I oftentimes feel that my life is a drag car race – where I’m going around and around and around at super fast speeds, and the only time I stop to recharge is when I absolutely have to – when I’m about to run out of gas or when my body simply can’t go any longer and needs to refuel – either by eating or sleeping. And even the pit stops are timed and stressful – hurried and frantic. All that matters is that I get back to the next part of the race in time. All that matters is that I win (whatever that means).

And while this is a bit of an exaggeration, there is more truth to it than I’d like to admit.

I’m realizing that I’m a pusher. By that I mean that I’ve always prided myself on how much I can push my body to the limit, how hard I can work, how few of breaks I need to take, how little sleep I can get by on, how long I can hold having to go to the bathroom simply to be “more productive.”

It’s true.

And all of this pushing and racing has been helpful, to a certain degree. I have achieved, and I have finished projects, and I have gotten a whole lot done.

But I’m realizing more and more that none of this pushing matters if I’m too overextended and overexerted and overwhelmed and overexhausted to care.

I’ve been trying something lately that feels a bit foreign but also feels pretty great.

Rather than pushing my way through life, I’m leaning into it. 

Somewhere along the way, I assumed that I needed to do everything myself in order to get it all done. And that’s just not true. In fact, I now see that I get so much more done if I lean into my life – if I allow others to support me. If I stop trying to control it all or push through it all. If I stop and give myself some extra love and have compassion for all that I’ve put myself through and have expected from myself over the years. If I am able to lean into these things rather than push through them, I find that my life is so much more enjoyable.

If my body is tired, I’m allow myself to sleep. (Even if that means that I will not be productive during that time and even if that means that I may need to push a project back a few hours. Even then.)

If I have to go to the bathroom, I get up and go. (Even if I’m right in the middle of a sentence and even if I’m worried that the sentence will leave me or the train of thought will be gone by the time I get back. Even then.)

If my stomach is growling because I haven’t eaten in several hours, I eat. (Even if that means that my to-do list will not get checked off as quickly as I had hoped.)

If my legs want to move, I go for a walk. If my mind wants to rest, I step away from the computer. If my heart needs some love, I go give my sweetie a hug.

I lean in. I become friends with my body, my heart, my mind, the universe, others, life, everything. 

And I remember that it’s not me against the world. We’re all in it together. I remember that life is not a race. It’s a peaceful, loving journey. And I’m exactly where I need to be. 

So, I’m taking myself out of the figurative race car, and I’m removing myself from the racetrack altogether and simply allowing myself to be. I’m leaning into life and allowing it to support me rather than trying to do it all on my own.

I’m allowing myself to slow down, relax, and stop. Lean in. 

And it feels amazing.

I would love for us to lean in together. 

Hugs,

Jodi

Jodi Chapman is a bestselling author, an award-winning blogger, and a soulful community builder. She lives her life with love and faith in the driver’s seat, and she hopes to leave a trail of inspiration wherever she goes. She believes that we each have the ability to hear our soul’s whisper and create our best lives. She would love to connect with you!

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