READ 12 Incantations for a Centered Life
Over the course of several weeks I’ll be providing a series of posts that will help you stay calm and centered in 2022. These posts are based on two of my books, Redesign Your Mind and Ten Zen Seconds. To learn more about the techniques I’ll be describing, please take a look at those two books.
In my last post, I shared how folks were using Incantation 3, “I do my work,” to both center themselves and get their tasks done. In this post, I want to share more stories from coaching clients and study participants about how they put Incantation 3 to use.
From Kristen:
“I think it’s important to put one’s intentions ‘out there.’ It’s also frightening; no more pussyfooting around. I’ve been using Incantation 3 to name my writing, my desire to stay calm, and recovering my creativity. I’m in the beginning stages of all these things and need some self-encouragement. I can see also not letting people’s opinions bug me so much as work that I might want to consciously name, since I get very down after critique sessions at my writers’ group.
“I’m not at all accustomed to carefully naming my work. In fact, I’m finding that I’m very squeamish. I’m afraid that instead of bringing me to my work, I’ll get bombarded with all kinds of things that’ll try to keep me from it, almost like the universe is testing me and ‘daring’ me to slog through the garbage in my mind before I can get to my work. I guess I’m expecting the universe to teach me how to swim by tossing me into rough water, so I try to keep my intentions secret so that the universe can’t torture me. It sounds silly, but there it is. Maybe one of the next things I’ll name as my work is to get rid of those destructive expectations. I’m sure that they are holding me back.”
The process of consciously naming your work may lead you to a self-exploration like Kristen’s. You may find that you don’t know what your work is, that you have so much work that you don’t know where to start, or that you don’t feel equal to any of your tasks and therefore don’t want to name anything and ‘pin yourself down.’ So, you can see how this centering technique can provoke some anxiety! That’s all right: if these have been problems for you, you’ve been living with plenty of anxiety for a long time already. Trust that the way through is the way out: by facing your anxiety now and learning to name and do your work, relief and calm will follow.
From Lori:
“I’m finding Incantation 3 excellent. It’s very helpful to focus and make a conscious decision about what I intend to do. It seems so much better than just spreading energy out there in scatter-shot fashion. Since I’m dealing with depression, anxiety, and now a possible medical threat, I choose: (I am centered) (whole, well and strong). I’d like to name work like writing, journaling, calligraphy, poetry, or gardening, but right now I think I need to use this step more as a coping strategy. I’ve used other practices to help with my exhaustion and depression but this is more specific and, I think, better.”
The way Lori has made use of Incantation 3 is positive proof of the value of ten-second centering. By customizing Incantation 3 in a certain way, she has produced a powerful affirmation that supports her in her most important tasks, healing from depression, anxiety, and illness. Naming your work is not just about getting the garage straightened up, it is about working to heal yourself and make yourself whole.
From Deb:
“The idea of naming my work stopped me at first. I didn’t know what to say. Your suggestions really helped me put the words together. It also showed me how flexible I could be with the phrases I choose. I’ve tried ‘I am rested and creative’ and ‘I am recovering my health and creativity.’ I have been sick lately and need to get my rest and still create my art pieces. I’ve also tried ‘I am calm and strong,’ ‘I can pace myself,’ and ‘I can be calm and creative.’ At first it made me nervous to have to ‘name work’ that sounded so serious and difficult. Then with your examples I saw I could choose phrases that actually made it easier for me to get through the day.”
Naming work is not the same as making work for yourself! It is a way to guide yourself calmly and peacefully through the day as you intentionally name how you want to feel and what you’d like to tackle. As Deb learned, using Incantation 3 makes it easier to get through the day, not harder, even though it is a “work naming” incantation.
From Mary:
“This process of naming work reminds me a little of a ‘positive affirmations process’ I went through a few years ago that involved consciously naming and refining a state of being or course of action that I wanted to undertake. I would tape the idea, complete with some sort of imagery, to the bathroom mirror, and while I brushed my teeth in the morning I would try to see myself in that situation or state of mind. But that technique didn’t really take hold and I see that I haven’t been carefully naming my work on a regular basis in recent months. Actually, I’ve been spending far too much time scurrying around paying no attention to my internal processes.
“It’s good that I’ve started using ten-second centering and Incantation 3 especially. Recently I found working in a very difficult job situation. In retrospect, I understand that the people were crazed and cruel, that the work was ill-defined, that the expectations were impossible, that the leadership was poor-to-nonexistent, and that I was drowning in that system. It’s amazing how much more energy I have now that I have left that horrible place! So, this is the perfect time to pay attention to naming the work that I want to accomplish now that I am free of that environment.”
Maybe your work is stressful. Maybe your work is crazy-making. Then the work that you’d name when employing Incantation 3 might be “(I am growing calm) (despite everything)” or “(I am looking) (for a new job).” Incantation 3 isn’t just for handling the next task on your to-do list. It can be an integral part of the process of living the life you intend to lead and doing the work that supports that intention.
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To learn more, please take a look at Redesign Your Mind and Ten Zen Seconds.
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