Journal/Daily Practice

 

Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Slow Down Often

What if life becomes richer when we slow down?
We rush from one thing to another, pushing through conversations, problem-solving, conflict, and the small moments around us.
When we move too fast, we miss connection, beauty, curiosity, and understanding.
When we pause, lean in, look around, and soak it all in, we see more of what life has been trying to show us.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Move On

What if most of what we react to doesn’t need our energy at all?
We spend our days forming opinions, judging, remembering, and planning for a future that never turns out like we imagine.
Most of what we assume either doesn’t matter or isn’t accurate.
When we let it breathe, give it distance, and ask what’s actually needed now, we can let go faster and focus on what matters.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Take Aim

What if a day without direction is an opportunity to take aim?
Schedules get thrown off, objectives become unclear, and it can be difficult to focus or remain productive.
We can feel rudderless, drifting without direction.
When we aim at something important, we can use the open space to accomplish what usually gets pushed down the list.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Keep Looking

What if the problem is that we stopped looking too soon?
We jump into action, make assumptions, and get frustrated when others don’t do things the way we would.
That rush creates backtracking, conflict, and relationship damage.
When we slow down, seek another perspective, and explore before we activate, we often discover there is more to the story than we first believed.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

New Path

What if the new path we’re avoiding is the one we need most?
New things are difficult, scary, frustrating, and can bring anxiety.
Avoiding them doesn’t make the stress go away. It just keeps building and stacking.
When we stop delaying, take slow steps, and keep going, the new path becomes the new version of life and us.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Persevere

What if the pressure of the whole day is what keeps us from doing the next thing well?
Some days are overflowing.
Commitments stack up, sacrifice happens, and it’s easy to become frustrated, overwhelmed, and not fun to be around.
When we stop looking at everything we can’t do and focus on one task at a time, we can stop complaining, start doing, and persevere.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Create Distance

What if creating distance is the thing that gives us our choice back?
Everything feels close and immediate.
The flush of emotion drives us to react, defend, bark out orders, or rush into action.
When we take a breath, create space, and choose our response, we stop wasting time fixing mistakes we never needed to make.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Move On

What if the best thing to do when we’re stuck is move on?
We get down on ourselves and beat ourselves up for not doing enough. Not being enough.
Progress is slower than we’d like, learning takes longer than we’d like, and we feel like we let ourselves and others down.
Storms come and go. We need to wait them out, dress of the weather, or keep moving.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Hidden Tension

What if tension is carrying more of our attention than we realize?
We hold tension in our hearts, minds, and bodies.
Most of the day, we are distracted and don’t notice this tension riding with us like an uninvited passenger.
When we can hone in, find the tension, and work on relieving it, we can carry less and put our attention where it matters.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Letting Go

What if control is costing more than we realize?
In life, we may have a tendency to try to control everything.
When we control too much, we become overextended, strain relationships, and leave little room for what matters.
If we can discern what needs our control and what we can let go of, we can have more time, energy, and trust.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Thinking Makes It So

What if the event is not good or bad until we make it so?
Nature is nature. What is, is.
We shape events as good or bad, but it is our thinking that makes it so.
We do not need to make things harder, more difficult, or more painful than they are. We can simply see things for what they are.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Focus In

What if focus is the way back to what matters?
Busy seasons in life come and go. Mostly, they come.
We can feel overwhelmed and seemingly accomplish nothing because our focus is distracted and our attention scattered across too many domains.
If we can make shorter lists, let go of what does not matter, and focus in on what matters, we can be where we are, when we are, and who we’re with.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Shouting at the World

What if the struggle is not the problem?
Life seldom goes as planned. Things get in the way no matter what we’re doing.
What should be easy turns out to be a struggle, and we can fill our days with anger, anxiety, and frustration because the world does not bend to our will.
Each struggle presents opportunity if we can slow down, take a better look, and stop being mad at the universe for not cooperating.

Read More
Erik McGregor Erik McGregor

Single Scoop

What if the way to catch up is to focus on one scoop at a time?
Things stack up. Pressure builds. Life becomes busier than we can handle.
When we try to do too much at once, our ability to execute suffers, and the people around us suffer too.
We can chunk things down, focus on what’s in front of us, and execute one thing well before moving on.

Read More