Who are you practicing to be?

Who are you practicing daily to be?

A friend recently shared some of an experience with the poet David Whyte (a fav of mine – look him up!).  A quote from the poet grabbed me:

Do I want to become the person I am practicing at every day? 

I realized again how important it is to ask questions.  Beautiful questions, says Whyte, help us keep our feet on the ground of our life.  They help put us into a real conversation, crack our heart open slightly… Winters frigid temperatures and short days are a natural season to pause a bit, burrow in, and reflect. 

A New Year’s practice that I enjoy is to contemplate the year just completed, asking myself what I completed, was proud of, was sorry about, and, most importantly, what I learned.  What did I practice last year?  Digesting this, I am free to wonder about the year just beginning.  What would make this a great year?  What does my learning from last year suggest for me this year to keep growing?  And … Do I want to become the person I have practiced this last year? Each year I slim down my reflections to a single goal, a focus for the coming year.  Something that will make a difference personally, professionally, spiritually. 

While this may sound heavy or burdensome, it’s not – it’s freeing.  Last year I practiced living into the observation “it’s easy to be Darcy.”  Now, those of you know me well, know that my usual mode is to work at everything super hard, often obsessively, to “get it right.”  I am a perfectionist.  My practice on my yoga mat has taught me how this orientation is over-done and creates strain and tension in most areas of my life. I made a lot of progress this past year, both in terms of being easy being me, and in terms of what I accomplished in this mode.  It was surprising actually – AND I had a lot more fun! So in creating my goal for 2015, I was guided by the words of Ruth Chang: “...look inward to what you can stand behind, commit to, resolve to throw yourself behind” … thereby conferring value on that choice and making yourself the author of your own life (instead of looking outward at what society/peers/leaders etc. say is a correct choice). For 2015: Darcy is Present (even if not Perfect).
  

How will you become even more the beautiful person you are this year?  Let me know your thoughts and ideas!