Hey there friend,
Excited to share a little story with you.
It's a quick one,
But it's here to prime your mind to pick up on the signs,
Cues and lessons that the universe is constantly sending your way.
Now before we dive in,
Let's do what we always do,
Ground ourselves.
Wherever you are,
Whatever you're doing,
Just know that you are very welcome here.
Let's begin with three deep slow breaths that feel good to you.
Go at your own pace.
Allow the air to fill you up.
Allow your body to settle into the present moment.
Feel your feet connect to the earth,
Like literal roots.
You're grounded,
You're here,
You're now.
I invite you to bring a soft smile to your lips.
Let that lift you right up.
Okay,
So here's a recap of what happened to me recently.
I was at the grocery store,
Picking up some yogurt,
You know,
Just your average Tuesday.
But as I strolled past the ready-made section,
I spotted something on sale,
A pokeball.
For those of you who don't know what that is,
It's a Hawaiian dish,
Typically featuring uncooked seafood,
Like tuna or salmon,
Served in a bowl with rice,
Vegetables,
And various delicious toppings and sauces.
This pokeball was $6 off the regular price,
An offer I couldn't walk past,
As I love me a good deal in tuna fish.
Oh,
And come to think of it,
I had nothing prepared for lunch.
I gleefully grabbed the last one and noticed it had one day left to expiry.
Hmm,
How bad could it be?
Fast forward to when I actually sat down to eat it,
And let me tell you,
It wasn't great.
It wasn't exactly expired,
But it was definitely questionable.
Like you know when you bite into something and your brain and stomach immediately goes,
Something's off here.
Yeah,
That was me with every bite.
But here's the thing,
I didn't give up.
Oh no,
I'm not a quitter.
I just kept force-feeding myself,
Thinking,
Come on,
It was almost half off,
I can't waste it.
It was as if I was in some weird tragic romance with a pokeball.
I tried to convince myself it wasn't that bad.
I mean,
I'm already committed.
And then something clicked.
Like a spiritual lightbulb went off.
It dawned on me like the sunrise.
This is exactly what I do with my thoughts.
I consume them,
Even when they feel off.
Even when they don't sit right with me.
I swallow them down,
Convincing myself they'll make me feel good.
When in reality,
They don't.
They just leave me feeling,
Well,
Off.
After about five chopstick attempts,
I gave up.
I threw that pokeball away.
And you know what?
It was pretty easy to walk away from bad food.
But that is when the epiphany hit me.
If I don't put up with eating bad food,
Why do I put up with consuming bad thoughts?
I mean,
Really,
Bad food makes me feel gross.
Bad thoughts do the exact same thing.
Why put up with either?
That's when I realized my mind deserves as much care as my stomach.
If not more.
Because when we feel or think badly,
It also leads to poor decision making.
Including,
Yup,
Junky food choices.
It was a strange spiritual lesson wrapped up in the guise of a slightly off pokeball.
The truth is,
We don't need to be at a fancy retreat or reading some mind-bending book to receive these downloads.
They're out there in the world,
In the most unexpected places,
Waiting for us to notice them.
It was a strange little spiritual lesson wrapped in the guise of a slightly off pokeball.
So after that revelation,
I spent the rest of my day being mindful of the thoughts I was feeding myself.
I paid careful attention to what I was consuming online,
The quality of the media I was taking in,
And the energy of the people I was around.
And guess what?
My day was amazing.
I felt energized and great all day long.
Just as you do when you eat well.
Sure,
You may indulge here and there,
Just as we do in gossip and Instagram.
I sure am guilty of it.
But that should be the exception,
Not the norm.
That should be 20% of your day,
Not 80% of it.
This is where the 80-20 rule comes in.
You probably heard of it.
Maybe not in this context.
The idea is simple.
80% of your choices should support your well-being.
Whether that's nourishing your body with good food,
Engaging in positive conversations,
Or consuming content that inspires you.
The remaining 20%,
Well,
That's for life's guilty pleasures.
We all need them.
The occasional sugary treat,
Mindless scrolling,
Or buying things online you don't need.
Yup,
That self-stirring mug.
Look,
It's not about perfection.
It's about balance.
When the majority of your habits serve you,
The occasional slip won't derail you from living a happy,
Fulfilling,
Purposeful life.
When you stop letting your brain wander down the negative rabbit holes and instead mainly prioritize your mental well-being,
It's kind of a game-changer,
Honestly.
I dare you to try it.
All in all,
I didn't regret the wasted lunch deal.
Sure,
At first I was a little annoyed that I'd thrown away the only meal I had.
But in hindsight,
That weird,
Disappointing Poke Bowl inspired me to share this story with you.
And maybe that's the real win from all of this.
So here's the takeaway or the challenge I have for you.
Today and this week,
Go forth and look for the spiritual lessons the world is presenting you.
They come in the most surprising forms.
It could be a morning coffee epiphany,
A misplaced key lesson,
Or a revelation you download in a traffic jam.
The point is,
Be receptive to them.
And they will present themselves to you.
Oh,
And if you happen to have a cool lesson you've learned or a flash of insight you've had recently,
Please drop it in the comments.
Let's share the wisdom,
Everyone.
Or else,
Let me know what you thought of this session.
Alright,
I've gotta go,
And so do you.
Have an awesome day,
Sending lots of good vibes your way.
