Having a Heart that Sings

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I am starting to see the sunshine through the clouds. I can see a plan unfolding. I will go back to Lim's suggested process to get me back to moving things forward:


Lim's Steps to Self Discovery

Step 1. Face Your Demons
Step 2: Celebrate Yourself
Step 3: Ask Yourself: What is Your Life Purpose?
Step 4: Clarify Your Core Values
Step 5: Find Inspiration from Positive Things Around You
Step 6: Spend Time for Self-Reflection and Meditation
Step 7: Journaling

I think the real learning is that I can do more than one step at a time. This is not necessarily a "Do this" THEN "Do this." I think to make the SDJ successful, I need to do a bunch of these steps simultaneously. And as much as facing my demons has been therapeutic (especially with the help of Step 7: Journaling), I need to move this along!

So as I journal (#7) and find time for self-reflection and meditation (#6) -- did I mention I am not getting up at 4:15 am to facilitate the SDJ? -- I also want to start to Celebrate Yourself (#2). Well, that sounds fun! 

I am going to go back to Evelyn Lim's very helpful article:

Step #2 to Self Discovery: Celebrate Yourself

The process of self discovery is not just about unearthing nasty stuff about yourself. It is also about celebrating yourself. For a start, you celebrate who you are by acknowledging your strengths and abilities. As you become more aware of what you are good at, you lessen the list on any perceived weaknesses.

A position of strengths can come from knowing what you enjoy. List down activities that you like doing currently or have enjoyed in the past. Find out what makes your heart sing. Find out what keeps you excited. Find out what inspires you. These are the things that strengthen the sense of self.

So, what do I enjoy? What makes my heart sing? (Love that!) I will start a list:

1. Getting up early and reading/journaling/drinking my coffee

2. Travel

3. Theater (particularly Broadway)

4. Thrifting (in stores and online)

5. Walking for exercise

6. Spending time with my kids

7. Reading

8. Writing

9. Tap dancing

10. Playing the hand bells (it's been ages but I really enjoy it!)


So there it is. The things I enjoy. I need to work more of these activities into my life! 

Next, I need to work on seeing myself from a position of strengths. I have them. I will focus on those next! 

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