People come and go, jobs change constantly, the world does not stop moving and on top of all of that sits the fact that life is limited and we don’t have much time. So what do we do? Because if we do not pay attention now, everything just disappears, part of the main journey is about creating ways to pay attention to what happens to you. There is the idea of what you love and what others want you to love, we live in this constant bombardment for your attention. I am not only talking of social media, but also family and friends. Friends that are maybe better at organising. These days I am so grateful for the fact that so many people pay attention to my content, and I hope it brings them a bit closer to the things that they want in their life. But this is not the end, please tell me how they will know what it is that they want. I have been so immersed in doing, doing and adding more to my list of projects and priorities that I forget to take care of myself. Yes for that I place a psychology appointment here and there, but without self-reflection and a non-stop overcommitted life there is no time or space to actually connect to myself and the investment in the therapist loses a lot of value. I am sure that is not what you want or what you are looking for. Yes, I can enjoy a lot of my everyday, but when I am doing the things that I know I want, with the people I want there, the experience becomes a bit more rewarding.
Of course, I am aware that I am not responsible for your decisions, but right now I am just grateful for reading. I am responsible for my own decisions though. This morning I could not find my keys, to the point that I got a bit anxious about it because I just moved house, there is a bit of extra chaos at the moment, everything is kind of new. A few minutes later I found the keys on the couch, you know in the middle between the seats. They were in the same place that my wallet was a few days ago and I could not find it. As I found them I said, this couch keeps hiding my stuff, like the couch is responsible for me not having a place for my keys and then being distracted to the point that I do not even remember where they are. C’mon Pedro, a second after realising I said I left them on the couch and I did not remember where they were. My default speech was to blame the couch, I do the same to people, without retracting my responsibility towards myself allows me to change what I want to change to value and accept what I really want in my life, without victimizing myself in the process.
Days are full of so many tasks, for the showcase, for the school, for my friends and my partner, it never ends, and for myself, and then something always slips, and I make some small mistake. This has in part helped me to understand that I value creating, doing and moving, I want to be creating, but I also value the beach, moments of reflection, consuming art and spending time with my loved ones. These two values appear contradicting and in large part they are, but it is on me being able to take care of them both, being flexible to accommodate and being flexible to let go and simplify some of them, because I would rather have a moment of joy with friends at the beach, than, being at the beach watching something on my Ipad and taking some notes for the showcase, with more people than I want by my side.
It seems that it is time to get to the same conclusion that keeps appearing in my life, and probably in yours too. Attention. Paying attention to the things you want in your life, paying attention to the things that you do not want in your life. Attention can then flow, not talking to your friends with your phone near you. I am talking about talking to your friends, looking into their eyes and being able to ask the following questions about the story they are telling you. Listening with compassion and curiosity, so you feel connected to that friend like in that moment she or he is your everything, there is no one else but them. This is especially important when dedicating some time to finding out your list of wants, and if you are anything like a human, that list is probably too long. Some people can handle a lot and it is beautiful to watch. But most need a more simple approach with a pinch of humility so they can enjoy the few things that they can have in life. So let’s keep it simple.
There is one more thing that I want to mention before I let you go. Actitud matters so much. Yesterday, I was training a couple of my teams, and it was time to start talking about enjoying, smiling, and being a joyful character for the routine. Remember that they are students who have been dancing for around a year—some less, and some more—but nonetheless, students. I got goosebumps at how beautiful it was. I only wonder if we can just add a little bit of joy into our everyday characters. As a team, they became a force of love, joy, and happiness, and I am so grateful that I could be part of it. Being surrounded by people who inspire each other is one of the most beautiful things someone can ask for.
Gracias for reading,
Pedro