If -practice makes perfect,-

If “practice makes perfect,” what exactly are we perfecting each day?

Check out this short video {2:30} about habits… and how we can start changing them!


Autobiography In Five Short Chapters

Chapter I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

 Chapter III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit… but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

 Chapter IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V

I walk down another street.

– Portia Nelson

Path to BeachGorgeous — and so true, right?

What we practice, we get good at — and we are ALWAYS practicing something!

The holes we fall into are our triggers — the things that set us off, that launch us into an unthinking, unskillful, habitual reaction that leaves us lost. It’s probably something we’ve practiced many times.

Can you identify your triggers, the holes you fall into?

What “sets you off”? We often can notice our triggers by paying attention to our bodies — what makes your heart race and your stomach churn? What makes you sweat? What makes you dizzy?

If we pay attention closely, we can begin to see the holes in the path ahead of us, before we get to them. We can begin to detect the warning signs that we’re about to get triggered.

What are your warning signs? What happens just before you enter flip-out, freak-out mode?

Think about the times when you’ve fallen into the hole. What did you do? Did you blame others? Did you tell yourself it wasn’t your fault? “Fault” may be a loaded word, but can you take responsibility for your reaction? Can you identify the moment when you had a choice to act differently?

“I still fall in… it’s a habit… but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.”

Becoming more aware — practicing mindfulness — can help us open our eyes. We know where we are. We recognize our habits and patterns.

We begin to avoid the holes. We take a deep breath, and instead of falling into the trap, we walk around it.

And then, one day…

“Chapter V

I walk down another street.”

Can you envision the other streets you could walk down? What would that look like?

I encourage you to take some time today to pay attention to what you are practicing. Are you practicing distraction and worry? Or are you practicing awareness? Can you see the holes? Can you walk around them?

Transformation begins with awareness… and finding a new street altogether.

In Brilliant Mindful YOU! you’ll learn all about how to recognize your emotional and behavioral patterns, and how to incorporate mindful pauses into to your day so you can develop more skillful habits. You’ll learn how to manage your stress, deal with strong emotions, and cultivate awareness and compassion.


I envision the work we do in this course being a bit like dusting off a lightbulb, removing the layers of mind traps and stories and habitual reactions that have accumulated on the surface due to a lifetime of conditioning and busy-ness. As we carefully and gently polish the delicate lamp, previously blurry areas of our lives come into focus. Our vision and awareness expand. The light shines brighter. We shine brighter.

I’d love for you to join us in the next session of Brilliant Mindful YOU! starting in September 2015!

light bulb photo credit: Lightbulb Variation 1 via photopin (license)