Doors close and others open

Photo by Shaun Dunmall

I have been keeping my eyes open as opportunities are out there waiting to be found. I am a believer in doors opening when others close.

In work, I have spent the year experimenting with different classes and places to teach them. I almost ventured in one direction (starting my own business) before a door opened and I ventured through to see what would happen (teaching for a nice studio). That path didn’t lead me to where I envisioned so now I am rethinking and reviewing while waiting for new opportunities or ideas to reveal themselves.

I am allowing myself the chance to reevaluate what I have done, what has made me happy, what my true intentions are and whether I am achieving those goals in my work. I realize that not everyone has the luxury to stop and reformat their jobs but wouldn’t we be happier working if we all could shift and find what makes us most energized and excited.

Some of the insights that I’ve had are:

To teach skills that help kids navigate their real life experiences and help them become the best that they can be is what inspires me. To teach in environments where kids are dropped off to class because it gives the parent an hour of freedom instead of the child coming with a desire to learn is frustrating and draining. Everyone can benefit from yoga, but being receptive to either the physical or both the mental and physical aspects of the practice must happen before learning occurs. Kids who are forced to come to class against their true desire will not benefit from class and they often take away another child’s right to learn. A child forced into therapy will not benefit from therapy. There needs to be an internal motivation.

With my kid’s after school activities and the need to be available to them, I have a limited amount of afternoon time to dedicate to teaching. I need to find ways to teach and grow my business during the school day.

Yoga has been a part of my life for more than 20 years, however, yoga isn’t my whole universe. I get pulled between being in the studio taking class and being active outdoors. My body is always vacillating between muscle tightness and fatigue from running and soreness from practicing yoga. I am happiest when I can get both studio time and outdoor time into my life regularly. I would love to find ways to combine my two loves into a class.

It is time to replenish my well with a new certification or additional classes to keep me fresh and my creative juices flowing. There is nothing like getting together with a group of people excited to grow and learn. Investing in personal development can only lead to more doors opening.

During this time of year it is easy to get bogged down with the holiday chaos of shopping and baking and parties. It’s important to take some time to reflect upon the year and change course if need be. Take the opportunity to create a plan for the new year and keep looking for those doors to open with possibilities unknown.

The Winter White Stuff

It’s all in the way you look at it. Winter. The season of snow, wind and cold. Living in Rochester, New York, I’ve learned that unless you embrace the winter with open arms (preferably covered in a warm down jacket), the long season will wear you down both mentally and physically. We’ve been lucky this year to have a blanket of snow already covering our yards and roof tops. The holiday season feels right with the glistening white beckoning out the window. The last two mornings I’ve headed out to run in snowshoes on some beautiful trails carved out by the glaciers long ago with friends and dogs in tow. The sun dappling through the woods and the white outlines of branches hanging low with caught snow make the park magical. I was thinking as I huffed and puffed along the trail today that most people wouldn’t realize that it was sunny outside being trapped indoors at work or choosing a gym workout instead of facing the elements. I am always taken by surprise when going up a ski lift or trudging through a trail to find that it is so easy to be outside in the winter, that it’s fun and makes you feel alive when taking advantage of what mother nature has created for us. It might be easy to moan and groan about the weather. It might be easy to hibernate the winter away by staying indoors as much as possible, but life is too short. Wouldn’t it be better to throw on wool socks and head outside to appreciate the moment and capture the beauty of what life is about.

The Dalai Lama once said, “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

Get outside and enjoy the happiness of winter everyone!