As an achievement-based society, it’s no wonder we all feel a bit overwhelm and lack every now and then. In this episode, Mariko Hirakawa joins us to vulnerably talk about her challenges with taking on too much, feeling overwhelmed and not feeling as though what you have accomplished is enough. Listen in as we co-create strategies to tackle these challenges.
About Mariko Hirakawa
Mariko is an internationally known Yoga-Ayurveda expert and founder of Visionary Yoga, a personal development company dedicated to accelerating the growth of motivated individuals and companies through the sophisticated, and often hidden wisdom of Yoga.
She’s a teacher of teachers, presenting at Yoga Festivals and conferences around the world, and currently works with businesses in New York City bringing Yoga as a powerful Peak Performance and personal development tool.
A former professional ballet dancer as well as an Ayurvedic physician trained in India, she is dedicated to positioning Yoga as something far beyond fitness – the ultimate technology for human consciousness evolution.
Mariko’s Top 5 StrengthsFinder Strengths
- Maximizer
- Strategic
- Futuristic
- Belief
- Self-Assurance
Key Takeaways
- When you are struggling, you can lean into others with the Strengths you need to “borrow” them.
- Belief is a beautiful Strength. You can borrow from someone else’s Belief until you find it for yourself.
- Perfectionism is a pointed overuse of Maximizer, as is scope-creep.
- To help you avoid being completely overwhelmed, start paying closer attention to your triggers—the signs or symptoms that appear when overwhelm is starting to take over. Identify the first triggers to keep the overwhelm at bay even more.
- Give yourself the gift of five minutes every morning before you rush into your day, especially when you are feeling overwhelmed. This is vital to your own self-care and will catapult your productivity.
Time-Stamped Show Highlights
- 4:08 – Mariko’s service to others through yoga
- 6:54 – How you can find purpose if you’re having difficulty
- 9:38 – How Mariko uses Yoga in a corporate setting
- 12:46 – Mariko’s biggest challenge in her business life right now
I would say it’s putting too much on my plate, taking on too much, a tendency toward perfection to reach crazy goals I impose on myself. And, it’s ironic, but I feel there’s this lack of balance.
- 16:34 – Mariko’s journey to yoga—the beginnings of her feelings of lack of self-worth
- 18:00 – How to remove the question, “What’s wrong with me?,” from your internal dialogue
When you’re in that mode of “this isn’t enough” and “I’m not enough,” you need to identify how to draw the right line in the sand, so you can believe you are enough.
- 20:48 – How meditation helps Mariko deal with feelings of “lack”
You don’t do things to compensate for the lack you feel; you’re doing it because it’s just the joy spilling over.
- 22:28 – Affirmations, breathing and meditation can help to recall self-worth
- 24:58 – One of the best strategies to use to limit feelings or situations of overwhelm
- 31:20 – A great takeaway to put into practice in your daily life
- 33:59 – A new level of self-awareness can bring you more power and greater opportunities
- 34:25 – A caveat about guilt
Give yourself grace! Don’t beat yourself up if you miss the signs. Instead, applaud yourself for recognizing your signs when you do and make the correction.
- 36:55 – An offer from Mariko
- 39:14 – Podcast recommendation of the week!
Selected Links for This Episode
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