 2020 but were thwarted by wildfire and a deep freeze (in the same weekend, thank you, Colorado). After months of isolation, I was desperately disappointed and let the canceled trip send me into a funk.
After a difficult December 2021, losing one pup to lymphoma, and confirming my Mom’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, we booked for a weekend in January 2022. Then our other pup had a cancer scare and needed urgent surgery just before our trip.
This time I was still disappointed, yet measured. I knew the trip would happen when it was time, and I needed to focus on my pup.
Once we knew he was ok, we rebooked for this past weekend.
It was perfect. We snowshoed and Nordic skied and winter hiked. We enjoyed hot springs and a sauna. We were almost entirely off-the-grid, read books, and worked on a puzzle.
And it was what we refer to as “bluebird days.” Perfect weather. Fresh snow. Brilliant skies with mountain views for days.
It was the perfect break between a very full February and upcoming March, including a trip to my parents to help my Dad with my Mom. It was the respite we needed when we needed it.
It happened at the proper time. It happened at the proper speed. It happened when I needed it to.
There is so much, every day, every week, month, and year, where we find ourselves attaching to outcomes and the timeline to those outcomes.
The next time you find yourself focused on a timeline and outcome, try saying “Everything is moving at the proper speed.” Give it a whirl and see how it feels.
What’s something in your life you could apply this mantra to?
Want to know more? Contact me.
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