I know there are SO many things I do that make my life harder: worrying, stressing about things that have not happened yet (that might never happen!), getting too attached, overthinking, being resistant, self criticism, the list goes on! Life IS full of challenges and we all face truly tough times and difficult situations. This is not to invalidate that or dismiss our emotions. This month's mantra is a reminder that we can control our own actions and reactions and to try and let go of the things we may be doing that could be making our lives a little harder than it needs to be.
I live with ease.
I move with ease.
I love with ease.
I give with ease.
I accept with ease.
What if we let go of the things that no longer serve us?
What if we physically relax--exhale, drop our shoulders, unclench our jaws--and move a little easier?
What if we choose to love with ease and to trust again? To not let past heartaches and decisions harden us and make us weary?
What if we always gave generously, with no second thoughts or judgements?
What if we easily and freely accepted the positive things that come our way, because we truly believe we deserve good things?
For the artwork I decided to go with something that felt easy and stress-free to match the mantra. Just making this decision took the pressure off and this idea immediately came to mind (whereas sometimes it can take me a long time / feels difficult to come up with a concept for the mantra artwork!)
I started off by taping a border on my sketchbook page as well as 5 horizontal lines across the page. I added watercolor to the exposed parts of the page--choosing random colors and letting them move around and mix--and let it dry. Then I removed all the tape and in the white spaces, added in each line from the mantra in pencil. (I'll be sharing a short process video soon on TikTok & IG.) If you have these supplies, I highly recommend trying this process! Feel free to write the mantra above or whatever words you feel connected to.
While creating this piece, I realized that “easy” has a negative connotation for me--like doing less is bad or lazy, that I should be more aspirational. But you know what? There's nothing wrong with doing less--it makes room for what we want to do more of!
A few more words and ideas on ease:
IF BEING HARD ON YOURSELF WORKED, IT WOULD HAVE WORKED BY NOW! Read more from Lindsay over on the #The100DayProject Newsletter --I really enjoyed this post!
What is meant for you will always find you. Even in hard times, I truly believe this.
From Ali Abdaal's LifeNotes newsletter about living in “Difficult World” or “Easy World”: A Simple Phrase That's Changing How I Think About Life
Which line in the mantra resonates with you the most?
Wishing you some ease and space in your days ahead.