31 Keepsakes: Day 2, Keepsake #2: Be Grounded

Hi hi hi friend.

Big hugs and thank you for being here.

This is day #2 of 31 Keepsakes: a compilation of treasured keepsakes that have helped me mommy my heart, mentor my moments, and marry my life throughout my journey.

31 Keepsakes are my gifts to each of you for you to enjoy, tuck up with, savor all month long to keep that inner fire burning brightly so we can continue to outpour to others which we’re each striving to do so graciously.

***(If you’re just joining, you can enjoy the whole series too! 🙂

1. A bitta ’bout Why 31 Keepsakes

(If you want to read a bit more about my ‘why’ for the series)

2. Yesterday, we opened up Keepsake #1)

(If you want to start at the beginning and open your Keepsake #1 first, it’s so okay. Many of us like starting with #1:) ).

So just a gentle reminder for all, this first set of 10 Keepsakes is specifically focused on mommying our hearts.

A bitta ’bout Why the focus on mommy me (tweeted nuggets on twitter.com hashtag #mommyme)

Well if you’re like me, sometimes there’s pulls to fear. Sometimes the fear seems really real. Sometimes it’s just about an unknown or something we’ve never tried before.

The mommy me focus is my answer to that.

It’s my “how to” squelch fear.

I use the category “Mommy Me” because when fear is in my thought, I need the “mommy me” voice and role in my thoughts to calm me down and strengthen me and hold my heart.

Each of the “Mommy Me” Keepsakes is a way you can hold your heart and directly squelch the lure to allow fear to steamroll your life or try to obstruct, stall, procrastinate, or oust on the good you embody and are about 24/7.

MY HOPE:  That you find something that resonates with you and helps you hold your heart and mommy yourself that much more throughout your days, especially this holiday season.

Transition: Set the mood:

Let’s take a moment….to hold our hearts and hands and beings…and just take a deep breath.

What a wonder that we’re able to pause, gather, unite in thought and just be, right here in this space, online, across all borders of thought. How wonderful.

Feel welcome to light a candle or take your lappy or iphone or whatever you’re reading this post on and curl up in a fave spot like a cushion on the floor or your coziest chair.

Get comfy. And feel the right now hug of love that’s adoring you, holding your heart, and with you this very moment.

It’s so important to me that you let yourself feel love while you’re opening up the keepsakes.

So however you can create warmth and an atmosphere of cozy calm for you, please do.

Let’s open up Keepsake #2!

1. First we’ll unwrap the keepsake by learning what it is and what it means.

2. Second,  I’ll offer some images that show you what the keepsake means to me to help you visualize the meaning.

3. Third, I’ll share why I’ve chosen it. (why it helps me heal fear).

4. Fourth, I’ll offer how I use it/live it so you can start to lay or build or establish the foundation of it’s meaning.

5. Fifth, I’ll suggest a way you can begin using this keepsake for yourself..or think of this as grow your use of its meaning…become one with it (kinda like growing up:) mommying the footsteps).

6. And sixth, to tuck up your heart as you take your gift with you, I’ll give you a few gentle reminders of things to be mindful of or be alert to that would have you shelf the keepsake and not use it proactively. 🙂

So here we go…let’s untie the bow 🙂

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KEEPSAKE #2: BE Grounded

1. What it means to “Be Grounded”

I just adore cultivating the practice of being grounded.

Being grounded (see reference here) is the idea of being firmly planted, established. It’s the essence of having a strong foundation and living that.

2. Images to help you visualize the meaning. To gain a sense of this meaning, picture the root system of a huge oak tree, or visualize the foundation of a large building when you first see the foundation being created in its beginning stages.

Now surely we don’t have roots and we don’t have an actual structured foundation.

But we do have thought–where we live and dwell. And we can cultivate a practice of being grounded, or of being firmly established where it matters most: in thought.

3. Why I chose this keepsake. Baby confession: I used to dwell in “I don’t know-ville.” It was easy. Safe. And truth? I really didn’t think I knew.

You know that place.

It’s that place that says:

~ you don’t know enough to make a decision.

~you don’t know enough about whatever to own your individuality.

~you know know enough to make an informed choice. (about whatever).

Dwell in “I don’t know-ville” long enough and it opens the door to fear. Not just opens the door. It allows a tsunami of fear to govern thought instead of conviction. And when that happens? Many decisions are fear based instead of knowing based. Big difference.

But it turns out leaving “I don’t know-ville” isn’t so hard or scary after all and doesn’t in fact happen all at once.

🙂 Relief, huh? for those of us who fear change on any level. 🙂

So practicing ‘being grounded” helps me mommy my heart in those moments when the old me would love to say “I don’t know.”

4. The “How” to Be Grounded: Being grounded is not something you’re gonna master overnight. But you can begin now to get clear on your why…for everything. Your why for being, your why for all that you adore and love. Your why for every choice you’re making. In fact, I find this so true time and again. To the degree I practice knowing my why, or being grounded, this mindset shuts the door on anything in thought that consents to doubt, distrust, or not decide. All of these tendencies have a way of bringing on the fear.

Being grounded is vital in squelching fear. Being grounded is a strength that comes from within. When you know who you are, what you are about, and your why, being grounded helps you squelch fear that says you don’t, or you’re not sure.

(*If you are feeling your heart sink or find yourself thinking “I have no idea who I am or what I am about” and you want to, I’m here for you to help you learn just that. Be in touch with me. Leave a comment below or send an email to tre at thought by thought dot net. It’s vital you do have a sense of who you are and what you are about).

How I practice Being Grounded:

Being grounded doesn’t settle for “I don’t know.” It takes holds your heart, takes your hands, rolls up your sleeves and invites you ‘to know‘ to figure out whatever the ‘it’ is so you can know.

Being grounded helps you see that knowing is possible.

Being grounded affirms “I am clear. I am wise. I do know.”

Being grounded acknowledges “I may not know now, this moment, but I can and I will.”

Being grounded knows what are our needs and wants, our reasons, our preferences.

Being grounded never apologizes for those reasons and purposes. Period. 🙂

Being grounded can giggle when she looks back at what she owned and think ‘what the heck?” but is tender and gentle (remember Keepsake #1? 🙂 ) with her heart cuz she owned something and didn’t vacillate.

5. Tip: How You can Practice Being Grounded

The next time you feel yourself say ‘I dunno’ esp if it’s a question about what you want, get grounded.

Insist on knowing. Insist on finding the clarity to know.

Of course that can be inner dialogue. But being grounded stakes a claim and owns it.

Being grounded knows that any decision for the right now is just about that: the right now.

So practice that. Combine Keepsake #1 (Be Gentle) with Keepsake #2: Be Grounded and invite yourself to go master something right now — gently — that you find yourself saying “I don’t know” about.

You do know.

6. What to watch while practicing Being Grounded: there’s a click out there that relishes the land of “I don’t know.” They think it’s wonderful to let others decide their why. They cling to others to define their reason for being, their individuality. They look to big names knowns to show them the way. They probably would give up that following if they knew they had the right to Be Grounded.

Watch out for their lures. It can feel like you are often on your own in this endeavor to be grounded.

But you aren’t.

I for one am here.

Others have done this and are doing this.

Do whatever it takes to feel connected with those who are striving to live this too.:) But know you are not ever alone and this endeavor is not ever foolish or a waste of time.

Owning your thought and individuality will never ever ever be a waste of time. Promise. 🙂

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Whoosh. Thank you. Thank you for opening up this second Keepsake together.

I’m hugging you hugely for sharing these moments and thanking you from the bottom of my heart for investing in your heart this way.

So…let’s tuck up with knowing we are each owning our right to mommy our hearts and we will strive to go practice being grounded over the next 24 hours.

I can’t wait to gather right back here tomorrow night and give you Keepsake #3. Til then, know you can come back here any time and offer what resonated for you about this process or about how you’re using the keepsake and any other feedback. 🙂 But I gotta just hug you for being here. So this is me doin just that. 🙂 Hugs.

Here’s to being gentle (keepsake #1) and being grounded (keepsake #2).

So much tender love and hugs,

Tre ~