A Harsh, Unfriendly Reminder

Where are you at with reminders?

Do you love them/loathe them or feel indifferent?

In our home, the word reminder conjures up different experiences for different people. I thought it would be fun to do a little dissection and share it with you. There are three points that come to mind.

Reminders Point #1

Our beloved almost-14-year-old son Oakley loathes the word reminders. Why? Because our expectation for our kids is to do a daily meditation and daily energy routine. Altogether it takes about 10 minutes and Oakley has an intense resistance to this agreement. (Probably because he never really agreed to it…) Nonetheless, as parents, we insist that it’s very important to connect with the higher self/silence every day by meditating and to decrease stress/increase immunity by doing the energy routine.

We also feel that it’s important to drink water first thing, brush teeth and to breathe deeply when experiencing intense emotions. Call us unreasonable but that’s where we stand. 

For most of these things, for many years, we’ve given Oakley reminders on an almost daily basis. We generally convey the reminders with endless patience and yet, he can’t stand being reminded.

To him, the word ‘reminders’ means something that he really doesn’t want because to him, it seems juvenile. We’ve said countless times that when he does the things we’ve asked without being reminded, then he won’t need reminders. A definite catch 22.

We’ve made some headway, meaning there are days when he does everything without being asked. Those are heavenly days. Other days, we remind him about every single thing and that’s when we get to practice patience and persistence. 

The main point here about reminders is if we can embrace that they’re a helpful part of life, they become incredibly helpful. If we resist them, or think they’re unnecessary, then we’re missing out on a tool that can make a difference.

Reminders Point #2

To that end, I once heard some very wise fellow somewhere say that one of the hardest parts of being an adult that he didn't get for a long time was the need to parent himself. Sorry wise fellow that I don’t know your name to credit you, but the idea stuck with me ever since. 

As kids, we have our parents to give us reminders. As an adult, all of a sudden, you don’t really have anyone helping you out in that way anymore and if you have no awareness of that, it can be a major challenge. 

The freedom of adulthood can be awesome, but it can also be overwhelming. Too much freedom can cause stress and chaos. Take a river for example. A river that has too much freedom and doesn’t have the banks to contain its energy becomes a flood. It can be the same thing for people. 

A key factor for being a successful adult is finding a way to build reminders and accountability into your life. Some people do this using day planners, reminders on phones, post it notes and other technological tools. Other people benefit from having coaches or mentors to relieve the burden of too much freedom. 

I suggest that you take a look at your life and see how you’re doing in terms of parenting yourself. Could you embrace reminders more fully? Or have you figured out how to use some tools and strategies to help your life flow smoothly and gracefully?

Personally, I’m a huge fan of reminders on my phone and in my day planner. Ever since I started using those tools diligently, I’ve been able to reduce overwhelm and gradually build in new practices and habits successfully. So for me, I love reminders.

Reminders Point #3

Once I was on a Westjet flight, back in the day when it was a small airline that prioritized human connection and being unique. It used to be so fun to take a flight with them. On this particularly memorable day, the flight attendant went through the spiel and finished with, “So, sit back, relax and enjoy the flight. Or lean forward and tense up. It’s totally up to you.”

I loved that he said that and it’s entertained me many times since then. 

When I was contemplating this message, I kept getting the title ‘A Harsh and Unfriendly Reminder’ floating through my head because usually reminder emails say something like ‘A Gentle Reminder’ or ‘A Friendly Reminder’. I wanted to be like the Westjet guy and give you the option of how you receive this reminder message. It’s totally up to you.

Here’s what I actually wanted to remind you about:

The Earlybird Discount is coming to a close at the end of today, specifically midnight mountain time, so if you’re considering joining the Energy Codes Book Study and want it for less, today’s the day to take action.

We get started this Thursday (as in 2 days from now) and go for 6 weeks. 

In addition to what I shared last week, here are 3 more compelling things that have happened in my life as a result of learning and practicing the Energy Codes:

1-Tough, intense challenges have become far more manageable because I’ve remembered to breathe through them in specific ways. I’ve also gained a tremendous understanding for why challenges even happen in the first place.

2-Things that I used to work really hard to ‘make happen’ now just fall into my lap. Manifesting has become much easier and more enjoyable.

3-I used to do personal growth and spiritual work to ‘fix’ things about me that I thought were wrong or broken. I no longer have that perspective and, man!, is life more enjoyable when you know for certain that you’re whole and complete.

If you’d like to know more about the Energy Codes Book Study, you can click here. You’ll land on a page called How to Streamline your Self-Care. 

If you’re ready to register, click here. Use the coupon EARLYBIRD2022.

If you know it’s not for you right now, that’s totally fine. I get it. 

Take this reminder however you like: friendly and gentle or harsh and unfriendly. It’s up to you ;)

Oh, and if you’ve taken the class before and want to do it again for an even deeper experience, send me a reply email to get the ultra-special discount code link. For you: noteworthy price!

For those of you who’ll be taking the class, see you on Thursday! For those of you doing another month of free yoga classes, see you on Friday! For those of you who are looking for a little self-care boost, see the calendar and events below. For those of you who just like to read the weekly message, I’ll be popping into your inbox next Tuesday as usual.

Have a most fantastic week. You’re invited to get curious about how reminders are serving you in your life and if there’s room for some more solid practices.

With patient love and persistent courage,

Christina

>Creator of Courageous Self-Care

>Generally pretty friendly

>Frequent user of reminders (the gentle kind)