Tap Along

Shame is a really interesting emotion. It is something that causes us to recoil inside of our selves. It wants us to hide our past and our present. Even with all of these negative outcomes it is rooted in a good place. Our shame wants us to have done better and it wants us to do better. The problem is it prevents us from moving forward because it is trying to keep us safe from making the same mistake again or it feels that we have so clearly messed up that it doesn’t think we deserve to move forward. Because of this it can be very crippling. But, we don’t have to stay stuck in shame.

When I am tapping I like to write down the insights I have while tapping. Sometimes they are things I already know (and have know forever) and other times they are completely new insights. I might only get one or two of these insights when I sit down to tap, but when I collect them over time I end up with a lots of wisdom that I need to here.

One of the things I have struggled with over the years is accepting compliments. They made me feel uncomfortable. They made me feel judged. They made me feel like I needed to point out the things that were wrong with me. Over time I have learned that it is okay to take a compliment. It gives me a chance to recognize that I am good at something. It gives me a chance to recognize that others also see the things I do well.

The world we live in is full of amazingly beautiful things. Many of them we miss (or at least I miss) because we are wrapped up in our todo list. When we take the time to just look at beauty, bathe in beauty, and absorbe beauty it touches us and tunes us into our emotional core. If we combine beauty with tapping we can transform our heart. Here is an easy example…

As I am sure you are aware last week Steve Jobs died. He was a galvanizing figure to say the least. He was a thought leader and he demanded a lot of himself (and his employes). I always enjoyed his interviews and speeches because there was always nugests of hope, inspiration and challenge. Here are some of my favorite Steve Jobs quote.

Are you looking for a great way to start your day on a creative inspired foot? Then just read these and tap along.

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” – Pablo Picasso

Trying new things can be hard. It requires us to put ourselves at risk. It requires up to face the fact that we don’t know everything. We know intellectually that there are many things we have tried in the past that we didn’t know how to do. Some of them worked out right away while others took time for us to learn. When we recognize that it is okay for us to try new things and that it is okay to not be perfect during the learning process it makes it easier for us to try new and different things.

Today is a perfect day. That does not mean that everything is going to be perfect today. That doesn’t mean that everything is going to work out the way we want. But there is no other day like today. It is completely unique, even if we are doing things that we have done many times before. This is not some naive way of looking at the real challenges of the day, but it is simply an acknowledgement that today is going to be something special.

“It is healthier to recognize we are desperate for attention than to deny we are. ” R. Hudson

We all want attention. We want attention from our loved ones. We want attention from new friends. We want attention from people in power. It is okay that we want attention. However, it becomes dangerous when we start to judge our worth and value off of how much attention we get from others. In the end it is healthier to recognize we are desperate for attention than to deny we are. When we recognize the types of attention we want and why we want them, then we are able to move to a healthier place. If we deny that we are craving attention then we are going to keep acting out to get it, but doing so in a very subconscious way.

One of my favorite terms to introduce to clients is “emotional vampire.” If they haven’t heard the word before they normally chuckle knowing exactly what I am talking about. An emotional vampire is someone who sucks us emotionally dry. Sometimes we know it is coming. Other times we are caught completely off guard. They can suck us dry by belittling our dreams, complaining about how the world is against them, or just their general grumpiness can bring us down. We when are aware of emotional vampires we have an opportunity to care for ourselves better.

There is a reason that things drive us crazy. It is because there is something in those moments that challenges the way we see ourselves and the world, or that challenges the way we would like to see ourselves in the world. We can learn a great deal from these moments if we can take a step back and ask why we are being driven so crazy. Even if we aren’t able to do that in the moment, but reflect after the fact, then we can make great strides.