SHIPPING MY OARS

​I watched a TedX talk just before Christmas. It had a profound affect on me. The story, Diarmuid Lyng opened his talk - The Revolution is Internal – with, was one I hadn’t heard before so today I share it with you.
 
Long ago, when Irish monks seeked their place of refuge and prayer, they rowed the coast until they felt drawn to a particular place. When this happened they “shipped” their oars, in other words they pulled the oars in from the sea and into their boats, and they allowed a higher power to take over. They let go and they allowed this higher power to determine whether they would be carried into land or taken back out to sea to continue on their way to find their place of solitude. They allowed something bigger than themselves to show them the way. They relinquished their need to control.
 
On the 1st of January this year for the first time in 15 years I didn’t create a vision board. The space on my wall is still a white wall of paint. My journal and diary planner has white space in it and there isn’t a list of goals like there was last year. There is a light tentative plan for the year but there is also white space.  In allowing white space I have felt uncomfortable. There is part of my gut that tightens at the thought of no vision board & no goals. If I have the list and the visual, I have a place to work towards for my life, for the year ahead. What happens when there is no plan? 
 
I worked hard last year. I was a yes person in 2016 and as we came to the end of the year I was exhausted. One of my students gave me a Christmas card and in it he offered my own advice back to me; “Give yourself the gift of being present for yourself this year.” It hit home. So over the holidays, I didn’t do yoga, I didn’t go to any workshops. I took time out at my parents place and I walked the forests beside their house. I de-cluttered. I watched TV. I read books. I visited friends and relatives. And I said no.
 
Being self-employed there still needs to be a level of action in life. I have bills to pay and a life to live but for this year I am stepping into a year of intention rather than focusing on specific goals. I am allowing myself to focus on my intentions for wholeness and contentment. And I am letting go of the pressure and need to be all things to all people and to achieve xxx in my business. My intention is to be in 2017.  
 
“The difference between values, intentions and goals is who you want to be in this world versus what you do in the world.”
Unknown
 
“The power of intention is the power to manifest, to create, to live a life of abundance, and to attract into your life the right people at the right moments.”
Wayne Dyer
 
This year is wholeness, contentment and wonder. It’s about saying no. It’s about making mistakes. It’s about balance and creation. It’s about reading the books on my yoga homework list and other books that aren't. It’s about going to yoga and self-practice. It’s about dancing the night away at a gig with friends. It’s about going on a retreat. It’s about travel. It's about tea and chocolate. It's about masculine and feminine connection. It’s about love and laughter. It’s about freedom and commitment. It's about home and discovery. It's about being.
 
More importantly it’s about shipping my oars and allowing a higher power to show me the way.
 
What is your intention for 2017? Does pulling back and allowing something bigger than you take over resonate? Is there a place in your life where you need to let go and surrender?
 
To watch Diarmuid’s full talk visit: The Revolution is Internal