Will you stop and smell the roses this spring?

Apart from my recent post about becoming a published author and my columns as Ask Sharon for The Area News, this is the first independent blog post I have done in 13 months…to the day!

And there’s good reason for that – I’ve been attempting to balance doing with being – an aspect of life that has been at the fore for as long as I can remember. I’m sure I’m not the only one. In fact, I’ll bet at this very moment there are people all around the world working through their own internal battle of doing versus being. Being overwhelmed, juggling responsibilities, and attending to a never-ending, always-growing to-do list seems to be the order of the day in trying to achieve a work life balance.

Earlier in the year as I was about to attend the Leeton Mind, Body and Soul Festival with my reiki practice and card readings, I was asked by the organiser to give a talk during the two-day event. Some ideas came to me around this whole issue of doing versus being. Yet when I did my talk, I was inspired to digress onto other things more suitable to the audience…so I went with that.

As I was cleaning my desk today, I rediscovered the notes. And given the timing and what I have personally been experiencing these past few months, it seemed like the perfect moment to share.

These notes are from Wednesday 13 January, 2016.

I’d been saying to a few people that 2016 was going to be the year of “stop and smell the roses” after a busy and hectic 2015. Did you also feel the energy of 2015? It was like blink and you’ll miss it. But I was doing my own card reading recently and as soon as I drew the “action” card, I was given a message that this could be a theme for the Mind, Body and Soul festival weekend.

Consequently, “stop and smell the roses” plus “action” seem to contradict each other, but the message was clear about needing to harmonise the two this year in order to help manifest my desires. Sometimes it will feel like a delicate balance between the two. And that’s where intuition plays a starring role. But a word of counsel here, if you’re too busy or feeling constantly overwhelmed you won’t hear the wise whispers of your soul. I know…I have been there…many times.

In 2016, I decided to change all of that. So far it’s paying dividends. The key is to get quiet and still enough, often enough, to really feel and hear your inner voice.

Something that has particularly helped me is to confront “The Should’s” head on, for they are often the detractors that try to drown out the inner voice…and ultimately take us away from our inner bliss. In any given moment when I have a decision to make or I am torn between two choices, I have been asking myself, “Of all the things you could be doing right now, what would you like to choose?”

How many times do we feel inspired to do something and we talk ourselves out of it because of some phantom “should”? We say to ourselves, “No, I can’t sit outside and enjoy a quiet cup of tea because I ‘should’ be playing with my children. No, I can’t tidy that drawer that’s been bugging me because I ‘should’ clean the kitchen instead. No, I can’t take that salt bath because I ‘should’ be spending time with my partner watching mindless TV.” And on, and on, it goes.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you don’t pay attention to your kids, partner or live in squalor. These are just some examples of scenarios that I have encountered which demonstrate the daily dilemma we are faced with when we allow the “should’s” to take hold.

So to put the “should’s” in their place and in the interest of encouraging others on the path of achieving a healthy balance between doing and being, I will leave you with a quote to ponder and an affirmation to say. I feel that the quote from Shakti Gawain is about connecting you to your intuition before you take action (the being). While the affirmation from the “action” card from Sandra Anne Taylor’s Energy Oracle cards, is a great reminder of the positive power of action (the doing).

“One of the most important sets of polarities that we need to develop and balance are the energies of being and doing. Most of us are more identified with one of these energies, and disown the other…If you are primarily a “doer” your intuition will almost surely lead you in the direction of doing less. Your feelings will tell you to stop, relax and take a day off. If you are more comfortable with being, you will undoubtedly be pushed by your inner self into more action, more expression, more risk-taking in the world.”

Today’s Affirmation:

“I am responsible for my own life and I take action toward my goals and my own happiness every day.”