What Sustains Your Soul?
Mar 31, 2023 09:00AM ● By Deb Beroset
Have you considered what sustainability means at the most intimate level, in that beautiful and boundless ecosystem your soul occupies?
Sustainability for our Inner Ecosystems
The word sustain comes from the Latin sus, meaning “up”, plus tenere, meaning “to hold”.
Charging Our ‘Soulular’ Batteries
Lots of people direct their attention to their current mood when they’re considering their options. Haven’t we all had the moments where we ask ourselves, “Hmm, what am I in the mood for?” And the answer comes back: “Dunno…nothing, maybe?”
Mood Follows Action
The thing they forgot to teach us when we were wee sprouts was this: mood follows action.
Let’s pretend we’re looking at a map of the world on the screen of your imagination, and you’re pressing the “zoom in” button. Whoosh, we’re zooming into your neck of the woods now, and as we keep zooming in, we see you, where you’re sitting in this very minute.
We don’t stop there, we keep zooming in, and suddenly we’re in the territory of your soul—like opening the door to a secret garden—and inside that secret garden is access to everything. What kind of care and tending is going to help your inner garden thrive? What does sustainability look like there?
Sustainability for our Inner Ecosystems
The word sustain comes from the Latin sus, meaning “up”, plus tenere, meaning “to hold”.
When it comes to consciously giving our soul what it needs—a deep form of self-care—we are talking about causing and allowing ourselves to experience being both embraced and uplifted from the inside out.
Taking care of our soul in that way is extremely good for us. It has us open to new ideas and solutions. We operate from a place of love rather than fear. The most ordinary moments touch our hearts. Creativity is on high beam. We easily dip into a state of flow. We feel good.
This is not typically an overnight phenomenon, however. Just as with a garden, it takes paying close attention to what kinds of conditions are best for the life in it to be happy, growing and blooming. An attentive gardener adjusts the amount of water when a plant needs it, perhaps moves it to a sunnier spot, ensures the soil it’s growing in is rich with what it wants and needs. That’s what has a plant really take off blooming.
Of course, we are ever evolving, so what the soul yearns for evolves as well. To sustain our own thriving, we need to pay attention and adjust accordingly.
Charging Our ‘Soulular’ Batteries
Lots of people direct their attention to their current mood when they’re considering their options. Haven’t we all had the moments where we ask ourselves, “Hmm, what am I in the mood for?” And the answer comes back: “Dunno…nothing, maybe?”
But looking to our current mood for guidance on what our soul needs is getting things backwards.
Instead, try asking yourself, “How do I want to feel?” Do you want to feel connected? Taken care of? Productive? Peaceful? Happy?
Then, let your intuition guide you in terms of what shifts your energy in that desired direction. Certain activities and people give you energy, while other activities or people take energy. Make sure you give yourself the gift of people, activities and experiences that replenish your energy and charge your soulular batteries.
Even a baby step is awesome here. Just get yourself in motion with the intention of giving yourself some significant love.
Mood Follows Action
The thing they forgot to teach us when we were wee sprouts was this: mood follows action.
Let’s break this down. When you take a “soulful action”—one that’s in alignment with your soul, that’s true to you at your core—it changes your thoughts. When your thoughts change, it shifts your feelings. And voila, you’ve impacted your mood and vibe and whole outlook by taking an action that has you moving toward what makes you come alive.
You can guess how this plays out, right? With every brave, self-honoring step forward comes more confidence, more clarity, more vitality. This has you wanting and going after more.
When we showed up in this world, we didn’t come with plant nursery labels spelling out the best growing conditions for us. That’s part of our job as humans—to be present to our experience, move in the direction of what we love and to become good soul gardeners for ourselves and life.
Deb Beroset is a creative muse and mentor of delight serving and connecting soulful women with their magic and each other. She is the founder of Moxie, which offers programs, workshops, retreats and a community, Club Moxie, for women who want to live big, bold, beautiful lives. To download a free resource with 50 ideas for ways to nourish your soul, visit ItsTimeForMoxie.com/resources. See ad, page 10.
Moxie with Deb Beroset + CLUB MOXIE - NA, Marietta, GA
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