Colorful Intentions

A weekend of filling my cup! Brendon Burchard put on a great coaching summit in Austin and I am grateful for the wisdom, the inspiration and all of my amazing fellow high performance coaches. So good!

Fail More in 2022!
While the pic may not look bad, it did not taste good. This was my failed attempt at Hot Buttered Rum. And you know what, the only commitment I'm making to myself for the new year is to fail more! We only move forward when we're willing to risk trying new things and I'm going to do that even more this year. From cooking, to adventures, to artistic endeavors, to keeping my heart open, to trying things that sometime make me tremble with fear ----- I'm not going to let pandemic year 37 (feels like it...) get it the way of experiencing even more this year. Not going to let 'busy' or 'stressed' get in the way of trying new things and being bold. Not going to let woulda, coulda and shoulda stop me from being letting my curiosity lead.... So, failures, I'm not afraid of you!! Bring it on.

Ever wake up and something unfamiliar is with you…. Something feels off… a certain feeling lingering and pulling you in a direction that feels icky. I try to start each morning with gratitude yet today, something was blocking the way….

I first tried to get around it - come on, gotta get to gratitude, get out of my way. And it was like being in traffic because of a road closure and there’s absolutely no way around it and too many other cars to go any other direction. So, find the patience to just be there … and that’s what I did.

Started with focusing on my breath … and as I got more into my body… there came the kick of … regret. The could shoulda thoughts of something important in my life many years ago…. And the tears followed. And it seemed like suddenly this narrow path opened to show me what would have happened if I would have made a different decision… and the alternative was glorious … things would have turned out so I’m different, all would have been easy and bountiful and self doubt wouldn’t have been around my neck… I let myself go down this path for a bit… until, until I was able to call bull sh . Sure things would have been different and maybe different opportunities, but easy? Grateful to let my awareness kick in and let me see my counterfactual thinking was letting me look back and concoct imaginary (perfect) scenarios to convince myself things could be better. As I was able to see the distorted thinking, I was able to get back to the lane I more comfortably live in - that of owning my choices and reaping the learning and growth that they afford. I started feeling better and then . . . More of a kick ….

Dang, you wanna know who got in the car with regret? Grief!!! There it was… grief of could shoulda woulda… and as I let it in, it was followed by a whole lotta grief for things in the last year, for real loss that still has a grip on me…. Still felt stuck in traffic with it so… I let it be. Let it wash over me. Let it run though my body bringing tears and sorrow. And just like when that road closure opens up and suddenly traffic starts moving fast …. Once I allowed a little time to feel my grief, gratitude was right there easy to let in. The tears were still there yet they were tears of appreciation for the journey I DID choose and the lessons I have learned. Gratitude for freewill and all the choices I get to continue to make in whatever lies ahead. Love for all that has been lost and gratitude that my heart is open.

I don’t think my morning would have gone the way it did if I had not worked consistently for the last 5 years on a gratitude practice. It’s a habit now, a familiar path my body, mind and soul knows how to find. I don’t think it would have been there to take over the drivers seat otherwise… I think instead I would have wallowed in the rawness of regret, sorrow and grief much longer. It was important to visit… to let those feeling be and to let them pass through me. Shoving them down without feeling them always creates a bigger and scarier road block in the future. So, I am grateful for being able to allow them… and letting gratitude come guide me to the new openings and appreciation.

Sure, living without regret is a wonderful motto and intention. And, allowing the occasional visit isn’t going to take away from that… allowing for our beautiful humanness of all emotions brings us back to a clear path.

What are you grateful for today? Would have you been running from and maybe it’s time to let in?

This theory has been tested for me and I’m guessing most of you this last year. Being in nature reminds me to believe and to surrender and trust that yes, everything is unfolding exactly as it should. I am stronger today than I was a year ago. I am wiser and more comfortable in my own skin. My heart is more full of love and I feel steeped into gratitude like never before. Having a tough year full of loss and turmoil, falling down and needing to pick myself up - it has all taught me so much. It’s not a year any of us asked for or would want repeated yet, damn, the lessons and how facing them allowed me to grow isn’t something I would want to give up.

One of my biggest lessons from a tough year... Knowing that I have everything I need to weather the storm. I have the tools to help with the anxiety and sorrow... I just need to allow myself space to sit with them and do what I gotta do. I have the love and support from people that care deeply... I just need to reach out and allow the love in. I have the resilience to continue to bounce back and back and back again, I just need to surrender more and trust.

Where do you need to trust & surrender more?

Did you know it would be a life changing moment? When I look back at this picture I wonder, did I know? Did I know what I was leaving back on the safety of the shore? Did I know what jumping that eagerly out of my comfort zone would lead to? Did I know how much what I was jumping into might shock my system. . . And yet, that feeling of cold water might be the most waking up, invigorating moment I needed?

No, I don’t think I knew, and yet.... I felt ready. Ready for the next step. Ready for a moment of surrender that went deeper than anything before.

And seems only fitting that now, as I work to peel another layer of that that is me and all that I know, as I feel drawn to surrender even more than ever before, that THIS memory showed up in my feed today. This was the final day of a 10 day meditation retreat in India 6 years ago.... I had surrendered, pealed what felt like layers of crap getting in my way from many years of not dealing with so much in my life... with thinking sweeping it all under the rug was a viable solution.... While it hasn’t been all roses since that moment, but damn, I wouldn’t go back to the moment before I felt the cold Ganga River water. Jumping in was a significant moment of declaring I was ready for whatever came next.... and I find myself circling that same place now.... when will I be ready for jump? When will you be ready to jump?

What are you doing to take care of what matters most in life? Loved this sweet story with no words and yet a whole lot of heart.♥️

Take Care of Yourself | Doc Morris Christmas Advert 2020 This may be the best Christmas ad produced in 2020. Just fantastic. What do you think?

Let’s bring it - even more LOVE. Saw this out on a walk in Portland today. I feel like 2020 has been trying for everyone... are you letting it harden you, or is it evolving you and bringing a desire for more connection? Human beings are unstoppable when we lead from a passion to serve. It’s in all of us, and it’s a choice. I get it, a harder choice to make in trying times. Yet still a choice. Bring the love baby!

It’s been 74 days since the WHO declared Covid19 a pandemic and every human being on earth has had their life affected since that time. I heard the word Coronacoaster this week and it really resonates because, dang, there have been some ups and downs and unexpected twists and turns.

There was something about Friday this week that I experienced with more people I came in contact with (clients, friends, Facebook friends, people at the supermarket) feeling really fried from it all. Maybe it’s because in the US we were heading into Memorial Day weekend which is usually filled with bbqs and camping and summer gatherings that we all felt it more. Maybe it’s because it’s been 74 days of life being turned somewhat upside down, with a low level of fear that’s been with all of us.

Here’s what I know. . . Even the most resilient of us is being stretched with unexpected twists and turns at the moment.... and as thing start to open up more we’ll feel relief and fear and that whole cycle will continue messily around. There will be days you feel happy and content with the new normal, and days where you throw up your arms in sorrow or disbelief or frustration. Being intentional, taking care of yourself, finding peace in your heart and doing the habits that keep you focused are all more important than ever now. Have a daily practice, a ritual that helps you feel grounded. Expect that more unexpected will appear and have a plan for how you will find the ground underneath of you when it feels like there isn’t any. And connect - connect with those around you deeply. You family, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbors, your pets. Find a deeper level of empathy than ever before because a crisis like this that has been with us for a while and will continue to be, raises different things in all of us. Be compassionate about difference in views. Find collaboration and understanding instead of judgment and conflict.

Prime for resilience . . Don’t just expect it to be there. Work that muscle knowing it’s been relied upon even more than usual in the last 74 days. You got this! What is helping you find peace today?

You’ve been on lockdown for weeks now. . . Are you bringing the joy? For many of us, life has changed a lot due to current global conditions with CV-19. . . What is that change bringing up for you? Fear? Totally normal! Panic (can you say TP!)? Worry. . .about health, about $, about others? Again, a natural reaction for sure. And yet, what happens if you stay in all of that? What happens if those thoughts are the ones that dominate your mind most of the day, the ones driving the car?

What does this have to do with my blue stripes and the seemingly blue stripes on the mountain? A lot. . . Joy. Laughter. Playfulness. When I’m stuck in fear, not dealing with worry, harboring some panic, I’m not able to find the simple parts of life that bring so much joy. In speaking to a lot of my clients the last few weeks, many are needing to make big decisions about their work teams, their businesses and more. And I don’t know about you but every decision I’ve ever made coming from a place of fear never ends up to be a good long term decision. High performers know fear and worry are going to come up – maybe not at the level of a global pandemic, yet regular life brings up it’s share too. And they know how to acknowledge it and how to have a different relationship with it. They know how to coax it to the back seat or maybe even the trunk versus letting it drive the car. And when that happens, its so much easier to find the energy and lightheartedness that is at our core.

So today I celebrate my silly shirt and mountain comparison as a sign that I’m coping pretty well in a challenging time. I’m noticing when tough emotions come up and I’m working my way to another place with them. I’m being intentional about letting my playfulness come out each and every day. And when I do that, I’m able to pivot so much easier and make bold and bright decisions for my business and for my life during this time.

You got this! What is making you laugh today? Where will you let playfulness in?

No matter where you are in the world, I’m guessing you’ve had a lot of ups and down in the last few weeks. I’ve been in lockdown for 4 weeks now. There have been good days and bad days... days where the fear and confusion and denial are all playing tug of war. And there are days where I feel deep, deep gratitude for the gift of slowing down and for the reminders of what is most important in life.

Struggle happens, fear happens... it’s okay to allow it in . . Just don’t let it build a house and stay! We all have choices in how we handle things and some times, when things feel heavy or we’re overcome by grief, it’s hard to see that we have a choice. What I’ve continued to learn in the last four weeks is that it’s okay to allow space for the struggle or for the sad or the fear... yet, I need to sit with it and allow myself to feel it, so I can then let it go and find my way to other choices. To choose to accept that things are the way that they are... and to choose to feel gratitude. And to choose to be intentional about how I want to show up each day. Today was one of those days where I felt all the feels... and was so grateful that I live in an area where there is nature in my neighborhood. Enjoyed capturing some of it to share with you.

What are you choosing to honor today? Blessings & good health to you 💖

@ Portland, Oregon

Ooohhh yes! This is what I’ve been feeling and so well said from one of the most resilient human beings on this earth! (If isn’t on your radar - check her out. A dynamic mix of love & perseverance). It’s easy to feel like we’re in ‘holding pattern’ with most of us weeks into lockdown mode. I have found myself saying, ‘when will things get back to normal’... and yet, I question, what does that even mean?

I have loved the coaching calls I’ve been having with clients the last two weeks. Yes, we are all going through something we probably never expected. It’s brining up all kinds of things for us to be living in such uncertainty daily while daily life is also so dramatically changed. And yet, if we can see it as such, it truly is an opportunity to get more clarity on how we want to show up. More clarity on what’s most important to us. More clarity on what are the things in our lives that are serving us and what are the things that are creating distraction or getting in the way.

What new habit do you want to use this time to put into place? What has the world being turned upside down helped you to be more grateful for in your own life? What dreams do you have about what your own life ‘could be’ and how can you use this crazy time in the world to edge closer to it? How can you create your own more resilient, more heart felt, more intentional life each and every day?

You got this!!! Blessings & good health to you 💖