One morning, I was wavering back and forth — should I stay home and work from my office or venture out to work from Starbucks? I ended up following my gut and headed out to the nearby Starbucks.
I sat down with my coffee and settled into my “office”. Before long, an elderly gentleman sat across from me and placed the book “Conversations with God” by N. Walsh on the table. The book was full of pencilled scribbles, tags and post-it notes. Curious about this human being, I greeted him, and we spoke briefly. After our short exchange, he devoted himself to his book, and I devoted myself to my writing.
When You’re in the Moment and Forget Everything Around You
Whilst still at the coffee shop, we received a brief visit from a young mother with her little daughter, who was beaming like the sun and turning our “office” upside down for an hour. It was an enjoyable and welcome distraction that relaxed and inspired me. After we said goodbye, it was time for the second round of coffee.
You know that feeling where you are absorbed in your work, and you don’t even notice your neck is tense, your bladder full, and your foot has fallen asleep? At some point, the calls of the body are so loud that you have to bring your attention back to yourself. That is precisely what had happened to me. I was so in the writing flow that I had completely forgotten the time and my body.
The elderly man sitting across noticed that I was sliding back and forth in my chair, desperately needing a refresher and a stretch. Without further ado, he asked me to get up. He explained that we would do energy taps — a common technique used in Japan to get the energy flowing. He radiated so much peace and warmth that I merely followed his request.
Stay In the Flow
As a Feng Shui consultant, I know the impact of stagnant energy flow on your health, personality and success. So, I stood in the middle of the central Munich Starbucks (which is very busy at lunchtime) and allowed myself to give in to the energy tapping! The gentleman began knocking my back, arms, hands, legs and finally, my head. He kept saying, “Let go and forget what others think. It’s about your energy.” The more he repeated it, the more I relaxed and enjoyed the invigorating kick he was gifting me.
After only a few minutes, I sat in my chair again and looked the man in the eye – he said. “So, now it’s better! Just keep writing; a lot is coming. “And he turned back to his book.
If I had not seen the faces of the other coffee drinkers, who were still looking at us with amazement and raised eyebrows, I would have been sure I had a short nap and dreamed the whole thing. But the judging glances did not intimidate me and didn’t make me blush. I felt so free because I didn’t care what anyone thought! It was an incredible feeling of freedom, peace and balance.
You may be wondering why I am telling you this story …
I want you to stop caring about what others think or say! Imagine you have a great idea that you want to bring to the world, and while this idea germinates and slowly comes to life, a voice in your head immediately announces. “You can’t do that. What will people say?!” That phrase throws you off balance and suddenly out of the game and poisons the tiny seedling in the earth.
So next time that voice of self-doubt or judgment creeps in, think about whether you want to spoil your new idea, vision or venture – all because of the opinions of others.
I’ll leave you with this thought and wish you many wonderful and exciting new ideas!