Welcome to the Grow Inward Podcast, I am your host Adrian Petrillo.
I appreciate you joining me today for another episode where we are going to explore the idea of making your practice your own. I think sometimes people hear the phrase “personal practice” and get the impression that it has to be some difficult and very disciplined set of tasks and/or activities that require a great deal of effort. Well I would like to dispel some of these ideas and offer you a very different way of looking at your practice, one that can be both fun and rewarding, but also one that is very flexible and easily personalized in a way that is most meaningful to you!
I think that I also had a bit of reluctance to create my own practice when I was first beginning and heard that phrase, all before I even really understood what that actually meant? I think that it just sounded a bit rigid maybe? What I quickly learned however was that it was anything but that. In truth, a practice is really just a time and place that you set aside to work on yourself. It can be any number of different activities or disciplines, and it can be completely customized and adjusted as needed, and it often shifts and changes as we do. I believe it is something we can all benefit greatly from, and this is why I wanted to talk a bit more about that today.
A very important aspect of any personal practice that I don’t hear talked about a great deal is how it can very much work as a vehicle to help you reach any of your aspirations in life. Regardless of your own personal goals and desires in life, a regular practice is a wonderful tool that can be used to assist you in achieving those. This is because a personal practice, at its heart, is something which helps us to learn and to grow as human beings, first and foremost, and depending on your own goals it can help you develop any or all of the four primary aspects of yourself. These aspects of course being the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
Any brave soul who ventures down the road of inner growth will always improve and develop each of these different aspects to some degree or another, just by the very virtue of seeking to learn and to grow. As your practice develops and you begin to see real changes in yourself it isn’t uncommon to want to explore and expand even further. It becomes quite inspiring when you feel increasingly connected to something deep within yourself and positive changes become more and more apparent over time.
Although I find myself ebbing and flowing with my own practice over time, which we will discuss further in an upcoming episode, it has remained a constant in my life and has only grown over the years since I first began. I believe most people will find it hard to walk away from something that just works for you, which brings me to the heart of this little discussion today. I wanted to share some ideas with you that may be helpful to consider in regards to making your practice your own, and to also find your own inspiration which can help guide you to that end. Even if you already have a well established practice, this is still a fun conversation that may stir some fresh ideas or fond memories, both of which are valuable from my perspective.
It doesn’t matter if you you have never started your own personal practice or if you are a seasoned veteran, I think this first point is worth exploring either way, I would invite you to dream a little bit with me for starters! There is no doubt in my mind that you have dreams about what your life could or should be, and it is precisely this that I want you to focus on right from the start. After all we cannot hope to reach a destination if we have no idea where it is that we want to be heading, right?
I would like you to just let go of any limiting thoughts or beliefs for a moment and get your mindset right for this exercise. I really want you to dream your biggest dreams and wish your biggest wishes here. Let’s just pretend for a moment that there is absolutely nothing that can stop you from achieving your dreams and wishes. Right now you are like a child full of wonder with a tiny little firefly cupped in your hands, it’s nighttime and the light from this little firefly is shining through your fingers as you peek in with amazement. This little firefly represents all of your biggest dreams and wishes, the light is softly reflecting off your eyes as you gaze at this beautiful miracle, smiling and giggling at the wonder that is life.
You see, our biggest dreams and wishes light us all up, and we should never ignore them. They can absolutely be as real as you and me, but we aren’t taught to explore or lean into that truth so often in life, but today is your personal invitation to do just that. I want you to gaze deeply into your innermost dreams and wishes now and tell me two things. What do you want the very most out of life, and who do you need to become to get there? Take a few moments and get really clear on each of these questions now, have some fun, and by all means, dream big!
I hope you took some time to dream, and I hope you felt a little wonder in the process. You are probably wondering what this has to do with a personal practice hmmm? Well, the truth is that you should always be moving yourself closer to your dreams and wishes, and it doesn’t matter what your situation is in life, we all deserve this and we are all capable of bringing our dreams to life in a way that is meaningful to us.
Now I don’t want to give the impression that this is simple or easy, how could we ever say this about our dreams or wishes. If they were that easy, we would all be living our dreams I suppose? The thing here is that we now have a clear target to work with, our little firefly. Now that we know what our firefly looks like, we can reverse engineer things to figure out the best path that will lead us closer toward capturing it. So, let’s deconstruct things a little more now and see how we can align our personal practice in a way that helps us get there.
What we could do now is to put together a little toolkit of sorts, one that supports all of the things you will need to become in order to get what you want most out of life, to catch your firefly. I have some fairly simple recommendations for you that I have found very helpful, but I want to preface those with something else first. I want you to remember that this is your practice, and you are welcome to explore anything and everything that speaks to you and your heart when it comes to creating that. Trust your inner guidance, and listen to it above all else, and course correct as needed on your journey. In addition to that, your dreams are unique to you and they may require very different ways of reaching them, so please keep that in mind and always adjust accordingly.
One thing that I have found after years of personal development and inner work is just how important the physical aspect is. I say this because I have found that beginning with a focus on the physical aspect has far reaching benefits that affect the mental and emotional aspects as well, even the spiritual in many ways. Many of us aren’t as healthy as we could be physically, not only that, but many of us are not exactly comfortable with our physical appearance. Now I don’t recommend leaning too heavy on appearance alone, we should always do our best to maintain a healthy and realistic self image. We should be very careful when trying to live up to ideals portrayed in the media, ideals that are less than honest or realistic.
That being said, being physically healthy and fit can add to the quality of your life like few other things will. It really does work wonders, and I recommend it as a great starting place, regardless of your dreams or wishes in life. Feeling healthy and well creates a strong foundation that we can all build upon, and it is well worth the effort to get yourself if at least a modestly better place in this regard. Understand that this also doesn’t need to be overcomplicated, some modest changes done consistently can work wonders on all aspects of yourself in many positive ways.
I have mentioned this many times, but it’s worth repeating, yoga is a very good choice for everybody and works on you in a very holistic manner over time. It is also a great choice for all ages and fitness levels, and it will scale up or down to any level that you feel comfortable with. I couldn’t give a higher recommendation for physical activity, especially one that can be easily managed for all ages and ability levels, it really has no equal in my opinion. You can take that for whatever it is worth, but please consider some type of regular physical routine to help support all of your other efforts in life, especially when it comes to chasing your fireflies.
If yoga isn’t up your alley, no problem at all! What I would recommend is that you make a list of the physical activities that do appeal to you the most, and narrow that list down one or two that you feel you can do regularly to help support your physical health in a way that you will enjoy while also getting some moderately challenging exercise. It’s important that you enjoy yourself, and always remember the reasons that you are working toward improving your health. If nothing comes to mind as far as activities then just take a yoga class and give it a try. If that doesn’t work then explore a little more and try a few different things, you will certainly find something you like and are willing to do fairly regularly in pursuit of your larger dreams.
You might also take some time to consider what methods might serve you best. For instance, some people love doing activities like hiking, biking, swimming, etc., but depending on your activity choices there are other options as well. You may prefer to do your activities with a partner or in a class perhaps? If you are doing yoga as I suggested earlier, you might consider whether you would prefer taking classes in person or watching instructional videos online by yourself for a while? There are many different options, get clear on the ones that really appeal to you and try to incorporate these into a new routine. It will be very helpful and much more motivating if you think about these things up front or try a few different methods before settling on what works best for you.
Now, as important as the physical portion is, I highly recommend that you include some meditation into your practice as well. Once again, it does not need to be really long or difficult, and if you need some help getting started check out the link in the show notes. It’s a nice little helper for beginners to get started. I believe that both these physical and mental elements are incredibly supportive for all people, regardless of your dreams and wishes otherwise. They are what I would consider to be foundational elements that are just good for all of us in so many different ways. I am certain that you will find them to be incredibly supportive in all of your efforts in life, especially as you and your practice grow over time.
Obviously, you will have your own unique fireflies that you are trying to catch. With that in mind, this is where you have some creative license to get a little more creative with your practice. Your practice inevitably extends out into your life, and as such you may find that you have new skills that you may need to learn to help you reach your own goals. Remember to be clear on who you need to become, and slowly begin incorporating the necessary elements that will help you reach and accomplish your own dreams.
I would like to insert an important point into this conversation here, because I think this can all sound a bit overwhelming at times, especially when you are first starting out. What I would like to point out is that this is a process that takes time, and it is very helpful to moderate your expectations as such and exercise a little patience along the way. What I would encourage you to do is to be open to the idea that you are making small but significant changes which are ultimately leading your in a particular direction, a direction that is benefiting you by being willing to reach for your dreams. You will be learning and growing all along the way, and I hope that you will view that as an opportunity to make the most of your time here on this planet, rather than a burden which feels difficult. Inner growth is often challenging, but so worth the effort. Enjoy the process of doing things different, living differently, making new choices, making mistakes, and starting again and again. All growth contains these elements and many others, and your life is no different. Don’t worry when things are difficult or challenging, that will ebb and flow as with everything else in this life.
When you do put the pieces of your practice together, and you have a really good idea of what you need to work on, pick a time and place that you feel capable of setting aside for yourself each day. You must be willing to make the time to chase your dreams and to improve your life if you ever hope to succeed. Be flexible and consistent, pay attention to any areas where you feel you need some help, and never be afraid to ask for it. Do this for you, and above all else never give up! Show up consistently and watch how things slowly begin to evolve for you.
Another very important point is to start small. Please be mindful not to take on too much at once, it will only lead to overwhelm and that will stop you in your tracks as sure as anything. If you ever feel overwhelmed with your practice and chasing your dreams, take a step back and evaluate what you can eliminate or simplify. Scale things back to a level that feels more comfortable so that you can maintain the will power and inspiration to continue. It can feel frustrating when things aren’t moving as quickly as you like, but patience and persistence are just part of the process so try to embrace them whole heartedly, and always be evaluating your balance so that you aren’t feeling overloaded. If you are, you are likely doing too much at once and will need to balance things out a bit.
One of the last parts that I would like to encourage you to do is to celebrate your wins, even the small ones. There is nothing like results and progress to keep you motivated and moving forward. Let’s face it, learning and growing is hard work which is exactly why we aren’t always successful. It takes time and commitment to really shift your mindset and to weave this into your way of being in the world, but let me ask you this, wouldn’t you rather be trying to reach for your dreams with the time that you do have here?
I believe in you, and I want you to catch your fireflies. I want you to feel the pride of holding them close and realizing that they were always within your reach. Accept the fact that they won’t be easy to catch, but never doubt your ability to find them and catch them, they would love nothing more than to be held by you! This reminds me of a wonderfully poignant Rumi quote that I have always loved, “what you seek is seeking you”.
Until next time, never underestimate the power you have within you, and keep growing inward.
