#dedicationevo: what is my work for? what is my life for?
I have thought about this time and time again throughout my life and it probably won’t be the last. That’s okay. It’s good to check in with yourself and explore those spaces. Don’t ever let them get too dusty because it just reaffirms what you are doing and why you are doing it.
Work is anything and everything you put your energy into. So, where does your enterprise hold true? What drives you? What picks you up after facing defeat? Maybe you would say your heart, your work-ethic, your quick wit or maybe you aren’t really sure.
Hit me with your best shot.
When the heat turns up; people start getting frantic, blaming each other and pointing the finger. We’ve all experienced this whether it’s in the work place or in your relationships. Ask yourself questions, put yourself in others shoes and reflect into every mirror you come into contact with. I will come to a mirror, look myself over, make eye contact and speak to myself …partly aloud and then inside. I reflect into the mirrors that are people I see in my every day life, the people I work with and the conversations that are held between my loved ones and I. Why do you stay?
Dedication…
is what allows us to grow, to learn, to take risks, to love, to hope and be open-minded to the unknown, even when your faced with trouble, disappointment and rejection. Dedication is so much more than just showing up. It’s giving 100% of your best self and not allowing others moods to effect you. It doesn’t come easy.
“Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear.” – Dan Millman
The cakes no good if you don’t mix the batter and bake it
There are some other elements you need before arriving at dedication. Having self-discipline plays a HUGE role in our lives and in our growth as a person in whatever you do. It’s what allows you to have will-power and nothing can replace it.. It’s like a boot camp, turning your desires and hopes into action and placing boundaries for yourself in order to achieve those.
You also need passion, a burning love for what it is you are doing… you can call it loyalty and/or devotion. When you have reached this place, you realize the most horrible of days at your job or with a loved one is better spent there than a horrible day elsewhere. Through having self-discipline and devotion, your focus and what motivates you will change. It becomes much less of an obligation or just doing what is needed.
Your decisions shouldn’t follow your emotions because it would be as chaotic as a soap opera, up and down, all around, neither here nor there but everywhere. Life is like that all on it’s own. Our emotions are always changing and will always change. It’s constant from day to day, moment to moment. However, your emotions can and will follow your decisions. Obviously, this isn’t a add eggs and water and BAM that’s it. This is a practice and it takes time.
So, think of different ways you can approach your daily tasks, your job, your relationships. Make the decision to get back in touch with the emotions that brought you there in the first place. Don’t limit yourself or those around you.
Live your life
We all have a burning love, passion… maybe it’s at rest just under the surface like a vintage car sitting under a tarp for weeks and months on end. It’s too valuable, too fine to take it out and drive. Well, throw that thought out the window as you speed through the streets. More like it’s too nice to not give it a spin! HEY, remember when Ferris Bueller faked sick and convinced his best friend to take his dads 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder convertible out for a joy ride?! Get like him. Don’t let that thing sit in the garage, take that baby for a ride!
I made a willful decision to quit my job and start on a journey, with evolation, that I thought would be a good experience: a yoga teacher training. I had no intention or desire to even be a yoga teacher. Months later, I found myself moving to Santa Barbara to continue my training, my work and surround myself with people who are filled with burning passion. I went seeking and I found something that fits so well at my core with my passion in life and I didn’t do it by hanging around waiting for something to happen. So, seek, get lost to get found and dedicate yourself.
This practice of dedication I have brought to my yoga mat, to teaching, my relationships, my work, really you can and should apply it to every aspect of your life. Everyone’s journey is different and I write this in hopes that you will seek out your own.
“Nothing can withstand the power of the human will if it is willing to stake its very existence to the extent of its purpose.” – Benjamin Disraeli
Jeannie Savage
Jeannie has always been an energetic one that dabbled in many different activities, but took dance classes consistently for several years. She took her first hot yoga class in March of 2013. By the end of March 2014, Jeannie had completed a 250 hour hot yoga teacher training. She learned quickly the impact of this yoga, this practice, and thought of ways she could be more involved. By the end of 2014, she completed an additional yoga teacher training course earning her 500 hour hot yoga teacher training certificate. She is here to teach, to train, to learn and to experience.