Episode 19: Friday Five With Melanie Smith

“We are born to be enormous, vibrant and illuminated” Melanie Smith

It was so lovely to sit down with my dear friend Melanie Smith. Through her work as an award-winning actress, as the creator and owner of the award-winning yoga studio Yogaphoria, and in her work a coach who specializes in grief loss and recovery, she brought so much wisdom and humor to the conversation. Here are my five favorite takeaways and self-reflections from this week’s conversation with Melanie Smith.

1. What would happen if you approached everything with a beginner’s mind, with the idea that is impossible to fail, simply because you tried? Melanie spoke about not being afraid to fail, that she approached life as though she knew nothing and so was not afraid to try and begin learning something. Is there something you have wanted to try but were afraid to, in case you failed?

2. Is there an area of your life where you could close the gap? Melanie told us that she “coaches to the gap” She is not afraid to look at the areas in her life that need to be filled in, strengthened or explored to close the gap between the life she is living and the life that she desires.  Is there something you can begin doing to close the gap? Maybe it is doing some research, reading a book on the topic, or asking for help.

3. Can you begin to sit with the feelings that you often want to push away? Melanie admits that she too feels fear and anxiety at certain times in her life, but shared that she does not hook a story to the feelings. This was a big light bulb moment for me. Can you begin to make friends with both the positive and negative emotions of life, and avoid attaching a story to them? Can you learn to be a witness to your emotions, and allow them to flow in and out of your day, without ruminating on the negative feelings or diving down the rabbit hole of “would, could and should.”

4. Which stories are you running in your mind over and over? The one’s that are directing the way your life unfolds? Melanie kept coming back to the power of storytelling. She told us that if your life is not working, then your stories are not working. Is there a story that is serving you well? Is there a story that is holding you back? Can you focus on the stories that support your life and release the ones that derail you.

5. Can you begin to pay closer attention to what your instincts are whispering to you? Melanie spoke about our instincts and reminded us to pay attention to them as they are often winning moments in our life. I say that our instincts are never wrong we sometimes just choose not to listen to them. Can you think back to a time when you listened to your instincts, and to a time when you ignored them? Then reflect on the different outcomes.

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