Lent, Has It Been 3 Weeks Yet?

Not quite, but how are you all doing?

For me, it is definitely hit-and-miss. Some days I am very in tune with my inner life and others, well not so much.

What I try to keep in mind is the attitude with which I want to approach this practice.

Who is it for? Did you feel pressured by the people around you to do something "holy" or are you putting undue pressure on yourself to follow the Lenten crowd (pretty sure that's not a thing)?

Why is it important? Are you doing this for some secret point system that you don't believe in or because you know that adding or subtracting to your life = possible noticing and awareness that you have lost and want to regain, never had and want?

What is your motivation? Are you still approaching this practice as someone who wants to get closer to your Creator, yourself, others, or maybe all three? If you feel your motivation has slipped into a routine, guilt or pressure what are the ways you can step back and reevaluate it?

Sometimes it is harder to stop a practice in the middle and reevaluate, even if you feel like you are failing because we are more used to a feeling of failure. When we stop something and really take a look at it we might realize we bit off more than we could chew, maybe our life circumstances altered drastically, maybe we set the bar really high and we are tired. The converse might also be true, maybe your bar was low and you didn't realize it and you found a rhythm and could add another small something for the last 20 somethings days.

I think when we take time to hear ourselves, our needs, our wants, and our desires, and when we look at what we are actually able to accomplish and why, then we are teaching ourselves inner boundaries: learning to say yes and no to ourselves. This is a profound gift to give yourself (maybe you have it or maybe you have it some of the time) the gift of trusting the inner voice and not being afraid that that voice will set you up. It doesn't mean that voice isn't fallible to the ego or shadows, but the more you learn to listen to its inner wisdom the more you can notice the difference.

So for the next 20 days, give yourself that gift. Stop and reevaluate where you are as many times as it takes, approach yourself with radical kindness, and keep on showing up for yourself. It will help make all the other ways you long to show up easier.

#innerwisdom #Lent #practice #motivation #innerboundaries #knowingyourself #radicalkindness #shadow #ego