Connecting Eyes to Hearts
Season 2: Episode 012
Script
Welcome to my inner musings as I plan for wonder. I’m Crystal, founder and creator of mylifePlanners.ca
I’m currently set up on a business retreat away from my day to day and intended to utilize the time to rest and create space to focus on strategies for myLife Planners and it’s future.
Juggling a design studio solo business with building a new company feels impossible.
It has been a challenge for me to turn down the volume on the news of the world. Our digital connections aren’t much help, it’s everywhere. The more I learn, the more I learn how out of touch I was in my 20’s and 30’s. I thought Regan was a good choice as an American President simply because of the limited media and influence of the social culture at the time. I am realizing my thoughts on topics were based on other’s opinions and I was never encouraged to research and learn details myself.
I am more and more aware that the less we educate our society about critical thinking the more we give our choices to someone else to make.
How is this reflection playing into Planning for Wonder?
I see it as making time to reflect and allow our thoughts to wonder is where we allow our intelligence to flourish. It allows our brain to see patterns and connections that we then can begin to see in the world around us and how our interconnections are affected.
In a world where you are spending your extra time distracted by mind numbing games, scrolling, and binge watching, you are loosing capacity to allow your eyes to take in the world around you. Our perceptions are skewed and shortened to look for a quick answer instead of being open to actually seeing the humanity in others.
I know I’m not alone in my anxiety and feelings of powerlessness in how world orders could impact our daily lives and interactions. I want to feel welcomed regardless of where I am and who I am surrounded by. Divisiveness empowers the few. Kindness supports the many. Lifting each other up is how we can all grow exponentially. And having enough for all eliminates scarcity and fear.
I’m not clueless about the dynamics of the social systems that have been put into place, but knowing and understanding that they ARE JUST social constructs empowers me to re-envision NEW social constructs. Eliminate the rigid nature of normal and instead embrace the exponential potential of a full spectrum of that connects our hearts to how we see and interact with the world.
You and I have influence and choice in how we engage and experience our own lives. It may seem at times to feel impossible to choose the better options, and we know what is better. Better is learning what you don’t know and understanding that each person in the world struggles just like you do to find their place and feel like they belong without fear. Understanding that life is about managing through challenges and struggling when things seem out of control.
I have been giving away so much of my time, energy, and knowledge to everything that it will stick to, so much so, that when it comes to investing more strategically in my life I am failing. Failing at what I know inside is what I need to be doing.
New years trends of vision boarding and picking “one” word for the year can feel impossible when there is so much out in the world to DO. But if there is one thing I have learned about productivity is that less really is better.
I love variety, and I keep sharing that I am unemployable because I desire freedom and flexibility of what I do each day. I am privileged to have built a creative business that has provided me the ability to look at the world as a buffet of opportunities.
So now that I have young adult kids I am sharing everything I can to encourage them to connect their eyes to their heart so they can create daylight to see the world as it is as well as look at the stars and dream how they can make an impact that brings joy and wellness to not just their lives, but those around them. Empowering them to make choices without a scarcity mindset while also not taking away their opportunities to grow and learn from choices, mistakes, and wins.
I’ve been pondering about how, traditionally, the best compliment a parent can have of their kids is to be Proud of them. It doesn’t sit right with me. I want to look at my children and simply feel an immense amount of love. I want my children to feel belonging, and I want to show them support and in turn accept their love and support in return. A sustainable relationship that will be resilient during challenging times, and boy they are coming. Let’s be even more honest, they are here.
Life has never been meant to be easy. Easy is boring. I ponder that could be at the core of why people with too much struggle with how easy life is for them. Easy makes them create struggles so they can feel secure that the easy will never be taken away. And that is where they miss the mark, life isn’t supposed to be easy. Struggling is where we learn about our capacity for endurance, love, and compassion for not just others, but ourselves.
I want to leave you with my permission to step away from chaos of the day to day, whether it’s doom-scrolling, binge-watching, managing other’s emotions, fixing other’s problems, or simply having to cook dinner, again. Take back your mental capacity for yourself first. Like they say on airlines, put on your own oxygen mask first so you can then help others.
Caring for yourself first isn’t selfish. Selfish is looking after ONLY yourself.
Thank you for coming to my ‘podcast’ talk today. I’ve been struggling with what to focus on and share here with you and realized sometimes simply just sharing is all that is needed. I have not embraced the AI models pitched that are designed to create content for me. Then it’s not mine, it’s not my voice and is only more noise added to the digital blaring machine.
You matter to me, your voice, your ideas, your vision, and soul. But as I always try to emphasize, I need you to know deep down in your soul that you matter the most in your own life.
