Spirit Groove

As athletes find their "zone" and perform optimally, I found my "spirit groove" yesterday and experienced one of my most invigorating and feel-good days in a long time. (Ironically I consciously forgot that yesterday, Sept. 13th was Positive Thinking Day.)

I choose the word spirit groove, kind of a take-off on Wayne Dyer's notion of "in-Spirit" that he discusses in his newest book, Inspiration, Your Ultimate Calling.

Wednesday began with an early morning breakfast meeting at 7:30 am, a 30 min. drive from home, and ended with an evening out with the "girls" that ended at 10:30 p.m.  In between those end points, my day was full with one appointment after the other.  I spent many of those business and personal appointments away from home where it had been raining for 10 straight hours here in South Carolina (rare and unusual).  Neither my packed schedule, nor rain, nor traffic hold-ups dampened my energy flow.

Reflecting back I wonder what came first, the chicken or the egg.  Was it my intention/action to slow down and be more present that did the trick, or the chain of events that got set in motion from my slowing down?  After awhile, one kind of begets the other, when positive intentions become reinforced through action and then desired results.

I noticed early that morning, before I left home at 7:00 am, that I consciously chose to physically move in a focused, yet relaxed manner.  I deliberately did not rush, as that puts me into adrenaline mode, taking me into the future and out of the present.  (Note:  a bit of pre-planning/preparation the evening before helped me relax instead of panic the morning of my busy day).

After my 7:30 am meeting with other real estate investors, I hung around, passing time before my next appointment.  That proved fruitful, in making connections.  One older investor, with years of landlording experience, came up to me and asked my advice on finding buyers for wholesale properties.  By staying present to him, I asked some questions and learned that he was not as web saavy as moi.  So I shared an Internet resource with him that would provide a fairly quick solution.  He took down the information with gratitude, while I felt wonderful to be able to give back.

Next, I took a spontaneous moment to share some positive feedback with an investor new to our group.  She had explained earlier in our meeting, when she asked for assistance with an investment opportunity, that she had moved from Florida, leaving behind a verbally abusive husband whom she was divorcing, and a $1.5 million dollar home/lifestyle.  I affirmed her for her courage in making such major changes.  She was so grateful for the comment that she hugged me.  From there she took a few minutes to pour out her story, and profusely thanked me for listening, hugging me again. 

Staying present . . . showing up "in-Spirit" gave me opportunities to respond and help others, which in turn made me feel good. 

Now in my "spirit groove," I carried this energy forward.  I found I could focus on one appointment at a time, staying in the present, without scattering myself and my energy into the future. 

As example, I spent an hour analyzing a property with another investor, in a revitalized area of our city, and could think creatively.  From there I enjoyed lunch with a group of work-out buddies, losing myself in conversation and laughter.  I followed this up with errands; work in my office; onsite coaching with my last client that ended by assigning a pivotal action step to carry her forward; a late afternoon Jazzercise class where I felt at peak performance; and on into the evening's activities.

There were interruptions, delays, and unscheduled phone calls from others during the day that affected my scheduling (not to mention the hard rain that didn't stop for 10 hours!).  They did not, however, affect my mood or my sense of flow.

Can I replicate this kind of experience on heavily scheduled days down the road?  I don't know.  What I'm certain of is that when I come from my spirit, (that real essence, not my ego/false self), I act intuitively in ways that feel natural and positive.  I experience less resistance, and more joy and energy.

Opting for joy involves giving ourselves time for play instead of scheduling a workaholic nightmare.  We deserve to feel joy - it's our spiritual calling.
- Wayne Dyer, Inspiration

Many lessons to learn and repeat as we travel down the road of being human.  I suspect that I will continue to explore the process of being "in-spirit" in follow-up posts in the very near future.  Stay "in-Spirit" tuned!

Comments

[Tony D. Clark]

Wonderful post Debbie.

That feeling of being in the "spirit groove" no matter what comes is priceless. Just like your examples, I find that I'm so productive during those times, and even setbacks seem to be minor.

I love the "Opting for joy..." quote from Wayne Dyer. I was just discussing his work yesterday regarding a "Modeling Mashup" post I did on mixing role models into a template for success. Wayne was one of my models on the list.