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Sep
12
2016

Sharing My Favourite Metaphor

A picture says a thousand words

“A Picture Says a Thousand Words” ~ A wise saying

The month of September can be very challenging as we gear up for the September to June challenge. I would like to share a special metaphor that has served me well in life. I can thank my Dad for it. This metaphor has helped me be wise in difficult times.

I grew up in Toronto and at the age of 19, my Dad taught me how to drive. He drove me to Yorkdale, a large shopping mall, at night when no one was there. We would drive around and around. He insisted I learn a standard. We had an automatic, but he held firm despite my whining. He said total freedom to go anywhere in the world meant learning how to drive a stick shift. We all have different definitions of freedom!!

So I nervously stripped the gears, and the car leapt forward. Dad and I bounced around as I made one mistake after another. But Dad was firm and determined, so we endured through my learning. Over time, the mistakes became less and I was reading the terrain while managing the inside workings of the car. I had to stay alert. In an automatic you don’t have to pay as much attention to the motor so you can kind of be on autopilot, but not with a standard. Quite a difference between the two.

When I began lecturing at the University of Toronto, I remember thinking that life is like driving a stick shift. So many of us are on autopilot and snooze through life. We lose the muscle required to stay awake and “drive” with clarity.

We pop pills, have a drink, blame someone else (this is a biggie), zone out in front of the TV, or spend money. We don’t build the muscle of awareness and choice. We become more reactive rather than creatively alive. Discernment isn’t always a skill we learn.

Life requires us to read the terrain, know what is going on inside of us, hold perspective, observe, take action, and know when to go into our heart and when to use our thinking mind….so many skills. This is important for us to know about life. Life is like a stick shift, not an automatic. What a profound insight!!

Knowing when to move forward, when to pause and allow for integration, and when to reverse or step back is important for our health – emotional and physical. But is takes alertness, awareness and commitment. No snoozing, unless you are aware you are consciously taking a break.

In this month of September demands will come our way, and themes like pacing, listening to our bodies, and honouring our needs become important navigational tools. Most of us don’t listen to our bodies. We are thinking, and the thought navigates us rather than what our bodies need. This is an important month for self-care as we gear up for the fall and its plans.

In life, as with driving a car with a stick shift, we need to find balance of the external terrain and what is happening inside of us. It is important to be accountable to ourselves.

Enjoy this metaphor as a reminder of balancing life and staying wise.

Tags: alert, aware, balance, Beverley Pugh, choice, conscious, emotional, life, listening, physical
Posted in awareness, Choice | 5 Comments »

Jun
11
2013

Beverley Pugh: Finding Balance Between Our Four Bodies

Nature is beautifully balanced, and it’s our job to make sure that we are beautifully balanced as well. We all have 4 bodies – Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual/Philosophical. The key is to find balance between all four.

Tags: awareness, balance, Bev Pugh, Beverley Pugh, bodies, emotional, happiness, health, Mastery of Health and Happiness, mental, philosophical, physical, self-growth, spiritual
Posted in Balance, Health and Happiness, Health and Wellness, Self Growth | No Comments »

Beverley Pugh

Beverley Pugh

Beverley Pugh has international experience in Individual, Marital and Family Therapist services. Areas of practice include counselling in: individual, couples, family, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, pain management, multicultural, workplace and others.

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Mastery Practice Tool

Decide on a scale of 1 to 10 just how important a certain self-growth issue is for you. Give it a number - 10 meaning really important, 1 meaning not important at all. Then softly close your eyes and imagine what it would feel like to be completely FREE of whatever is holding you back. Take your time and SOAK it in. Keep the value number in the front of your mind, and step into living that life of freedom. When the BUTs come in, that is decision time...are you “Interested” or are you “Committed”? The ‘buts’ come from the mind; the courage comes from our hearts.

Testimonial

Bev's Laughing and Breathing Belly Workshop for Children was one of the best I have attended. She has a gifted ability to gently connect with children and teach and share with them her techniques of belly breathing, rooting, mind vacations and laughter. These techniques soothe and calm them whenever they feel overwhelmed or anxious - be at school, home or before bed time. Whether you have an overwhelmed pre-schooler or a test-anxious pre-teen, Bev's approach works! I love that she gave parents the tools to model and share these fundamentals of meditation with their children. I would encourage families to take her course...your children will thank you and you will benefit from ways to keep yourself calm and allow wisdom in.

Farrah J. - Mother of 3, West Vancouver

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About Beverley

Beverley Pugh has international experience in Individual, Marital and Family Therapist services. Areas of practice include counselling in: individual, couples, family, anxiety, addictions, grief, depression, pain management, multicultural, workplace and others.

Contact

Telephone:
604-925-1513
Email:
bev@beverleypugh.com
Location:
120-1451 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, BC
V7T 1B8
Canada

Disclaimer: The information presented on this site about various psychological conditions, is of a general nature and is not a substitute for an assessment by a competent therapist and/or medical professional. If you believe that you or an important person in your life is in need of an intervention please seek qualified help as soon as possible.

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