The owner and CEO of The Studio (MDR), Lisa Hirsch, talks about the power of seeing the familiar through new eyes.
A couple weeks ago, I was sitting on a beach on the beautiful island of Maui and had this moment of feeling almost awe-struck. The water was stunning. The bright, warm sun was on its way toward setting. My love, Andy, was sitting next to me. And I was about to head back to our room to get gussied up to watch one of our friends get married. I had this moment of pure gratefulness—a feeling that this life I’m lucky enough to live is a great one, and that when you really open your eyes to all of the wonderful things around you, it can be almost overwhelming in the best possible way.
Cut to today, and I am so not sitting on a beach in Hawaii. I’m sitting at my computer and as I write this, that e-mail “ding” is going off every other second. Like all of you, I’ve got a to-do list that feels seriously ambitious and a full life that keeps me always on the go. Sometimes, that feeling of fullness puts me on edge a bit. But today, I’m trying something new. Remembering that beautiful trip to Hawaii—and that gorgeous marriage ceremony filled with big love, the most important thing in this world—I’m committing to looking at the everyday “stuff” that fills my life with new eyes. It’s what the Zen Buddhists call Shoshin, and it means having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions.
OK, so I know what you’re thinking. This is so much easier said than done. And I hear you on that front. But think about it for a moment: How many areas of your life do you just kind of go through the motions? I don’t mean that in a negative sense! I know there are times when going through the motions is very beneficial (like all of you amazing new moms out there, who sleepily shuffle into your baby’s room in the middle of the night for a feeding or to soothe your little one). But I challenge you to think of other times, say, when you just plow through your e-mail inbox on autopilot or you show up for a class at The Studio (MDR) and just kind of roll through the 50 moves in 50 minutes, your mind drifting elsewhere.
We’re all culprits. It’s human nature. Which is why today, I’m embracing that new, beginner’s mind attitude. I’m about to leave our house to head to work and I’m going to be more mindful on my drive, really drinking in the view of the gorgeous Pacific Ocean that I’m so blessed to see every day. I’m going to take a class at The Studio (MDR) and pretend it’s my first week on the Megaformer again, when I was filled with equal parts love and fear and awe, which made me concentrate like a champ. I’m going to look at all of you, clients I admire more than I can say, as if it’s opening day again. And my hope is that you all find ways to do the same.
From where I sit, all of you—our amazing clients and friends—are all role models. You’re putting in the work, you’re transforming your bodies, you’re showing up day in and day out with big, open hearts. You often inspire in me the same kind of awe I felt on that Hawaiian beach a few weeks ago, and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.
Big hug,
Lisa