Daily Manifestation Challenge

RUN-DMC. Today’s DMC.

November 17, 2011

DMC= Daily Manifestation Challenge

I had to do it.

Get it? The DMC as in Daily Manifestation Challenge?

Do you ever feel like running? As in: running away from it all? As in: not being present? As in: escaping your life? As in: feeling like if you moved away life would be somehow better? 

Today’s Daily Challenge is about the idea of running away rather than looking within or at what is.

For a long time, it was not just a a metaphor for me. I literally ran and ran and ran. I was an exercise-aholic. Instead of facing anything in my life, I simply ran.

When I was 18 and I got a call that my step-father Carl had died in his sleep, I simply hung up the phone, laced up my sneaks and ran for two hours around Cooper River in New Jersey. It was an old habit of mine, this not wanting to feel anything.

I am sure it was the same impetus that drove me to get skinnier and skinnier. The less I weighed the less I felt. Bla bla. You have heard all of these things before if you have ever known someone with an eating disorder.

I eventually got tired of running.

Literally.

Run-DMC (They love my DMCs!)

I discovered yoga. I discovered that if I sat quietly with myself I could begin to heal old wounds and, more importantly perhaps, I could begin to be present in my life.

I spent many years being very much not present.

In fact, I can barely remember my 20’s.

I know sometimes life sucks. There, I said it.

I have a friend that you all know by now, Emily Rapp, whose baby is dying from Tay Sachs. I am sure in her fantasies she wishes she could just run away from her life.

Ain’t gonna happen.

She writes a daily blog about what she is going through called Little Seal, she exercises (a lot), she teaches her writing classes at the University, she is publishing a book, she calls her friends for support (me) and she sits with her sweet baby and husband and tries to be present as best she can be.

She does what she needs to do even when the impulse is to RUN!

Today’s DMC: Where can you stop running in your life? Where can you look at what “is” and accept it. (Remember the mantra from an earlier DMC: “And so it is“?)  Have there been instances in your life where you have run away? Please share any and all comments about this idea of Running. I am really looking forward to hearing your thoughts, Brave Ones.

Keep Manifesting Your Life,

One Laugh at a Time,

ManifestYogaJen

PS, if you want to support Emily and baby Ronan who has Tay Sachs buy a Manifestation T-shirt. All money goes to charity. Click here. And if you are not getting a shirt but still want to pay it forward, please share link. It also goes toward Prader Willi Research, which my nephew Blaise has.

And Dear Manifesters, please stop running. Walk instead. In fact, walk this way…..

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_UYYPb-Gk]

 

 

And speaking of Run-DMC, follow RevRunWisdom on Twitter. How do you like that? Used to be in Run-DMC and now is a motivational leader. So inspiring!

 

You Might Also Like

No Comments

  • Reply Rachel Pastiloff November 17, 2011 at 6:55 pm

    Well, dear sister as you know all too well I have the art of running down to a science. Before the boys were born when things got rough, I kicked rocks and got packing. Since my boys were born I haven’t had the chance, it is the first time in my life that I have stayed put. Sometimes it is so hard for me and I fantacize about it being different, but I always say this to myself….if things were different than my boys wouldn’t be here and they give my life meaning. My biggest challenge re: this DMC is to stop running from what is my day to day. Lately when I don’t want to deal I retreat into my head and start obsessing over all that is wrong with me. I will now practice being present and just taking my life in baby steps. That may be the only thing to help me walk and not run!

  • Reply barbarapotter November 17, 2011 at 6:57 pm

    Haha Jen. Luckily I am one of those people who have never been able to run…so I will walk, walk, walk. Luckily I have stopped trying to run away and have landed in a place that I like. Spent my life running from things I could not face. Feels good to be free.

  • Reply rachyrachp November 17, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    I found this in an old journal today. It was written on January 14th, 2006. I just read it and how funny that your DMC today is exactly this.

    “I built my wall again. I have no idea how long it will stand this time. Completely shut down and quite comfortable with that. I am good at shutting down. Look away, don’t say a word, move, change my number and start over. This is my M.O. Rather than deal with the feelings that arise for me.”

    I can’t believe how serendipitous it is that I read the DMC and then 5 minutes later read this journal entry. Wow!

  • Reply Amy Esacove November 17, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    Love it, Jen! So simple and so potent. In this waiting period I have been in for a few months now, I was plotting my escape…to New York! What a dummy I am…well not a dummy. Just ready to run. And then I sat still for a second and looked. Really looked at my life. I am proud of myself and what I have done. Now all I have to do is wait for the ball to be hit back to me. We’ll see…but for now, I am sitting still and loving it. Love you!

  • Reply Clara November 17, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Thank u for sharing this! This is so important in life just to face it an accept it.

  • Reply Kelli November 17, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Okay, this can be kind of scary. Won’t share much, lol, but what I can stop running away from is what I’m feeling, but most importantly, I can stop running to what I “think” is true and is just that, a thought. Rather that thought comes from anxiety, fear or maybe even reality, but I have to stop letting my imagination runaway from me. I also can stop running away from what God has called me to be. Not sure exactly what that is, but I do remember when I was younger I would have prophetic dreams about people passing away, and shortly after, they would. I told my mom that I didn’t want that kind of gift, and guess what, God lifted it from me for some years. Until I had the same dream about my Mom, but didn’t put 2 and 2 together until some months after she passed away. My dreams are starting to come back, not such morbid ones, but they are real. So I need to stop running from me I guess.

    • Reply ManifestYogaJen November 25, 2011 at 9:18 pm

      Bravo on stopping the run from yourself. Thank you for sharing Kelli!

  • Reply ronansmom November 18, 2011 at 12:31 am

    Dude, if you only knew how much I wanted to RUN today!! I needed this today. Thanks, friend.

    • Reply ManifestYogaJen November 25, 2011 at 9:18 pm

      You are welcome. You are such a source of inspiration to all of us.

  • Reply Sabrina November 19, 2011 at 8:28 am

    How about my feelings? Specifically dealing with those big feelings of really exploring my hopes and dreams and the fears that come with it…I do my best running by keeping myself busy and giving my monkey mind more bananas. But I am aware and choosing less running and more stillness!

    • Reply ManifestYogaJen November 25, 2011 at 9:19 pm

      Your presence on THE DMC is so powerful….. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart!

  • Reply Stephanie Hildebrand November 20, 2011 at 5:34 am

    Hi Jen! Tracy has been telling me all about you! Love love love your manifestations! I am a new yoga teacher, just finishing up my first 8 week session, and I use your manifestations for inspiration often! Love finding awesome people in the yoga community like you! The first manifestation I came accross was your forgiveness manifestation, I weeped just reading it. You write from such an honest place in your heart and you have an amazing talent of making people feel connected. Thank you so much for sharing, I hope you never stop.

    Much love and peace for your day,
    Stephanie
    ..
    PS. Rachel, I do the exact same thing… day to day stuff pops up and I let it snow ball…all of a sudden I bringing guilt and hate upon myself that has nothing to do with my actual problem, get way ahead of myself, become cynical about the future… walking is so much more gentle than running… I’m a happier, much less critical person walking:) One thing at a time, one breath at a time. Seems like life turns out fine if I just let it.

  • Reply ManifestYogaJen November 25, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    I am so touched by you guys xoxo

  • Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.