The other day I was standing in the doorway of my office staring at the back wall. A wall on which I had painstakingly arranged 30 framed photographs to make it look pleasant and professional. It was technically fine, but something was off for me. In fact it occurred to me that since I had done it I spent less time in the office. Choosing to take my client calls in other rooms and working in coffee shops around town. It just didn't really feel like me. I flashed to my old corporate desk which looked like one a 5th grader and aspiring life coach (totally me) would set up. There were always random toys, quotes, even a squirrel wearing underpants that I was especially fond of, gifted to me by a friend who just gets me. I was a grown, professional woman and yet that desk spoke to the part of me that wanted to celebrate play, irreverence and joy. While I took my work seriously those elements made sitting down in a row of uniform desks more bearable. I could do serious work while staying connected to myself. It wasn't superficial. It spoke to something deeper.
We can often leave the qualities we enjoy most in ourselves behind when we undertake the "serious work" of Adulting. While certainly what lights me up is not necessarily going to light you up. That's okay. What's important is that we are lit up and not letting others define how we are supposed to show up.
Without a plan I removed all the frames and then started putting up images, cards, quotes, colors, rigging small toys in ridiculous ways. It happened so easily. I was in The Zone that athletes refer to all without having to get winded or sweaty.
“The flow state as described by Wikipedia, “In positive psychology, flow, also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one’s sense of space and time.”
So what is my point in sharing this? Certainly not to give decorating tips, but rather because I think it serves as a reminder that when we can embrace ourselves more fully, especially the quirky bits we connect to our essence and can do even more in our lives.
“When you try to be the same as everyone else, it’s boring. When you try to fit a mold, you become forgettable. When you try to be “normal,” you become dull. Just be yourself, because no one is like you. If you’re a little weird, own it. The right people will like you for it.”
My Yogi teabag wisdom from this morning was, "The purpose of life is to know yourself and love yourself and trust yourself and be yourself."
Here's to full permission to show up fully, in your own fabulous, unique and perfectly imperfect ways.