MONDAYS / On the Big Picture vs. the Current Reality
EPISODE OVERVIEW: Both your long-term vision and short-term tasks require equal prioritization and energy.
Hosted by Fiona Bicknell
In this episode, Fiona invites listeners to reflect on the powerful balancing act of aligning a big vision with present reality. As the Fall Equinox brings moments of equal light and dark, it's an opportunity for introspection on our goals and where we stand in relation to them.
The episode delves into the idea of balancing the long-term vision with the immediate next steps, and how this concept can be applied to our personal journeys. Through a guided meditation, listeners are encouraged to connect with their higher selves and future selves to gain clarity on their path ahead.
The episode offers practical wisdom on how to move through life with intention, while staying grounded in the present. By using the slogan "Think Global, Act Local," Fiona emphasizes the importance of holding both a big-picture mindset and a realistic focus on what’s right in front of us. The meditation is designed to guide listeners through a visualization process that reveals insights on their current direction, helping them uncover what’s needed in the moment to move forward with clarity and purpose.
THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF:
You’re seeking clarity on how to align your long-term goals with your present reality.
You’re looking for ways to balance a big vision with the small, practical steps needed to get there.
You want to use the energy of the equinox to check in with yourself and assess your personal journey.
What Next?
If this episode felt useful and you’d like to connect further with PORTER, there are multiple ways to engage with Fiona and the brand:
To tune into more OVT, browse all episodes at the link below.
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Hello. Hello. It is Monday, September 23rd.
And this is another Monday message for you, something to take with you through the week ahead, something to open up a bit of contemplation of the self. This week, I have a line for you, I guess, or a slogan, and I'm going to, I'll explain it shortly, but the line is, or the slogan is, think global, act local.
So we had an equinox yesterday. It was the fall equinox for those in the Northern Hemisphere or the Spring equinox for those down in the Southern Hemisphere.
We have two equinoxes a year. And these are the two days of the year that we have an equal amounts or equal parts of light and dark. And in Kundalini, which Kundalini is a practice that I teach and a practice that I follow for myself in my day to day. In Kundalini, we teach that the equinoxes are these check in points.
They're these moments throughout the year, these two key moments where we can check in with ourselves to determine if we're on the path, if we're on our path. Like how are we doing? Where are we at in relation to our goals, in relation to our vision, in relation to what it is that we believe that we are here for?
Or what it is that we are looking to create and offer to the world? And I like to think of it as, it's equal parts light and dark, right? So it's this kind of harmonizing point, this moment, like if we're working with the energy of the equinox, we have this opportunity to really bring ourselves into alignment, bring ourselves into balance.
And I've been thinking a lot about that this week. And what does it mean to bring ourselves into balance?
And because it's all very well and good to say those words, but what do they actually mean? And I've kind of landed on this, this idea of being able to live in the space or move through the world or be driven from this space of the balancing point between having a big vision, like seeing where we're going, and then also being clear on what's right in front of us, like where we are currently at, and that we can hold both of these things alongside each other, the where we're going and the where we are, and not get lost or stuck in either one.
That we, you know, it's all very well and good to have a big vision, but if we get stuck with our head in the clouds and we're kind of living in this fantasy land and not really taking action on that, then it's not really serving us.
And on the other hand, if we're too much in the day to day and we're too much in the immediate and what is right in front of us, then we can also get stuck there.
We're not lifting our head up to kind of look if we're headed in the right direction.
So I see the equinoxes as being these days that are a really lovely opportunity for us to bring these two things into balance, the long term vision and the current reality.
And this Think Global Act Local, that came to mind because, well, I actually, I taught a Kundalini workshop this morning where we were working with the energy of the equinox.
We did a bit of a visualization to check in on these very things for ourselves. And I finished that class, I opened my emails and I had a newsletter there from this guy, James Sinclair.
He has a business newsletter for founders and for startups. And I just read the first line, and the first line said, Think big, act small.
And instantly, it made me think of this slogan that an old boss of mine used to say, this, this, think global, act local.
And when I was in my early 20s, I was working at Vivienne Westwood in London, and I was on the marketing team. And so we worked quite closely with the MD of the company.
And the MD was this Italian guy, Carlo, that had endless, endless kind of like slogans and metaphors and analogies for us.
And something he used to say over and over and over, and he would drill this into us was, “think global, act local”.
That for every single project we worked on, for every new campaign, for every new collection, he was constantly pushing us to be in this mindset of, think about this in a global manner. You've got to think about how this works for everyone, how this works in the big picture, but act locally.
Look at the opportunities that are right in front of you. How can you connect with people in the local community How can you be kind of on the ground?
And in like in the moment at the same time as holding this big vision.And I mean, there's so many things that Carlo said that have stuck with me for various reasons.
But that's one in particular that it feels very much tied to this way I've been thinking about the Equinox and the opportunity of the Equinox and what it's asking of us on an individual level.
So even though that guidance was very much in a business context, I think it can really be applied to the self.
Like think big, act small, think globally, act locally.
Yeah, hold a big vision, but be realistic about where you're at in this moment.
It's finding the balancing point between those two. And so I am going to walk us through right now, a quick visualization.
It will only be six minutes.
And to do just that, to tune in with your higher self or your intuition or source, guides, God, whatever it is that feels true for you.
And we are going to, yeah, just do a little check in to get clear on where you're headed, and determine if you're in, moving in the right direction, and what might be needed in the immediate to ensure that you're on that path.
So I'm going to ask that if you can close your eyes, and if you're out walking, or if you're doing things that mean, that means for right now that you can't close your eyes, or it's not safe to close your eyes, then please don't.
But if you can, please close your eyes, and wherever you are, and whatever you're doing right now, I'm going to ask that you straighten your spine.
You pull your shoulders back.
You take a really deep breath in all the way down to the lower belly.
Let the chest expand.
Let the belly soften.
And let it all go.
And another deep breath like that all the way down to the lower belly.
And as you let the breath go, let the jaw relax.
Let the shoulders drop.
Let the chest open a little more.
Shake out any tension that you might be holding in the body.
And on the next breath in, I want you to imagine that you're drawing in energy from the earth below.
And you want to visualize this.
It might take on a color or a tone or a texture.
Just imagining that you're drawing in energy from the earth coming up into the body.
And with every breath in, pulling a little bit more and a little bit more of this energy up into the system.
And as it comes into your body, it's helping clear your energy.
Ensuring that anything that is not yours, anything that does not belong to you is leaving the system, leaving the body, leaving the aura.
And then I want you to bring your awareness up to the crown chakra, the top of the head.
Now taking a deep breath in, imagine that you're drawing an energy from the sky above, coming down into the body.
And again, this might take on a tone, a color, a texture.
With every breath in, just visualizing more and more of this energy coming down into the body.
And as it does, it helps to relax the muscles.
It helps to alleviate tension.
The brow might soften, the jaw might release.
The shoulders might drop a little more.
And as more and more of this energy comes in, it creates a sense of peace, a sense of calmness.
And eventually, you'll start to see these two energies coming together in the body, creating a feeling of alchemy, the yin and the yang coming together, getting everything moving, everything flowing, opening your energy up.
And then from this space here, I want you to project into the future.
Just trust wherever you get taken.
Don't question it.
Whatever is shown to you, just go with it.
And I want you to pay attention to where you are.
You might not have an exact geographical location, that's okay, but just notice, where are you?
Pay attention to how your energy is being used.
What is your time going towards?
Who are the people you're in connection with?
What are you offering in this space?
What are you doing?
What are you creating?
And most importantly, how do you feel?
Check in with the body, do a scan.
How does the body feel?
What's your posture like?
How do you carry yourself?
What version of self are you projecting to the world?
Who is this future self that you are seeing?
And when that feels clear, I want you to bring this version of self back into the present moment.
Imagine that they are sitting directly opposite you.
And without judgment, and without being hard on yourself, can you just acknowledge any differences, any points of difference, any gaps between the person you are in this body, in this moment, and this future version of self that you are visualizing sitting across from you.
And I want you to imagine now just asking them a couple of questions.
The first question is, what do I need to know?
Trust whatever comes forward here.
The first thing that pops up, just choose to trust it.
The second question is, what do I need to do?
The final question is, what am I not seeing?
And when that feels clear, showing some gratitude to this future version of self.
Taking a really deep breath in all the way down to the lower belly.
And let it all go.
Placing your hand on the heart.
Thanking yourself, bringing yourself back into the present moment.
Wiggling the fingers, wiggling the toes.
And gently opening the eyes.
So if you have the space or the time right now, I would suggest just taking a minute to quickly jot down whatever came up for you there, even if it's just in the notes on your phone.
What did you see for your path ahead, for where you are headed?
And then what did you receive from that future version of self in relation to those three questions?
What do I need to know?
What do I need to do?
And what am I not seeing?
And just see if there's something you can take away from those, any points of difference that you noticed between the person you are today and the person you might be not far from today.
And how can you start to move in that direction?
And what is required to take you there?
Okay.
That is it for today.
I hope you have a really, really beautiful week ahead, and I am sending you so much love.
