Spring Clean Your Spirit

Although there are some parts of the country where snow still covers the ground, here in the desert Southwest, spring has sprung! The trees are blooming (along with allergies), grass has turned from brown to green and everything seems to be returning to life after the winter. Spring is also the time when many people do a deep cleaning of their homes, unload unwanted junk, pull out the lawn furniture and plant flowers in the garden. And, it's also a great time to do a spring cleaning of another kind, pulling the weeds of unforgiveness, stagnation and inertia. In other words: spring clean your spirit!

I'm often amazed at the kind of garbage we humans choose to willingly drag around with us in the form of grudges, painful memories we refuse to release, and other types of mental and spiritual debris from the past, not to mention useless projections, fears and worries about the future. We refuse to forgive the ex-spouse who treated us shabbily. We refuse to let go of the slights and unfairness of a situation at work, church or some other group we're part of. We continue to beat ourselves up for mistakes of the past. We indulge in pity parties instead of holding the vision of where we're headed and taking actions consistent with the vision.

As a coach I frequently work with clients who have yet to make peace with their past. They're still dragging around old business, allowing the past to drain them of present energy and future possibilities. It's like trying to drive forward while constantly keeping your eyes on the rear-view mirror and one foot on the brake pedal.

And the cost of our unwillingness to let go of our judgements about the past or our fruitless ruminations about the future is huge. On a metaphysical level, what we focus on tends to expand. So if you have something from the past that you've refused to let go of, you've probably recreated a similar experience for yourself more than once because you've focused on it intently, continued to "lick the wound" and in the process brought more misery upon yourself. On a more rational level, why let someone from your past (whomever it is) continue to hurt you in the present and potentially rob you of an extraordinary future? Remember, that which you hold onto (your hurt, resentment, grudge, unforgiveness, pain) is actually holding onto you...keeping you stuck. And from a health standpoint, there have been studies enough to fill volumes on the health risks of unforgiveness, worry and fear....ulcers, heart problems, addictions and more. Virtually any physical ailment has the potential of being rooted in a unforgiving spirit or hoarding "junk" from the past that simply can't be changed no matter how long we hold on.

This week, I invite you to do a thorough inventory of your spirit, much like you would go through your closet at the beginning of a new season, weeding out that which no longer fits you. Ask yourself a few powerful questions:

• How am I benefiting by holding onto the past? (remember, there's always a "pay-off" to your behavior)
• How would I benefit by letting go of the experience and practicing forgiveness or myself or someone else?
• Who is really paying for my unwillingness to forgive and release?
• How can I clean out the seemingly endless rounds of self-judgement, criticism, self-pity, worry or stagnant thinking that keeps me stuck?
• What is the lesson for me here?

Quote of the Week:

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again."

~~Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Transforming Your Potential into Performance!"
Betty Mahalik, PCC Life & Business Coach, Trainer bettym@dynamic-coaching.com www.dynamic-coaching.com	Dynamic Solutions 5240 Mustang St. Las Vegas, NV 89130 tel: 702 658-4425 fax: 702 658-5802 mobile: 702 443-0175
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