How the Fly-High Method Helps Me Navigate Life’s Highs and Lows

By Maria Rivera

Life is full of highs and lows. The Fly-High Method can’t protect you from the occasional rough landing. But it can give you wings—so you can take flight again right away.

That’s why I value the Method’s seven practices and use them in my day-to-day. I’m only human; I’m fallible. But I know I have the tools to bounce back quickly when things get me down. That’s why I want to share them with you, too.

Here’s a recent example—and an a-ha moment.

Life’s Highs and Lows are Bound to Happen

Last week, I found myself enjoying a BIG HIGH, followed by a QUICK LOW.

It was inevitable. As I get closer to my book’s September 10 publication date, my emotions have been on a wild rollercoaster ride. On the peaks, I find excitement and pride that this climb upward toward the infinite sky seems 100% worth it.

But on the low end, as I come hurtling back down to earth, I encounter debilitating anxiety from the realization that I’ve taken such a huge step in my life.

Holding a sample copy of my book for the first time, last week, was one of the highest peaks I’ve experienced in a long time. The only way I can explain the feeling is to compare it to when I first held each of my children after giving birth. I remember not being able to stop looking at them; checking their little nose, mouth, eyes, fingers, and toes in awe and amazement. Examining my new book was very similar. I went through it, page-by-page, paying attention to all the small details. I found myself in sheer disbelief that it was real and that it came out of me.

But while I was on an incredible high that moment, self-doubt and vulnerability crept in around the edges. I started having thoughts like, “How will people react to it?” “Will I be judged?” “What will readers think about the cows?” “…will they think I’ve lost my mind?”

And, importantly, “What if the book doesn’t have the positive impact I hope it will?”

…What if the wheels fall off this rollercoaster?

Facing All Those Highs and Lows, I Needed to Practice What I Teach

In the past, an episode of self-doubt like this would have escalated to full-blown fear. I would’ve been paralyzed by it. Or, I would have been stuck in a tizzy that could last for days or weeks.

Instead, I took a deep breath and went through the practices of the Fly-High Method:

F   Flip the focus inward and challenge external models of “dos” and “don’ts.”

L   Listen to your heart. It’s hungry for attention.

Y   Yank the plug on your “itty-bitty-shitty committee.”

H   Honor the light within yourself.

I    Inspire your inner child to come out and play.

G   Grow high-caliber relationships. They matter!

H   Help others soar higher.

Within an hour, I was back on track—feeling good about myself and my exciting future.

“Yank the Plug…”

While its essential to consistently use every practice, you’ll see that one or two have relevance in the face of a particular situation. In this instance, Practice #3 was essential for me. I had to tune out all that internal negativity; to yank the plug on what I call my “itty-bitty-shitty committee.”

Our thoughts have a direct impact on how we go about our lives. If negative rants go unaddressed, they have the power to become detrimental to our happiness and wellbeing. To quickly clean that muck out of my head, I focused on each negative thought that came to mind. I acknowledged them and thanked them for reminding me of the risk I’m taking. Then, I laughed at the notion that, in another time and place, I might’ve just gone shopping to drown out the noise from my “committee.”

It’s important to find lightness in the situation; to remove the heaviness. As my third cow, Terra, reminds us,

Taming the negative talk in your head is best handled gently—with gratitude, laughter, and a genuine willingness to let go of what isn’t serving you well.”

We are only human. Life will get under our skin from time to time and we may hit those highs and lows with some regularity. Having the tools to help ourselves achieve liftoff after a stormy rough patch, however, is vital to our mental and physical health.

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—POSTSCRIPT—

While I was having my short-lived tizzy last week, an email came in from a perfect stranger. She said that she didn’t know who I was, but that the cows attracted her. She wrote that her daughter had passed away recently and that she had loved cows. Seeing all the great artwork on our social media posts gave her a sense of peace. Her email did the same for me—and gave me the validation I needed to hear.

Learn more about my magical flying cows—and the seven practices of the Fly-High Method—in my new book. Get on the VIP list and reserve your copy today (no purchase necessary!): https://theflyingcows.com/reserve-your-book/