On Building a Juicy Container for Getting Amazing Sh*t Done + Extreme Gratitude
What is the space you hold when you're working towards your big goals, and getting amazing stuff done?
This space you hold can really be seen as a container, and the way you see the container, how you tend to it and how you use it, will make a huge impact on what you're able to accomplish (and how much you enjoy the process!)
Getting amazing sh** done + mindfulness of how you get it done = fulfillment and transformation
You can really look at this as a formula.
If you don't have the mindfulness of the space you're holding, and you're not really enjoying the process, you're way less likely to enjoy the outcome too.
The container concept can be a little hard to grasp at first, but it's really pretty simple:
The container is your foundation. It's how you carry and hold and cherish your dreams and goals. It's the quality of space you hold around everything you're trying to accomplish.
If the quality of space that holds everything in your life is dark, or cluttered, confused, frantic, overwhelmed, stressed, etc... then it follows that everything inside your container will be infused with those qualities as well.
Doesn't that make sense?
Putting this to Practice in your life and work
Recently I had the honor to lead my first breathwork healing circle with a small group of friends. A couple weeks earlier we had scheduled the circle, and I had immediately felt the call to to speak about transformation and gratitude. Somehow, the two were connected, though I hadn't quite figured out how yet...
As I came to prepare for the circle in the days leading up to it, though, I came to see that gratitude, transformation and getting amazing sh*t done were all completely tied together.
Let me explain...
Work is the great vehicle of transformation in my life
It's also the area I'm challenged the most.
Because my work is focused on supporting people in getting amazing sh** done, and accomplishing their big dreams above all, it is by nature highly transformational in all aspects. It's also really challenging work, because I've pushed myself to the limits of my own beliefs about what I'm capable of, and then continued to push way past them.
Not just true with my work though:
When you're working towards accomplishing your big goals and you start to see the progress unfolding, take the time to witness what's happening. Drop into the flow and let yourself get swept into the current, because the surge of transformative energy can be Huge.
This surge of energy is what will carry you past your own self-limiting beliefs, the challenges you face, and the difficulties of the work itself.
Focusing on the surge of energy that feels good -- and the aspects of the work that really bring that good feeling to you the most -- that's what will keep carrying you forward. Past the doubts. Past the challenges. Past all the self-limiting Bullsh*t that other people will gladly help you heap on yourself and your dreams.
So, keeping the space to cultivate that container mindfully, and then cultivating...
Extreme Gratitude as the fuel for your vessel
I want to offer a different view of gratitude than you might be used to.
Gratitude in this view moves way beyond mere thankfulness. I call it "Extreme Gratitude."
Extreme Gratitude means you not only feel grateful, and express your gratitude, but you also connect with the source of gratefulness inside you, and let that infuse your entire essence in the expression of your gratitude.
It's like the difference between eating and appreciating an orange, or being fed fresh juicy oranges by your lover on a bed of orange blossoms in a field of orange trees, in between passionate sessions of orange-infused love-making...
That's the difference between gratitude and extreme gratitude -- it runs deep, it's sensuous, and it's 100% present in it's own juiciness. This kind of extreme gratitude will fuel your container, and propel you forward in getting amazing sh*t done, because it forces you to acknowledge and be mindful of the progress you've made.
So, the container needs to be integrated into your awareness.
Merging with the Container
As you grow, and as you continue tending the container of your mission, just be aware of your own limitations and be compassionate with yourself! You are the container. You can allow yourself to merge with it (no need to actively hold it all together). Just be sure to keep tending to it regularly, and allowing the natural flow to unfold with your mindful intention.
Sometimes, you need to let it grow on it’s own as well. Let it rest, and set it down. You carry the vessel with your intention, but we’re all carried and supported by something greater than we can really grasp with our minds.
It’s like the metaphor of standing on the train with your luggage in your hands. The train is already carrying you both, you can put the luggage down! Let the train carry the baggage.
In the same way, you hold the space for your container, and you allow yourself to really merge with the essence of the container. Then you allow yourself to let up a bit on the reins, and let the real magic happen..
Seeing what's really true
What I really understood about holding that space, and merging with the container, as I was preparing for that healing circle:
As I integrate the container of all my big goals and dreams and my work and my endeavors, I merge with it, and suddenly it becomes something real, and palpable, and something which really speaks to the soul of the universe -- the larger spirit that connects us all.
Being mindful and holding that space, and understanding that the gratitude is really just a way of pulling back from deep in the forest, with your head smacked against the trees, and really SEEING and FEELING and FULLY EXPERIENCING the beauty of what you have, and who you are, and what YOU give, really. What it is that you are really giving, and what you ARE doing, even if it isn't all that you could possibly do, or the maximum absolute potential of who you are.
So, in practicing extreme gratitude, I'm feeling the overflowing sensation of love and beauty in having this opportunity to share this deep source of love express itself through these words and these teachings.
I also became really clear in that circle about what I'm most extremely grateful for:
The opportunity to share these words, and these ideas, and make a difference in the lives of others. Most of all, there is extreme gratitude for the opportunity to do this work, and to support others and also be supported by this work!
I give thanks now, and love. LOTS OF LOVE
-- and wishing you a glorious, juicy life of fulfillment, this week and Always,
What is the quality of the container you're holding right now for your aspirations, and getting your amazing sh** done? What are you feeling extreme gratitude for, when you allow yourself to drop into it..?
Reflect on these things for a moment, share this with a friend, share a comment below. With love and gratitude - :)