In our weekly series, we offer a little inspiration to kick off your week.
Some simple wisdom, elegant and accessible. From one soul to another.
We hope it helps you ease into your Monday.
xo

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Information Diet

“We keep waiting to be crowned, waiting for the world to judge us worthy of offering our brightest, most empowered and beautiful stuff. But that won’t happen.
Your next certification or ordination or degree will do nothing for your expression in the world until you accept how unspeakably worthy and valuable you already are to be here and share yourself with us.”
~Jacob Nordby

As I was recently contemplating the purchase of a book on Amazon, followed by an e-course from someone I greatly admire, followed by yet another free digital download designed to help me learn to organize my business (and let’s be real, get me into their sales funnel), I stopped short. Something inside told me to hold back. Wait. Breathe. Don’t push that big Buy Now button just yet. And THANK GOD I listened.

I’m a bit of an information junkie. Okay, I’m more like a professional information junkie if I’m going to be fully transparent here. I’m someone who loves online courses, e-books, degree programs, educational classes, how-to books, info-packed blog posts and magazine articles. Anything from how to become a better writer to paring down to a capsule wardrobe — it all fascinates me. I’m a sponge. I soak every single drop of knowledge out of the material and into my overly saturated brain. Much like a squirrel storing nuts in preparation for Winter.

BUT, and you totally knew there was going to be a big BUT — knowledge without action is just entertainment. And I’m guilty, oh so guilty, of consuming mass quantities of (high-quality) entertainment.

After sitting with this knowledge for awhile, that I’m a mega hoarder of knowledge, I began to unpack the particulars of why (in hopes that maybe I could shift this pattern and turn it into action). And sure enough the reasons and patterns and why’s surfaced in almost an instant. My desire to know more at its core stems from wanting to curate resources and cool finds and share them with the world. And not just any old stuff. I want to deliver to you, the things that help you become, or leave you feeling, a bit better about yourself after you engage with them.

But go even deeper, and you’ll find a more ugly reason why I love amassing loads of information in my rather average sized brain. I deeply feel that I don’t know enough. That innately I’m not enough — that my inherent worth as a human being is determined by my list of degrees / certifications / courses completed. And who are we kidding? In the digital age, it’s a never-ending vicious cycle given the endless degrees, certifications and courses available today.

This realization made me sad. Deeply sad. How could I possibly feel not good enough or smart enough? Logically I know I am. Lumosity even tells me I’m in the 94th percentile. And they’re a bunch of smarty pants researchers, so they must be right. 😉

After decades of self-inquiry, digging deep and feeling like I’m slowly but surely chipping away at the barriers that keep me stuck — I am once again faced with the reality that deep down, I still don’t trust in the fact that I have everything I need, right now, to live the life I dream of. To be happy. To be fulfilled. And to feel worthy. What am I waiting for? As I wrote in a previous post, clarity happens when it happens (not a moment sooner). I think it’s the same for self-love and worthiness. It takes conscious practice and it takes time.

And so I made a conscious decision as I sat in front of my computer, about to press BUY NOW. I chose another option. I shut down the browser tabs, closed my laptop and chose to pick up my beautiful, old and sickly fur baby, and cuddled with him for an hour. Then I put myself on an information diet.

No new courses, how-to/informational books, conferences, online programs or reading everyone else’s blog posts. I’m replacing information loading with a 15-minute daily meditation, walks outside whenever and wherever I want, cultivating my green thumb and spending as much time in the bath as I can handle.

Because the world is ready. It’s ready for me. It’s ready for you. It’s ready for us to step up, to set boundaries for ourselves, to stand in our power and get our gifts ready to share with the world. We were born ready. Sometimes we just need a little (info) diet to help us metaphorically slim down, and get us back on track.

I suspect you might resonate with this a bit. If so, I’d love to hear how you manage your own overconsumption of media and information. Share your thoughts, ideas, tips and wisdom in the comments below!

xo,