Comments on: Having drive and being driven.

By: Alana

Alana — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:38:29 +0000

Lindsey – I’m catching up on your blog (not commenting much as there are always so many – you are well read and well loved!). Your “Begin Again” reminds me of a book on therapy and mindfulness I read while doing my MA – “Back to One”. The language isn’t so important – although yours is lovely – it’s that concept – whew. Begin Again. Back to One (the number, when counting to 10 meditatively, consciously, letting go of the counting when thoughts push their way in, going back to one). The practice of it can be immensely challenging and yet, I find it so worthwhile.

By: Privilege of Parenting

Privilege of Parenting — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:50:54 +0000

Quite agree. The hamster-on-a-wheel-brain is very hard to stop from running to nowhere, however, which is why breathing deeply and with mindfulness will take us to the present moment better than any thought. Then we can just meditate on the carrot dangling on the stick and neither desire it, nor fear being left out and never getting it… then we are free. Once we get this, we are free to drive or be driven and just enjoy the ride. As Leonard Cohen, a guy whose been on this drive and driven question for a good long time, sings, “If you want a driver, climb inside or if you want to take me for a ride, you know you can… I’m your man.”

By: Strata Chalup

Strata Chalup — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:01:50 +0000

As Buckaroo Banzai said, “Wherever you go… there you are.”

By: Belinda Munoz

Belinda Munoz — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:24:12 +0000

I can relate! I’ve been thinking a lot about this question that my son asks me everytime I buckle him in his carseat or we go for a walk or we pretend-drive: “Where are we going?” I used to love asking myself this question, consumed with achieving, improving, excelling. But lately, my focus is switching. I find myself resiting when I ponder this question because the beauty and the gift is here now. Awesome photo and post.

By: Heather of the EO

Heather of the EO — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:41:19 +0000

I love that “begin again” thing. A lot. It’s all I can do right now. And of course there is a TON of focus on being in the moment when one is in recovery. For this reason and many others, I look at recovery as a gift. We all need to be taught full acceptance of the here and now without giving much thought to the was or might be.

I wish I could master it faster…but I don’t, so I begin again

By: Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:12:39 +0000

I love this: “Starting to realize the ways that focusing on where we are going takes us away from all we have: here. now.”

The instruction to thyself, “Begin again.” Couldn’t help but hear the this echo in my own mind:

Though I lack the art
to decipher it,
no doubt the next chapter
in my book of transformations
is already written.
I am not done with my changes.
(Stanley Kunitz, from The Layers )

Transformations – large or small, they define moments of our days…

Perhaps our energy, or drive, motivation – is what keeps us fluid, moving towards and through the new beginnings, the changes. I’m working on this thought, that there is no pinnacle, it’s a continuum, this life.

By: Corinne

Corinne — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:15:52 +0000

Begin again could be my motto…
I’m not driven. I’ll be the first one to say it. I’m slowing becoming more driven… but it’s taken many years of really having little drive to finally realize “driven” is not a bad word

By: olive & hope

olive & hope — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:23:14 +0000

This spoke to me. I think that this is such a powerful concept, and something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I love “Begin Again”. And that’s the real beauty of it, if we lose track of the present moment our next chance to “Begin Again” is only a second away.

By: Shawna Cevraini

Shawna Cevraini — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:50:18 +0000

Excellent post Lindsey.

Each day is a chance to start again. I tell myself that almost every day

I posted a link to this Tim McGraw song yesterday that fits with this post also – the name of the song is Still – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5CE_metvqA

Thank you again!

By: emma

emma — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:47:54 +0000

This shot straight to my heart. Thank you for articulating a debate that I wage with myself on an almost daily basis. I, too, am transitioning into a belief that the answer is stillness rather than motion – the spinning in my head has never gotten me very far anyway while the peace that comes when the spinning stops feels so right. You have given me something with today’s message that I’ll carry a long time. Gracias!