The Power of “S.T.O.P.”

Life has a way of getting highly intense, busy, chaotic and out of control at times. Would you agree? It’s just the nature of the human condition, I guess…

Well the other day my life hit that moment! Then in the midst of all the tears, as well as the “overwhelm”, negativity and powerlessness that I was feeling, I heard a still, small voice that said quite simply, “Stop”. So that is what I did.

S- Square up, get silent and let go… My Basketball Coach used to tell me, “Square Up, you can’t shoot on the fly! Square up and face the basket, get planted, and then shoot the ball.” All I could hear is Mr. Dreier’s voice, and suddenly it made so much sense…STOP, face my target, get centered, be silent and let it go…regardless of the outcome! If I do this, I will have done all that I can do and the rest is no concern of mine. Besides that, if I do this, the likelihood of me hitting my target and scoring are very high…much higher than if I try to shoot on the fly!

T- Take back control of my time…For months I have been saying that I am so busy and my schedule is so full. Then I asked myself, “Who controls my schedule? Who controls my time?” Wow, I do! That means that I can take back control of my time. And since time is life…that means I can take back control of my life! Yay!!!!

O- Open my eyes to a new way of seeing and doing things…This is not always easy. Why not? Because it means that I have to trust in a power and a perspective greater than my own. Just the thought of that seems so refreshing, but getting to the point of being willing to surrender to it, is another story. For some reason, that refreshing feeling seems to be expressed best with a deep breath. It feels so full-filling and full of inspiration now that I have stopped to take it all in!

P- Prepare for what’s coming…The greatness that lies ahead of me. And not just somewhere out there, but right now…the next step!

Oh my goodness, what a lesson it has been…one that I am still learning! The power of stopping can save your life! Think about it the next time you stop before entering a busy intersection. Without a stop, there could never be a GO. Perhaps this is why they call a traffic light, a stop light and not a go light. The going is easy, the stopping is not.

I think about a World-Class Runner…before they run…. First they stop, get down on their knee and take a deep breath. Perhaps this is the beginning of becoming a Champion!

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes people can get stuck in the stop. This is also very dangerous. If you stop too long at a time and place when you should be moving, you may get rear-ended! Remember that you were innately designed to move and without action, you will get nowhere in life! It’s very difficult to steer a parked car and even harder to follow one that is not moving…so choose who you will follow and choose how and when you will move!

Music is music because of the pauses between the notes. There is a certain rhythm to life…and once you find yours, you will be powerful and the harmony of your life will be infinitely unstoppable!


Healthfully yours,
Dr. Shannon
www.drshannonspeaks.com
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