Clearing the Fog

Two weeks ago I was running late driving to a class on cultivating spirituality when all of a sudden I hit a wall of dense and blinding fog. I hit the brakes and proceeded at a snail's pace. Immediately my nervous system kicked in. My heart began to pound and my muscles tightened up all over; irritability and agitation weren't far behind. Chagrin gripped me next. I was, after all, headed to a class to cultivate peacefulness in myself and the world; however, right now the only thing my attention was illuminating was how Mother Nature was interfering with my intentions to be calm and relaxed.

My nervousness escalated as oncoming cars appeared out of nowhere. Soon enough, fear for my physical safety took over my mental state with thoughts like "What if I run into a pole? What if an oncoming car doesn't see me?" And, finally, every parent's worry: "Who will raise my daughter?" The more anxious I became, the more I felt like something ominous was coming down the pipeline. For good measure, I tossed in: "Bad things do happen to good people, right?" . . . and then began to question "Am I a good person?"

Suddenly, just as quickly as the fog bank had enveloped me, it hit me - I only need to see what is right in front of me. I took a few deep breaths, relaxed my death grip, and began to repeat a phrase I learned from Ram Das, "Be Here Now." But after a few minutes of driving, breathing, and repeating my mantra, I looked at the clock and moaned. I was already 10 minutes late for my class. With my jaw still clenched, I realized I no longer wanted to BE HERE NOW; I wanted to be in my seat in class meditating. Back to Square One on the enlightenment scale.

So I tried again. I took a deep, deep breath and said, "Be Here Now." This time I felt a small wave of peace relax the tightness in my jaw. With the next breath, peacefulness began to take root and grow. The more I let go, the more the fog seemed to dissipate. As I pulled into the parking lot, the fog had completely vanished as did my sense of overwhelm. As I walked to my class, I made a mental note that developing peace of mind is not linear. There will be times when I feel overwhelm again and my mind and body will feel tight and constrained. At those moments, I can choose patience to find new ways to access that wave of peace.

As business professionals, we all often run into unexpected fog when dealing with time constraints. Where is it that you begin to worry and become so anxious that you can not see the road in front of you? Where in your life is the dense fog affecting your ability to thrive and prosper? The next time you feel overwhelmed, see if you can take some deep breaths and I try the phrase, "Be Here Now."

The offering
My services can help you get out of the fog and into the clearing to thrive and prosper at work, at home, and in life. Give me a call at 503-522-4562 to set up your complementary consultation.