It is a beautiful spring day today, yet I feel a sense of heaviness as I begin to write. I am aware that I have not sent a newsletter since December and a guilty “behind” feeling comes with my awareness. You see, in December I decided to change the format of my writing from a monthly newsletter to a blog that would be more accessible to others. If you’re having trouble seeing the connection, stick with me.

As many baby boomers, I have arrived late to the social media party (in fact, I’m not even sure I’m through the door), and have a rather steep learning curve to navigate.  And because I actually like new learning challenges, I assume I will create this new format myself rather than resourcing a professional. I also conclude that because of this learning curve it is going to take a significant amount of time so I must have several uninterrupted hours to dedicate to even begin. I bet you’re starting to see the problem.

When I did consider beginning the task my mind chattered, “this is going to be a lot of work, maybe I should just do what I’ve been doing; I don’t have time for this right now; what if I can’t figure it out?”  My anxiety over my lack of competence led to negative predictions about my experience and became an obstacle to moving forward.  Predictions of any kind keep us focused on the future and not open to our present experience, which is often quite different.

That you are reading this blog post is evidence of overcoming my inertia. And, not surprisingly, what I found is that It’s Not That Bad After All!  Despite my negative predictions, I found that in little more than a lunch hour I read the tutorial, set up a blog page and was ready to post.  I still have lots to learn about widgets and comments, but I now have one foot through the door. 

What are you putting off in your life?  It may not be social media; maybe its taxes, spring cleaning or “the talk” you want to have with a family member. Whatever it is, we can move beyond our self-imposed obstacles by recognizing the source of our anxiety and letting go of the negative predictions it generates. When we stay present and open to our experience we usually find it’s really not that bad after all and it may be better than we could have imagined.

My hope is that this blog will allow me to stay more connected and to be of service to those near and far.