Release and Invite In for 2021

Part Two of the End-of-Year Ritual: Release and Invite In 

In my last newsletter, I wrote about taking time to celebrate wins. The second half of my annual end-of-year ritual is to evaluate what you want to let go of and what you’d like to invite into your life. There are so many things, situations, habits, and emotions that might come to mind for 2020; the obvious and the not-so-obvious.

Remind yourself what was draining for you this year. What isn’t working for you anymore? What do you want to let go of? What relationships have become toxic? What habits and limiting beliefs are standing in your way? As you metaphorically or literally let go, you make room in your heart and in your life, for more.

It’s up to you to decide what to invite in, otherwise, stuff might just show up to fill that space and it might not be what you want! What energy, emotions, or characteristics do you want to invite in – some new way of being? What situations, projects, people, or exciting next steps do you want to pursue? What do you want your life to look like? Do your best to identify what is most meaningful to you.

The bottom line: let go of what is not serving you and mindfully invite in what you want! Then do everything you can to make that happen.

The evaluation process to celebrate, let go, and invite in with intention takes time and thought, so don’t rush through it like some dreaded chore. Honor the process and honor yourself. Block out some focused time, limit possible distractions, and make it a ritual. Contact me if you’d like a worksheet for this.

To set the tone, you might do some of the following: set the right atmosphere with candles or music, write on special paper or in your favorite journal, start with some meditation or slow deep breathing, and then write down all that comes to you for each category without trying to make it perfect. I also encourage you to WRITE it down rather than just think about it. Swimming thoughts in your head are much harder to capture and mold into an intention.

My wish for you is more joy, ease, and flow, in your life. I wish that you’re able to have fun dreaming, exploring, planning, collaborating. All of that will lead to taking new steps and experiencing new results.

Check out the blog post written by my friend, Ele Dootson, which gives more suggestions about how to make this process special. Burning Bowl Ritual to Release and Invite In.              

Mountain, Molehill, or Puddle – It’s All a Matter of Perspective

This is NOT a mountain to climb!

Have you ever made something bigger in your mind than it really was?  And then avoided it like the plague and never got it done?

There are once-in-a-while tasks or even projects or dreams we have that, because we’ve never done them before or we don’t feel confident doing them, we put off. It may involve making a big decision and commitment, or will take a big chunk of time to complete. We let our imagination take over and think, “It’s going to be too hard.” Or, “It’s so big I don’t know where to start.” Or, “I just don’t have time for that right now.” These thoughts keep us in the avoidance or procrastination mindset. Our daily whirlwind of activity and our fear of the unknown doesn’t allow us to see any possibility.

My year has been busy - my coaching practice, family events, and the adjustments to becoming a Zoom expert out of shear necessity! (Let’s call that my whirlwind). I also knew that I wanted to do more.

During a recent coaching session (yes, Coaches have Coaches!), I wanted clarity on my next steps for my coaching business and my professional interests. I had several incomplete projects that I wanted to pay attention to; finish writing my book, launch more classes, launch a coach mentoring niche, and a few more “lofty” projects. I was in the mindset that I would “eventually do them all but who knows when”.  The first win of the session was to identify ONE (and only one) thing to focus on. I chose to relaunch my newsletter. The second win of the session was my determination to hire my friend and marketing consultant Jocelyn Murray to help me get this done. I know from past endeavors that I do best with an accountability partner. There were also some technical issues involving my website that were holding me back.

I shifted from, “I can do this all by myself but not sure when I’ll find the time,” to, “I will get this done, one step at a time, with partners to encourage and guide me when I need help.”

When I spoke with Jocelyn, I told her I was ready to make the “big leap”. She said, “It’s not a big leap, it’s just a step over a little puddle.”

That’s when I knew I had been making a mountain out of a mole hill, and even better, this was a little puddle that I could step over. It’s more like a series of puddles and I only have to walk over one at a time! I went from using language that was draining my energy and closing off possibilities to language that shows ease and flow and being at choice. I’ve done this with many, many clients, and now I had someone to help me reframe for myself.

If you are reading this article, it means that I’ve posted it on my website and I’ve sent it out to my newsletter list! The next step for me is to repeat the process over and over until it feels like second nature to me. Please reach out if there is a dream or a “future project” that you’d like to discuss. I want to help you find that new perspective.

Lessons Learned:

1. When you have a bunch of big things you want to accomplish “someday”, pick one and work on it – one step at a time – with a commitment to complete it.

2. Take any big project and chunk it down into smaller steps. When you decide on the first step, it makes the possibility of achieving the next steps much more likely.

3. Action, any action, is better than standing still. If the first step isn’t the right one, that’s ok. You can shift your path at any time.

4. It’s OK to ask for help; an accountability partner, someone to talk to who will be there as you find your new, winning perspective.