This week I've been sitting in my office each afternoon and doing what I promised myself I would do - putting pen to paper, okay well fingers to keyboard and as I write I find myself watching reruns of Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. It's a TV show which originally ran from 1993-1998 and one that I never chose to watch, mainly because back then I was probably too busy with three young children to be watching TV.
Even I can't help but see the patterns and themes in the episodes which are showing, and this more than twenty years after their creation.
This week, especially significant was a flu pandemic which wiped out half the town, and the fear and lack of understanding amongst the townspeople. Then yesterday's episode was about families starving because of the closure of the mines which were their main source of income. And then as a result a man on trial for stealing a cow to feed his family, with hanging as his punishment.
And there at the centre of it all is Dr Quinn, a female doctor in a wild frontier breaking down barriers and standing up for what she believes in - with compassion and caring.
And every afternoon I sit here and I watch it and the tears run down my cheeks. Can't even begin to understand why - other than stories always take me on an emotional journey. It's probably why I don't watch TV or movies much - I cry a lot.
My point is perhaps this, there's stories everywhere and they repeat over and over again. Similar themes, similar challenges; just with different people and in different places. That's what life is all about - challenge, solution, outcome - with a whole lot of emotion as the glue holding them all together. Happiness, fear, love, sadness.
The stories we tell ourselves and others, and the subsequent emotions and feelings we experience are at the core of who we are and what we do. Quite simply feelings inspire action - and yes I do believe I have a book to write this year on that topic. It‘s the actions we take when we're experiencing those feelings which make the difference (and yes there's a whole lot of behavioural science behind it too)
But think about this for a moment...how do you react when you're;
feeling ignored... feeling scared...
feeling happy...
feeling sad...
feeling appreciated...
feeling frustrated...
feeling angry...
feeling loved...
Maybe it's worth considering how a person might be feeling when they next act out of character or respond in a way which is not so welcome. Or better yet why do you respond in a particular way when you’re feeling a certain emotion?
So many of us push down those feelings and don’t listen to what they’re telling us and then society compounds that by teaching us that anger and fear aren’t ‘good emotions’. The thing is all emotions have their purpose, and it’s okay to be angry, it’s okay be scared. That’s part of being human. What‘s not okay is pushing down those feelings or ignoring them.
Emotions and feelings are much like a beach ball pushed beneath the water, when we keep pushing things down then eventually they’re going to burst to the surface and smack us in the face. And that’s when it hurts..
So how can you channel those emotions and feelings into propelling you forward on the right path?
Are your feelings and subsequent reactions aligned with your direction and decisions, or do they throw you off the path for a while?
You already know the answers, you have it all within you; but how do you tap into it to ensure you're moving towards the life you deserve. Need some guidance - ask me how?
Keep smiling, Fi xx