It’s my 44th birthday today.
As I reflect on my life and prepare for my 45th trip around the sun, I’d like to share a few of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned… lessons that have helped me get to a place where I can embrace life as an adventure that I’m navigating with curiosity and compassion.
Sometimes I flow through the matrix gracefully, while other times it’s pretty damn messy. And I realize that it’s the discomfort of the mess that sprouts the opportunities for discovery and growth. So instead of resisting, the practice of leaning into the discomfort, and finding peace in the midst of it, is the most powerful practice of all.
Prioritize Curiosity
My number one mantra, for both myself and my clients, is “I approach myself and the world with curiosity and compassion.”
When we prioritize being curious over being right, and when we ask more questions than voice answers, we put ourselves up on the fast track for discovery, growth, and set ourselves up for a life filled with awe and wonder.
I find that the more I learn, the more I know I don’t know. And the more I know I don’t know, the more I want to discover, which makes life a hell of a lot more interesting!
We Are Human BEINGS First & Foremost
I was a human DOING for much of my life, basing my worth on what I accomplished, and believing that fulfilling my life’s purpose (to reduce the human-caused suffering of animals) was based solely on what I did.
The spiritual path I have been on for the last many years led me to the understanding that by realizing my inherent worth, as a soul inhabiting this human body, and then focusing on being present, connecting with my “higher self,” I can more through the world with much more peace and ease. And the more peaceful and at ease I am, the more my actions (doing) are aligned with my purpose, and the greater impact I can make.
The Goal is Not to Feel Better…
“The goal is not to feel better – it’s to get better at feeling,” is a concept that I was introduced to by Michael Brown while reading (and following the protocol in) The Presence Process.
The result of adopting this mantra is that we get to stop constantly looking for ways to numb, hide, or distract ourselves from negative emotions in unhealthy, self-sabotaging ways (e.g. eating junk, endlessly scrolling through Instagram, over-working, over-eating).
We get to step into our power and live life fully, because we don’t get to experience happiness without knowing sadness, and the more we can embrace loss, the deeper we get to experience love. That’s the nature of this adventure we call life.
Mindfulness is foundational for Holistic Health & Wellness
The only way to gain awareness about the unhealthy habits, patterns, and programs that keep us from becoming the best version of ourselves is through mindfulness.
Yoga has been instrumental in helping me practice mindfulness, which is the foundation for the self-coaching I use and teach, and that helped me overcome the depression and disordered eating that plagued me for a decade in my early adulthood.
Mastering mindful eating, specifically, has been a game changer for me and countless clients, both for upleveling overall health and longevity, AND for losing excess body fat and keeping it off without stressing over calories and macros.
Love Wins
By embodying love and compassion for ALL beings on earth, and making decisions from a place of love instead of fear (as those are our two options), is a win-win-win-win. There are no downsides.
For me, veganism is all about love and compassion. It’s about moving through the world with the intention of doing the most good and the least harm.
Love wins. Period.
Ella Magers, MSW
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