How To Reduce Your Stress By Creating A New Context
Let's begin by specifying what context is. The dictionary defines it as the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place.
Consider your own surroundings. Do they support you in achieving your goals and getting ahead or do they sabotage or require an enormous effort to get you unstuck instead?
Imagine you live in the arctic and trying to grow avocados. A tough ask especially when there are probably easier things to grow than avocados as a start, so no arguments about the awaiting struggles ahead. In fact, I would venture to say it’s probably a futile exercise and a waste of your time, unless of your course you erect a green house and start creating ideal climatic conditions to plant and grow your avocados. Sounds like hard work.
This would require continuously nurturing of your seeds into seedlings, which will (hopefully) someday - with a load of effort and a great deal of luck - grow into mature plants and bear fruit. You need good soil at a minimum as is the case for most plants, fruits and vegetables, ideal climatic conditions, good irrigation and the right fertiliser to take care of the nutrients in the soil or avoid deficiencies, pests or diseases. Let's be honest, these plants are more likely to fail at reaching maturity or may never bear fruit. And who knows how long this process will take.
Now imagine you live in the tropics and you want to grow those avocados. Sounds easier already. I’m not a farmer so my avocado growing skills are sketchy at best but I do know a few things about growing food and plants that produce food and provide nourishment, joy and beauty. We may argue and say that deficiencies, pests and diseases can occur in any circumstances but an ideal climate may go a long way to get out of the starting blocks. Much easier to sow seeds without erecting a greenhouse especially when you can kick back and watch them grow and prosper in good weather :)
What Is Context?
You can either be in a state of flow and creativity that pays dividends or lose yourself, the goal and the dream in all the grind and dread.
Context is also the vessel in which we hold our thinking and feeling, so it can be empowering or toxic and is always a choice.
When creating contexts in your life that support your thriving and motivates you to take action, harmony, providence and ease enter through the front door while excuses, disappointment and negativity exit out the back.
You become one with your surroundings and you don’t need to set up checks and balances to keep you honest. No alarm clocks or drill sergeant anywhere in sight. You feel energised, motivated and excited to create.
No more living on “hopium” - in the hope that things will get better when they seldom do.
And did I mention that everything begins to feel really easy?
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