Stop ruminating on the story

There have been so many fabulous moment with our new puppy, Ginny (short for Virginia)! She’s a yellow Lab and now 12 weeks old.

Like how adorable she and our older dog (a 6.5 yr old black Lab), Carolina play together, how she lays right on top of her Snuggle Puppy toy when she’s sleeping in her crate, how she loves to lay right next to you or on your feet when she wants to nap, how fascinating EVERYTHING is to her, and how her tail wiggles SO hard when she sees Carolina for the first time in the morning.

We’re ALL figuring out a new normal and routine with this new fluffy “polar shark” in our lives (polar, cuz her paws are huge like a polar bear’s, and shark, because her teeth are VERY sharp).

A normal human brain is a meaning making machine. Brains do this because to try to make sense of everything they believe they can create certainty. And to our brains certainty = safety and survival.

And along with all that meaning comes loads and loads of stories about all the things. 

Some of these stories are helpful but most are completely unhelpful cinder blocks holding us back and keeping us stuck.

One story our brains love to keep on repeat is, “I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME,” and since most of my free time is currently being spent sharing the responsibility of loving on, taking care of, and training a puppy, I can either keep telling myself that I don’t have enough time to do the thing, or I can just get the damn thing done.

And the funny thing has been, what I’ve let go of is overthinking about my unhelpful stories, LOL!

I needed to return a quote for a workshop I’m facilitating about burnout. Boom, got it done without drama or hemming and hawing.

I had to tell my wife whether I was interested in doing a bartending gig with her next month for a neighborhood fundraiser. Boom, checked in with my gut and heart and they said, “Heck yes, that would be so fun,” so I told her yes.

I needed to record a few podcasts and get some emails prepped to send over the next couple weeks. I had a pocket of time when the baby was napping and got them done.

What I’ve noticed was how the stories my brain usually tells about how long something will take or what I could say or do, aren’t there because I’m focusing on the tasks without the countless extra thoughts and feelings. I’m ditching the story and doing the thing.

It’s like the Nike slogan, Just Do It. And I am!

I’m not pushing or forcing myself to keep going if I need to rest or take a break, but I’m finding I’m more productive because I’m not overthinking, dragging my feet, or worrying about everything being perfect.

This reminds me of when you have more living space you often collect more crap, or if you give yourself a long lead time you just waste it. Instead, I’ve let go of the mental load and time suck of the unhelpful stories which has allowed me to get stuff done and live lighter.

Start noticing what stories you’re telling yourself about a task, project, or conversation that’s been on your mind or heart.

Visualize putting the story on a shelf, in a shredder, or burning it in a fire and see what happens. 

Keeping the story is 100% your choice, and you have the option and power to practice letting it go. It probably won’t be a one-and-done letting go because we’ve held our stories very close and they can become a part of our identities. 

So give yourself 1% more grace and compassion as you try something new.

I believe in you.

You created the story and that’s proof and evidence that you can take it a part like a puzzle you’ve finished.

You got this, Sunshine and I’ve always got your back!