Are You Going To Take Time For You This Weekend?

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Tessa Todd Morgan

Are you going to take time for you this weekend?

What do you love to do and can you make sure you take a little bit of time to do one of the things you love this weekend?

Maybe it’s reading a book, going to the lake or looking at a body of water, having brunch with a friend, taking a nice long bubble bath, whatever the case may be, can you make a commitment to give yourself some you time this weekend?

I am going to go to a rodeo with my family because it’s a family tradition that my dad and I have been doing for about 15 years now. My mom has been to most of them with us and my husband joined us last year and he will be coming with us again this year. The fun thing is that my grandmother is going with us also. She’s never been with us, so I’m really looking forward to it!

It is such a special time of year for me when I get to do this with my family, so that is my treat to myself this weekend.

Are you willing to pick something right now that you love to do and make a promise to yourself that you will do it this weekend? When we do things we love, it can re-energize and re-juvenate us like nothing else.

Wishing you a great one and hope you have a chance to love on your family or someone special also this weekend.

Do You Really Know The People That You Are Judging?

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Tessa Todd Morgan

Do you really know the people that you are judging?

As I was getting some work done at a coffee shop today, I was reminded of this quote by Abraham Lincoln. Even though I try not to, sometimes I make judgments about people when I don’t even know anything about them.

I had an interaction with someone that I had never met before where I noticed that I began labeling them as “not very friendly” and “unhappy” and a little “rude” without knowing anything about their situation.

It’s amazing to me how much first impressions really can impact what others think of you and I was reminded of that as well. How do I come across the first time that people meet me? Am I always present and make them feel like I’m 100% with them and have them feel heard or like I see them for who they really are? I wish I could say that I do that all the time.

When I come across people that I find myself starting to judge, I try and catch myself and start to ask myself questions to get more curious about who they really are.

I’d like to challenge you to try and catch yourself the next time you find yourself judging someone to ask yourself a few questions and have compassion for what could be going on in their lives that you will never know about.

Here are a few possibilities of questions that you could ask yourself:

1) I wonder what they might have experienced in their life to have them have this type of personality?

2. I wonder what they might have going on in their life today that I am not aware of? Perhaps someone they love dearly is really sick or they could have lost a loved one recently. Maybe they lost their job and are wondering how they are going to be able to pay the bills. Or maybe an important relationship that they cherished has just come to an abrupt ending.

3. I wonder what they are yearning for in their life and not receiving or don’t know how to ask for and what kind of hurt they might be feeling as a result?

Occasionally, we get the opportunity to actually learn more about the people that we judge and sometimes it’s a shocking experience to realize the world that they are living in every day. I’ve even had experiences where once I have learned more about someone I’m actually amazed that they are able to do the thing that I was judging them for before and thinking things could be a lot worse.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend filled with love and compassion.

Vulnerability Is The Birthplace Of Innovation, Creativity And Change

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Tessa Todd Morgan

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”

“Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.”

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

– Brené Brown

I was reminded of this beautiful quote from Brené Brown this evening after I decided to have a vulnerable conversation with someone that I care deeply about. The funny thing about it is the person I was having a conversation with is the same individual that passed along this quote to me a few months ago when it was featured in one of Mastin Kipp’s “The Daily Love” articles. Mastin shares some great stuff on his blogs. If you haven’t ever heard of him, it might be worth taking a minute to check him out!

Have you ever felt like if you were to ask everyone that you know for their advice on the way you are wanting to move forward on something that they would all say whatever you do, DO NOT DO what you are wanting to do and the way you are wanting to go about doing it?

Well, that happened to me today. But, I did it anyway. And I’m so glad that I did. You see, today I decided to be totally vulnerable with someone that I care deeply about and I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but I did it anyway. I was shaking and my heart was pounding and I was so nervous about the outcome, but I did it anyway.

And you know what?! I survived. And in the end, it turned out to be such a beautiful thing and a wonderful conversation. I think that sometimes people think that we can share too much with one another and that sometimes things are better left unsaid. I believe that if something seems so important to you that you know that you will not be able to get through it without sharing, then I disagree.

As long as our vulnerabilities are coming from a place of truth and love and how it is for us vs. blaming the other person, I believe it’s hard for things to go wrong. Granted the other person has to be open enough to be able to sit with you in your vulnerable state, but if they aren’t, I still believe it’s great to do it anyway so that you can see that and make a decision of whether or not that person is worth someone that you will choose to invest more time in by allowing them in to see your whole self or not.

I am committed to speaking what is true for me as embarrassing or silly that I think that it is and as scary as it may seem that someone could think that I am sharing too much information.

Is there something that you have wanted to say to someone, but you get too nervous or feel too vulnerable to go towards that particular conversation? I’d like to encourage you to do it anyway. And even if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way you had in mind and if the other person isn’t open to receiving it, be proud that you put yourself out there anyway and don’t let it make you afraid to do it again.

Because you know what? One of these days you will be lucky enough to have a situation like I did this evening where the other person totally appreciates you for who you are and is thankful for your honesty and vulnerability. And that, my friends, can be the start of a very beautiful relationship.

Here’s wishing many beautiful conversations in the near future for each and every one of you.

I Guess I Get Embarrassed When I Cry Sometimes…

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Tessa Todd Morgan

I guess I get embarrassed when I cry sometimes. At least I did this morning.

I’ve been thinking alot about the way that we can judge ourselves in certain situations. And sometimes we can be our own worst critic. We’re not good enough, we could have done something better, we’re not in good enough shape, we’re weak, we’re not smart enough…and the list could go on and on.

I read an article last week about how meditating and yoga can be opportunities to observe ourselves without judgment. We have an opportunity in a yoga class or while meditating to pay attention to our thoughts and not judge them.

What if when you are in a yoga class and your body starts shaking uncontrollably for no reason that you could just be with it vs. thinking about how weak you might be in that moment or how out of shape you think you are?

I was meditating tonight and purposely didn’t judge myself when my mind wandered. I just went back to thinking about my breath and didn’t allow myself to go to the judgments of thinking that I could be a better meditator if my mind didn’t wander so much.

I typically don’t get embarrassed when I cry. I think crying can be a beautiful release and for me it usually seems like I’m one step closer to getting to where I want to be after it happens. It’s a way to see areas that might need our focus and possible changes we need to make or things we can choose to work on if we think they are important enough.

I cried this morning and I was very aware at how embarrassed I was and how stupid I felt about why I was crying. Part of it was because I was crying in front of someone that I care deeply about and that I care what they think about me.

The more embarrassed that I got, the more frustrated I became and I even started to become angry at myself.

This afternoon when I had time to sit and be quiet and still with myself and my thoughts, I decided to cut myself some slack and just realize that I was feeling exactly what I was feeling and that was exactly what I needed to feel at that moment and that is totally fine.

The more I judged myself this morning, the more frustrated I became and I began to dwell on something that wasn’t even actually reality. Had I allowed myself to just feel what I was feeling and express it without judgment, the tears would have stopped sooner and I would have been alot more loving towards myself and the other person involved in the conversation.

What is judging yourself costing you? Communication? Honesty? Joy? Peace? Love? Living your life to your fullest potential?

I encourage you to challenge yourself and try and listen to and observe yourself without judgment and be ok with what you are feeling as you feel it. Observe it, take action or decide not take action based on that information and then let it pass. I think you will be surprised at what can open up for you.

I hope you all experience some form of joy, peace and love in the next few days to come.

“The highest form of human intelligence is to observe yourself without judgment.” – Krishnamurti