When I decided to create a new business around my passion and practice of mindfulness, I spent months laboring over the right name and tag line. It was a labor of love, yet incredibly intense; keeping me up all hours of many nights, spinning words around and around in my head.
Then one day, in an instant while driving down the freeway, the name “Metta Lane” came to me. (The inspiration for the name is a tale I’ll share in my next post.)
So, after fine-tuning my new company name to “Metta Lane Mindfulness Academy”, it seemed essential that I describe what this company was about. Again, after some time spinning words in my head, I came up with “Self-Healing Education and Empowerment”. (This statement explains that the curriculum I teach will educate and empower you to heal whatever inner turmoil you may experience. The practices can be used on their own or in tandem with other healing modalities, depending on each person’s needs and desires.)
Yet, after coming up with what I felt was a great company name and descriptive tag line, I was vexed by the feeling that I really wanted a headline that spoke directly to people’s hearts and souls. I wanted people to know exactly what they would get from a learning experience with Metta Lane and me.
But, it wasn’t coming to me, no matter how hard I tried. I spun and spun the words, but nothing was turning into gold.
So, I let it go. I focused my attention on what was present and true in that moment, and very kindly said to myself, “I’m tired of trying to figure this out. My body is tense. The words aren’t coming to me. I’m going to move on to something else.” And I did. I moved on.
Six months passed. During my days, I was deeply immersed in my mindfulness practice and actively engaged in launching the online home of Metta Lane. One evening, I was lying down, meditating peacefully, calming myself to sleep, when this statement spoke to me:
“A new way of being begins here.”
One minute I didn’t have the sentence, and the next minute I did. It sprung from being fully present and connected with myself. It spoke the truth of what I was experiencing in that moment, but it used the words of the message I wanted to share with others. It was perfect, just as it was. No tweaking. No spinning.
(I did add a dash, thanks to my mother’s talent with grammar. It needed a little something, and she saw what it was.)
Metta Lane Mindfulness Academy Self-Healing Education and Empowerment A new way of being – begins here.
There it is; the complete name and explanation of my company, what I offer and what you’ll get out of it. I love it. It perfectly speaks to me and what I believe mindfulness and self-compassion can do for people. I’ve watched these practices work their magic on me year after year, change after change, struggle after struggle, joy after joy. The reason the statement is so powerful is that it is true – for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. A new way of being – can begin for anyone when they get curious about and start practicing with mindfulness and self-compassion.
When I found mindfulness over 20 years ago, it changed my life on the spot. I didn’t realize it at the time, of course. Yet, now, looking back, my new way of being began when I first became curious about it. Then again, I had another renewal when I learned how to be compassionate with myself in a mindful way. I’ve heard this story over and over again from others about their own journeys. It’s not just true for me. It’s true for many.
I hope this story inspires you to question, “How can mindfulness make a difference in my life?”
For the next 2 Monday mornings, I’ll be at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness: Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Teacher Training Practicum.
My next Mindfulness Meditation Drop-In Class is:
Monday, December 18th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm Crescent Moon Yoga and Healing Center 7825 E. Evans Road #600, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Call me if you want to chat about anything: 480-861-6062. Thanks for reading my “musings”.
Happy Holidays!
Marnee
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