Friday Musings—Sticky notes for the brain

What's going on

The other day I had a long call with my new friend Ieva. We talked about our summers, swapped our favorite meditation tracks, and dreamed about the kind of future we want for ourselves. She's also a relationship coach, so I get the added bonus of her thoughtful feedback on some of the situations I find myself in.

The way I met Ieva is an example of why it often pays off to be curious and open to new experiences and chance opportunities. At the beginning of the year, a comment I left on someone's LinkedIn post turned into an introduction to Ieva. The poster thought we would hit it off and put us in touch. And we did!

We're the same age and we have so much in common, and also so much we can learn from each other. My eating disorders made it extremely hard for me to form close friendships growing up, as I felt I had to keep such a huge part of my life secret and could never really open up. So it's beautiful to discover that it's never too late! And that "friendship blind dates" are a thing, apparently 😂

Recent content

In case you missed it, my latest blog post is about the current "flakiness epidemic". Why has our attitude towards commitment changed so much, and where is that leading us?

Who are you, really? Not your job, not your roles, not the labels other people gave you. In this video, I share how it took me many years to even begin to find an answer, and why facing that question (before life forces it on you) might be one of the most important things you ever do.

Sticky notes from your brain

I've been doing a meditation challenge on Insight Timer, the free app I've already mentioned in previous musings. One of the tracks was about dealing with intrusive thoughts.

The teacher had us visualize a recent intrusive thought that was occupying our mind as a sticky note attached to our brain. We then peeled off that note and laid it out on the wall or floor in front of us. That made it much easier to simply observe the note, read the thought without judging it and let it go, turning our attention to something else.

I went one step further and decided to do the opposite as well. I grabbed a new sticky note from my (imaginary) desk, wrote something positive on it, and attached it to my brain, replacing the old one. Felt great—try it and let me know!

Article of the week

I loved this piece. The author writes about turning 40 as someone who grew up straddling two systems, two countries, two identities, and how she expected 40 to finally feel "sorted." It doesn't, and her conclusion is that the in-between isn't a waiting room before your real life starts. It's where most of the living actually happens.

It resonated with me, as someone who is circling that same number and has spent a lot of her life waiting for things to be sorted, only to realize, "Isn't the in-between something where I have done most of my living, most of my thinking, most of my becoming?"

Quote of the week 

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears".  (Nelson Mandela)

Hit reply or leave a comment to let me know how your summer is going, and to offer any feedback or suggestion. And pass this on to anyone who might enjoy it.

Until next time,

ML