This weekend I learned a new word: muga (pronounced moo-ga).
It’s the Kimeru (spoken by the Meru in Kenya) word for hello.
I’m told that the more literal translation is “you have permission to speak.” And what it does is create a space for conversation.
I found the whole concept really interesting.
I love that fact that when you say muga to someone you’re basically inviting them to a conversation with you, you’re holding a space for that conversation.
Last week one of my goals was to have a sales page up for an upcoming program I’m super excited about sharing with you (watch your inbox!). This program has been swimming around in my head for almost 5 years!
But I couldn’t stay focused on it long enough to make the progress on I needed to in order to write the sales page. I’d sit at my desk and stare, going in circles. Or I’d find something interesting, but very unimportant, to do.
So went the week.
On Friday the weather was wonderful and I decided I’d print out all my notes (some from 2012!) and head over to a forest preserve along the Fox River and work. Before I started I went on a walk and then found an unoccupied picnic table overlooking the river.
I reviewed all my notes and started writing. When I was finished I had finished what I had been trying to work on for most of the week. I assumed I’d been sitting there for at least 90 minutes (there was also lots of staring at the river time involved). However, when I looked at the time, I’d only been working for about 40 minutes!
I was floored by how much I accomplished in that 40 minutes that I couldn’t manage to accomplish in the hours I sat at my desk earlier in the week.
So, what does muga have to do with the progress on my project?
Muga is about creating a space for conversation.
My project needed me to create a different space to get done what I wanted to get done.
Now, you might be wondering what this has to do with you…
What space are you creating to get the things done that you want to do?
Sometimes we need to plan differently and other times require a change of scenery, to be outside for a bit, or to just give ourselves a break from the “must force myself to get it done” attitude we might have.
In this week’s Wednesday LIVE with Evie, was about creating space for our big projects, for the tasks that require us to dig deep.
And I’d love to know the following from you:
- What does it look like when you struggle (change the word to something else) with this
- What do you do (or could you do) when you find yourself in that place?
Let me know in the comments below!