Yesterday was our first Zoom hangout and geez was that fun! Folks from all over the world showed up to meet new friends and talk about their experience (and show off their amazing talents) and I have to tell you, it added a whole new layer of depth to this that I didn’t see coming. Humans are awesome. One of the participants, Aym, reached out the other day to ask if we could have a Slack channel to continue the connecting and sharing so we worked together to build one for you. If you Slack or want to Slack, here’s the link to join up. I love when people take initiative and have good ideas to further community. Thank you Aym!
I also realized I haven’t shared my social connects so here they are:
Instagram: @BadassCrossStitch and @ShannonDowney2
Twitter: @ShannonDowney
On to even more important matters…today’s brilliance!
Shannon Brags on MartinJon:
I remember sitting in a restaurant with MartinJon one night and wondering…how did I get here? I looked around and thought – this is not where I want to be or who I want to be around. I looked at MartinJon and he looked at me and I realized we were having the same experience. We left and I drove him home and you know what…it’s always been like that between him and I. An unspoken shared sense of things. This guy is always working and by that, I mean working on himself and working on the world. We go back a million years and I sure hope we go forward a billion more.
About MartinJon (formal edition):
MartinJon Garcia, The Portrait Mentor, is an artist and former addict. His addictions started with drugs and alcohol, but while searching for sobriety, no surprise, he attached himself to a myriad of other vices. Today he focuses his attention on the conversation of “Recovering To,” as an addition to the practice of “Recovering From.” His approach, which he presents to his client as well as professional drug and alcohol rehab counselors, is one of curiosity. MartinJon is interested in a restorative approach to every interaction, especially when we are doing our own healing. Believing that there is nothing more fun and rewarding than really being ourselves MartinJon is committed to empowering individuals to take the reins of their lives and enjoy the ride.
Today’s Inspiration:
Where do you live under the influence?
As someone in recovery I like the term “under the influence” because we can be under the influence of anything. We live most of our lives under the influence of other people, like our parents, friends, partners, and peers. We can also be under the influence of our emotions. Anger, sadness, shame, and pride are just a few emotions that I am sure most of us have experienced living under the influence of. I would venture to say that the reason I had heavy addiction issues is because I was living under the influence of my own self-loathing. Then there are physical things like pain or even hunger. Those can very well cause us to make choices from a place disconnected from our greater purpose.
There are times we all are under the influence of something. During those times it is likely that we are not making the best choices for ourselves but choosing in favor of the influence. If we are angry, we tend to have less empathy than we would prefer. If we’re sad we may tend to isolate more than we would like.
Making choices while under the influence is going to happen, and although it is never great, you’ll be fine. You’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again. What you could do to combat this process is get curious.
At the end of the day, you can ask yourself…
Where did I respond or act while under the influence of something outside of myself?
Am I often under the influence of this thing?
How can I attempt to respond, or avoid responding, while under the influence in the future?
What does it feel like to be under the influence of this specifically?
These questions are about curiosity, not punishment or judgment. This is an activity you can do for the rest of your life and never run out of something to be curious about.
Want more on this idea?
Listen to MartinJon’s podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recover-yourself/id1465440178
Connect with MartinJon: