Clean Slate

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t need a clean slate every now and then. Whether it involves a negative relationship, a business venture gone poorly or personal reflection – at some point in our lives we all come to a place where we simply need a fresh start with a new outlook.

While we may extend an olive branch of forgiveness easily to those we love, some of us are stingier with that offering when it comes to ourselves, our own personal mistakes, perceived flaws and past indiscretions.  And so we emotionally and mentally flog ourselves saying things in our internal dialogue we would never dream of saying to a stranger, let alone a close friend.

A clean slate begins with awareness. If I continually “feel” like I am beating myself up but not taking charge of those emotions by calling them out and taking ownership of my self-loathing thoughts – how can I take the next step to forgiveness?  Catching yourself giving into negative self-talk is going to be challenging, especially if your inner bully is on auto-pilot. Change always begins with awareness. As you become more mindful of your own thoughts and how poorly you speak to yourself – you can begin to take back the controls.

A clean slate begins with acknowledging you are human. Being human means you are going to make mistakes, some small, some more damaging and embarrassing. The negative shame voices come because somehow you have convinced yourself you should be perfect – you also have the misconception that others aren’t as messed up as you are. And truthfully, those you are projecting your vision of the ideal human being on – may not have some of the same issues as you. But nevertheless, every human being, those you admire and those who you have deemed “perfect” are all human and therefore flawed.

A clean slate begins with accountability for your past, present and future.  Once you are aware of your inner dialogue and begin to take a stand against negative self-talk, you can begin to let go and move on. Understanding that you alone are responsible for your thoughts allows you to hold yourself accountable for the emotions which follow. Anger, resentment, moodiness, anxiety and irritability are all a result of what you allow yourself to dwell on.

Taking that first step of letting go allows you to begin to forgive yourself for all your shortcomings. Forgiveness will then open the door to changing your personal narrative – from dark clouds to blue skies – little by little the atmosphere will change, the more you practice.

With a fresh start every day, you can begin to love yourself and in that new found love you will naturally begin to trust yourself more and in that circle of trust you will find a perpetual “life squeegee” – giving yourself and others the sweetest gift – a clean slate.

The Zen Den

Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.