Your Most Sacred Resources
A resource is a source of supply, support, or aid. It connotes a sense of innate wealth. Some are finite, others are renewable. And all of us have them.
I believe each of us is born with three distinctly sacred resources. They are:
Your Body Your Time
& Your Attention
Think about it. Every living being on this planet has a body. It’s the way you know you are here. Every living being on this planet has time. No one knows how much time they have. But on any given day we all have exactly the same 24 hours. And every living being has attention. Everyone can bring their attention to an object or experience and hold it there. Some people are better at attention than others, but we all have it.
Let’s look deeper.
Your Body
Think about your body. It is your vehicle for life. Your heart beats. Your breath breaths you. Your hormones and neurotransmitters create chemical changes. And your body takes that salad you just ate and turns it into energy without you even having to think about it. Your body is amazing.
And, your body is a non-renewable resource. When your body wears out you don’t get to jump ship to a new one. Well, not in this lifetime. That means it’s a finite resource. With a finite resource your task is to become a great stewart of it.
When you think of your body this way, it makes sense to give it what it needs. Giving yourself sleep, healthy food, joyful movement and kind thoughts are all ways of tending the sacred resource of your body. Even if your body has never been 100% healthy - you can still extend loving care to the one body you DO have. When you care for your body, you extend your life and you extend the quality of your life.
Your Time
Your time is also a non-renewable resource. You get 24 hours to spend each day. But once that day is finished it’s done, you don’t have a time machine to go back for a do-over.
For me, awareness of time brings up a kind of uncomfortable guilt around not spending all of my days well, or for wishing some days to be over when my children were small. By calling your attention to your 24 hours I’m not trying to shame you into become an overachieving maniac who never gives in to tough days. There are definitely days that are better when they’re over.
But are there ways that you’re spending your time that don’t honor how sacred it is? Examples could be mindless scrolling on Social Media (it is completely addictive, I know), or giving up your only day off to help someone who doesn’t actually need or appreciate your help.
You don’t get your days, weeks, months, or years back. What if you spent them doing more and more of the things you love? Over time you’ll build a life you love.
Your Attention
When I talk about your attention I’m talking about wherever your mind is at any moment. Are you even paying attention to your life as you live it? Or are you ruminating, worrying, off doing other mental tasks instead of being fully present to where you are when you’re there?
A lot of our culture seems bent on grabbing your attention and trying to distract you. Click Bait, incessant email marketing, dramatic news headlines … they all take you out of wherever you are in the moment. Unfortunately, it may be a long time before you come back and then only for seconds. It’s rough on your nervous system and can put you in high alert all the time.
The good news is that attention is a renewable resource. That means you can actually grow your attention. The more you grow and strengthen your attention the more you have. Meditation is the basic template for growing attention. But you can also practice bringing your mind back to where ever you are and whatever you’re doing again and again ….. and again.
When you are attentive you are fully present. Your nervous system calms down - unless it needs to react. And you feel more clear and effective with whatever you’re doing. Strong attention makes it easier to care for the other resources of your time and your body. Perhaps even more fulfilling, when you give your full attention to another person and deepens and grows your relationships.
Attention adds depth to your life. It means that you don’t miss your life because your mind is off in a foggy dream.
I believe your Body, your Time, and your Attention are your most sacred resources. For them to be optimal they need care and nurturance. Without that care they become depleted and they wither away. Depleted resources can’t provide you the support, aid or wealth they are meant to provide.
I think you are an intuitive and intelligent person. When I invite you to care for your resources I believe you know exactly what to do. You know exactly what will be right for YOU to help yourself. I know that with loving care, your body, your time and your attention can become the greatest building blocks for your life.
Now I’d love to hear from you, leave a comment in the space below. Which of these three resources could use the most care in your life right now? What action step will you take to support that resource? Do you have another idea of a most sacred resource?
Having trouble tending your resources? Let’s set up a coaching call to talk it through. Or join me in a yoga class sometime soon to use your time and attention to care for your body.