Toward A New Definition of Success

What gets in the way of initiating those changes you want to make? Perhaps your definition of success is self-limiting.


It is the time of year for new resolutions. So what needs to be different for those new goals to materialize? What makes this year different from last year? It's possible that your idea of success is getting in your way. If success, to you, is something amorphous and vague, like loosing weight (how much?), or feeling better (better than what?), or taking better care of yourself (in what way?), chances are your definition of success needs to be updated.

When you don't know where to begin, it helps to be held accountable. That's one aspect of what I do. I support you in learning to stand for what you want. For each person, it's different and so I create a safe space in the classroom for you to discover what success means, to you.

It helps to focus on competing with your own past performance, to not compare yourself to others. By learning to assess how you are doing, you bring the focus back to what is relevant. By learning to cultivate your ability to sense yourself, you loose the habit of denial, of recrimination and judgement. I have worked for years with meditation techniques that try to teach people to stop being judgemental intentionally. But I have not found that it works. As the ancient Chinese proverb states, 'What you resist persists.' In the FELDENKRAIS® Method of AWARENESS THROUGH MOVEMENT®, you will learn to observe without reaction, to assess without judgement, without resistance.



It helps to change your focus from results to learning Process Oriented Wellness. In this framework, your progress is measured by sticking with the program, because that is an easily attainable goal. It's measured by staying with the process, because that's what creates quality of life. Waiting for something to happen puts you and your experience on hold. Learning to focus on making the present moment more comfortable, more tangible and more solid brings back the fullness of being alive, the recognition of what you want and how to keep moving towards it.



And lastly, by focusing on and quantifying things you usually ignore, you make them real. ATM creates improvements and shifts in your emotional states, your dreams, your sleeping patterns, your daily comfort levels, your energy levels, your creativity, your sense of confidence, your level of contentment and emotional stability. These are all measurable things. Yet, the emphasis is no longer on external measurement. The emphasis is on internal measurement. How does it feel to you? That is what really matters. This is your life, not the life of a lab rat or a specimen in a science experiment. Take back your power by taking charge of your ability to sense improvement, contentment, comfort and aliveness and build whatever life you wish to from here, at the intersection of experience and choice.