Blog #614: The Life of a Professional Yo-Yoer

Ever feel as if your life
is tied to a string…

And you’re the Yo-Yo?

Up.
Down.

Rising
Falling.

______

Been there?

It happens.

Especially…

When we allow what happens outside us…

to “up-and-down” the happiness level inside us.

Feel happy.

Feel sad.

Think positive.

Think bad.

As the day’s direction goes…

So often travels our mood.

______

This past week…

Within TWO short minutes…

I received TWO messages with very different themes.

#1: A response to my Tweet on Twitter:

“hey man you ever put some shit like this on my timeline again and i’m gonna melt the skin off your body”

After getting big eyes reading that, I opened my email and read this:

#2: An Australian reader’s response to my blog:

Hello Shawn,

This one line was exactly what I needed to read right now:

‘Don’t make the mistake of thinking you get tomorrow.’

Thank you for more soul deepening wisdom. I first discovered you via one of your books that I found on a thrift shop shelf about six years ago, as I did other great authors like Wayne Dyer and Catherine Ponder.

I am grateful for your contribution to my life.

Kind regards

Brett

As goes the events, minutes and emails of the day…

so we go up-and-down.

______

Yo-Yoing.

It starts when…

The news of the day is bad.

The news of the day is good.

Our awesome effort goes unnoticed.

Our awesome effort is extra appreciated.

The negative person brings us down…again.

The positive person takes us up…again.

The “up-and-downs” continue when…

The person we hoped to call never calls.

The person we hoped to call does.

The customer is pissed with our answer.

The customer is overjoyed with our help.

Our team loses.

Our team wins.

Feel it much?

Up.

Down.

Rising.

Falling.

It’s impossible to be involved in life…and NOT feel it.

BUT…

Being engaged with life doesn’t mean being controlled by it.

______

How do we cut the string?

1. Be aware that we’re tied to it.

Start rising and falling emotionally TOO much…and it’s obvious we’re tied to the string. Chances are good we’re ON the string because we’ve allowed the actions and words of others to keep playing over and over in our heads.

We STOP the up-and-down when we STOP the over-and-over.

2. Tie the string to the pier.

To tether runaway emotions, what do I do?

I focus on breathing.

It’s the new pier to which I anchor tired thoughts and feelings.

Feel my breath.

Hear my breath.

Hold my breath.

Push my breath.

When breath becomes my focus…I don’t feel the string.

3. Dance on the pier.

Nothing changes our emotions better than doing something we love.

“What do you love to do?”

KNOW what makes you happy.

Do what you KNOW every day.

Simple stuff.

It’s from the inside that happiness grows and lives longer.

______

So yeah…

Our lives are often…

Up.

Down.

Rising.

Falling.

As if on a string.

Every day…

We decide how long we stay tied to the emotional rise-and-fall swing.

We decide whether or not being a professional Yo-Yoer is our go-to thing.

Me?

I deserve more than a life-on-a-string existence.

And I’m positive YOU do, TOO.

Cut the dang string.

S.