Ep #189: Seeing Yourself in the Best Light

I love moonshots. I love unrealistic thinking. I love believing in six impossible things every day before breakfast. I love quantum leaps. I love wandering into the imaginal. And I also believe as I discussed in last week’s episode the power of the one degree shift. I believe in creating transformation from a soul level that then manifests and is reflected back to you in the outside world in ways that you never dreamed of beyond your wildest imagination but then when you see it, you think there I am. And now that I see what I’m capable of I am wondering what else is inside of me.

And so, you might be wondering how to bridge that gap between beyond your wildest dreams and those tiny incremental one degree shifts. I have a question for you today that you can use as a prompt, as a bridge to help you get there.

You are listening to The Art School Podcast; a show for artists and creatives who want to become the next greatest version of themselves. Learn how to cultivate an extraordinary way of being and take the mystery out of making money, and the struggle out of making art. Here is your host, master certified life coach, artist, and former lawyer, Leah Badertscher.

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of The Art School Podcast. I am going to try not to say every single time I record an episode this summer how happy I am that it is summertime. But oh my God, thank you that it is summertime. I’m loving the sun, the heat, I’m loving the fact that I’m getting closer and closer back to feeling like myself again in terms of physical health where my knee is concerned.

And another great shout out to one of our Art School masterminders, Dr. Kathy Berg, who came for the retreat on Lake Michigan and I got to be the beneficiary, the recipient of her magical healing art. Dr Berg is a doctor of physical therapy and she owns an integrative health clinic. And she is versed in a wide modality of traditions and yes, healing arts.

And long story short, one time when she finished working on me, working her magic, speaking of one degree shifts, a lot of what she was doing felt so subtle that I could tell. I mean just her intuition and her training and expertise at work she was honing right in. And so even though the things felt subtle, they felt right on. And after one session she finished and I started laughing uncontrollably. I used to teach yoga and Pilates, for years and years I did. And so, I was used to, I know how much energy, emotion can be stored in different parts of the body, including especially the hips.

And she was really working on the hip, pelvic, lower back region that’s been giving me some problems, a lot of problems. And she finished working her miracle work and I started laughing because I felt six inches taller. I felt like my legs were lengthened, my torso was lengthened and I also just had this effervescent giggle energy rising up from my root and my hip area. And I promise, I was not drunk but I felt punch drunk giddy. And it just bubbled up and fortunately I know Kathy and I trust her.

So, I wasn’t too embarrassed but I could not stop laughing and then I stood up and I almost like – I leaned backwards, like whoa, do I look six inches taller because I am six inches taller? So, enjoying all that freedom and things being released down there, and if you need someone to work on you, do a consult with Dr. Berg, go out to Boise and see her and her colleagues. I sure am thinking about that, thinking about how can I do an Art School retreat where we do this integrative health work, and energy work, and body work, and just all of the somatic treatment.

Because creativity, the way I approach it is a whole being experience. It is an embodied experience, the body is so much a part of it. And so, this bottom up processing, it’s something. And so, I’m enjoying that. I am loving the flowers. We have got these coreopsis, the yellow flowers bursting to life all over the prairie. The kids have been such a joy this summer. It’s been a combination of camps, outdoor get dirty camps which they’re loving and spontaneous bonfires and friends of theirs coming over to play and staying overnight and then staying for days.

And mornings where I can get up and run and then make them waffles or whatever and then paint, do my coaching calls, it’s just a really great time. And I hope wherever you are you’re also embracing these small things, these exquisite everyday things that bring so much joy. And I hope too you are making plans and moving into those grand gestures, those places where there are opportunities for so much expansion, for so much fun, for so much joy for that sense of really being fully alive and there is me, there I am.

This is how it’s possible to feel, this fullness of my heart, this vibrancy of my spirit, this much joy and being with others, and collaboration, this much delight in my own creativity and surprise and discovery at what I’m capable of. I think if you’re listening to this podcast it’s because you’re someone who does desire to grow spiritually and in your creativity and in your life and to move towards your dreams, also for that feeling of if I can dream it I can achieve it, that feeling of something deeper than competence, than confidence, just a deep knowing of trust.

An ability to start telling yourself a story about your life that reflects who you really are and what you really want for your own life. And so, I wanted to create an episode that would make sure to bridge any gaps or questions you might have after listening to last week’s episode about one degree shifts, these incremental changes that over time alter the trajectory of our lives and result in massive change because some people might think, wait, I thought Leah believed in moonshots and unrealistic thinking. I do. And these things are not at odds at all.

So, I just wanted to go a little further and illuminate why that is. And give you a question that I know will help be a nexus, a way to connect your wildest most beautiful dreams with the opportunity to make turtle steps, one degree shifts and changes that are always immediately accessible. I believe that our heart and souls desire the dreams within us that are embedded in our DNA are reflecting to us the truth of who we really are. And that the process of becoming a match, an energetic match for our dream is the design of our life, is the way that our soul has come here to evolve.

And so, there is a question that you can ask yourself that will aid this process. And I wanted to offer this particularly because it came up a lot in coaching this week where you can be someone who has great dreams and you have a deep knowing in your bones of what your potential is and what you’re meant for. And then you journey through life and there can be setbacks and disappointments, there are setbacks, and disappointments, and failure. That’s part of the evolution.

And having certain questions as north stars can help you know that you’re always moving towards that desired destination. It can remind you of why you’re doing what you’re doing, that you are growing spiritually, that you are moving towards that destination from the inside out. And here is a question, a prompt, a meditation that will help you become familiar with your truth in any given moment. And also, with the truth of who you are becoming.

And that question is, how can I see myself here and now in the best light no matter what life is presenting me with? How can I commit to seeing myself in the best light? Our brains with their negativity bias, that is the default when we’re wired for survival. We’re not wired to look to see ourselves in the best light. So, this is something that we have to consciously engage with in conversation with ourself. How can I see myself here in the best light? So just think about it.

When you think about the dream with a vision for yourself, when you see yourself moving in that future self reality, isn’t that a greatest expression of you? Aren’t you seeing that future self in the best light? So that’s what we are rewiring in our brain, reconditioning our body, reacquainting our spirit with seeing that, looking for that in ourselves now, not someday when.

Because it’s that seeing the best in ourselves now and letting ourselves light up at our own light, even when we’re struggling, even when we disappoint ourselves, even when there are things that we regret doing, wish we would have done better to still view that in the best light. Because what we look for, what we give our attention to is what will grow. What we are giving our attention to is what we are giving life to. So, don’t you want to give life and attention to the best in you?

This too will enable you to hold a more objective space for a conscious evaluation of what you can do better and where you want to grow. Think about it this way too. If we are working to become a match, an energetic match for that vision for our life. If we’re constantly in a habit of not seeing ourselves in the best light, if we’re constantly in a habit of being hurt and feeling guilty by our own failures and shortcomings, of feeling ashamed of all of those things. If that is the habit then we are not accessing the truth of ourselves.

We’re not accessing that level of energetic truth or self-concept that is the match for that vision. So, we need to constantly be reminded to look for the best of ourselves, to see ourselves in the best light. And this again isn’t to say that we are telling ourselves lies because we can’t. You can’t actually tell yourself a lie as you may have heard in other places, the universe doesn’t give you what you say you want. It gives it who you are. And again, who you are is a function of what you constantly give your attention to.

So, if you want to be someone who is a match for that good, and gracious, and clear frequency future for that prolific AF abundant, unapologetic, unabashed creativity who has a future full of love, and generosity, and grace, and self-compassion, and self-love and compassion and love for others. You can practice that today and now. That is a one degree shift that is always available to you.

If you’re feeling down, if you’re feeling defeated, if you’re feeling self-pity or bad about yourself, a one degree shift, that will point you back, align you again with the truth of your soul and with your destiny is to say, “How now can I also see myself in the best light?” Offer yourself that. This by the way is also an excellent way to stretch your imaginal powers. Because our imaginations become very constrained when we think we know who we are and that who we are is just not that awesome, is just limited, is just a lesser version of who we want to be.

So, if you want to stretch your imagination begin speaking a new narrative into your being. And again, a way of doing that is to ask yourself, “How can I see myself in the best light here?”

This brings me to the part of the podcast where I want you to do more than just listen. I want you to lean in and really work with, coach with me, not just being a passive consumer of this information but being a capital C, empowered force of nature, creator in your life by taking this information and making it transformational by acting upon it, integrating it into your life, contemplating it deeply. And then making a shift, making a change, doing something differently in your life because of what you’ve taken in and processed.

So, what I want to offer you today this week is to practice every day for a week and then longer I hope, seeing yourself in the best light, in a variety of scenarios. If there are places where you usually just default to defeat, or beating yourself up, or agreeing with your limitations, arguing with your limitations, going to scarcity, seeing yourself in a limited way, instead choose a different response. Pause in that space between the trigger and the response, between the stimulus and the response.

And pause and see what is also available to you, is an evaluation that also allows for how can I see myself in the best light. If I see myself in the best light here what else do I see? What other information is there? What other energies, and emotions, and insights do I allow in? What grace do I allow in? Seeing yourself in the best light, giving yourself this as a prompt is a way to expand your creativity, is a way to expand the possibilities that you allow for who you are and what someone like you is deserving of and capable in this life.

When you practice seeing yourself in the best light, the best in you is going to come forward and step into the light. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of The Art School Podcast. I have to say taking my own medicine, seeing myself in the best light is an ongoing practice for me too because I have a human brain. And that’s not where my brain wants to go.

And I mentioned earlier in this episode, this phenomenon that can happen when we practice seeing ourselves in the best light, and affirming that. And acknowledging that, and rewiring our brain so that that is in every fiber of being, is a predominant part of just who we are as our truth. That when we do this it starts to be reflected back to us. I shared this in an episode about how I was affirming the one liner, the podcast is gold.

Well, then recently actually just a day ago. I was frankly so moved and so delighted when I saw one of our Art School alum, one of our Art School masterminder alums post a review that where she was recommending inspiring resources to help others fuel their life’s journey. Their journey of becoming intentional, empowered creators who love their life. So, it was award winning singer songwriter, Hope Dunbar, I have had her on the podcast here before. I have sung her praises so many times before.

And again, was so moved to see what she had to say about The Art School Podcast. And also, frankly so moved to be included among other recommendations that she had. I shared her list to my Instagram. So, if you want to see the list, and it’s great, and as always, not surprisingly Hope is such a gifted wordsmith, I mean it’s like there’s a vein of gold in everything that she writes, whether it’s a song or a Facebook post. So, we’ll include a link to that Instagram post in the show notes so that you can see her recommended resources.

And also, and I wrote this to her, that when I read The Art School Podcast and what she had to say in that review I was like, “Oh my gosh, this must be what it feels like when someone makes Oprah’s list, if Oprah’s list was written by someone who penned electric prose that then you want to have tattooed all over your body where everyone can see.”

I mean honestly I sent it to my rockstar righthand woman, Nikki Berkel and said, “This energetic stamp, how about this energetic stamp all over our website renovation that we’re doing?” And she quipped back in a text, “That sounds awesome, you could also get a tattoo.” And I’m like, “Thinking about it, thinking about it.” So, I want to read what she wrote because first she writes about such rockstars such as Steven Pressfield, Jensen Shero, Martha Beck, Brené Brown. All luminaries, and heroes, and mentors virtually or I’ve met them in real life of mine.

And then for the podcast section she wrote, “The Art School Podcast by Leah Campbell Badertscher, my first coach and total beast of a fluid energy intuitive artist. It is flow, it is grounding, centered, breathtakingly beautiful. Just start from the beginning and enjoy her presence.” I will be honest there is so much conditioning in me that wants to just take quiet silent note of that appreciation, and then tuck it away. That says, okay, that should be enough. But that is that good girl conditioning.

And I do not want to be an example of cooperating in that kind of oppression and cooperating in that sort of false humility, false smallness, false cooperation with invisibility. And so, it is uncomfortable for me to share and it is also a delight, and a thrill, and I am so proud. And it is also a one degree shift for me to stay with the discomfort of sharing something like that. And to stay with the discomfort of hells yeah, I’m a total beast because I know too, I mean I am grateful for acknowledgement of gentle and loving energy.

And I am that and I also have a crouching tiger, a fierce total beast mode. And I know that is something that comes out when I’m coaching and in The Art School. And that’s something that I realized, well, that feels safer for me there. It’s more behind the scenes and perhaps I don’t let that side be seen quite so much on the podcast. So, this is me walking my talk, moving through staying with my own discomfort, making a one degree shift. And I also want to be an example of celebrating. I also want to be an example of being a paradox that yes, you can be gentle, and loving, and nurturing.

And you can also be a total beast and that is also another kind of fierce love and nurturing. And those two things are not incompatible but instead I want to be an example of a complex, richly textured, deep nuanced human being that doesn’t need to reconcile herself to old paradigms of how we want to understand a woman, how we want to understand a ‘professional’.

I want to be an example of someone who is a genius unleashed because that’s the work I do with my clients, to break the shackles, to smash the shackles and unleash the genius, unleash the creative force of nature. Unleash that part of you that wants to be prolific AF, that wants to make piles of money, that wants to be wildly successful, that also wants to have a family life, a home life, that is deeply rooted, and nourishing, and healthy, and good. That wants all of these things that society has told us we can’t have. That they’re somehow incompatible, they’re somehow inconsistent.

So, it’s calling bullshit on that which then requires us to walk the talk, requires me to walk the talk. That’s seeing ourself in the best light means loving ourself and all the complexities, and all of the ways that might not be approved by others, accepted, understood, liked by others. And choosing though that we love ourselves unconditionally fully. That is the safe place where our magic is released. That is the place where we really tap into our power.

And wow, then watch out, things are about to change. And it won’t take massive amounts of time. And there will be changes that are one degree shifts and there will also be quantum leaps that astonish you. There will also be moments of joy, and beauty, and meaning, and revelation that take your breath away and that remind you of what it truly is to be alive. If you want to sign up for a lifetime of moments like that, of being that kind of creator of your life, apply for the Art School Mastermind.

Those dreams are within your reach, that future is so much closer than you think and even better than you’ve imagined.

To close today I’m going to give you a double dose of the Coach With Me. Just because I know this works and I really want to hammer that home. Think of your future self. Think of the qualities that she has. Think of the smiler that’s on her face. Think of the way her heart is open and relaxed. Think of the way that she flows through her days. Think of the way that she navigates challenges. Think of the way that he navigates challenges when he makes a mistake, when she makes a mistake.

Think of ways that they encounter themselves when they’re disappointed, when they have once again demonstrated the courage to create a life they really want when once again they’ve decided, hey, even though I’ve reached this I’m not settling. I’m opening up and going for more. Think of the way that they treat themselves. Think of the way their eyes light up when they think of how proud they are of what they’ve created and what they’ve overcame, and who they are becoming.

Think of how much they have grown and yet feel more themselves than ever. When you’re doing this you’re seeing yourself in the best light. When you see these qualities in your future self this is all giving you guidance. These are all clues into how you can practice seeing yourself now. Because when you see yourself that way now you will be speaking this story into yourself. You will be speaking this future into you, like casting a spell but even more powerful, embedding into your DNA the story of your life, the truth of who you are so that it flowers from the inside out.

Have a beautiful week, everyone, seeing yourself in the best light. I cannot wait for you to do this exercise. Please tell me about it. Please tag me on Instagram when you’re doing this. Send me a direct message. Email us support@leahcb.com. I truly would love to hear what comes of this exercise for you. And it will be a beautiful week. It will be a beautiful life. I look forward to talking with you all next time.