Clarity Shot #50

Today I over-slept. 

I typically wake up at 5 am on Wednesdays, to write my Clarity Shots. It’s my little safe haven of writing, my untouchable space that ensures that each Wednesday morning, whatever happens in my hectic life, this newsletter finds its way to your inbox.

Today I over-slept.

Alarm ringed, and instead of getting out of bed quickly to stretch and open my laptop to write… I decided to stay in bed, get a bit more comfortable and enjoy the rare luxury of sleeping in, while knowing that I should really get up.

So today’s Clarity Shot will be a little different 😉

As I was lying in bed, cosy and half-asleep, chasing the remains of an enchanted dream… it struck me.

It wasn’t just about indulging myself in an extra moment of comfort or fantasy, it was also about absolutely no desire to wake up and start the day.

You see, yesterday was a really tough day… in a long line of tough days… and today will be pretty much the same… a new day of struggle, drama, misunderstandings, negotiations and things going wrong.

Absolutely no mood for this sort of day.

Zero appetite to wake up, 100% desire to go back to my dream and stay there as long as I could.

So, as I fluffed my pillow and stretched into an even more comfortable place, I started to level with my resistance. 

Understanding its purpose.
Leaning into the advantages.
Accepting it’s there, on a morning when I’d prefer to just get up and write.

Hello, resistance!
Nice of you to show up. 

Good morning! Fancy a coffee, while you wait for me to write a newsletter that’s a bit different than what everyone expects?She was in no mood for coffee.

And I was stuck under my sheets, on my fluffed pillow, in between resisting to wake up, and slowly remembering I actually like to write.

And then, right there… it struck me again:

What would change, if we started our days, in our first moments of wakefulness, by deciding on what we’d like to feel that day?

Like an emotional intention-setting…

I knew what I didn’t want today: pressure, unexpected emergencies, kids screaming for absurd reasons, and a day so rushed that I don’t have a single moment to myself. All beyond my control, all about to happen (and I could even anticipate some extra unforeseen disasters looming in…)

✨What if I brought a sense of playfulness to my day? 

✨Would that change the tone, and maybe the music of what will unfold today?

✨Will I react better to unreasonable requests, last-minute emails, tasks dropped on me without warning or consideration, unrelenting kids?

What if I were intentional to find ways to let playfulness be part of my day?

🎈 Could I… invent funny names for each disaster, instead of getting so caught up in the drama?

🎈 Could I… think of it as if I was casted for a leading role in a Hollywood comedy/drama, but forgot to read the script?

🎈 Could I… imagine I won at slot machines each time a new email jumped at me from my inbox… in need of urgent attention? 

🎈 Could I… make funny voices & accents, while I respond to that email?

Would that change my day and my disposition, from overwhelmed to taking all as it comes?

Would that change the burden into something a bit more manageable?

I have no idea, but I could try it.

Seems like a better plan than succumbing to overwhelm before the day really started.

I’ll let you know how it goes (if you’re interested) - but before that: 

what do you think would change, in your experience or approach, if each morning you’d set your intention of how you emotionally show up, like you’d carefully choose your outfit for a very important day?

Would you try to see what changes if you show up as:

… Curious?

… Adventurous?

… Playful?

… Generous?

What would this intention prompt you to add or extract from your day?