{"id":397,"date":"2014-05-18T01:50:03","date_gmt":"2014-05-18T01:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/?p=397"},"modified":"2014-05-18T01:52:46","modified_gmt":"2014-05-18T01:52:46","slug":"lean-into-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/2014\/05\/lean-into-it.html","title":{"rendered":"Lean Into It"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"the-moment\"<\/a>I oftentimes feel that my life is a drag car race \u2013 where I\u2019m going around and around and around at super fast speeds, and the only time I stop to recharge is when I absolutely have to \u2013 when I\u2019m about to run out of gas or when my body simply can\u2019t go any longer and needs to refuel \u2013 either by eating or sleeping. And even the pit stops are timed and stressful \u2013 hurried and frantic. All that matters is that I get back to the next part of the race in time. All that matters is that I win (whatever that means).<\/p>\n

And while this is a bit of an exaggeration, there is more truth to it than I\u2019d like to admit.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m realizing that I\u2019m a pusher. By that I mean that I\u2019ve always prided myself on how much I can push my body to the limit, how hard I can work, how few of breaks I need to take, how little sleep I can get by on, how long I can hold having to go to the bathroom simply to be \u201cmore productive.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

And all of this pushing and racing has been helpful, to a certain degree. I have achieved, and I have finished projects, and I have gotten a whole lot done.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m realizing more and more that none of this pushing matters if I\u2019m too overextended and overexerted and overwhelmed and overexhausted to care.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been trying something lately that feels a bit foreign but also feels pretty great.<\/p>\n

Rather than pushing my way through life, I\u2019m leaning into it.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Somewhere along the way, I assumed that I needed to do everything myself in order to get it all done. And that\u2019s just not true. In fact, I now see that I get so much more done if I lean into my life \u2013 if I allow others to support me. If I stop trying to control it all or push through it all. If I stop and give myself some extra love and have compassion for all that I\u2019ve put myself through and have expected from myself over the years. If I am able to lean into these things rather than push through them, I find that my life is so much more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

If my body is tired, I\u2019m allow myself to sleep. (Even if that means that I will not be productive during that time and even if that means that I may need to push a project back a few hours. Even then.)<\/p>\n

If I have to go to the bathroom, I get up and go. (Even if I\u2019m right in the middle of a sentence and even if I\u2019m worried that the sentence will leave me or the train of thought will be gone by the time I get back. Even then.)<\/p>\n

If my stomach is growling because I haven\u2019t eaten in several hours, I eat. (Even if that means that my to-do list will not get checked off as quickly as I had hoped.)<\/p>\n

If my legs want to move, I go for a walk. If my mind wants to rest, I step away from the computer. If my heart needs some love, I go give my sweetie a hug.<\/p>\n

I lean in. I become friends with my body, my heart, my mind, the universe, others, life, everything.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And I remember that it\u2019s not me against the world. We\u2019re all in it together. I remember that life is not a race. It\u2019s a peaceful, loving journey. And I\u2019m exactly where I need to be.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m taking myself out of the figurative race car, and I\u2019m removing myself from the racetrack altogether and simply allowing myself to be. I\u2019m leaning into life and allowing it to support me rather than trying to do it all on my own.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m allowing myself to slow down, relax, and stop. Lean in.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And it feels amazing.<\/p>\n

I would love for us to lean in together.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hugs,<\/p>\n

Jodi<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"about
\n<\/a>Jodi Chapman is a bestselling author, an award-winning blogger, and a soulful community builder.\u00a0She lives her life with love and faith in the driver\u2019s seat, and she hopes to leave a trail of inspiration wherever she goes. She believes that we each have the ability to hear our soul\u2019s whisper and create our best lives. She would love to connect with you!<\/p>\n

Website<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Free Ebook\u00a0& Meditation<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u2665 \u00a0\u00a0Soulful Life Sanctuary<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I oftentimes feel that my life is a drag car race \u2013 where I\u2019m going around and around and around at super fast speeds, and the only time I stop to recharge is when I absolutely have to \u2013 when I\u2019m about to run out of gas or when my body simply can\u2019t go any…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":559,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,3,93,94,49],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-heart-of-the-soul","tag-jodi-chapman","tag-lean-in","tag-relax","tag-slow-down"],"yoast_head":"\nLean Into It - Heart of the Soul<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lean Into It - Heart of the Soul\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I oftentimes feel that my life is a drag car race \u2013 where I\u2019m going around and around and around at super fast speeds, and the only time I stop to recharge is when I absolutely have to \u2013 when I\u2019m about to run out of gas or when my body simply can\u2019t go any…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/2014\/05\/lean-into-it.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Heart of the Soul\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-18T01:50:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-05-18T01:52:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/heartofthesoul\/files\/2014\/05\/the-moment-300x300.gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jodi Chapman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Lean Into It - 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They share their lives with three wonderful cats: Biddle, Buncom, and Elsie. She would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter! And you can also join her Soul Speak community: www.jodichapman.com. 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