I have always taught my son the most important thing to do in life is to keep moving forward. There is nothing you can do about what has happened, you can only influence and plan for the future, and today is the most important thing that you have.
Sometimes it is hard to do that. We dwell on the past, things we could have done differently, observations we failed to make, moments we missed, mistakes we made – the list goes on. We worry about the future. What it holds or doesn’t hold. We constantly fluctuate in time and play out scenarios in our minds yet, that is not where the power lies.
Let go of the past, and the future
The power lies in today. The small changes you make now that set you up for tomorrow. The contribution that you make to the world today and how you change it in some way. The lives you touch, the wisdom you impart, the energy you create. Even in life’s worst moments I believe that nothing is wasted. Everything matters. Every moment is just a moment on a continuum of many moments that will come in our lives.
There are moments when I disappoint myself and then there are moments where I revel in some incredible outcome that I did not expect. It is hard to weather the disappointments and loss that comes with life, but you have to embrace passing time and grow with it. Get rid of the decay and keep pruning your life like a rose bush. There is a time to grow, there is a time to prune, there is a time to be fed and there is a time for harvest. Each season brings a moment that is relevant and right for you.
The power of the down dog
I recently have been spending a lot of time in my yoga studio really focusing on my inner self and stretching myself with the challenges that come with an intense yoga pose; even the easiest of poses, the good old down dog can challenge me some days. But I find that focusing on being there on the mat, bringing myself to focus on mastering each movement creates tremendous presence and awareness. It is often in these moments of extreme awareness that I find answers to questions or situations whether they be personal or creative.
Every project has its set of challenges. No project is the same. The dynamic is different. The set of circumstances are different. The objectives differ and the design is unique to that client. Being constantly creative and getting to the right design is sometimes so easy and it just flows, and then other times no matter how hard you try it doesn’t. I can’t predict when it flows and when it doesn’t. Sometimes the smallest shift unlocks it and other times it’s a radical change in direction.
Currently, I am working on a project where the design is beautiful and really suited to the family but will be a design where we may have to build on it over time and that’s ok. I always say it is much better to have a beautiful canvas to work with so as you add every new piece, it has a specific place and purpose. It doesn’t just add beauty, it makes a difference to the flow, the function, and the heart until one day every piece is in and the rooms sing to you. Rather put in the right pieces, make the right changes, and build it with the vision and don’t just put in things because they work in your budget and in the end, you don’t get what you want.
The struggle
I sometimes struggle to get to this place on a project as I have so much experience with this and have learnt that often this is a trade-off between cost today and cost tomorrow, but what is important is what works for you and that you understand it will cost more doing it this way. Accepting your circumstances in itself creates flow and gratitude which always has a positive impact on a project and on life in general. It is your decision.
It is here in my yoga poses where there is only me and the mat that I see this. Life is just so busy, and the busyness does not always allow us to process what is happening and the significance of it all. Feeling and accepting the situation is paramount to allowing it to flow into something else. You cannot force something to be what it was never meant to be.
It is what it is
Creating these spaces and finding ways to unlock the design makes me so happy. Embracing the process of getting there in itself is beautiful and if I could simply remove the pressure of time, it would be so easy to really sink into it and just be in that feeling of it all. I find this parallel with my life where accepting exactly what is happening around me with all the challenges and beauty of it is something I know I need to do, just as I am sure you experience, there are days when you can do this and days where it feels like you are not moving forward.
I am also being challenged with mastering a really big project where the only way to approach it is to eat the elephant one bite at a time as you can only go as fast as you can go. Sometimes the many eyes, the many opinions, the many thoughts need to settle, and you actually need to make a decision and decide what it will be. You know that feeling deep inside you which tells you that you are right and that actually you know what is best. You have to make these decisions in order to move forward. Only you can change it and shape it the way it should be.
Nothing is ever a waste
There is a gift in every moment. Even the not so good moments. It is hard to believe at times, particularly when the disappointing moments overwhelm us or threaten to destroy what we have built up or invested in. I am trying to find the opportunities in the ones that I didn’t move through recently and just the same way that I think the pain of that yoga pose is not going to subside, just then it releases, and I finish feeling energised and fresh.
I think we need to take more charge with the process of designing our lives not just our spaces and places. Applying our thinking more into what we want every day and how that plays out around us. What we are doing, what we are saying, who we are with, how we are feeling, what is around us and how we are contributing to ourselves, to the people we meet, to the people we love, to our businesses, and how each of these moments changes the world one moment, one space at a time. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad, nothing is ever wasted.
Love
